In this episode, Kelly Matthews and Paula Drew of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association describe how to create a family handbook for your child care center. This handbook is key to your bottom line, your reputation and ultimately, your business. 

They give the following writing tips:

• Use a consistent font and formatting throughout. 
• Review carefully for correct spelling and grammar. 
• Write in plain language that is easy to understand. Do you serve families who speak languages other than English? If so, invest in getting your policies translated and remember this step every time you update them.  
• Make your documents easy to navigate with page numbers and a table of contents. 
• Ensure they include all state-required policies and reflect every aspect of your programming. 
• Include a "last updated" date so readers know the information is current. 

They also walk through how to organize a handbook and how to avoid the biggest mistakes they see when directors and owners create handbooks.

Want to learn more about the work Kelly and Paula are doing? Feel free to check out www.wisconsinearlychildhood.org or email them at [email protected] and [email protected]. 

And their book, which they wrote with Amy Friedlander, is titled "Build it Strong: How to Make your Child Care Business Thrive from Start up to Retirement." It's available in English and Spanish and is for child care center leaders and those doing home care.