Stickers
OKA great non-food treat.
Free kit · Instant download
Daycare Halloween party kit, built for directors
Plan Halloween at your center in one afternoon. A two-week plan, a party-day run sheet, rules for staff, costumes and treats, a building safety check, the letter to your families, and five ready posts that turn the day into tours.
PDF, 13 printable pages · Editable Word version: the letter plus the posts
Free to downloadReady for Friday, October 30Made for whole centers
Free countdown and readiness check
How ready is your center for party day?
See how many days you have, what to do today, and tick off the checklist as your team gets it done. It stays on this device, so you can come back to it all week.
–days to party dayFriday, October 30
Your party date
Two weeks out
Everything on these lists is in the free kit, with the detail.
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Let’s get started
Tap each item when it’s done.
Two weeks before
One week before
The day before
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Free Halloween Party Planner
Your center’s Halloween plan, in two minutes
Type your details once. Your family letter, the run sheet, room-by-room rules, parent text messages and social posts are written for you, with your center’s name and times in them.
Your plan updates as you type
Your plan is written right here in your browser. The download is an editable Word file with every tab in it, ready to print or change.
Free quick check
Is it OK at daycare? Check any treat or costume.
Pick the age group. Every treat and costume families ask about shows OK, Check first, or Skip it, with the reason, so your staff can answer at the door.
Treats
Board books
OKSafe, and it lasts longer than candy.
Bubbles
OKA favorite non-food treat.
Crayons
OKA great non-food treat.
Small toys, rings, erasers
Check firstToys with small parts for ages 3 to 6 must carry a choking warning (CPSC). Choose bigger items.
Hard candy, lollipops, gummies
Skip itHard and sticky candy are a choking risk for children under 4 (AAP).
Popcorn
Skip itA choking risk for children under 4 (AAP).
Whole grapes
Skip itA choking risk for children under 4 (AAP).
Nuts, or candy with nuts
Skip itA choking risk under 4 (AAP), and a common allergy.
Costumes
A simple costume shirt
OKEasy on, easy off before nap.
A mask that covers the face
Skip itChildren can’t see well, and staff can’t see who is who. Try face paint or a hat.
A pretend sword or toy gun
Skip itNo pretend weapons at the center.
A cape or strings tied at the neck
Skip itNothing tied around the neck, and hems above the ankle.
Cosmetic face paint
Check firstFamily OK first, and a small dab on the arm two days before (FDA).
Craft paint or markers on skin
Skip itNot made for skin. Cosmetic face paint only (FDA).
OKCheck firstSkip it
Based on the American Academy of Pediatrics (choking foods under 4), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (small parts under 3, choking warnings on toys for ages 3 to 6) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (face paint). Always follow your state’s licensing rules.
What’s inside
Everything for Halloween at your center, in one kit
Thirteen printable pages for the director, not the classroom. Use them as they are, or copy the wording onto your own letterhead.
Your two-week plan
What to do two weeks out, one week out, the day before and the days after.
Party-day run sheet
Times, rooms and who leads each part, plus visitor sign-in and pickup rules.
Your staff and ratios
Keep your normal ratios, staff costume rules, who does what, and the one rule: never scare a child.
Costumes, face paint, infants
Costume rules, safe face paint, and what changes in the infant and young toddler rooms.
One treat rule for every room
Non-food or sealed and labeled, the allergy check, choking risks and a sign-up sheet.
Building safety and the fall day
A decorations walk-through for exits and fire safety, and a fall day so no child sits out.
The family letter, ready to send
Fill in your dates and send it. Also in an editable Word version.
Photo rules, 5 posts and an open-house sheet
Post the day safely, and turn visitors into tours within 24 hours.
Staff briefing and door signs
A 5-minute briefing your team signs, and two signs to print.
Halloween is a staffing day before it is a party. Plan the people first, then the fun.
The three rules
The rules that keep party day calm
Most Halloween problems at a center come from three places: extra adults, costumes and food. Here is the short version. The kit has the full checklists.
Ratios and visitorsStaff and the front door
- Keep your normal ratios with your own staff
- Parent helpers don’t count unless your state’s rules say they can
- Every adult signs in and wears a visitor badge
- Volunteers are never alone with children
- Pickup list only, masks off at the door
CostumesChildren and staff
- No masks that cover the face
- No pretend weapons or sharp props
- Nothing that trips, nothing around the neck
- Cosmetic face paint only, a small dab on the arm two days before
- Costumes off before nap
TreatsOne rule in every room
- Non-food treats are the safest choice
- Or store-bought, sealed and labeled
- Staff check every item against the allergy list and serve it
- No hard candy, nuts, popcorn or whole grapes for under-4s
- Under 3: no small toys either
Built on public guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (choking foods), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (small parts), FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (face paint), the National Fire Protection Association and the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services (decorations). Always follow your state’s licensing rules.
