New baby for d/c parent but daycare currently full. What to do?

[Naftafia]

I am having a really hard time trying to figure out what I should do and how. I am really hoping to hear all your thoughts and experience with this!!!
Here's the story!!! My daycare is currently full with 2 full timers, 2 before and after school and one currently part time (the mom who is on mat leave). So the plan has always been that I would take on the baby in early February and the sibbling would return full time, however this means I will have to let someone go. :o
I am having such a hard time with this because all my kids and families are great and they have all been with me for over 2.5 years. The only option would be to let my 6 year old go but how? I feel like I will be letting them down. I am having this ongoing internal/emotional debate as I know it is a business and the right thing is to take on the baby, or I would also loose the sibbling. Even worse is that I know the dad (single parent to the 6 year old in question) will understand... but it just does not feel right.:(
All thoughts are welcome!
To all who have done b/a school care I would also like to know how you typically proceed because if everyone stays you will end up with only b/a school?

[BrightEyes]

I would let the 6yr old go. Explain that you need to fill the full-time spot financially.

[godsgirl]

Letting the 6 year old go makes the most sense. However, I wouldn't jump the gun and tell the family until you know 100% sure that the new baby will be attending. Probably a month in advance would be plenty of time for them to find another caregiver. The reason I say this is that we all know how unpredictable families can be and as much as we want to take people's word. Things always change and you don't want to be hooped. Good luck :)

[Lou]

I had to do this in September. I had an after school part time girl, but an interested family who wanted to sign on their child full time days. I couldn't pass up the opportunity financially (plus I had been having a horrible time with the 7 yrs old, but still had a great realtionship with mom and dad). I sent them an email (I always give information this way so 1. It's in writing and 2. So, they have time to chew on the news before any sort of verbal communication) and gave them a month's notice. Thankfully, they were understanding and appreciative of the notice. I did feel bad, so I know how you feel! Hope it goes smoothly for you!

[Crayola kiddies]

Ya letting the 6 yr old go makes the most sence .... I have only one b&a spot cause I don't want to hold a full time spot for 10 months for next to no money. So unless you want to have only b&a's to have your days free then off she goes .... I also would wait till about a month in advance and get a deposit from the other family before issuing the notice.

[Inspired by Reggio]

Ya that is a tough one ~ if I had to choose who to let go I too would opt for the one offering me the least amount of income ~ a school age child and likely the 'oldest' of them because they'd likely have the best luck finding another option in a before and after school program IN the school system.

[playfelt]

Since the change will happen after Christmas that is a time of financial issues for many people so using the need to maintain a higher income can be part of the reasoning. I let parents know when they interview that I don't take school age kids at all so once they are ready for JK they must leave. The moms appreciate that their baby won't be out in nasty weather nor have naps disrupted. They forget all about the leaving part and truthfully most have a mat leave in there before the child reaches JK age.

The hard thing here is whether the parent of the 6 year old deserves to know before the end of this school term so he can put his child's name on the school daycare list or start looking for alternate care. Mid term can be a lot harder for them. Can you get a deposit from the mom on mat leave now as in confirming the space.

[sunnydays]

This is why I don't promise spaces unless I know I will have it (ie. someone is leaving). I have someone who will be going on mat leave and keeping her child in part-time and I was clear with her that I could in no way promise her a spot for the new baby nor a full-time spot for her first child after her mat leave. If it happens, great, but I cannot hold a spot nor promise on a maybe. In your current predicament, I would probably let the six year go, but I am wondering why you promised the space if you were not sure you would have one?

[Naftafia]

To sunnydays.... mainly because I did not want to loose the sibbling as it was a difficult time to start new with someone, as I had just had my second child. It was actually good timing to have her part time and I did/ and still do, want to have the baby in care. I guess I was just hoping something would change with my other families from within the year so I would not have to!
It's funny because your question made me realize that the hardess part of this job for me will be that I do not like change!!! Yikes! :blink: I guess this will be my first time facing this challenge!

[Cocoon]

Can you not keep all of them? I mean he is b/a school care anyway so couple of hours a day shouldn't be a problem no?

