Newbie - Lots of Questions and Need Advise!
Hello All,
I'm new here so I will give you some general history and info then explain my issues.
I am a private dayhome operator with 4 children of my own (dd-7, ds-6, ds-4, dd-3) and currently care for 5 others (dcb-4, dcb-3, dcg-3, dcb-2, dcb-1). I am married and we have a cat and a dog. Here are my frustrations;
1) Why do some parents just walk in? This may be their daycare, but it is also (and first) my PRIVATE home! Knock! Despite what you may fear I WILL answer the door! Then to boot they get mad at me if the door is locked. WHAT? I actually had one mom say "I thought you had an open door policy?" Uh Yeah, that doesn't mean the door is literally open.
2) Pay day is PAY DAY! Payment is due on the 15th (or friday before) and the last day of the month (or friday before). How does that translate into "I'll pay you when: I want to/when I get paid/next week/next month/ or whatever.... I have bills to pay people! Bills that are a lot higher than they would be if YOUR children didn't spend all day at my house! I have implemented a late fee of $2 per day. So far I have been totally ignored in regard to that fee. It shows up oin their next invoice and they pay me only what they originally owed!
3) There are drop off times and pick up times for a reason! I have one parent who has only been with me for a month and so far has had two complete no-shows, and only 2 days where the dcb has been dropped off on time. I run my dayhome like a preschool for the morning. We do "school" in our classroom from 9-11am or sometimes we will do our field trips and/or special outings during that time. So when dcb is dropped off at 9:30, 10, 11 etc it inturrupts our schedule. Mom doesnt work "yet" so she doesn't have to get out of bed. Plus We have breakfast at 8:30, a morning snack at 9:45, lunch at 11:30, and snack again at 3:00. She drops him off at 10 and expects me to feed him breakfast. Or she will drop him off at 12 without having fed him lunch. Then she picks him up at 3 and wants me to pack the snack so he can take it with him. Anyhow, today we were going to a brand new park near my house that the children were really really excited about. We left at 9:05 so we could maximize park time because it was supposed to rain today. She didn't show up at the house before 9 so we left. When we got home, I found a voice message on the phone with a clearly peaved mom saying that she had come but we werent home blah blah blah.... Then she said "And today is payday so if you wanted to be paid you should have been at home..." Pardon? To boot, dcb is completly undisciplined. She told be they have never punished him and he doesnt have a bed time. I think I may have to terminate this one. Thoughts?
4) I am busy. My time is valuable. If you want the best care for your child, you need to communicate with me. Dont think i'm a mind reader. If you are to be late/forgot something/need something SPEAK to me! I speak to you, I expect it in return.
Why oh why can't I be stronger and not such a pushover? Because I care about the kids, and I dont like others to think ill of me. What to do?
Thanks in Advance,
MomAwayFromMom