What are your important issues? Where will you compromise?

[Emilys4Guppies]

What aspects of your contract are the most important to you? What points have you had to reference the most to parents as a reminder(Late Pick-up Policy, I imagine, lol)? What points are you most willing to compromise on (OK to go past your closing? Will you open early? Offer discounts?)?

[giraffe]

I wont comprimise on anything. I spent a long time thinking about what I wanted to offer, how long I was willing to work and about how much I wanted to be paid, once those decisions were made then that is what I follow. If you bend for one parent will you bend for then next?

To me, contracts are in place to set out rules and expectations of not only the parent but also the provider. If you do not expect the parents to follow your written contract as is, then you should change it.

[Tot-Time]

What points have you had to reference the most to parents as a reminder(Late Pick-up Policy, I imagine, lol)?

No notice when they are dropping off late!!!! It is'nt a huge issue, but an inconvinience, I am 'dealing' with 2 or 3 times a week with at least 2 of my families! I run a fairly busy schedule with the respect that we attend activities outside of the daycare, sometimes leaving as early as 8:30 am. So, I have a policy that parents must notify me by 8 am via phone call, text message, or email, so I can plan accordingly or the children aren't sitting in the van waiting for them to arrive. I write a reminder monthly to all the families, I am continually posting it as a policy reminder as well.

I have one family I can't seem to reach, she will email me at 8:45," oh we are running late, do you have any plans?" (all my families are scheduled to arrive at 7:30 am)

There was one day she arrived at 9:30 and got upset with me that I refused to serve a second snack. After almost a year of the one family consistently doing this, I have now just said that if you don't notify me on time I will assume your child will be absent for the day and no learning materials, snack, etc will be prepared for your child's morning activities, because at 8 is free play and those are my few 'stolen' moments to prepare for the day for the children who are present or have confirmed they are running late.

[Tot-Time]

I wont comprimise on anything. I spent a long time thinking about what I wanted to offer, how long I was willing to work and about how much I wanted to be paid, once those decisions were made then that is what I follow. If you bend for one parent will you bend for then next?

Do you find that sometimes it is difficult to not compromise or give in? Especially when you have such a good family?

I am very much a 'rule orientated' person, but I will admit, I do compromise and may change a policy in my contract to suit the individual family's needs. But, just because I change something for one family doesn't mean I will for the next.

[fruitloop]

I wont comprimise on anything. I spent a long time thinking about what I wanted to offer, how long I was willing to work and about how much I wanted to be paid, once those decisions were made then that is what I follow. If you bend for one parent will you bend for then next?

To me, contracts are in place to set out rules and expectations of not only the parent but also the provider. If you do not expect the parents to follow your written contract as is, then you should change it.

This is me too. I spent a long time trying to get my contract perfect to the way I wanted things to be in my daycare. Everything is in there for a reason and I follow that my contract says.

[playfelt]

Mostly I follow what is in my contract but I have also worded some sections that will say "at my discretion" or something similar which gives me the right to be lenient with one family but firmer with a family that needs it. I agree with Nicole on the late arrivals because it is so disruptive and depending on the child involved it means I might assume they aren't coming and give the other children a toy to play with but if the baby finally comes I have to take it away or change my menu plan back to a food baby can eat too. I do try to work with each family and depending on what comes out of the interview I have made ammendments for them and on the childcare agreement page they sign there is a spot that says they agree to abide by the contract noting the following ammendments: that could include paying every two weeks where the contract says due weekly or pickup with no extra charge on Thursday if before 5:20 where my time is 5 but knowing upfront it is one daya week but it will also say late fee which is an hourly rate due if pickup is after.

[Emilys4Guppies]

For myself...

I will not budge on the money. No discounts, no favours...I am in this for love of the children, but also so that I can be here for my own children too, so it has to be worth my time.

I won't budge on closing time either.

I will open earlier for a family I love but won't do that for just anyone. :)

[giraffe]

Do you find that sometimes it is difficult to not compromise or give in? Especially when you have such a good family?

I am very much a 'rule orientated' person, but I will admit, I do compromise and may change a policy in my contract to suit the individual family's needs. But, just because I change something for one family doesn't mean I will for the next.

