Unit 11.10 Legal obligation
You have the legal obligation to keep the following information about your clients:
- Child’s full name
- Child’s birth date
- Child’s BC Care Card Number
- Child’s home address and phone number
- Picture of child
- Parent/Guardian’s phone numbers (home, work, cell, etc)
- Emergency Contacts (names, relation, and phone numbers, etc)
- Allergies
- Copy of the Child Care fee contract
- Registration Form
- Immunization Records
- Copies of all permission forms (for field trips, medication, photos, etc)
- Custody Information if applicable
- Copies of any notes or letters sent to the family, with the date that it was sent.
Notes and/or Observations that are dated and do not contain any identifying information about other children or families.
Any information collected on individual children and their families is kept confidential but has to be available for inspection to your local Licensing Department if required to do so.
Before starting your Family Child Care and offering parents to care for their child/ren it is necessary that you have prepared all your paperwork.
Take your time when developing a Parent Handbook. A Parent Handbook is an essential tool in your business.
Your Parent Package should also include a letter of introduction to parents.
The letter of introduction will include background on who you are, the members of your family, your education and experience and references.
It may also include a paragraph or two about how you operate your family child care, gradual entry, open door policy, developmental activities, and any special features such as field trips, program activities, or special equipment.
A parent package also includes a sample of your daily activities (Daily Schedule) and a sample of a menu or foods offered.
If you have a family pet, a pet policy will be required by Licensing.