[Momof4]

February is exactly when I have a mat leave dcMom returning with a new baby. I have 5 children in care right now, 4 are under 2.5 years old and then my oldest child is every other day in JK and I had made my mind up that I would have to let her go in Feb. when the new baby starts so that my group is all young ones again. I like that kind of group so they can all grow together.

I worried and fretted and guess what? My 4 year old girl's Mom got pregnant and is going on her mat leave in Feb!!! Fate made everything work perfectly so that it will all be smooth sailing for me. So relax and go with the flow for now.

I was planning on giving my family that I would have to let go a letter at the beginning of Jan. so that they had 5-6 weeks notice so if you do that don't feel guilty about it. We all learn the hard way that we have to do what is best for us and our families and our daycares. Of course the families in our care have to do what is best for them too.

[Momof4]

Can you not keep all of them? I mean he is b/a school care anyway so couple of hours a day shouldn't be a problem no?
That's against the law in Ontario. I think the fine is very large if you ever get caught doing something like this.

[sunnydays]

It doesn't matter if he is before and after school..if you are over your limit, that is illegal, even if it is just for a few hours!


Can you not keep all of them? I mean he is b/a school care anyway so couple of hours a day shouldn't be a problem no?

[Inspired by Reggio]

IF you can arrange that none of them overlapped so that children were dropped off after and picked up before the school age child's time frame you CAN have more than 5 children on enrollment ~ they just cannot all be in 'attendance' at the same time .... my first year in business I had 10 clients on my roster ... 1 full time and 9 part time clients sharing my other 4 spaces ~ it was a scheduling nightmare but it was possible and thankfully eventually i got all my spaces to FT through attrition!

But yes in Ontario if you have more than five children in attendance at any given time as a home childcare provider not only would your insurance be void but you do so with the following risk if caught ...


On conviction, the fine is up to $2,000 for each day the offense continues, or imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or both.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/orientation-package-en.pdf


Problem with how that is worded is providers who practice 'illegal daycare' know that basically the FIRST time you get caught you just get a warning but if you continue to do it anyway and get caught than they can go back and fine you $2000 a day for everyday you were 'over ratio'.

Providers prey on the fact that the first time you get caught is basically a 'freebie' and the likelihood of getting caught is slim anyway because well the rules are illogical in Ontario and actually promote the culture of illegal daycare specially in areas where there is high demand for daycare as some providers are 'legal' to have eight children and others are not legal and it is hard to know the difference because of the rule that you are allowed to have '5 daycare children plus your own' in an unregulated setting and well most passersby do not know when they see someone with 8 kids if they are 3 of their own or all of them daycare kids and they do not want to 'get involved' in reporting and my guess is that parents who choose to put their kids in 'illegal' daycare figure well if it is ok for someone to do it when 3 of their kids are their own what difference does it make if none of them are?

I have a lady on my street who has run an illegal daycare for over 25 years working with more than 5 children as well as working 'under the table' ... she has managed to avoid getting fined despite neighbors having called to report her on more than one occasion but karma must have something else in store for her cause the days they show up she lucks out to be 'within numbers' that day and just gets the 'reminder' of the rules ... one of these days her karma is going to run out and someone is going to use technology to video tape her being 'over ratio' but the fact will remain that for over 25 years she has pocketed a lot of tax free money :rolleyes:

[mimi]

Wow Reggio, I really like to sleep at night so there is no way I could be over ratio AND not declare my income. Makes me wonder about parents who bring their kids to over crowded d/c's and don't expect any receipts. :ohmy:

[apples and bananas]

I have the exact same situation coming up in Fall 2013. However, my before and after only brings in about $30 a week compared to the $140 the new baby will bring in. I am not going to give notice until late summer. Things could change, someone's hours could change, someone else may leave, I may be able to do before but not after. You just never know. It's hard to try to accomodate everyone. I'm horrible at this. I feel like clients rely on me so i have to bend over backwards to make things work, when really, I have to be more realistic about what I can do and what I can't do.

Don't stress over it too much. It's a great problem to have, having too many to fill spaces. :)