Creating a childcare contract
Set a child’s days and rates, check the estimate, and send the contract to the parent to sign.
Who this is for
Who this is forChildminders with a child and a parent already added. Set up your
contract templatefirst. Needs a Solo or Team plan, or a free trial. It takes about five minutes per child.
Every child needs a signed written agreement before care starts. In KinderStart, the contract also sets the child's days and rates, which your register and invoices use.
1. Start a contract
Open the child's profile, go to Contracts and tap +. Your default template is already picked. Choose the parent who'll sign, check the start date, then tap Continue.
2. Pick the days
Choose a schedule type and tick the days the child comes. Most families use Fixed. For rotas and term-time care, see Choosing a contract schedule type.
3. Set your price
Enter your hourly rate and choose how the parent pays. The bar at the top shows what the parent pays each month, and it updates as you go.
4. Add any funding
Choose any funded hours the child gets. Each choice shows how much it takes off the parent's bill. Tap Continue if there's none.
5. Holidays and extras
Answer the questions about late fees, holidays and extras. For meals, nappies or other extras, answer Yes and enter a Daily charge (£).
6. Check and generate
Here's the contract sets out every part in plain words, each with Change, and what the parent pays a month. Your consents and clauses are listed under it. Tap Generate Contract.
7. Send it for signing
On the new contract, tap Send Contract and confirm. The parent reads and signs it in their app.
If the parent signed a paper copy instead, tap Approve Contract. It asks whether the parent has signed, then marks the contract as signed.
⚠️Keep old contracts
Contracts should normally be kept for 6 years. If you delete one, KinderStart warns you first, and you can restore it from
Business Settings → Recently Deleted.
✅Why KinderStart does it this way
Putting the days and rates on the contract means every invoice matches what the parent signed. When something changes, create a new contract, so both versions stay on file.
What to do next
- Choosing how you invoice families: how a contract becomes an invoice.
- Tracking your funded hours: funded hours used and banked.
Next guide
Tracking your funded hours
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KinderStart strives for accuracy. Competitor features and pricing comparisons are based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Details are subject to change by respective providers.