K.I.
I sort of accidentally started doing daycare after our last son was born and it lasted about 8 years. I can honestly say that when I first started, I never understood why daycares had to be so formal and have so many rules and regulations but after doing it for a long time, I now understand the need for contracts and clearly defined terms BEFORE a person starts using you to care for their little one. It doesn't take long for people to realize if you're a pushover and you won't speak up or charge extra for those "late pickups" due to an unforseen hang-up or when you agree to let someone have an extra week to pay you because they just don't have it this week. People are good hearted and they usually mean well, but the ones that take advantage will do it all the time if you're not set on your rules right off the bat. I suggest looking up some standard daycare contracts just to get the idea. I promise you I totally didn't see the need for it until long after I had been taken advantage of WAY too many times and it was too late to speak up. If you ever want to ask me anything at all feel free to message me. :)