Need Advice on In-home Child Care .

Coming from someone who has worked in the legal field for many years, no you are not asking too much.
These are very standard forms you will find in most daycare facilities. These forms not only protect you but the family you are providing care for.

I never had to sign the payment receipt but that's not to say I wouldn't either.
It sounds like it was for the best, if a parent isn't willing to sign a payment receipt, then it sounds like they wouldn't have paid on time.

Hi my name is Stacey and I also am a in home provider in Saint Joseph, Mo. I have asked my parents to fill out similar paper work and they have with no problem. I have never did the sign to show you have paid paper but to me it sounds like a great Idea! I know that I have problems with my parents when I ask for a little more money. I was doing the pay by the day thing and now I just can't afford it anymore and have had to go to the pay by the week thing. Any advise from you or any other providers on how to make them realize it is for real and not just a joke. I think I might lose some family's. Why parents think that in home providers are like teenagers doing this for extra cash to go to the mall, justs gets me. I think they should have to do our job sometime.

I may have some different insights to this.. Keep in mind I've done this for 20 years and I've been both licensed and unlicensed. In my early years I took tons of classes. Most of this I've learned over time.

First of all about seeking medical treatment. I will NEVER under any circumstances authorize medical treatment for any child. That is the parents responsibility. If you sign anything at all at the hospital the hospital can come back on you and make you pay the entire bill! I took a class on this years ago and it cleared this whole thing up for me. Even if you get a paper notoraized, the hospital still will ONLY stablilize the child until the parent arrives. The parent MUST be only a phone call away and they can authorize treatment over the phone if they need to. If the parent does not arrive at the hospital and can not be found, the hospital is under legal authority to stabilize the child without anyone's consent, so are all emergancy medical personel. You co not need these forms or consents. If a parent is missing in action and has given you bad information, the hospital will assign a case worker to the child and the parent would have to answer for themselves when they get there about why they were missing in action.

Now about the money. Contracts are only as good as you are willing to enforce them. I for one do not have the time nor the desire to face off some rude parent in small claims court. If they don't pay they don't stay. I charge in advance and I NEVER give them any leway in this. I tell my parents in advance if they can't pay just don't bother showing up. Occasinally someone tries it and I remind them that there are ATM machines about 2 blocks from my house. When they make a couple dashes to the ATM machine, they don't forget in the future. I do have a couple parents I would trust, but they have been around for years, even before I moved out of town and came back. But if I take the chance on someone, it's not going to be longer than 1 day as in they forgot in the a.m. and they bring it at night.

I don't worry about a family serving a proper notice. They rarely do and it's not worth the hassle to me. If they don't want to come, or they don't have the money, then I don't want or need them plain and simple. Take the family I had to part ways with last week. These people showed up at my house at 10:30 at night with a rediculous accusation that their child was biting the other kids because one of the 20 month old boys had bit him in his privates. I don't believe them. They are freaks plain and simple. These other kids have been scared of that boy for weeks and I've been watching them all like a hawk because of his behavior. I would have known if anything innappropriate had happened. In fact, I was so close that I did see him bite when he did. I just wasn't fast enough to stop it, so I had to isolate him from the group most days and have him finish the days out in grandmas room playing by himself. It was a phase he was going through and it's too bad for the child that they were unable to realize it was just a stage. But it is better they are gone because the other children are much more relaxed. It would have been impossible for them to stay and serve out a proper notice because I was LIVID they would show up at my house at 10:30 at night and wake me up with their rediculious story.

There is simply no iron clad contract to protect you from some people. Your best protection is to learn to go with your gut. SADLY, I knew they were likely going to be trouble. In the beginning I told the mother I would only do it temporary while she looked for someone else. He was a bully from day one, kicked out of his last daycare and I ended up keeping him because he improved for awhile. So the moral of this story.. If you feel funny about a child or a parent or both, just don't move forward with the arrangement. And, if at any time you think you should be letting them go, then you probably should be.

It's at times like this I just think.. NEXT!

Suzi

Hi M.,
To answer your question no you are not wrong for having them fill out these papers or sign something. I'm a child care provider also and I myself have these forms and have the parents fill these out. I feel it is necessary to have the consent for medical treatment, If you don't have it saying you are able to treat a child then what happens if you need to provide CPR for that child or if you have to use the heimlech and you break a rib but save the childs life. I've had instances where parents have not followed my rules and it has been at the expense of another child such as this incident; in my policy I state that I do not want children to bring toys from home or things they may be allowed to play with that I may not approve of. So one day a little girl I was watching brought in some pennies, 4 yrs old ( I didn't know she had these till late in the afternoon). I noticed she was playing with them while we were all watching a movie. So I asked her where did she get the pennies from and she said from home. I told her I wanted all of them, well she didn't like that to much so in the process of me getting them from her a couple had fallen on the floor. Another little girl 19 months old at the time ran over and picked one up and by the time I had gotten to her she had it in her mouth, she started to run from me, I caught her by one arm and she fell and rolled, in the process of her rolling the penny started going down her throat and she started choking. I had to hit her back pretty hard to get it out. When I finally got it out me and her both were pretty upset, I called her mother and let her know what had happened and asked if she had any plans that evening, she said no. So when the parent of the other child got here I explained to him what had happened (this was not the first time that I had had a conversation about why I didn't want things brought to my house) the 19 month olds mother was sitting right here when I was explaining it to the father. I do everything in my power to make sure these kids are safe and it doesn't help when a parent doesn't support you in that role. I can only say be stern about your rules and be clear about them. I no longer watch these children because of on going incedents.

