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Daycare parent handbook: the sections to write and what each one says

Updated

The short answer

A parent handbook is your written operating policies, in plain words, for the families you serve. Cover when you are open, who you care for and how many, how enrollment and tuition work, late fees and late pickup, absences, holidays, illness and when a child must stay home, medication, emergencies, who may pick a child up, discipline, meals, naps and safe sleep, outings, parent visits, how you communicate, how either side ends care, and privacy of photos and family information. Give it to parents at enrollment and keep a signed acknowledgment.

The sections, and the decision each one needs from you

  1. Hours and closures. Opening and closing times, holidays you close, and how you give notice of a closure.
  2. Ages and capacity. The ages you serve and the number of children your license or registration allows.
  3. Enrollment and tuition. What a parent must provide before day one, tuition amounts and due dates, registration fee, and what happens to tuition on absences and vacations.
  4. Late payment and late pickup. The fee, the grace period, and what happens if it keeps happening.
  5. Illness. Which symptoms keep a child home, how long before a child returns, and how you tell other families when something is going around.
  6. Medication. Whether you give any, and what written permission you need first.
  7. Emergencies. Who you call, in what order, and where children go if the home must be left.
  8. Release of the child. Who may pick up, how you check, and what you do when someone not on the list arrives.
  9. Discipline and guidance. What you do, what you never do, and how you tell parents. Some states require this one in writing, so read your own rules.
  10. Meals, naps and safe sleep, outings. What you serve, how children sleep, and whether you take children out or drive them.
  11. Parent rights and visits, communication. A parent's right to visit while the child is in care, and how you share daily news.
  12. Ending care, confidentiality, photos. Notice each way, how you protect family information, and whether you take or share photos.
  13. Home details. Pets, smoking and firearms in the home, assistants and substitutes, and your duty to report suspected abuse or neglect.

Write in the first person ("we"), keep sentences short, and aim for a reading level a busy parent can handle at pickup. Put dates and amounts in numbers. Then date the document with a policy year, so you can tell which version a family signed.

Why parents sign for it

Licensing rules in several states ask providers to give parents written policies at enrollment, and some ask for a signed copy. Texas, for example, has rules about written operational policies and giving parents a copy (26 TAC §747.501 and §747.503 for child-care homes), and Florida's rule 65C-20.008 points to a handbook for family day care homes. Rules change and have details we cannot summarise here; read the current text for your state and ask your licensing agency when unsure. A signed acknowledgment also shows you gave the family the policies on a particular date.

The faster path: Daycare Handbook and Contract Builder turns your answers into a finished handbook and a contract for each family, and parents sign online. It is free for one family and one signature request; the Provider Pack is $49 a year. The builder is launching soon; see pricing.

Daycare Handbook and Contract Builder is document-assembly software, not a law firm. It is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. It is not affiliated with or approved by any state licensing agency.