I have done favors for families in the past but I soon find that one favor leads to another... and another and another an soon you are opening early every day for a familyor closing late. At first 5 -10 min late doesnt seem like a big deal but if you add in the time it takes to get the child ready and out of your house you are adding an extra 4 - 5 hours per month that you are working for FREE multiply that and that is over a whole FREE week of care per year.
So no I do not find it difficult not to bend.

[DianeDaycare]

My policies are not negotiable. Thats why I have them in my policy booklet. In the past i have parents not give me two weeks notice and as I only ask for one weeks deposit I was owed another week. So Ive changed my policy to two weeks deposit and I get paid one week in advance. So know if a parent came to me on Friday and told me they weren't bringing their child anymore Ive at least got my two weeks pay upfront which is nonrefundable.

[Play and Learn]

My contracts are non negotiable. You don't ask your doctor or lawyer to open earlier, or stay later, do you? Well, I am qualified at what I do, and the contract is set in place for a reason. I do have a life outside of caring for other individuals children!

Parents who I have interviewed don't understand that I won't give them leniency on times. I explain to them that I have two businesses to run, and I have to have some me (down) time between the two businesses. Yet they don't care, and it's all about them!

So no, no leniency from me!

[Tot-Time]

Have you ever found that your contracts are too rigid?

I once had a potential family where the father was a lawyer and after seeing my contract he cancelled our interview. I eventually discovered through the wife it was that my contract was too strict.

Since then I have tried to make my contract have a more parent friendly feel too it. But for me that has been a challenge :)

[giraffe]

If a parent finds your contract to ridgid for them, then they are not the parent for you.

[playfelt]

I like to give parents the benefit of the doubt at least occasionally and that is where flexibility comes in. I am a 40-60 minute drive for my parents that work in the west end and there are accidents and slow downs on the Queensway pretty much daily and no it isn't like they can take another route. I have a late fee but the parent that races here after work and so has 4:30 on her contract but occasionally takes till 4:40 to get here is not charged overtime compared to the parent that works at about the same distance away and put 5 down on her contract so she didnt' need to rush so if she is late then it is her own fault. If the first parent is late it is because the traffic was an issue or the boss asked a question as she headed out the door. Those that have pickup times scheduled before my 5 pm close as in are not using their full alloted 10 hours are not charged in the same as someone who goes 10 mintues over their 10 hours. Otherwise I would have all parents putting the full 10 hours on their forms and going home and starting supper and changing clothes before coming at the last minute to pick up. They figure they are paying for it anyways. It just seems if I work with each family I get more respect back than if I stood my ground and treated them like a number than a human being. No matter what you do there will always be a family that abuses the rules no matter what they are.

[Tot-Time]

I do the same thing :) I have a 4:30 closure. BUT due to inclimate weather or traffic conditions I would rather have a family slow down and drive safely than get into an accident trying to arrive here on time. I allow parents a 15 min grace period before charging a late fee, if it isn't a 'normal' occurance. However, if a family is late because they ran an errand before coming to daycare, there is always a late fee starting at 4:30. I can usually tell if a family is late due to traffic or weather because the other families will be late too.

I think the most important part of my contract is the respect. If a parent shows me respect and common courtesy then I am more willing to show a parent respect. Just because I have a $35 nsf fee doesn't mean I have to charge it. If a family comes to me and tells me their cheque is going to bounce I will only charge the bank fees that I incurred due to the bounced cheque. The late fee is reserved for those who don't tell me their cheque is going to bounce and I get a nasty surprise when checking my account.

[Amateur Owner]

I had a parent who was changing work hours and wanted to come earlier/open daycare earlier for them...it was just 1/2 hr and my other parent alternates shifts each month which meant I was opening for them earlier on those months (in turn the kids leave earlier too). However with the parent that was changing hours...the week it was starting the first day the DCK was sick, got a call 1/2 hour before arrival time. the next 3 days they showed up pretty close to regular time, out of that whole week they came in 15 mins earlier ONE. I was waking up earlier and getting my day started earlier for them and they had no consideration whatsoever!!! So by the end of the week I asked if they were really gonna start coming earlier or not? They said maybe, not sure if it'll be everyday etc. I was livid! It is my time too...you're not paying me extra for this, so I told them they needed to send me a msg if they needed to come earlier, if not I would assume it was regular hours...Was I harsh?
How do you work out hours; 10 hours maximum & then they pay late fees? Are you flexible with some families and maybe not so much with others?