Halloween letter to parents
Halloween letter to parents, ready to send
Fill in the blanks, put it on your letterhead, and send it to every family about two weeks before your party. Want it written with your center’s name and times? Use the planner.
Dear families,
We’re celebrating Halloween at on . Here is everything you need to know.
Costumes. Children are welcome to wear a costume from drop-off, or bring it and change here. To keep everyone safe: no masks that cover the face, no pretend weapons, and nothing that drags on the floor. Please pack regular clothes in a labeled bag for nap time.
Treats. We are keeping to one rule in every room: . Please use the sign-up sheet in your child’s room. Every item is checked against our allergy list before it is served.
Visiting. You are welcome to join us at . Please sign in at the front desk, and take photos of your own child only. At pickup, we only release children to adults on their pickup list, and we ask that masks come off at the door.
Not celebrating? That is completely fine. Let your child’s teacher know, and your child will join a fall day with the same games and snacks.
Please reply by to tell us if your child will be here that day.
Warmly,
Your center director
When to send it: about two weeks before the party. Running late? Send it today.
Download the kitEnrollment
Turn Halloween into tours
Families looking for childcare are out with their children in late October. A fall open house or a trunk-or-treat puts your center in front of them. What matters is what happens next.
1. Invite
Post your open house a week ahead and ask your current families to share it. The kit has the post written for you.
2. Capture
Every new family fills out the visitor sheet at the door: first name, child’s age, start date, phone, and whether it’s OK to call or text.
3. Follow up in 24 hours
Call or text every family who said it’s OK, the next day, and offer a tour time. A family that waits a week has often chosen someone else.
FAQ
Questions directors ask
When should a daycare send the Halloween letter to parents?
About two weeks before your party. For a party on Friday, October 30, send it by Friday, October 16, then send a short reminder the day before with the times, the costume rules and the treat rule.
Do parent volunteers count toward ratios at a daycare Halloween party?
Usually not. Parent helpers don't count toward your ratio unless your state's child care licensing rules say they can. Plan full staff coverage for party day and keep your normal ratios with your own staff.
What treats are safe for a daycare Halloween party?
Non-food treats are the safest choice: stickers, crayons, bubbles or board books (for children under 3, nothing small enough to choke on). If you allow food, make it store-bought, sealed and labeled, and check every item against the room's allergy list. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists hard or sticky candy, nuts and seeds, popcorn, whole grapes and marshmallows among the foods to keep away from children under 4.
Should daycare staff dress up for Halloween?
They can, with a few rules: staff must be able to sit on the floor, lift a child and run in the costume, nothing scary, no masks so children can see who is caring for them, closed-toe shoes and a visible name badge.
How do you include families who don't celebrate Halloween?
Ask privately in the family letter, then run a fall day in each room at the same time as the party, with the same games and snacks and no costumes. No child should sit out alone.
How can a childcare center use Halloween to get new enrollments?
Host a fall open house or a trunk-or-treat, ask every new family to fill out a short visitor sheet at the door, including whether it's OK to call or text them, and follow up within 24 hours to offer a tour. Post photos from the day, but only of children whose families signed a photo release.
Is face paint safe at daycare?
Only cosmetic face paint, never craft paint, acrylic paint or markers. Use face paint made with FDA-approved color additives, try a small dab on the child's arm two days before, get the family's OK first, apply with sponges away from the eyes, and wash it off before nap.
What changes in the infant room on Halloween?
Costumes come off before any sleep, with nothing extra in the crib and no hats or hoods. Skip costumes and treats with small parts: small parts are banned in products for children under 3, and small toys, erasers and rings are a choking risk for babies and toddlers.
Is the Halloween kit free to use?
Yes. Download it free, print it, and copy the wording into your own letterhead. It is general guidance, not legal advice, so always follow your state's licensing rules.
Free forms you’ll use this week:
Daycare allergy form · Photo release form · Field trip permission form · Sign-in and sign-out sheet · Incident report · All free forms
For the whole center
Have a calm, happy Halloween
Download the kit, build your plan in two minutes, and pass this page on to another director who could use it.
Made by the team at MyKidReports, childcare software for centers. See what we make