Sample Parent Permission Letters

What Is a Parent Permission Letter?

A parent permission letter is basically a formal written letter asking for permission from a parent to allow a child into attending or going to a certain place, event, or any purpose. What the permission is for would vary but the common denominator is that it is up to the parent to decide whether to allow children in going unsupervised by parents or not. Also, parent permission letters work similarly to parental consent letters in terms of function.

According to Education Business’s research survey, 60% of teachers found an improvement in student performance after a school trip.

Why Are Parent Permission Letters Important?

You might be wondering why you still have to write a parent permission letter instead of just asking the parents personally. Truth is there are a bunch of reasons for how important parent permission letters are. And here are its major highlights:

To Keep Parents on the Loop

A parent permission letter is a detailed letter about what an event, project, or trip is about that requires children to participate. So rather than speaking with parents personally, the details in a letter are much more organized and complete. You can state what needs to be said in the letter rather than end up forgetting certain things about why parental consent is needed. Also, parents would be updated as to what set of activities is expected for their kids to undergo, as written in the parent permission letter.

To Ask for Permission of Any Purpose Formally

Parent permission letters are also regarded as formal letters requesting parental consent. And the permission’s purpose can be anything such as academic field trips, international travels, research participation, and so much more. In fact, Education Business reported that 60% of teachers saw a student performance improvement after a school trip. So it really helps when there is a valid reason behind the permission not only to ask formally but also to encourage parents to actually give the go signal in the end.

To Guarantee the Children’s Safety

Parents are mainly concerned about the welfare of their children so their safety is an essential concern in the parent permission letter. Expect the letter to cover a discussion about how the kids won’t be unsupervised. Whether kids go with a teacher, team leader, youth worker, guardian, or anyone of authority, at least parents would be alright with the idea of entrusting their child with someone who can be trusted. So if no child safety plan was ever tackled in the document, parents would likely reject the permission.

To Prove Whether Consent Is Present or Absent

On the legal side, writing a formal letter such as a parent permission letter is extremely important in terms of proving whether parental consent was present or not. Remember that accidents also happen. A challenging case is when the bus for the school field trip crashed and harmed the child. Another one is if a minor who underwent a medical surgery experienced harmful side effects. The consequences would be much worse if the school principal or the medical professional did not ask for the parent’s consent ahead. Hence, asking for the parent’s signature on the letter is necessary to prove that permission was granted officially and not just verbally.

The Main Parts of a Standard Parent Permission Letter

Bear in mind that a parent permission letter may vary from one example to another. But if you look closely at the different parent permission letters, such as the sample parent permission letter templates in this article, there is a common format for how they are written. And these are the basic parts that make a complete parent permission letter:

Document Title: The very first thing seen on a parent permission letter should be the title “Parent Permission Letter.” The title gives away what the document is called, and it is often written in bold capital letters found at the top center of the document.Date: It is self-explanatory for any letter to display the complete schedule or date of when it was written. Be sure to add the day, month, and year in the letter as the date. This part confirms whether a letter was recently made or already old.Address, Contact Number, or Branding: The next concern is to input the sender’s background information. Although you can mention your name and signature at the very end of the letter, you still need to write general information for your identification in the upper part of the parent permission letter. Examples include your physical address and contact details. If you are representing a school, company, or any organization, then don’t forget to insert your company address, website, business logo, or employer branding.Subject Line: The subject line refers to what the permission will be about. Indeed, the title earlier confirms that the document is a parent permission letter. But what exactly is it asking permission for? Whether you need permission for children to enter a club, church, camp, work, flight, or school, the specific topic must be written in the subject line.Salutation: The words “To whom it may concern” or “Dear” would be in the salutation. This part is where you address the recipient, which would be the parents themselves. And be sure not to misspell any of their names so you won’t offend anybody.Body: The meat of a parent permission letter is the body section. The rest of the details regarding the consent or permission will be written here. This part would be divided into various subcategories rather than just jumbling your details in one long paragraph. And if you need help with what the possible subparts in the body are, take a look at these examples below.Introductory Statement: The first section of the body would be the introductory statement. So state the introduction such as a personal greeting, an abstract that will lead to the subject line, background information that is relevant to the topic, and most importantly, introduce who you are.Statement of Purpose: To support your introduction, insert the statement of purpose. This part should thoroughly explain why there is a need for children to go on a field trip, visa application, research participation, or any other purpose. And how engaging it will be written would surely affect the decision of parents.Goals and Activities: Expound on what is expected to happen during the school trip, international travel, or any event that you ask permission for. The key is to write goals and an activity or work list so parents get the idea of the program, itinerary, or whatever is bound to happen with their children in the process.Permission Statement: Most importantly, end the parent permission letter’s body with the official permission statement. Politely ask for permission that parents should consider allowing their child to push through with the plan. This part is also where you summarize who will be involved, when the event or project will happen, where it will be, and other key elements.Complimentary Close: Just like any type of letter, you should use the appropriate complimentary close such as “Sincerely yours.” This part needs not to use a long closing statement but just enough to formally end the parent permission letter.Signature of Parties: Finally, input your name and signature at the end of the parent permission letter. This part confirms that you wrote and confirmed everything written in the letter. Also, don’t forget to give room for parents to write their names and signatures on the letter. Their marks would signify that they read and agreed to the terms written there.

