Child Care Agreement

An agreement with the person caring for your child is a necessary tool. It is an unemotional way to help you talk about your child care expectations and protects you and the caregiver. The child care agreement is a way to resolve any issues that may arise and can include the following topics:

• Work hours and start date
• Payments:
  • Holiday, vacation, sick, personal and overtime pay
  • Salary reviews and pay increases
  • Method of payment and pay rate
• General child care responsibilities: children’s schedule (meals, naps, diapering/toileting, playtime, etc), discipline strategies, communication of daily events
• Special instructions: food allergies, special needs, transportation arrangements
• Emergency plans: what to do in the event of an accident, illness, fire, bad weather, etc
• Emergency contact list: names and numbers of yourself, spouse, doctors, hospitals, poison control, neighbors or other people to be called in an emergency
• Terms of resignation or termination: notice and pay necessary to end the agreement
• Introductory period: either a verbal or written trial period of 30-60 days to see if the relationship with the caregiver is going to be successful
• Benefits covered: medical, dental (usually used with Nanny care)