IF you employ a babysitter on a sporadic or irregular basis, it is probably not necessary to draw up a contract. However, if your babysitter is working for you on a regular basis and/or more than twenty hours a week, a contract can be a useful tool to make sure that both you and your babysitter know what is expected.

Drawing up a contract between you and your babysitter can be a daunting task. Some families even choose to employ a lawyer to make sure that the legal wordings are exact. Others choose to purchase generic contracts or contract software, and to plug in their own specific details. Still others prefer to write up a contract on their own.

Regardless of how you choose to draw up a contract for your babysitter, there are some basic thing that it should cover, including:

- Vital information for both you and the babysitter. The babysitter’s name, Social Security Number, and address, as well as the family’s names, ages of children, and location of the home should all be a part of the contract.

- Compensation and benefits. This should include the hourly, monthly, or weekly rate that the babysitter will be paid, as well as the pay schedule. It should cover procedures for taxes, and how they will be paid. It should also cover any health benefits or insurance, how these are paid, and the insurance company and plan.

- Vacation and holidays. Specific holidays that the babysitter will be off, as well as number and type of vacation and/or sick days. You should also include information about procedures for requesting vacation days.

- Schedule. This should include the number of hours each week that the babysitter will work, a provision for overtime pay in the event that extra hours are worked, regular days off, and regular work hours.

- Duties. This should list the specific responsibilities of the babysitter, including any regular activities such as taking the child or children to appointments, giving medications, feeding the children, and educational activities.

- Prohibited activities. This can include rules about smoking or drinking, or the babysitter having visitors in the home.

- Children’s schedule. Include what the children should be doing, and when.

- Children’s rules. These can be very specific, covering areas like discipline, television, hygiene, and safety issues.

- Emergency procedures. This should include disaster plans, as well as a medical release that authorizes your babysitter to take your child or children to the doctor or emergency room.

- Review and raise procedures. How often periodic reviews will take place, and what schedule pay raises will follow. This can include information about a trial period of employment.

- Procedures for amending the contract.

- Termination procedures. This should include how much time the babysitter and the family should give one another in the event that employment will be terminated.

Depending on exactly how much your babysitter will be working and when, you may not need all of the above items.

Posted in Child Care Issues

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