I make a folder for each new parent I meet, in this folder contains my mission statement, information about me, a copy of my first aid/cpr training, a copy of my drivers license with my ss# blacked out, and a copy showing that I am regitered with the state of MO and I a copy of my background check and my policy all of this they are able to keep. Then there is 3 forms I give them 1) is an enrollment form, 2) is medication authorization and 3) is my policy for them to sign, all of this I need back before I will watch the child or brought to me the day care starts. I would rather fill out the form for consent on medical treatment and be safe then sorry. I can also say when you do an interview with parents if you get a bad felling don't take them if feel like something isn't right don't take them. For instance I met with a couple the other day, they seemed pretty nice but when the kids entered my house the immediately ran into my kids' room (to me this is disrespectful) and started taking out their toys and tearing up the room. I get them out of there and they head for my room (I have a 62' TV in my room, my own kids aren't allowed in here unless I'm in here)so I get them out of here and the run and jump on my couch (now the couch in the living room is nothing of real impotance it's exactly the reason that it's in there but thats not the point, it's about 12 years old so it's seen better days, lol.) but here again that's not the point they've already broken every rule I have in my house: no running in the house, no jumping on the furniture. So finally I get to talk to the parents and Dad asks me if my backyard is fenced in and I said yes why he said well he like to climbe the fence and get out (he's 6 and thats a big red flag) then he asks me if I would want to take them for one day to see if I can handle them (another red flag) and then mom says if I can't get him to listen i should just make him sit down and watch a movie, needless to say I'm not watching these kids. I hope this has helped you in some way, W.

P.S. i Just wanted to add that I run my daycare as more of an extended family of sorts. Al of the kids I watch and their parents come over and he hang out have a bar-b-q things like this. I have one set of parents that have given me a raise (it wasn't my idea), they bought me a washer and dryer (extra large capacity), they bought my oldest son a really nice bicycle for his birthday. They said the reason why is because I help them in raising their daughter, I have watched her at my on weekends, she has stayed the night with us just because my kids like having her around, or like when they were moving last fall I watched her for the majority of the time, they are fixin to move again so Rhapsody is coming over here and staying the night again. I don't provide care like this for money reasons but because I care. Her mother even took two weeks vacation of from work when I had my 4th child in November and watched all my daycare kids while I was in the hospital and stayed with my kids at my house when I went to go have her. They also gave me a bonus of $130.00 tax free in Janurary, so what did I do with money I went and got some new toys for the kids to play with. And why do we do this because we believe in "what comes around goes around", I help the parents out whatever way I can. For instance last night another mom came to get her almost 4 month old daughter but she was asleep so she asked me if she could run home and fix dinner and come back and get her I told her sure, so she did. I watched one of my other daycare kids for a whole weekend while his mother and her fiance went up north. Or last friday when they went to worlds of fun. I don't feel like I do anything "special" I just do what I can to help people out.

We are one big family.

I have done in home child care of 8 years and have all of those same forms. I have found it to be a releif to parents to know that their sitter is that prepared. As far as medical attention sheets go.....I called Children's Mercy a week ago to check on this for my own children. My husband and I will be out of the country on a mission trip in June and will have family watching the children. I was told to type up something listing children's names, allergies, date of birth and insurance info along with the people who have permission to seek medical attention and have it notorized and they will have no problems. So, I am not sure where the other lady got her info, but our hospital tells us differently. I do not think you are asking too much....you are well prepared.

Hi, I think that you are very smart, without those precautions you would probably end up like me. I am owed over $400 dollars because I didn't have the parents sign anything and was being "nice" by waiting to get paid. Good luck and stick to your guns!

I think a lot of people don't realize that this is your business. And they should treat it as such. You shouldn't feel bad because of this. I know there are laws about childcare that state you must have a license if you have a specific number of kids, so you need to make sure you are obeying the law as it can make things difficult. I think what you are doing is perfectly fine. I have had my children at the same daycare for 7 year and use another for afterschool of my older son. I have even been to several classes with the owner and it is very interesting. Maybe you can write up a packet of rules or things you expect from your parents when they inquire about your services. My after school day care provider for my son has done this and I was more at ease about leaving him with someone new. He has been going there now for 2 years. And I have seen parents come and go because they think the owner won't say anything about bending the rules. But I know it is taxing for her because she wants her family time too! She was a professional group counselor before daycare. I think that is the ONE AND ONLY thing wrong with the world today ... lack of consideration for others. Good luck!

I think Suzi gave you some great advice as far as the medical care is concerned.

I wouldn't have any problems signing your papers if you watched my children. (Except for the medical release, because like Suzi mentioned if emergency care was needed the hospital would be obligated to stabilize my child anyhow. I would want to be the only person authorizing medical treatment beyond that point).

But you are in no way being pushy to ask parents to sign contact sheets, payment terms or over the counter pain med approvals and things like that. You are caring for their children 8+ hours of a 24 hour day! That is a huge responsibility and yes you should have things in written agreement for your sake and the parents sake. If you have people that don't want to sign then I seriously would be grateful they moved on because it may have saved you a future headache if something went wrong.