Daycare Contract Template

This daycare contract template is the binding parent–provider agreement a daycare or childcare centre signs with a family — fees, payment terms, late-pickup charges, termination notice, medication authorization and liability, kept separate from the informational parent handbook. It is a general-purpose starting point, not legal advice: contract requirements for childcare providers vary by state, province and country, and this template does not state a specific legal requirement anywhere it has not been verified.

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How to use this template

• Keep this contract separate from your parent handbook. The contract should hold only legally binding terms — fees, notice periods, termination, liability. Philosophy, daily schedule, curriculum and general expectations belong in the handbook; have the parent acknowledge receipt of it in Section 11 rather than folding its content into the signed agreement.
• Set your own fee amounts, notice periods and grace periods. Every bracketed number in Sections 4, 5 and 10 (fee amounts, late-pickup charges, notice periods) is a business decision you set, not a legal minimum — this template does not tell you what to charge.
• Check your state, provincial or national childcare-licensing regulator before finalizing. Whether a written daycare agreement is required at all, and what it must contain, is set by your licensing body, not by this template — requirements differ by jurisdiction and this template cannot substitute for that check.
• Issue a new, signed authorization for every medication, every time. Section 8 deliberately does not give a standing blanket authorization — administer only against a separate, dated instruction naming the drug, dose and time.
• Re-issue or review this contract at least once a year, and immediately whenever your fees, licensing rules or policies change — an outdated signed contract protects neither the family nor the provider.
• Have it reviewed by a lawyer or your licensing body before first use. This template is a starting point to customize, not a substitute for legal advice in your jurisdiction.

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Section 1: Provider & Child Details

Provider / centre name: [PROVIDER OR CENTRE NAME] Licence number (if applicable): [PROVIDER LICENCE NUMBER] Provider address: [PROVIDER ADDRESS] Child’s full name: [CHILD FULL NAME] Child’s date of birth: [CHILD DATE OF BIRTH] Contract start date: [CONTRACT START DATE] Requested attendance schedule (days and hours): [ATTENDANCE SCHEDULE]

Identifies the provider, the child, and the schedule this contract covers. If your jurisdiction licenses individual providers rather than centres, use the licence number that applies to you.

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Section 2: Parent / Guardian 1

Full name: [PARENT GUARDIAN 1 FULL NAME] Address: [PARENT GUARDIAN 1 ADDRESS] Phone: [PARENT GUARDIAN 1 PHONE] Email: [PARENT GUARDIAN 1 EMAIL]

The adult(s) signing this contract are the parties financially and legally responsible for the terms below.

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Section 3: Parent / Guardian 2 (if applicable)

Full name: [PARENT GUARDIAN 2 FULL NAME] Address: [PARENT GUARDIAN 2 ADDRESS] Phone: [PARENT GUARDIAN 2 PHONE] Email: [PARENT GUARDIAN 2 EMAIL]

Write “N/A” and leave this section out if there is only one contracting parent/guardian.

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Section 4: Fees & Payment Schedule

Fee amount: [FEE AMOUNT] Billing frequency: ☐ Weekly ☐ Biweekly ☐ Monthly Payment due date: [PAYMENT DUE DATE] Accepted payment methods: [ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHODS] Deposit / registration fee: [DEPOSIT OR REGISTRATION FEE] Deposit refundable: ☐ Yes ☐ No Notice period before a rate increase: [RATE CHANGE NOTICE PERIOD]

Set your own notice period for rate changes — 30–60 days is commonly cited industry practice, not a required minimum. Check whether your regulator sets one.

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Section 5: Late Payment & Late Pickup

Late-payment fee: [LATE PAYMENT FEE] Grace period before the late fee applies: [LATE PAYMENT GRACE PERIOD] Consequence of persistent non-payment: [NON-PAYMENT CONSEQUENCE] Late-pickup fee (per minute/increment after closing): [LATE PICKUP FEE] Centre closing time: [CENTRE CLOSING TIME]

Late-pickup charges are usually a separate clause from late payment: staff must legally remain with the child until pickup, so a per-minute fee is common practice. State your own amount — this is a provider-set operational term, not a statutory figure.

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Section 6: Holidays, Closures & Illness Policy

Days/dates the centre is closed, and whether fees are still due during closures: [CLOSURE SCHEDULE AND FEE POLICY] Illness exclusion criteria (symptoms requiring the child to stay home): [ILLNESS EXCLUSION CRITERIA] Fees during a child’s own sick-day absence: ☐ Still due ☐ Waived ☐ Prorated

State plainly whether a family owes fees on a day the centre is closed, or a day the child is absent sick — this is one of the most common sources of billing disputes.

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Section 7: Emergency Contact & Authorized Pickup

Emergency contact — full name: [EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME] Relationship to child: [EMERGENCY CONTACT RELATIONSHIP] Phone: [EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE]

Authorized pickup person — full name: [AUTHORIZED PICKUP NAME] Relationship to child: [AUTHORIZED PICKUP RELATIONSHIP] Phone: [AUTHORIZED PICKUP PHONE]

The child will be released only to a parent/guardian named above or an adult on the authorized-pickup list, and staff will check photo ID for anyone they do not already recognize: ☐ Acknowledged

This contract records one primary emergency contact and one authorized pickup person. If your centre keeps a fuller list (additional contacts, a custody restriction, medical detail), collect it on a separate intake/enrolment form and reference it here.

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Section 8: Medication Authorization

Child currently requires medication administered at the centre: ☐ Yes ☐ No

I understand that this contract does not authorize standing medication administration. Before staff will give any medication, I will provide a separate, dated, written authorization naming the medication, dose and time for that specific instance: ☐ Acknowledged

A blanket “yes, give medication” line is not enough for safe administration — every medication needs its own dated instruction, every time.

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Section 9: Liability & Photo/Video Permission

Provider’s liability coverage / insurance details (if disclosed): [LIABILITY INSURANCE DETAILS]

I acknowledge that childcare involves inherent activity risks (outdoor play, age-appropriate equipment, occasional field trips) and accept the provider’s stated limits of liability: ☐ Acknowledged

Photo/video use in the centre’s internal records only (not public posting, website or social media): ☐ I authorize ☐ I do not authorize

For any public use of a child’s photo or video — website, newsletter, social media — use a dedicated photo/video consent form with its own specific, revocable permission rather than this internal-use line alone.

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Section 10: Termination & Notice

Notice the parent must give to end care: [PARENT NOTICE PERIOD] Notice the provider must give to end care: [PROVIDER NOTICE PERIOD] Grounds for immediate/emergency termination (e.g. non-payment, safety): [IMMEDIATE TERMINATION GROUNDS]

State both directions separately — what the family owes the provider in notice, and what the provider owes the family. A commonly cited practice is two weeks’ notice from the family, but set your own figure.

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Section 11: Acknowledgement & Signatures

I acknowledge that I have received and reviewed the centre’s parent handbook (policies, daily schedule, philosophy): ☐ Yes

Parent/Guardian 1 signature: [PARENT GUARDIAN 1 SIGNATURE] Date: [PARENT GUARDIAN 1 SIGNATURE DATE]

Parent/Guardian 2 signature (if applicable): [PARENT GUARDIAN 2 SIGNATURE] Date: [PARENT GUARDIAN 2 SIGNATURE DATE]

Provider / director signature: [PROVIDER SIGNATURE] Date: [PROVIDER SIGNATURE DATE]

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Section 12: For Office Use Only

Contract review / reissue date (recommended: annually): [NEXT REVIEW DATE] Staff initials: [STAFF INITIALS]

Completed by the provider — not filled in by the family.