[Tot-Time]

Amateur Owner I do not believe you were harsh by asking to be notified when the family needed the additonal 1/2 an hour. I would ask the same thing.

I am only open 7:30 - 4:30, so anything beyond those hours are late fees. I haven't charged a late fee in a long time a year or more, mainly because I have good families and they do a lot for me. A Timmy's hot chocolate does butter me up, lol. But, with that being said the few times in the year where my youngest has dance competitions and I have no idea whether it will affect daycare or if I will have to take a day off, my parents NEVER complain, even if I only give a weeks notice. So I figure some of the relationship is give and take.

Now if my dc families were being consistently late or early, then I would have some issues with it, But right now, I have a family picking up late maybe once every other month by about 5 to 10 minutes.

I love my sleep, so I have to be notified in advance if a family wishes to come early and because I am not fully awake in the mornings, if a family starts sneaking in earlier and earlier then I have been known to get a little cranky. If no notice is given, my door gets unlocked at 7:25.

[Emilys4Guppies]

Have you ever found that your contracts are too rigid?

I once had a potential family where the father was a lawyer and after seeing my contract he cancelled our interview. I eventually discovered through the wife it was that my contract was too strict.

Since then I have tried to make my contract have a more parent friendly feel too it. But for me that has been a challenge :)

What portions of your contract did he find too rigid? For the most part, I think that parents are relieved when they see that I have a contract. It holds me accountable just as much as them.

[Tot-Time]

What portions of your contract did he find too rigid?

For this particular family it was that I had 3 clauses: 1) that if a family doesn't pay their childcare fees I will take the account to collections and charge and add an administration fee due to me having to file with collection 2) *if* a family's account goes into arrears and collections doesn't work, I can take the family to court for non-payment and if this was necessary that I will charge the family an administration fee 3) that if a family has an nsf cheque I can charge the family $35 for the nsf, plus the charges I incur throught my bank due to the bounced cheque.

I think there might have been issues with the late payment fee too, because I back date it to when the payment was due and not when I discovered the cheque bounced.

The mom told me straight up that the dad (lawyer) wouldn't agree to those terms and therefore she wasn't able to even interview me to see if my daycare was right for them. I think for me that was the turning point on when I stopped providing my contract before an interview so that the families could meet me and know that although contracts can sound scary, the basics are based on respect and mutual understanding and there to protect both the parents and myself.

[giraffe]

If the parent intended to pay on time then there should have been absolutly no reason for him to find those clauses to rigid. You are better off without them.

[Emilys4Guppies]

Those are non-negotiable, IMO. You did the right thing. Giraffe is right...if he intended to pay on time then what's his worry?

[Amateur Owner]

I agree with giraffe and Emilys4Guppies, you did the right thing. BTW thanks for reassurance Tot-Time...being really new at this makes decisions hard sometimes!

[ceECE]

I find that I am always pointing out my policies on sick children. They come with a spoonful of medicine all ready ingested, and a fever appears a few hours later. If they have a fever, need med.'s to breathe (sinus) or full faucet, have diarreah, or threw up in the night, they are too sick to come! Subs are hard to find here. If I get too sick to work, I have to close the whole centre!

[FS2011]

I find that I am always pointing out my policies on sick children. They come with a spoonful of medicine all ready ingested, and a fever appears a few hours later. If they have a fever, need med.'s to breathe (sinus) or full faucet, have diarreah, or threw up in the night, they are too sick to come! Subs are hard to find here. If I get too sick to work, I have to close the whole centre!

I have a point in my illness policy about parents being dishonest about the Childs sickness and that I have the right to terminate care if I believe this is happening. You may consider making your sickness policy really strict. That said I still find it hard to confront the parent when this is the case!

[Amateur Owner]

My DCK has a cold/runny nose (colored, not clear!) and has started coughing...where do you draw the line and say 'sorry I can't take him like this today'? Is it only when they have a fever? He is a toddler so expecting him not to put things in his mouth is out of the question...he is rubbing his nose with his hand if I don't catch it in time. Granted I only have my own toddler apart from him, but I do not want him getting sick, nor myself! Plus it's the weekend, so I don't want them thinking this is a ploy to have a day off - it is NOT!I like this parent too and we get along well...any suggestions?

