Washington Kinship Caregiver Childcare, Sports, and Field Trip Consent

Beyond School and the Doctor's Office

Once you've handled school enrollment and the pediatrician, the next wave of consent questions hits: Can you sign the child up for daycare? Can you authorize a sports physical? What about field trip permission slips?

These feel like smaller issues, but they come up constantly when you're raising a child as a kinship caregiver in Washington. Every program, every activity, every form has a signature line that says "parent or legal guardian" — and you're neither. Here's how each one works.

Childcare and Preschool Enrollment

Licensed childcare centers and preschools in Washington require a responsible adult to sign enrollment paperwork, authorize pickups, and consent to emergency medical treatment during care hours.

Your authority depends on what you have:

If you have a school Caregiver Authorization Form on file with the school district, that establishes you as the responsible adult for educational matters. Some childcare centers — especially those operating within school district early-learning programs — will accept this as enrollment authority.

If you have a parental power of attorney under RCW 11.130.145, it explicitly covers care and custody of the minor, which includes childcare enrollment.

If you're relying on an RCW 7.70.065 health declaration, that covers medical consent, not educational or childcare enrollment. However, childcare centers typically accept it as sufficient to authorize emergency medical treatment during care hours, which is one of their key enrollment requirements.

For the enrollment itself, most licensed childcare providers ask for proof that the child lives with you (utility bill, lease) and a signed statement that you're responsible for the child. Bring your health declaration, proof of residency, the child's immunization records, and be prepared to explain the living situation. Most centers care about having a reliable, authorized adult to contact — not whether you have a court order.

Sports Physicals

Before a child can play school sports in Washington, they need a pre-participation physical exam (sports physical). Someone needs to consent to that exam.

Your RCW 7.70.065 health declaration covers this. A sports physical is a routine outpatient medical exam — exactly the type of care the declaration authorizes. Present the declaration to the physician or clinic performing the physical, just as you would for a regular pediatric checkup.

The completed physical form goes to the school's athletic department. The school should already have you on file as the authorized caregiver if you enrolled the child.

Sports Participation Consent

Separate from the physical, schools require a parent or guardian signature on participation consent and liability waiver forms before a student can join a team. These forms typically cover:

• Consent to participate in the sport
• Acknowledgment of injury risks
• Authorization for emergency medical treatment during games and practices
• Permission for the coaching staff to seek medical care if you can't be reached

The school's Caregiver Authorization Form may cover some school activities, but do not assume it authorizes every sports participation or liability waiver. Ask the athletic office or district enrollment office which form governs non-medical consent and waivers.

For medical consent, your RCW 7.70.065 declaration covers routine outpatient care. Emergency treatment follows separate implied-consent rules, so give the school current emergency contacts and ask which medical release it requires.

Field Trip Permission Slips

Field trip permission slips are the simplest of the group. They're a school administrative form, not a legal document. If you enrolled the child and the school has you listed as the caregiver, you sign the permission slip.

Under OSPI guidance, schools treat the caregiver who enrolled the child as the authorized contact for day-to-day school decisions, including field trips, emergency contacts, and activity consent. The district's caregiver authorization policy governs who may sign these forms; FERPA governs access to education records.

If a teacher sends home a permission slip addressed to "parent/guardian" and you're concerned about signing it, the safest approach is to sign your name and add "kinship caregiver" next to it. But in practice, schools that accepted your enrollment don't question field trip signatures.

Extracurricular Activities Outside School

Activities run by organizations outside the school system — community sports leagues, summer camps, music programs, scouting — each set their own enrollment policies. There's no single state law that governs who can sign a child up for Little League.

What usually works:

• Present your health declaration for any medical consent or emergency treatment authorization the organization requires
• Bring proof of residency showing the child lives with you
• Explain the relationship — most organizations are flexible when they understand the situation
• If the organization insists on "parent or legal guardian" specifically, ask whether a power of attorney would satisfy the requirement, and consider whether getting a parental POA under RCW 11.130.145 makes sense for your situation

For organizations that receive state or federal funding (Head Start, YMCA subsidized programs, parks department activities), enrollment policies tend to be more accommodating of non-parental caregivers because federal civil rights guidance discourages unnecessary custody barriers.

The Washington Consent Guide for Kinship Caregivers includes a comparison table showing which consent instrument — the health declaration, the school authorization, or the parental POA — covers each common situation, so you know before you walk in the door which form to bring.

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