Need some advice

My son and I have been going to a daycare for a year now really nice lady, but she seems very by the book or so it looks like to me. And I don't know if these thing are considered common or not. I know I could look through these forums, but I'd rather get it from you directly if that's ok?


-She charges me for stats
-She charges me for 2 weeks holidays like what I'd normally be there for she multiplies by 2 weeks.
-She wants me to go from casual to to part time. Even though I do not have a clue what my work place is going to give me for hours. I can't really pay a flat fee if I barely work.

Right now I live In SK and she charges me $40 a day, I pay an average of $400.00/month, but its not always like that, and if I don't have the cash to pay I don't want to be left in a lurch her part time spots are $50 less, she asked me to sign a contract and I did, but I don't want to commit to that amount..I would rather just pay for the days I need... Cause what if I dont work enough to cover that??

I have a boyfriend, but he doesn't want to commit to that eithier

I don't live in SK, but from all of the things you just told me, to be perfectly honest, I would have done exactly what she did! I also have my daycare parents pay for two weeks of my holiday, plus 7 personal days if I am sick, and they also pay stats. They also pay for the child's sick days and vacation days...so pretty much they pay all year unless I decide to take extra unpaid vacation time above the two weeks. I wasn't sure what you meant by multiplying it by two weeks, but I am assuming you mean that you pay for two weeks of her vacation time? Also, regarding the casual...I also would require you to pay for a part-time spot. It is very difficult for us as providers to guarantee a spot is available for you if you are sometimes there and sometimes not and our income then goes up and down according to this. In particular, the problem comes in when we have someone else who wants the spot, but we can't give it to them because we have promised you that the spot will be available for you when you need it. I think this is quite common practice. While i understand that it is difficult for you to pay when you don't get enough hours at work...looking at it from the daycare providers point of view may help you understand why she is asking you to commit to a minimum number of days. I don't know about the rates in your area, so can't really comment, but in my experience, cheaper does not equal better. In fact, I would say that the fact that your provider has rules and confidence in her abilities to fill her spaces, shows that she may just be one of the better ones. She sounds like a professional who is fair, but does not let herself be taken advantage of. As long as all of this is clear in her contract and you agreed to it and signed it, it sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Hi im not in SK but I do charge for stats and I do take three weeks holidays and 5 personal days all paid. Basically the full 52 weeks are paid, however if I am closed due to illness I don't expect payment. I also don't take casual or flex care families and I try to stay away from part time too and only offer that under certain circumstances. I used to have a flex care family and the parent worked a rotating shift .... So I provided care between 1 and 4 days a week for 11 hour days. So basically this family took up a full tine space but only wanted to pay for the days they were there. I compromised by saying they had to pay for all the stats and my full holidays. This family has now moved on and as much as I liked the family I will never offer that kind of service again.
If you want casual care and not commit to something more permanent then if it were me I would say that care would only be available if I had space. So you would have to call to ask for the day and if I was full you would have to have a backup. Drop in care would also be a premium fee much higher then my full time rate of $40/day. I give credit to those who offer drop in and flex care because I do not like the fluctuations in income that this type of care provides. I also like having the same kids everyday.

Well I am in Ontario so not sure what the 'norm' is in SK but can share what the 'average' is in my neck of the woods ;)

Here in Ontario our income is capped at the 5 clients we are legally allowed to have on any given day so therefore it is easiest to 'budget' for my business to have my fees based on the 'space' being occupied by the client ... so if they need full time it is $174 a week and if they need part time it is $38 a day and they commit to coming either EVERY Monday, Wednesday Friday for example or EVERY Tuesday Thursday and they would share that space with someone else who I would enroll to come the 'opposite' days and therefore ensuring that I am at my best potential income max!

So if you needed access to a full time space because your days of care changed each week or month you would be paying for a full time space regardless of if you used 2 days a week or all 5 days is up to you ... otherwise if that did not work for you to be honest I would just not provide service in the first place and would choose a different client during my interview process who 'needed' full time care as generally there is a high demand for childcare in most areas so it is my prerogative as a business to seek out those clients which give me most bang for my buck so to speak because was wonderful as I am sure your wee one is why should the provider take a 'loss in income' in order to serve you unless there is something 'else' in it for her like she only wants to work part time herself and so forth it just does not make good business sense?