[horsegirl]

Hi Jenn-FSFCC--I like your policy in regards to parents being dishonest about the child's sickness. It has happened to me also, where parents will give medication to the child before they come and not tell me that they have a fever. A few hours later the child is feverish and vomiting. I have had parents say that they cannot get to the daycare because they cannot get off work and that there emergency contact cannot get the child. I let them know that I need someone to pick up the child within 1 hour, if not I will contact the Ministry and they can come for the child. Even though the Ministry will not do this the parents do not know and the parents are very good next time about bringing their child when they are sick.
One of the points in my wellness/illness policy states that if the child has a runny nose and eyes or mouth that the child may not attend the childcare. I also have a poem that I put on the front door during winter months:
Mary had a little lamb
She also had the flu
When she can to daycare
The others got it too.
So if your Mary is sick
Please keep her home with you
And everyone in the daycare
Will be healthier and happier too.
I usually don't have to say anything to the parents when they see this poem. Try it, it may help you.

[Play and Learn]

My DCK has a cold/runny nose (colored, not clear!) and has started coughing...where do you draw the line and say 'sorry I can't take him like this today'? Is it only when they have a fever?

I state in my manual if they have a fever (besides teething) they have to stay at home. If the snot is coloured, they stay at home. The kid is sick and needs their mommy/daddy, not the caregiver!

My almost 2 yr old was sneezing and had a runny nose yesterday, but clear. She felt warm, but no fever. Just had lots of rest time and cuddles, and today she's as new! But if she had that fever, I would have called her parents to come and take her home. No point in getting my 1 yr old and myself or hubby sick. If I'm sick (which I was on Tuesday with the Flu), I close my daycare - so no care....

[Play and Learn]

I also have a poem that I put on the front door during winter months:
Mary had a little lamb
She also had the flu
When she can to daycare
The others got it too.
So if your Mary is sick
Please keep her home with you
And everyone in the daycare
Will be healthier and happier too.
I usually don't have to say anything to the parents when they see this poem. Try it, it may help you.

I'm going to use that - so cute and clever horsegirl!!! If the parents refuse pick up, I demand more money!!!!

[Amateur Owner]

I called the parent and they picked him up just before nap...he seemed warm but no fever as such. Still very run-down looking...I think the parent felt bad that they brought him, seemed fine when he woke up! Oh well, hopefully something learned from this :)
horsegirl, love the poem!!!

[Sunflower]

Nothing is negotiable . Nothing lol. I also spent a long time perfecting my "rules and regulations " and that's how it is. I make things VERY clear before anyone signs a contract and those who don't play along have to find a new daycare. It may sound harsh but I have a very good track record so far. I have very rarely been forced to ask someone to leave.
If you give an inch, they take a mile... in my experience. Right now I have great parents and no issues. Even when they are sick, the parents always keep them home for a couple days just to be safe : )
In general the parents know that is the child can not keep up with the others they will be called to come get them. Fever or no fever.
(great poem horsegirl !)

[Isawitfirst]

I have had to change my operating hours over the years. I don't mind if hours extend to 6:00 as many of the families here use the Go train to Toronto (I do charge an extended day fee however). I find later easier than earlier. Payment issues I do not change. It becomes important to review policies when you enter a dry period. Not to go on a rant again but the all-day Kindergarten might force some changes.

[mom-in-alberta]

