No notice

[Secondtimearound]

Hi there !! I stumbled on to this forum and have been devouring information !! So much in fact my dh keeps asking what I am doing ?!! Lol I just opened my daycare and like so many here love the time with the children but dealing with some parents very trying !!!
I have a part time (10 days ) wanting me to ready and willing to take dcb any other morning she picks up a shift ! I have tried explaining this is I'm essence full time position as I would have literally 20 min notice for a 7 am drop off . I have been too accommodating and it is coming back to haunt me . I do charge a daily rate for extra days she may use but it is the lack of notice that is the problem , is there another way to explain to her ? She feels because she is paying it shouldn't be a problem !!!

[Lou]

I would just be firm in saying that while you would love to accommodate unexpected shifts, that it isn't always going to be possible. Tell her that she is welcome to text you at 6am to see if you are available that day, but to please not accept her shift until she has cleared it with you first.

[mickyc]

I am a little confused. So she is paying you full-time but only using the spot part-time? why can she not use days she is paying you for? Are you not open the times she is wanting to drop off?

IMO if she is paying for a full-time position then you should be open to her on a full-time basis during the full hours you are open. If you open early for her then I would say no your start time is your start time for all.

[playfelt]

As inconvenient as it is you also have to look at it another way - it is money that you would not normally be making and that is a good thing. You need to plan for the possibility of child being there any given day. It sounds like parent pays only for the days she uses whether that is her scheduled days or extra days. Since you aren't able to give the days away to anyone else then the fact she picks up as many extra shifts as possible is a good thing for you as you earn more income.

I know it can be very annoying when you want to prep things in advance etc not knowing how many apple cutouts or dishes of jello you will need the next day but one of the tricks is to plan this kind of thing for the scheduled days and on the other days plan more open ended things so that the extra child is not an inconvenience.

You don't say how many children you have in care. I am guessing that you are not full and therefore there are days you assumed it would be just you and your own children free to do whatever you like only to find out in the morning the daycare child is coming and that changes the plans. When all spaces are filled and you are in daycare mode every day it will probably seem less of an issue and you will develop a pattern.

The other option is to pick one day a week such as Monday or Friday and tell mom that unless it is a scheduled day already that you are not available for call ins and that way you can use that day to go on outings, do a planned craft, etc. knowing the child won't be there.

[bright sparks]

I think what you are saying is that she is a part time spot already and if she wants you to be "on call" if you will, every day of the month, then in essence she requires a full time spot. Am I correct? Are you already open at 7 for other children? If so I would be inclined to allow her to call the morning of to check your availability but make sure it is in writing that you may or may not be able to accommodate her on extra days unless she signs and agrees to a permanent full time spot.

If however, you are not accepting other children on her normally off days at 7am then I totally get your frustration. If I have to be prepared to change my day at a moments notice which would include getting up earlier than usual and with only 20 minutes notice, then this would be a premium service. She would be using you as a drop in service and this whole arrangement would be very convenient for her and not widely available to her. I would charge a higher rate and explain quite clearly to her, that if you have to start work early, at a moments notice just for her child then it is a premium service and will cost her more for the luxury of having that flexibility.

I have no doubt that this parent understands how lucky she would be to have you do this for her, so I am gonna call BS on her not getting it. I think she is playing a game with you to try and guilt you into agreeing on HER terms. Explain it once, put it in writing and quite honestly if she doesn't like it, GOODBYE!!

[mom-in-alberta]

Yeah, I wouldn't really be cool with that arrangement. I know some providers can, and will, do last minute. But I prefer to know in advance who I have for the day. I actually require 24 hrs notice for drop-in. I am guessing she is a substitute teacher?
I see a couple options. She can pay for full-time, and then you must be available on any given day. She can pay for a specific number of days in the month, which may or may not be last minute.It sounds like that is the current arrangement? Or, she can take her chances on you having a space available on a day-to-day basis. I am certain she knows exactly what the situation is, and how lucky she is/will be to find someone willing to work on an as needed, on call arrangement. If not, she will soon, when she tries to shop around.
On the other hand; you could always see it as extra income. If it doesn't really interfere with the rest of your daily activities, no harm done.

[Secondtimearound]

Thank you for your replies !!!! She is only pt , but no set schedule , so I can not share the spot with anyone else as she requires me to be available any day I am open . I have 3 ft and twins at 3 days a week as well as 2 part times (she is one of those)
My first drop off is at 7:30 , so being notified at 5am (when she finds out if shift is accepted isn't exactly fun :) if I could explain as well in sept she had two extra shifts and then canceled and in October she scheduled 3 extra shifts and then phoned oh grandma wants him , now auntie , now ..... So not reliable !! Which frustrated me and then when I mentioned this to her she pointed out I said if she needed extra days I would accommodate ! So I think I messed up !!!

[Crayola kiddies]

Ok what I would do is get rid of her as she's more hassle then its worth .... But if you can't term her for whatever reasons then I would tell her (and put it in writing for her to sign so she cant say you didnt tell her or she didn't understand) that going forward she needs to give you a months schedule by the 20th of each month for the following month and those days are paid regardless of attendance.... Any extra days will be based on availability and not to accept the shift until you confirm availability (unless someone else will take the child regardless) the extra shifts must be paid for at drop off no exceptions. Them you know when the child is coming and you can refuse an extra day if you so desire.

[Secondtimearound]

Yes !! Thank you for the advice !! I think what happens with me is I get frustrated then I don't trust myself to make a wise decision !!

[gravy_train]

I agree with Crayolas plan. Personally, I would find being 'on call' very frustrating. I also opened early for about 4 months to accommodate a family who assured me that their pick up time was 3:30 every day... well, after a few months that pick up time became 5:00 which means that the child was here for 10 hours every day - yikes! Then, they asked me to open even early and I finally said no and they found another daycare - it was a tough conversation to have but I ffelt good for sticking to my guns and putting myself and my family first.