Documents / Personal & Family
Temporary Child Care Plan
Authorize a trusted caregiver to make day-to-day and medical decisions for your child while you're away.
Create a review draft
Prepare, edit and export a review draft. Complete the listed local review and execution steps outside Quill before relying on it.
Partly state-specific. Changes for some states only. Other states use the general text, so check your state’s mandatory rules for this document.
Version 2026-09-09.8. No qualified legal review is recorded. Read the complete document and obtain advice for your circumstances.
Review and execution steps
- Complete the care plan with every required authorizing adult, actual home/care jurisdictions, emergency contacts and handover instructions.
- For legal decision authority, complete the appropriate statutory, court or recipient instrument with its eligibility, duration, signature and notice requirements. This preparation packet supplies no parental power of attorney, custody transfer or treatment consent.
Guidance updated September 8, 2026. Source coverage is limited to the topics described; historical sources are identified. State, local and transaction-specific requirements still apply.
Time
~10 min
Questions
≤ 38
Steps
5
Export
PDF · Word
Answer guided questions, review your draft, and export or request signatures on supported documents.
What we will cover
- 01
Location
Choose the actual location so the preparation guidance and applicable safeguards follow your document.
- 02
Children & parental authority
Use one packet only when the same adults have authority for every child listed. A care plan does not replace a statutory delegation, custody order or institution’s consent form.
- 03
Caregiver & care location
- 04
Tasks & emergency instructions
Choose tasks explicitly. Medical decisions, records access, enrollment and travel permissions may require separate documents; this plan does not supply those permissions.
- 05
Authority documents & review
- 06
Review and generate
Edit and export, then follow this document's review, delivery or execution steps.
About this document
A child care authorization lets a grandparent, relative, or trusted friend care for your child while you are away — consenting to medical and dental treatment, dealing with the school, and handling daily needs. It matters at the moment it is needed: an urgent-care clinic or a school office asked to act by someone who is not the parent will often want written proof of authority before doing anything.
This is a delegation of authority, not a transfer of custody. You keep all parental rights, you can revoke it at any time in writing, and it should carry a firm end date. Notarization is usually not legally required, but it is what makes third parties accept the document without argument, so notarize it. If both parents have legal rights, both should sign; for long absences, some states have a separate caregiver affidavit or require court guardianship.
Common questions
Does a child care authorization need to be notarized?+
Rarely required by law, but strongly recommended in practice. Clinics, schools, and airlines routinely ask for a notarized copy before accepting a non-parent's authority, and the notarization costs little. Give the caregiver the notarized original and keep a copy yourself.
Is this the same as temporary guardianship?+
No. Guardianship is granted by a court and formally shifts legal decision-making for the child. A caregiver authorization is a private document you can sign today and revoke tomorrow. For extended absences, or where the caregiver needs to enroll the child in a new school district, some states require a formal caregiver affidavit or a guardianship order instead.
What if my child needs emergency treatment while I'm away?+
Hospitals can generally provide emergency care without prior consent, so the authorization matters most for everything short of a true emergency — stitches, prescriptions, dental work, follow-up visits. Include the insurance details, allergies, current medications, and a phone number where you can actually be reached during the trip.
General information, not legal advice — laws vary by state and change over time.
Related documents
Power of Attorney (Financial)
Authorize a trusted person to manage your finances, property, and legal affairs — durable or non-durable, effective now or upon incapacity.
Medical Power of Attorney
Appoint a trusted healthcare agent to make medical decisions under your state's capacity and authority rules.
Last Will and Testament
Direct who inherits your property, name an executor, and appoint a guardian for minor children.