I have learned that I am not up for negotiation, on pretty much all points in my contract. When I first started, I was a bit of a doormat. Pretty quickly I found out that if you allow one thing to slide, or make allowances for one point, too many families will push for more.
My hours are NOT negotiable. I allowed a family to come 1/2 an hour earlier than I opened, for free! Wouldn't you know it, the same family was always late picking up (until I served them a written notice), had no regard for our policies, and didn't bother to tell me that their child had ADHD (and was on medication as such). Couldn't wait to say goodbye to them, and it was absolutely a lesson learned.
I will bend a bit for parents that genuinely end up running late, once in a while. You can usually tell if it's a real scenario, or if they just wanted to get to the grocery store before coming to pick up. It also depends on how they approach the situation. No phone call, or you really don't seem to care that it's a terrible inconvenience, and my family is all loaded up in the van because we have hockey in 20 min? LATE FEE!! But a sincere apology can go a long way, as well as a call to let me know.
I'm not flexible on fees. I have them set as they are for a reason, and I know for a fact that I am not over-priced.
I find the sick policies tough sometimes. It can be hard to learn where to draw the line, and when to call parents. Vomit, or diarreah, is a no brainer for me. When it comes to colds, ear infections, etc I have it worded in my contract that if I feel that the child is in discomfort and unable to participate in our normal activities, they do not belong at daycare. I know that logically, yes, I could put on a movie and get them to lay on the couch all day. But what kid wants to be at daycare feeling like that? And some kids don't lay down and relax when sick, they just get miserable, and therefore so do I!!
I will work with parents, within reason, on food issues. I had one child that was being watched for celiac/gluten issues. So for a period of time, we cut back on breads, etc. Not a big deal.
Quiet time is also non-negotiable. I had a set of parents ask me not to nap their not-even-2-year-old. No freakin' way!! I put her down for a sleep, but I did make sure she wasn't sleeping the day away, at the same time.

[Momof4]

mom-in-alberta, you and I both learned the hard way by the sound of it. I started this business as a doormat too, but I didnt' know what I was getting into. I didn't have a contract, now I swear by them and hope that everyone has one. I have developed a clear, plain spoken, no fancy schmancy wording, just the facts contract and everybody loves it as it is very fair.

I also have a line near the end of my contract that states the contract is 'at my discretion' because I will make slight allowances like no charge if parents are only 5-10 minutes early in the morning if they have asked me in advance. However, I have only allowed one long-time family to do this a few times without the early fee payment and one other newer family because the one dcMom also shows up for a Timmie's tea for me many mornings. I get pretty grouchy when people are late though because my evenings are already too short.

It's all about feeling appreciated for me now. I confess I had bit of a meltdown once last year when I was getting really exhausted and I was writing a letter to the families regarding some upcoming daycare events and I actually included a small paragraph in the letter about respect and appreciation for all my hard work and I do believe they took my point! This Christmas I received much nicer gifts than ever before and wonderful thank you notes.

[Cadillac]

I set up my daycare to be completely flexible for parents. But that being said, they are know that there are limits and the flexibility will lessen should I feel I'm being taken advantage of.

For me it's all about the situation.

One child will stay hours after closing time about once a week. I wouldn't do that for any other family but mom does shift work, dad works long hours far away. If I didn't then they would have to hire a nanny and pay a substantial amount of money for only a couple hours of care. on top of that, this child is my kids best friend. they are inseparable. when he stays late I get a huge break after work to make dinner in piece

For another family I am giving a sibling discount. This family moved not too long ago but goes out of their way to come to me for care and are working on getting their older child into the school up the street so they can continue to stay with me throughout the children's school years. This sort of loyalty deserves something on my end (besides amazing care LOL)

I have close bonds with my families and I think thats important in the job that we do.

When I had an emergency with my fiance. One parent offered to watch the kids for me until my assistant could come and another insisted on driving me all the way to the hospital to be with him. On some other occasions parents have come to pick up their children in the middle of the day so I could take care of other issues. No one ever complains or even looks slightly inconvenienced.

How can I not bend for them when they so willingly bend for me?

So to answer the question: I'd probably bend the rules on anything (but safety) as long as it's a logical and reasonable request.

[mom-in-alberta]

FlexFun: Your post makes me happy. :) So often we providers have a tough time dealing with parents, and finding parents that we "click" with. I am glad to see that you have such a great relationship with all of your clients.

[clep]

I won't compromise on anything in my contract. Every time I had done it in the past I was upset about it later. I had done so may favors but each time I found later that it wasn't really a need on the part of the parent, but a want.

I had one family telling me that finances are hard and they had to find a car for hubby to get to work in when they first came. I have them a break on fees and only charged them half price for one of their children. A couple of days later, they found a car and I was so happy for them as they seemed quite stressed out. Their son told me a few months later that dad was bringing the BMW to pick him up. I figured the little guy made a mistake. I mentioned it to dad and he let me know he did indeed purchase a brand new BMW. That was the last favor I ever gave anyone.

[mom-in-alberta]

Yeah, I really hate it when I can't afford the payments on my Beamer.... sheesh!!! :glare: