Anyone in the daycare industry understands this fundamental truth: Daycare forms are critical to the success of any daycare business. After all, daycare is a heavily regulated industry, and the government conducts regular inspections of facilities to ensure that kids are safe and well-cared for. Therefore, you need these forms to comply with local, state, and federal regulations. Appropriate compliance often means having extensive information on hand and being easily accessible. It may not be fun, but that doesn’t make it any less necessary.
No parent enjoys filling out daycare forms. At the same time, you can’t make forms too complicated, cumbersome, or annoying. If the document is too complex, they may stop, leaving you without the critical information you need for your facility. You’ll have to call them to follow up, creating more work for yourself and your staff members.
What does this mean? You have to create daycare forms that are easy to understand, get the information you need, and can allow a busy parent or guardian to fill out the necessary information in a way that is quick and painless. Fortunately, there are plenty of templates you can use that help you get the information you need. Here’s a look at some of the best daycare forms you can use for your daycare room.
What The Best Daycare Forms Contain
Daycare forms can be a life saver when it comes to creating a schedule, adhering to government regulations, and ensuring that your daycare is a well-run operation. Fortunately, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, as various daycare forms are already available for your daycare room.
That being said, there are some best practices you should stick to when designing a daycare form. Here are some thoughts on what these forms should contain and what sources you should check out when it comes to their conten
Basic Information
There are certain pieces of information that all daycare forms should contain. Such info includes the name of the individual responsible and the activity itself. The schedule should also collect contact information for how to get in touch with one of the adults managing an activity, including a cell phone or room phone number.
Timing Information
It may seem like common sense, but keep in mind that a good daycare schedule should clearly contain a few pieces of timing information. It should collect information about when items occur, but it should also include a few other pieces of information. These include:
- Location information: Where an event occurs, including what room.
- Who is responsible for supervising or executing the location
- Any exceptions to the activity, like what happens if outdoor activity is scheduled and it is raining.
Ensure Governmental Compliance
As anyone in the daycare industry knows, daycare is a heavily regulated field. Everything from staff ratios to equipment to paperwork is extensively monitored to protect the safety of the children being cared for. This ensures that the billions of dollars in government funds are being spent in a manner that authorities deem appropriate.
As such, you should ensure that any daycare forms or schedules you create comply with the regulations of any government agency that has oversight of your daycare rooms. If there are any questions regarding these forms, you should reach out to the agency or consult with an attorney if you have access to one.
Retention Policies
Forms may seem just good practice for your daycare. Still, it’s important to remember that there may be particular retention policies related to any daycare paperwork or forms you create. As such, don’t create a form, use it once, and then shred it. Doing so may even be illegal. This is because some government agencies may require you to retain documents for a specific time. As such, before disposing of any daycare forms, you should ensure you understand how long you are legally required to keep paperwork. You may be able to keep the paperwork in an electronic format. However, make sure you check with local authorities before making any decisions about when you can get rid of daycare forms or paperwork.
Track Forms To Kids
You should have an internal system that allows you to track what kid has filed out what form and if there is any paperwork from any of your children that you are missing. Many of these forms are not optional, and having certain forms for every kid is likely required by governmental authorities. As such, make sure you have a robust and easy-to-update system that allows you to create forms and track what paperwork you need from parents. This may include immunization information, emergency contact information, and more.
Download Free Daycare Form Templates
Are you looking for more assistance in creating your daycare forms, such as creating a daycare daily schedule template? At Smartcare, we can help. Visit our free daycare forms template, which will allow you to manage the schedule for your daycare room.
