Care Agreement

The current Family Child Care Licensing Rule requires some specific materials to be included in my contract and handbook. This specific material needs to be shared with a Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians upon registration. For families registering with Growing Together Child Care for care all policies can be found 24/7 on this website. You will be asked to sign a signature sheet indicating that you have access to and have read all items required to be shared by the current FCC Licensing Rule.

The Care Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding between myself as the owner/sole provider and a child’s parents/legal guardians as to the services of child care provided by Growing Together Child Care.

Growing Together Child Care’s Care Agreement, has been divided into 3 sections:

  • Contractual Packet: a legal document that spells out the services provided by GTCC in exchange for monetary fee paid by the responsible parent/legal guardian.
    • Any change to a written contract must be in writing and signed by both parties.
    • Growing Together Child Care’s Contractual Packet includes all the signed forms that will be maintained as part of each child’s record/file.
    • Reports required for illness and medication incidents are added to a child’s file upon completion and with Parents/Legal Guardians’ signature.
  • Program Handbook: contains all the policies/procedures for how GTCC will operate (such as: illness management, mandated reporter, behavior guidance).
    • For any change in Growing Together Child Care’s policies a Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians will receive written notification.
  • Emergency/Disaster Response Plan: explanation of Growing Together Child Care’s EPP will handle natural disasters and human-caused events, including but not limited to, fire drills.

INVALID PROVISIONS

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Care Agreement shall not affect the other provisions hereof, and this Agreement shall be construed in all respects as if any such invalid or unenforceable provision were omitted.

WAIVER OF COMPLIANCE

No right under this Care Agreement shall be waived (lost) merely by delaying or failing to exercise it. Consent to one act shall not be considered consent to any other or subsequent acts. Any waiver of a default under this Agreement must be in writing and shall not be a waiver of any other default concerning the same or any other provisions of this Agreement.

CONFIDENTIALITY

During the course of your association with Growing Together Child Care you may see and hear things about other children or the child care’s business. Such information is confidential, protected by privacy laws and must be treated as strictly confidential. 

Confidential information may not be released without a court order or a written release from the Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians about whom the confidential information has been requested, except where the FCC Licensing Rule requires release to the Department or it’s agents. A Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians may review any records kept on their child by Growing Together Child Care. Records will be maintained for 3 years following a child’s discontinuation of care.

I have secured written permission regarding the taking of likenesses of children attending Growing Together Child Care. That permission does not extend to anyone other than myself and can only be used for stated purposes. Any individual, other than myself, is not allowed to take photos and recordings on my premises, as defined in the current FCC Licensing Rule, or on any off premises field trips during business hours without prior written permission by me.

MODIFICATION

Child’s Parents/Legal guardians understand and acknowledge that, under Maine law, Growing Together Child Care may modify this Care Agreement whenever circumstances covered in this Care Agreement change, provided that any such modification shall be in writing and shall be signed and dated by Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians and myself as provider, and provided further that:

If Growing Together Child Care’s rates or fees are set by agreement between Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians and Growing Together Child Care, Growing Together Child Care agrees to provide written notice to Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians 10 business days prior to implementing any change in such rate or fees;

If Growing Together Child Care provides care to Child pursuant to one or more government-funded public child care programs and the rates or fees for such care are set by the government, the effective date for the government rate or fee change shall be considered the effective date for Growing Together Child Care’s change in rates or fees and no prior notice of such change will be given to Child’s Parents/Legal Guardians.

Maine law states that every Provider or Staff Member must immediately contact the Department of Health and Human Service’s Child Protective Intake hotline (800-452-1999) when they suspect Child Abuse or Neglect.

GTCC Child Abuse/Neglect policy

Contractual Packet:

Growing Together Program Handbook: The Program Policy Handbook contains the information on how Growing Together Child Care operates, specific policies and responsibilities. The Program Handbook can be found in this website’s Top Menu.

Emergency/Disaster Response Plan