Childminder contracts and parent permission forms, signed online

Your regulator's rules come first

Childcare paperwork is regulated, and what you must collect depends on where you work. In England, registered childminders follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, which expects written records such as parents' details, who may collect the child, and written permission before giving medicine. In the US, family child care homes are licensed by each state, and many states publish their own enrolment and authorisation forms that providers must use.

Sign PDF does not decide what goes in your forms. Take the template your regulator, local authority or membership body gives you, upload it, and we place the boxes for each parent. Check the current requirements with your regulator before relying on any form.

The contract and the permissions form

The contract covers the business side: days and hours, fees, deposits or retainers, holidays, sickness, late collection charges, and notice. The permissions form covers care:

• Outings on foot and in your car, with the car seat arrangements.
• Sun cream, nappy cream and plasters.
• Emergency medical treatment if a parent cannot be reached.
• Photographs for the child's learning journal, and separately for social media.
• Named adults allowed to collect, with a password.
• Use of an assistant or co-childminder for sole care, if that applies.

Both parents, on their own phones

Many settings want both parents to sign, especially where parents live apart. Add each with their own email. They sign wherever they are, confirming a six-digit code first, and the certificate of completion shows each one's name, email, device and signing time.

Medicine forms and accident records often need signing the same day. Send the form while the parent is at the door at pick-up and they can sign on their phone before they leave.

Plans and what we do not handle

A childminder with three or four families sends most paperwork in September and when a new child starts. Light at $5 covers 2 documents a month; if you also send daily medicine and accident forms, Full at $10 for unlimited documents makes more sense.

Sign PDF is not childcare management software. We do not record attendance, claim funded hours, send invoices or keep learning journals. Use it alongside the tools you already have.