A parent handbook is the best way to share your business practices with your daycare parents. It introduces your child care program to your clients, and lets them know what to expect from your home daycare.
Keep reading for insider tips on making a daycare handbook! If you want to learn more about what specific policies to put in your handbook, read this post. Start a new Microsoft Word document. Make the front page of your handbook a short, warm welcome letter to your program. As someone who know what it is like to be a working parent, I understand the stress related to choosing and using a daycare provider in an extremely personal way.
I feel that my personal experiences allow me insight into your daily needs as a client. I run my business from my home because Family Child Care is an incredibly personal and emotional occupation — and I love this aspect of it!
I look forward to providing your child with a caring and enriching environment, and welcoming them into my family! Some things you can include here:. Write up a paragraph explaining how you will communicate with your daycare parents and include them in your program. For example:. Read more about communicating with daycare parents here.
Write at least one paragraph here explaining how you will teach your daycare kids. Will you make lesson plans for a preschool program? Will you teach non-formally through daily interactions with your kids?
Did you purchase a curriculum to use? Let the parents know what to expect from you. What is your behavior policy? Most providers include this information in their contract , however in your handbook you have some room to explain, in detail, the ins and outs of when parents should keep their child home when they are sick. This section may vary based on your licensing requirements, but I preferred to include information about my license and where parents can find information about a family child care license that is provided by my home state.
Each year our licensing unit would send out a survey to my clients to rate the service they were receiving via my program. Provide your clients with a list of forms that they will be expected to fill out when they enroll your program. Some may be forms you create while others are required by other organizations such as the Food Program or the Licensing Department.
Check with your licensing committee to determine what elements are required in your communications with clients. Give your clients details on what type of curriculum or activities you offer. Will there be field trips? Will you invite outside services in such as a music therapist or a kid-yoga instructor? Good ahead! Here are some common notes included on this page that you may want to add to yours:.
While your child care contract should be limited to pages, your child care handbook can be longer. Consider it an expanded version of your contract. Some providers prefer to hand their clients a paper copy of their handbook where others are comfortable emailing it out as a PDF.
Regardless of your delivery preference, it is important to write a clear and concise parent handbook to lay the foundation for how you want your program to run. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Bloglovin Email Facebook Instagram Pinterest. Search this website. Do you use a parent handbook for your family child care program?
The purpose of a parent handbook A parent handbook is a great way to expand upon the various policies and procedures that are included in your child care contract. A Welcome Page Most of your clients who are reading this for the first time are brand new to your program. Front Cover Print your front cover in a bright and cheery color! Introduce Yourself Include a section in which you tell your new clients about who you are!
Your Teaching Philosophy Be honest here. Orientation Information for New Families This paragraph should include information on what the family is expected to provide should they label these things?
Your Daily Schedule Share a timeline of daily events in this section. Here is a sample of how I explained my play-based program that was mostly child-lead. Parents: Please refrain from using your cell phone during this time as you help get your child settled and say good-bye for the day. Also include information about your family.
Be honest here. Share your WHY. I loved reading through the following reasons why some teachers choose to teach for a living. This paragraph should include information on what the family is expected to provide should they label these things? Share a timeline of daily events in this section. Try to share a rough outline if possible as parents will appreciate knowing approximately when lunch is being served, how many times you go outside to play, etc.
Our daily schedule is structured but very flexible to allow for spontaneity and to meet the needs of each child. Our routine also varies from season to season. I use a child led play-based learning approach. This means children have large blocks of time to play and explore freely within the learning space which includes materials that are carefully selected by the child care provider. Here is an example of a few entries I included in my program guidebook in this deep dive section:.
Drop-off and pick-up can be very challenging for all parties involved the child, the parent and the provider. Use this space in your handbook to outline best practices to help parents understand the complexities—what makes drop-off or pick-up time go smoothly and what does not? Be sure to include the following details in this section:.
Share information about the food you serve to their child. Be sure to include whether or not you are enrolled in the Food Program. This is a great place to include a rough outline of your meal schedule. Here are some notes I included in my nutrition section:.
You could also highlight what kinds of footwear works best velcro? Will it be stored in your home? Will parents be required to carry it back and forth each day? These are all things you get to decide as a business owner! Outline ways in which you will be sharing information with parents about their child and how they should contact you if they have any questions or concerns.
If you write a monthly newsletter , talk about how and when it will delivered each month and what they can expect. Here is where you can provide more information about your payment policy, whether or not you collect a deposit and if there are any other fees the parents should know about. Let your clients know about your vacation policy. Consider passing out a document each year that outlines your time off based on the current year.
You can, however, include information about your time off and if payment is required in your absence. Consider whether or not your clients will still be required to pay when THEY choose to take a day off or keep their child home due to illness.
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