What to put in a home daycare parent handbook

A section-by-section checklist for home daycare and family childcare providers. These are the policies parents ask about, the ones that prevent awkward conversations, and the ones licensing visitors tend to look for.

A parent handbook does two jobs. It tells new families what to expect, and it gives you something to point to when a policy is tested. That might be the fifth late pickup or a feverish toddler at drop-off. The handbooks that work are specific: real numbers, real times, real consequences. "Fees are due promptly" protects no one. "Fees are due every Monday by e-transfer, and a $10 late fee applies after Wednesday" does.

1. Welcome and program basics

• A short welcome letter: who you are, why you do this, and what a day with you feels like
• Your licence or registration number, if you have one
• Ages served and number of spaces
• Your philosophy of care in a few plain sentences. Avoid jargon.
• How to reach you during care hours and after hours

2. Hours, calendar and closures

• Opening and closing times, and what "closing time" means. Is it "out the door" or "arriving"?
• Statutory holidays you close for
• Your own vacation weeks, how much notice you'll give, and whether fees apply during them
• Weather closures and what happens if you're sick
• Professional development or in-service days

3. Rates, payments and fees

This is the section to be most precise in, because it's the one families most often test.

• Your rate: per day, per week or per month, and full-time versus part-time
• When payment is due and how (e-transfer, cheque, app)
• Late payment fee and when it kicks in
• Late pickup fee, such as a set amount per minute after closing
• Whether fees are charged for sick days, family vacations and holidays (most providers charge for reserved spots)
• Deposit or registration fee, and whether it's refundable
• How and when rates may change, and how much notice you'll give
• That you provide year-end childcare tax receipts, and when

4. A typical day

• Drop-off and pickup windows
• A sample daily schedule: meals, outdoor play, quiet time, naps
• What to pack: spare clothes, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, outdoor gear
• Food: whether you provide meals and snacks, and your policy on food from home
• Naps and rest: where children sleep, and safe sleep practices for infants
• Screen time, if any
• Outings, walks and transportation

5. Health, illness and medication

• Your sick policy, with concrete exclusion criteria such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea or contagious rashes, and how long a child stays home after symptoms end
• What happens when a child becomes ill during the day, and how quickly they must be picked up
• Medication: written authorization required, original labelled containers, how it's logged
• Allergies and dietary needs: how families tell you and how you manage them
• Immunization records, if your jurisdiction requires them
• Injuries: how you'll notify parents and document incidents

6. Safety and emergencies

• Authorized pickup: who can collect a child and what ID you'll ask for
• Emergency procedures for fire, evacuation and lockdown, and where you'll go
• How you'll contact families in an emergency
• Pets in the home, and any firearms or pool policy your jurisdiction requires you to disclose

7. Behaviour guidance

• Your approach to guiding behaviour: redirection, natural consequences, never physical punishment
• How you'll handle biting, hitting and other common toddler stages
• When you'll involve parents, and when behaviour could lead to ending care

8. Communication and privacy

• How you share daily updates: paper daily reports, texts or an app
• Photo policy: whether you take photos and where they may be shared
• Confidentiality of family information
• How to raise a concern, and that you'd rather hear it early

9. Enrollment, notice and termination

• Trial or settling-in period
• How much written notice families must give to leave (two to four weeks is common)
• Reasons you may end care: non-payment, repeated late pickups, safety concerns
• That signing the enrollment agreement means the family has read the handbook

Check your province's or state's licensing regulations for anything they require in writing, because requirements vary by jurisdiction. Then have every family sign that they've received the handbook, and keep that page on file.