Father and Daughter Coloring While Mother is on Computer

The work isn’t over once you find child care. Understanding the contract you have with your provider and staying involved in your child’s child care setting are both very important to a successful arrangement.

Child Care Contracts

It’s important that you and your child care provider understand the expectations of the care arrangement, and that the responsibilities for you and your provider are clear.

Once you choose a child care provider and agree to enroll your child in their program, you’ll need to sign a contract with your provider before starting care. A contract provides details about the partnership between you and your provider and can help prevent misunderstandings. The contract should include things you and your provider have discussed and agreed on relating to your child’s care. This includes your child’s schedule, rates and fees, how vacations and absences are handled, and what you must do if you want to stop care. Here are some things that you can expect to see in your contract:

  • Costs: This covers the rate you will pay, frequency of payment (for example, weekly or monthly), and any additional fees.
  • Payment and fees: This information explains when payment is due, acceptable forms of payment, and late fees.
  • Hours of operation
  • Services: This includes additional services, such as meals and snacks.
  • Program schedule and closures: This specifies days the program is closed and whether payment is required for those days.
  • Termination policy: This specifies how much notice is required if you or the provider needs to terminate the agreement.
  • Authorized adults: This allows parents or guardians to identify who is approved to pick up children from care.
  • Parent and provider signatures and date(s) signed

In addition to a signed contract, your provider should have written policies for other important situations. There are typically policies for illnesses, discipline and guidance, emergencies, field trips, and transportation.

Stay Involved

Mother and Young Son Reading Outside in Grass

You and your child care provider should work as partners to support your child’s well-being. Building a strong relationship with your child care provider is one of the best ways to help ensure your child is happy, safe, and learning while in care.  

Talking with your child’s caregivers and visiting and participating in activities at your child’s program sends a strong message. It tells both your child and your child’s caregiver that you are interested in what your child is doing, and that learning is important.

Here are some ways for staying involved and ensuring care meets your child’s needs.

Talk with Your Child Care Provider Regularly

Drop-off and pick-up times provide good opportunities for talking with providers. If your provider is not available during these times, ask about other ways you can talk about how things are going and how your child is doing. For example, you can plan a scheduled time for calls or check-ins via notes, texts, or emails. Find a time and a way to communicate that works for both you and your child’s provider.

  • Ask how your child is doing.
  • Share suggestions and concerns and what you like about the program with your child’s provider or the program’s director or owner.
  • Share information about your child with your provider, including relevant health information, updates on what happens at home, and your child’s interests.

Find Ways to Participate

Here are some other ways to stay involved in your child’s program.

  • Visit regularly and at various times to see different parts of the daily routine. Also consider dropping in unannounced to observe what happens when providers don’t plan ahead for your visits.
  • Look for ways to volunteer when needed. Ask the program about the requirements for volunteers and how they organize help. Volunteering can take many forms. Possibilities include the following:
    • Help in the classroom, such as reading to books to children during circle time.
    • Be a class representative and organize help from other families to support the classroom and its teachers.
    • Participate in activities and special events, such as bookfairs, field trips, show and tell, career day, Black History Month, and other celebrations.
  • Look for ways you can support your child’s learning at home and at child care.
    • Work with your provider to develop a learning plan for your child.
    • Talk with your provider to identify activities that can be done both at home and in child care that will support your child’s growth and development. Consider your child’s age, strengths, interests, and abilities.
    • Work with your provider to create activities that reflect your family’s culture and traditions.

Talk with Your ChildParent with child.

It’s also important to stay connected with your child so that you can understand what they do at child care and how they feel about it.

  • Ask your child how they feel about their day. For example, “Did you have a happy or sad day? Why?”
  • Ask your child what they do during the day. For example, “I had to read a lot of things today at work and had fun talking to my coworkers. What did you do today? What was the best part? What wasn’t your favorite? Who did you play with?”
  • Ask your child how they interacted with the caregiver. Listen carefully to what they say. For example, “What did you do today with Ms. Anne? Did you have fun? Do you like seeing Ms. Anne?”
  • Observe your child’s behavior during drop-off and pick-up times. Talk with your caregiver about any changes or concerning behavior.
  • If your child says that they do not want to go back, ask them why they feel that way. For example, “Do you have fun playing with the other kids?  Do you like your teachers? What part of the day is not your favorite?”  Be sure to follow up with the caregiver to discuss.