A daycare contract establishes a legal agreement between a daycare provider and a parent of a child. It outlines important details about child care, payment, and much more.
You can find a template to download below and learn more about what to include in a daycare contract.
What Is a Daycare Contract?
A daycare contract is a legally binding agreement between a child’s parent and a daycare provider. Some daycares are owned by independent contractors who work for themselves. Other daycares hire employees to take care of children as part of their business.
Daycares primarily offer group childcare services where parents drop off their children for the day. This is primarily during the workweek, but a daycare can also offer weekend and evening services.
A daycare contract is often referred to as the following:
- Daycare services agreement
- Daycare agreement
- In-home daycare contract
- Childcare agreement
When To Use a Daycare Contract
There are two main types of daycare locations:
- Home-Based: A home-based daycare is operated out of someone’s personal residence. It usually cares for only a few children at a time.
- Center-Based: A center-based daycare is a commercial location and usually cares for a large number of kids.
Both types will benefit from using a daycare contract. You should use a daycare contract whenever you operate a daycare business or are a parent who wants to hire one. This agreement can protect both parties’ rights.
Why Use a Daycare Contract?
A daycare contract puts your agreements in writing. This prevents confusion about what the daycare offers and what it is obligated to do.
It also creates a legally enforceable agreement that may be enforced in court when necessary.
What To Include in a Daycare Contract
A template daycare contract puts the language you need in an easy-to-use form. Your daycare agreement should include the following:
- Date of the agreement: Your contract should include when the contract was signed. This is often the effective date for the daycare contract.
- State where it was signed: Where the agreement was signed may have important legal significance if you need to enforce the contract.
- Party information: The parties’ contact information could include their address, names, and more.
- Description of daycare services: The contract should clearly outline what the daycare does, when, and how much it will cost.
- Sales agreement: If your daycare sells products as part of its services, a sales agreement puts these agreements in writing.
- Legal provisions: A daycare agreement template puts the standard legal language you need to protect yourself or your business with these common provisions.
- Signature lines: Each party must sign the agreement or it may be invalid.
Daycare Contract Sample
A sample daycare contract shows you exactly what you need to put in your written agreement. Below, you can download a daycare contract in PDF and Word format:
