What this daycare contract template is for
A contract records business terms, while the tuition agreement focuses more narrowly on prices, billing cadence, fees, credits, and payment responsibility. Adapt this document to actual operations and have local counsel review material legal terms.
When to use it
Review the agreement before care begins, give the family time to ask questions, and sign it before services or payment obligations start. Issue a written amendment when material terms change rather than silently editing an old copy.
Who completes it
The provider drafts program-specific terms and the parent or guardian reviews them. Both parties should initial important choices, retain a complete signed copy, and seek legal guidance when rights or local requirements are uncertain.
Fields included in the template
The printable form groups the work into 4 clear sections. Use the field list to compare it with your program's current packet and any official document you must keep.
Parties and care
- Provider identity and contact
- Parent or guardian identity and contact
- Child and services
- Schedule and term
Money
- Tuition, deposit, due dates, and payment method
- Late fees, returned payments, and late pickup
Operating terms
- Holidays and provider closures
- Family absences and vacation
- Illness and supplies
- Termination and notice
Agreement
- Policy acknowledgment and version
- Parent or guardian signature and date
- Provider signature and date
13 structured field groups power both this preview and the downloadable PDF.
How to complete the form
- 1
Identify the provider, responsible parent or guardian, and child covered by the agreement.
- 2
Define services, days, hours, tuition, deposit, due dates, and late or returned-payment terms.
- 3
Explain late pickup, holidays, provider closures, family absences, illness, and family-supplied items.
- 4
State termination, notice, policy incorporation, and what happens to amounts already owed.
- 5
Review for internal consistency, obtain legal review where appropriate, sign, date, and give each party a copy.
What a completed record might capture
A family contracts for Monday through Thursday care from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at a weekly rate. The agreement identifies paid holidays, provider vacation notice, a late-pickup charge, two weeks' termination notice, and the parent handbook version incorporated by reference.
The names and details in this example are fictional. Use factual, program-specific information on the actual form.
Common mistakes to catch
- Using policy language that conflicts with the tuition schedule
- Leaving closure and family-absence charges unstated
- Treating a deposit, registration fee, and advance tuition as the same thing
- Changing terms without written notice or amendment
- Copying another jurisdiction's contract without legal review
Storage, review, and follow-up
Give each party the same signed version and store amendments with it. Follow contract, tax, payment, licensing, insurance, and dispute-retention rules, and preserve records for an open balance or claim.
This generic template is informational and not legal advice. Contract, fee, deposit, notice, consumer, subsidy, and child care rules vary; obtain local legal review before use.