Policy

[gkids09]

How long is your written policy? I made an ABC's Handbook of Rules and Policies, where A is for Attendance, B is for Baskets, C is for Circle Time, etc...So, there are 26 parts to it, and they all are described fully. I have used this for about 2 years, but I just completely re-did it and am going to have parents take it home again and re-sign because they need to be reminded of some things and I needed to add some things. What I'm wondering is, is a 4 page policy too long? I am sure several of them won't read it, but will just sign it, but as long as I have their signature I can enforce the rules, right?

[MarinaVanessa]

lol four pages too long? My contract alone is 3 pages long front and back. My Handbook is 13 pages long front and back. It used to be a lot shorter but over the years it slowly gets longer and longer thanks to the help of parents that think that just because it isn't written they don't have to use common sense. Like my noise policy and parking policy. I mean do I really have to add it in there not to honk your horn, slam your doors, blast your radio, and make too much noise or not to park in red zones, fire lanes, fire hydrants, block my neighbors driveway or park in their parking spaces when I have three parking spaces available to them? Apperently I do because all of the above has happened at one time or another, sheesh.

[gbcc]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

lol four pages too long? My contract alone is 3 pages long front and back. My Handbook is 13 pages long front and back. It used to be a lot shorter but over the years it slowly gets longer and longer thanks to the help of parents that think that just because it isn't written they don't have to use common sense. Like my noise policy and parking policy. I mean do I really have to add it in there not to honk your horn, slam your doors, blast your radio, and make too much noise or not to park in red zones, fire lanes, fire hydrants, block my neighbors driveway or park in their parking spaces when I have three parking spaces available to them? Apperently I do because all of the above has happened at one time or another, sheesh.

My contract is 3 pages as well! Then my handbook is 12 pages! My handbook started out as 3 pages and then each time an issue was brought up and re-wrote it and it's now 12 pages! lol

[grandmom]

My contract is only one page, but it says "I have read and agree to" the 18 page document.

[tymaboy]

My policy had also started out being only a few pages. I have it that they sign the last page of the policy & I also have a 3 page contract. The contract is just mainly a reminder of all the money issues that are stated in the policy.

[gkids09]

Good. I feel much better now... Mine could probably be A LOT longer, but I made the font smaller so it didn't seem to be as long for the parents. I think I may add a lot to it too over the weekend, before I give it to everyone Monday. Even after I finished re-writing it, I have thought of more things that need to be in there...Maybe I should take all of next week to finish..hmm...

[originalkat]

I just re-did mine at the end of last year and it is 19 pages. Four pages is great!

[MarinaVanessa]

Originally Posted by gbcc

My contract is 3 pages as well! Then my handbook is 12 pages! My handbook started out as 3 pages and then each time an issue was brought up and re-wrote it and it's now 12 pages! lol

That's exactly what happened with me . It started as a 3 page contract and now it's front and back

Originally Posted by originalkat

I just re-did mine at the end of last year and it is 19 pages. Four pages is great!

Keep in mind that I have a 3 page contract (front and back) which makes it 6 pages long and then on top of that I have a policy handbook which is 14 pages front and back so 28 pages. The contract is all the legal wording of my rules and the handbook I had to make because I had to explain the contract in wording that they could all understand and be clear about the policies because they would pull (and some still do) "Oh, I didn't get that" or "Oh I thought that meant ..... " and such. . Tha handbook is pretty much like my contract but more thourough and without the legal garble. It also has extra stuff in it like parking, noise etc. that you would think is common sense but well ... there are always some people that unfortunately don't practice it

[tymaboy]

My policy is 11 pages. I go over it at parent interview then each year I renew everything & the parents need to sign it again. I can tell what parents read it & which parents dont.

[MarinaVanessa]

Originally Posted by tymaboy

I can tell what parents read it & which parents dont.

Yeah me too lol. But they signed it and that's why I always have my own copy on hand to pop out when they pull the "Oh, I didn't know that". Yeah that's why my contract paraphrases each section in my handbook and theye have to sign after each section that says that they read and understand and agree to abide to it. Parent's always wonder why my contract and policy handbook are so long and why they have to sign, date and initial fifty-million times all over it lol. "Oh, I didn'tknow that" comes along and that's when I get to say "That's why".