How to Make a Parent Permission Letter

If you have gotten accustomed to writing letters in general, then writing a parent permission letter should not be that difficult. But if it is your first time, not to worry because you will be guided on the easiest steps to come up with parent permission letters in just five steps. Without further ado, here are the steps on how to create an excellent parent permission letter:

Step 1: Select a Sample Parent Permission Letter to Optimize

Writing a parent permission letter will be super easy with sample templates to guide you in the process. So make sure to check out the free sample parent permission letter templates posted above this article and pick a template you can customize. You won’t run out of options easily such as a parents consent letter for COVID-19, permission letter from parents to travel, parent permission letter for camp, parental consent form, and more. The best is you can format each sample however you want such as PDF and MS Word.

Step 2: Understand What the Event or Topic Is

Before even writing and editing the details in a parent permission letter sample, be sure you have read and reviewed the strategic plan of what the topic is about. An example is when you are writing a parent permission letter for a school field trip. First things first, do you have a reference page to use that has all the details about the coming educational trip such as the locations to visit, trip schedule, and other specifications. After reviewing the details, you will eventually know what is worth writing and not worth writing in the parent permission letter.

Step 3: Recognize the Parent Permission Letter’s Main Parts

Of course, you must complete the parts of a parent permission letter, as already discussed. With the title, date, branding, subject line, salutation, until the signature of parties present in your document, you can tell that your parent permission letter’s content really pays off. These parts help organize the details in your letter anyway, especially if you transition the different information in the body of the letter smoothly.

Step 4: Be Objective and Direct

Similar to how you write business letters, stay objective and straightforward. Don’t expect parents to have all the time in the world to read long letters. So state what needs to be said in the letter according to the parts of a parent permission letter. That means you need not insert flowery words and you better simplify technical terms that some audiences might not understand. As long as you stay focused on what to write, it will end well.

Step 5: Add a Personal Touch

Although you are writing the parent permission letter professionally, be sure to learn from personal letters in terms of adding a personal touch to the letter. Remember that you also need to greet the parents and write reverently. Also, take note that asking for permission is not a command. Be respectful with your words, especially when you are negotiating with parents concerning their children.


FAQs

What are the other names of a parent permission letter?

A parent permission letter can be referred to as a parental consent slip, parental consent form, or simply a letter of permission.

What are the four main components of a letter of permission?

A permission letter consists of the addressee’s information, the purpose of the letter, the official permission statement, and the name and signature.

How do I authorize someone to act on my behalf?

You no longer need a permission letter in authorizing someone to act on your behalf. Instead, write an authorization letter.

Different factors can make or break how well-written a parent permission letter is. So it is crucial to be meticulous about the information, format, elements, tone, and organization of the document you plan to make as the parent permission letter. Thankfully, sample templates can guide you along the way from following the standard premade samples down to editing your template according to your goals and preference. Produce as many professionally made sample parent permission letters now!