That said while my business plan is to be 'full' whenever possible I do have peers who like to have a 'lower ratio' and part time income appeals to them who might allow a client who needs 'flex care' to join their program ~ but like your provider they make them commit to X days a week as a minimum and if they need more than they would pay the more but each week but they would pay the minimum to ensure the provider could budget for her own income and business expenses and so forth ... in my neck of the woods if someone is wanting a 'full time space' available for flex care it is usually a 3 day a week minimum or 12 days in a 4 week time frame depending on how they choose to be paid that the client must commit to ... so for example they can come 12 days that period ... so the child might come 5 days one week, 3 the next, 1 the week after and the last week 3 again for the total of 12 ... and if they come 13 than they would pay for the 'extra day' on top of the minimum that was already paid.

Yes ... it is normal for providers to charge for Stats in Ontario as well ... again our income is capped by the legal number of children we can care for if we did not charge for 'stats' your daily rate would just be that much higher to cover that 'lost income on closed days' and we would all have to do more math figuring out billing and receiving ... it is just easier to have a consistent weekly fee than figuring out what to bill and pay for a 4 day week every time there is a stat ;)

I am not sure what you are meaning with the holidays .... but here it is common practice that if YOU are on vacation you still have to pay to hold your child's space in the program based on the committed days you have agreed to ... so if you were full time in my program and took two weeks of vacation you would have to pay $174 for each week y ou were 'gone' to secure your space and if you were part time you would have to pay $38/day based on your commitment of 2 or 3 days per week ... that again is because our fees are set based on the 'space you occupy regardless of your attendance' cause it is just EASIER to predict our income that way!

If the provider is closed for their vacation than you typically would not have to pay ... unless the provider has figured out 'paid vacation' for herself in her weekly fees to have that consistent weekly income in which case her 'weekly fees' would likely be lower than those who do not get paid for vacation to allow her that consistent payment each week.

Basically if your provider is wanting to change the terms of her contract with you ... your choice is to either resign and abide by that OR if it is not something you can afford than terminate your arrangement and seek service elsewhere within your budget because unfortunately SHE is the business and gets to set the rules and expectations for payment for that service as the client your option is to accept or not!

I would definitely call around and see how the supply and demand is in your neighborhood ... because unfortunately if there is a HIGH demand for childcare and not many providers than what you need is a 'premium service' and as a result you are going to likely end up having to pay a premium fee for that otherwise most providers will just opt to choose someone who needs a full time or at least consistent part time commitment so that they have a stable income themselves!

Just wanted to point out that depending on your area, it may not be the case that paid vacation for the provider means a lower than average rate. I actually charge right at the top of rates on my area and I take paid vacation, stats, and some sick days...and I am full with a waitinglist. It really depends...it is different neighbourhood to neighbourhood! You may need to call around and see what other providers in your area are doing...but I think your provider is asking for a fair deal...I don't think she is taking advantage of you.

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Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio

Well I am in Ontario so not sure what the 'norm' is in SK but can share what the 'average' is in my neck of the woods ;)

Here in Ontario our income is capped at the 5 clients we are legally allowed to have on any given day so therefore it is easiest to 'budget' for my business to have my fees based on the 'space' being occupied by the client ... so if they need full time it is $174 a week and if they need part time it is $38 a day and they commit to coming either EVERY Monday, Wednesday Friday for example or EVERY Tuesday Thursday and they would share that space with someone else who I would enroll to come the 'opposite' days and therefore ensuring that I am at my best potential income max!

So if you needed access to a full time space because your days of care changed each week or month you would be paying for a full time space regardless of if you used 2 days a week or all 5 days is up to you ... otherwise if that did not work for you to be honest I would just not provide service in the first place and would choose a different client during my interview process who 'needed' full time care as generally there is a high demand for childcare in most areas so it is my prerogative as a business to seek out those clients which give me most bang for my buck so to speak because was wonderful as I am sure your wee one is why should the provider take a 'loss in income' in order to serve you unless there is something 'else' in it for her like she only wants to work part time herself and so forth it just does not make good business sense?

