So frustrated, what am I doing wrong??

[momof5]

Hi Ladies,

I'm so frustrated right now, I'm down to only 1 dck since my others have moved and entered all day jk. I have done 10 interviews for Aug/sept. start and all have emailed back within a day stating thanks but no thanks, found somebody else! They have all looked at my website which and were impressed with it, I feel like the interviews went ok. So something is going wrong. Could it be that i have to much paperwork? How many pages should the contract be? I somehow have managed to make mine 8 pages long, then i have the forms on top of that! I think this could be scaring some away?! Lol I like to be organized but do you think i've got to much? I just had my cubbies built, and now i'm empty! I've had to cancel my holidays with my family because I can't Afford to take just a day off with only having this 1 dck left! You are all so very helpful with all your advice and opinions!

[Littledragon]

I have 9 pages in my policies, a 2 page contract, a 4 page child profile form, a 2 page emergency contact sheet and other forms for information like routine, meal plans and so on. I don't think you have too many pages. And I can't tell you what you're doing wrong. But at least you're getting interviews! lol I haven't even been getting emails!

Maybe you're making it seem like you need them? I don't know. Maybe they're all a little concerned because you only have one child left and they're wondering why....Maybe you're not being as confident as usual?

All I can suggest is to keep on trucking, be as confident as you can and don't settle. You'll get it. You can only have so many interviews without signing someone. It'll happen! :)

Sending out vibes :)

[Crayola kiddies]

My package is 11 pages containing the policy handbook, contract, and forms. Ive been getting calls too but it's either for school age or part time and I don't want either. Good luck

[Dreamalittledream]

I was just our small town park speaking to a parent and I found our conversation interesting. She was speaking about how her Daughter lives in Ottawa and "actually had to sign a contract for Childcare, had to pay for holidays etc." and she was saying how that's "unheard of here". Thinking back to my Childcare search in our small town,except for larger centers, I never saw a contract either. That's not to say that I would have had any problem with one. I, for sure use one now and have not had a problem...but perhaps in your situation you are dealing with this attitude toward a contract? Just a thought.

[Inspired by Reggio]

IMO how 'business minded and professional' a client prefers a home childcare provider to be verses 'informal' and more of the verbal agreement pay only for service used is totally a personal thing based on what the client is 'looking for' in the program .... IMO you cannot control what others might like and cannot 'change' to be something you THINK they might want you have to be who YOU AUTHENTICALLY ARE and ATTRACT like minded poeple into your program and business.

Honestly my direct neighborhood is FULL of people working without a contract under the table illegally .... however I could not and will not 'lower' my standards to their level ~ I have to be who I am and who I can be proud of being!

No surprise to anyone t hat I suffer from 'information overload' if you ask me how the weather is today instead of just saying 'rainy' like most do I would tend to start going on about the intensity of it and how gorgeous the rainbow was that we saw this morning and so forth ... I am not a 2 word answer type person not in my nature and if I TRIED to be I would likely come off as being 'rude' cause it would be hard for me ;)

So as you you can guess from my advertizements to my website, my contract, handbooks and forms for clients are all EXTENSIVE because they reflect ME and my personality .... I come for years of regulated centre based care and my practice and policies reflect that based on 'learning from past mistakes' and so forth ~ they are meant to not only state the 'facts' about what to expect in my program but to educate around WHY these are the facts in my program because for me I find when people understand WHY I value what I do and so forth they are more inclined to support me in those goals and so forth ~ wordy WORKS for me ;)

I am fully aware that I might intimidate some people from 'contacting' me for care or that some people might not want the 'rigidity' of my business in regards to contracts and consent forms so forth because there is no wiggle room for anyone to try to take advantage of me or try to make me do something against my philosophy.

To be honest I am OK with that because I would never want to 'serve' someone who is not comfortable or willing to accept me as ME!

Interviewing is a fine art it really is .... you have to be confident in yourself, your program and send that air of they need YOU more than you need THEM ... that they would be getting the experience of a life time in your program .... and when you can do that you will attract the people you WANT to you ~ the ones that value you and your service!

I recently interviewed potential clients who were referred from a friend ~ normally I would not have let them get to the interview stage because they wanted hours of care outside of what I work but the parent claimed they could 'make that work' for the right daycare because they were keeping their child out of JK and wanted to make sure he was 'engaged' and it was a friends clients who is retiring so I did it as a favor ~ they came, they went on and on about how awesome the program was and so forth and so on ~ the two children played well and did not want to leave to go ~ and than I heard through my friend that they ended up choosing a lady around the corner who offers 'illegal' care for 1/2 the price and the kids get to play Xbox all day long and they apparently 'love it' there ... bottom line is as much as it 'hurt' to be turned down for someone like THAT whose service is so obviously NOT COMPARABLE to mine the reality is that I would not have been HAPPY serving them because if that is their priority for their children if they are 'happy' with someone who takes in more kids than legally allowed in order to offer 'cheap care' and if their concept of 'engaged' is putting them in front of video games all day ~ we were not a MATCH for service!

My advice is to figure out what kind of clients you WANT to serve, make a list of interview questions that will help illicit feedback around the 'shared values' you are seeking in a client and than ATTRACT those clients to you .... yes you might have to weed through 20 potentials to find that perfect 'match' .... but it is an investment in your enjoyment of your 'career' .... this is not a job we can 'fake' you need to enjoy working with the kids and clients you serve or the STRESS created from that will burn you out!

I am empathizing with you because I have been advertizing since May for my September spots hoping to get them prefilled and I am not finding anyone whom I would want to 'serve' on a daily basis :(

[Sandbox Sally]

I can empathise. I am in the same boat at the moment, except people either contact me, share several emails and then fall of the face of the planet, or they interview, and I never hear back from them. Who knows why? I think that maybe it just may be that where you are, and where I am, the market is saturated. Maybe they had a toy kitchen and you didn't, and their kid likes toy kitchens. Maybe they have a garden, and you don't. Maybe her daycare layout appealed more to the mom's eye...there are a multitude of reasons why this could be happening, and many of them are likely out of our control.

I had an interview with a perfect family. They seemed to really like me, and we chatted for an hour and a half! We talked about everything from child rearing to politics to music, and we agreed on it all. I was super excited. The dad even shook my hand at the door as they were leaving and said to me, "I want you to know that I am extremely impressed. We will be in touch very soon." They never called back.

Frustrating. Hang in there, and vent to us often. I know I will be doing my share of venting. ;)

[Judy Trickett]

OP....do you know any other providers in your area to ask local-specific questions regarding the "norm" there. Do you know any providers well enough to ask them to come take a look at your set up or hear a typical interview schpeel?? Often times we don't see what is making parents chose other providers because to us it is "okay". I recently went through a period where I changed my interview format (basically every interview I do is exactly the same, same things said while going over the contract, same things said when showing the daycare space etc....I am like a broken record) and had a hard time getting people to sign on. Something I was doing/saying was not working. So I switched back to my old ways and once again, everyone who interviewed wanted to sign on. I don't know what I was doing to turn parents off but it WAS something.

[Momof4]

You are not alone, we all go through this at one time or another. Keep your chin up and keep interviewing. There is nothing more I can say, great advice was given already. I just want you to know we have all been in your shoes at least once.

[kidlove]

absolutely agree with Momof4. just hang in there, the right families will come along at the right times and everything will be good again. If you are a good provider and dont take just any family off the street, it takes quite a little bit to build or re-build for that matter. :)