A childcare authorization form is a one-way permission from a parent or legal guardian letting a named caregiver act on a child’s behalf — travelling with the child, consenting to medical treatment, or picking the child up from school or daycare. There’s no fee, no schedule, and no signature required from the caregiver: only the parent or guardian signs. Download the ready-to-fill template below, or read the full checklist first.
A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 10 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for each party. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.
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This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.
Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.
Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.
Child's details
The Child's full legal name and date of birth — the document only authorizes action for this one named child.
Parent/Guardian's details
The full legal name, address and phone number of the parent or legal guardian granting the authorization.
Named Authorized Caregiver(s)
The specific person (or people) being given permission to act for the Child — by name, not by role. A generic "the babysitter" is not enough for a school or hospital to rely on.
Effective period
A start date and either an end date or 'until revoked' — so it's clear exactly when the caregiver's authority begins and ends.
Travel authorization
Whether the caregiver may travel domestically or internationally with the Child, and any trip-specific detail — plus a warning that international travel often needs a notarized letter too.
Medical treatment authorization
Permission to consent to emergency and routine care, plus the insurance, allergy and medication details a treating provider will ask for.
School/daycare pickup authorization
Who besides the parent is allowed to collect the Child, so the school or daycare has something on file before they release a child to someone else.
Emergency contacts
Alternate people to contact if the caregiver can't reach the parent or guardian directly.
Revocation and no transfer of custody
A statement that this is a limited, revocable permission — not a transfer of legal custody or guardianship — and how the parent can end it.
Parent/Guardian's signature
This is a one-way authorization: only the parent or guardian signs. It takes effect on their signature alone, with no signature required from the caregiver.
A babysitting agreement or nanny contract is bilateral: both sides have obligations — a rate of pay, a schedule, duties, sometimes notice periods. This form is different on purpose. It documents a single grant of authority running one way, from the parent or legal guardian to a named caregiver, with nothing exchanged in return. Grandparents covering a weekend, a temporary caregiver during travel, or a form a school asks for before a field trip all fit this shape — there’s an authorization to give, not a service to buy.
That’s why only the Parent/Guardian signs. The document takes effect the moment they sign it, and there’s no counter-signature to collect from the caregiver — there’s nothing for the caregiver to agree to, only permission for them to rely on when a school, doctor, or airline asks who authorized them to act.
It’s also why the form is explicit about what it doesn’t do: it doesn’t transfer custody or guardianship, and the parent or guardian remains exactly that throughout. Scope matters here — the caregiver’s authority is limited to what’s written down (travel, medical care, school pickup), not a general power to make decisions for the child.
Fill in the template above, then sign it yourself — no caregiver signature needed. Self- sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf, or create a free Evenseal account if you also want a sealed copy with a tamper-evident audit trail to hand to the school, doctor, or airline.
Not legal advice — some uses, especially international travel, may require a notarized letter in addition to this form. Evenseal doesn’t provide notarization.