Policies and Procedures If you want parents to see you as a professional and follow your policies and procedures, you must conduct yourself professionally, and YOU must follow the policies and procedures you set. Write them down, explain them to parents upon enrollment and have them sign a contract stating they understand and agree to follow them. It may also be necessary to remind parents of certain policies or procedures from time to time.
Below are some examples of policies you may consider for your program:
Hours of operation: Be clear about what your hours are and put them in writing. Do you have a cut-off time for drop off? If so, be sure to state it. If you decide to extend your hours, or offer non-traditional hours for individual families, indicate this in a separate agreement in their individual contract.
Enrollment procedures: What are your enrollment procedures? Do you require parents to visit and or stay with their children in the beginning? What paperwork/documentation do you require before the child starts? Do you have a trial period?
Rates and payments: Be clear on how much your rates are, and what type of care and hours your rates cover. Be sure to include when and how you expect to be paid.
Vacations: Will you close for a vacation? When and for how long? Do you expect to be paid for your vacation time? What about parents' vacations? Do you expect to be paid for part/all of the time when the child is not there due to a family’s vacation?
Holidays: What holidays are you closed for? Do you expect to be paid for holidays?
Absences: What are your policies around absences? Do you expect to be notified if a child will not be in child care for the day? If so, at what point do you expect do be notified? Do you expect to be paid for absences? Substitute care arrangements: Be clear with parents that they must have arrangements for substitute care in the event that you are unable to care for their child. The parents, not the provider is responsible for arranging substitute care!
Meals: Will you serve meals or will the parents be responsible for providing them? Do you participate in the child care food program? Serve only organic foods? What if a child has specific dietary needs or has allergies?
Supplies: Are parents responsible for supplying diapers and wipes? Snacks, cleaning or paper supplies? Or do you provide some of things items for a fee?
Illness: When should the parent keep the child home? Do you require a doctor’s note in order for a child to return to child care after certain illnesses? What are your policies for administering medication?
Parent Involvement: Do you expect parent participation in the program? Do you want parents to volunteer in the day care? Do you hold individual parent conferences or group meetings? Do you have a newsletter or parent bulletin board?
Discipline: It is very important that you discuss discipline policies with parents, and are in agreement on this issue.