That said while my business plan is to be 'full' whenever possible I do have peers who like to have a 'lower ratio' and part time income appeals to them who might allow a client who needs 'flex care' to join their program ~ but like your provider they make them commit to X days a week as a minimum and if they need more than they would pay the more but each week but they would pay the minimum to ensure the provider could budget for her own income and business expenses and so forth ... in my neck of the woods if someone is wanting a 'full time space' available for flex care it is usually a 3 day a week minimum or 12 days in a 4 week time frame depending on how they choose to be paid that the client must commit to ... so for example they can come 12 days that period ... so the child might come 5 days one week, 3 the next, 1 the week after and the last week 3 again for the total of 12 ... and if they come 13 than they would pay for the 'extra day' on top of the minimum that was already paid.

Yes ... it is normal for providers to charge for Stats in Ontario as well ... again our income is capped by the legal number of children we can care for if we did not charge for 'stats' your daily rate would just be that much higher to cover that 'lost income on closed days' and we would all have to do more math figuring out billing and receiving ... it is just easier to have a consistent weekly fee than figuring out what to bill and pay for a 4 day week every time there is a stat ;)

I am not sure what you are meaning with the holidays .... but here it is common practice that if YOU are on vacation you still have to pay to hold your child's space in the program based on the committed days you have agreed to ... so if you were full time in my program and took two weeks of vacation you would have to pay $174 for each week y ou were 'gone' to secure your space and if you were part time you would have to pay $38/day based on your commitment of 2 or 3 days per week ... that again is because our fees are set based on the 'space you occupy regardless of your attendance' cause it is just EASIER to predict our income that way!

If the provider is closed for their vacation than you typically would not have to pay ... unless the provider has figured out 'paid vacation' for herself in her weekly fees to have that consistent weekly income in which case her 'weekly fees' would likely be lower than those who do not get paid for vacation to allow her that consistent payment each week.

Basically if your provider is wanting to change the terms of her contract with you ... your choice is to either resign and abide by that OR if it is not something you can afford than terminate your arrangement and seek service elsewhere within your budget because unfortunately SHE is the business and gets to set the rules and expectations for payment for that service as the client your option is to accept or not!

I would definitely call around and see how the supply and demand is in your neighborhood ... because unfortunately if there is a HIGH demand for childcare and not many providers than what you need is a 'premium service' and as a result you are going to likely end up having to pay a premium fee for that otherwise most providers will just opt to choose someone who needs a full time or at least consistent part time commitment so that they have a stable income themselves!

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Hi there,
I have to agree with sunnydays there. I also have 2 weeks paid vacations sats, plus one day for professional development if I have to attend a child eductation conference or update my CPR that can not be taken over the weekend. The parents also pay if the child does not attend for sickness or whatever other reason but was expected. I also understand that it might be difficult to pay daycare when you are not getting any hours at work however the plus side to this is NO suprise. You know what you owe and when you owe it. Therefore budgeting is actually easier. Anyways is was for me when I had to pay childcare. This also the reason I ask parents to commit to the same amount or days. It makes it a lot more easier to manage it that way.

As for the actual fees, I can,t comment really as I do not know the average in your area but I have to say that altough budget is a huge issue, SOMETIMES you pay for what you get.

I am also very by the book and not only for myself but to ensure that every family receives the same treatment. We have to be fair for everyone right ?

Yeah, ok. But she has certain times that I cannot drop off or pick up eithier, and she texted me about those and told me if I did not drop offf within that window that she would not be answering the door buzzer, so I had to drop him off by 11 which was like 2.5 hours before my shift, which...uh I don't know about.

I have to drop off by 11 or not come at all, and I can't pick him up before 3:15..

As for her holidays she takes 2 weeks paid and 3 weeks unpaid (it used to be 2 and 2) and I am not charged for any personal time that she can't get a fill in for.....

As for he rates they are pretty much the same, and she is one of the only providers to give part time spaces...

I just am -- not much for being told when I can and cannot come, or being told pay for a regular spot or else... I dunno. She's nice about it, and shes an awesome daycare, but her handbook and stufff makes her seem very stuffy tbh.

Have to say I agree with the other providers that her policies seem sound. You are lucky she gives up you till 11. I know some providers who want you there by 9. Good providers have thigns to done, a schedule or program to follow. Waiting around for a parent to show can really mess up the day. I don't allow pickups before 3:30 either. I cannot disturb the other kids' naps just to get up one child. I sounds to me like you are dealing with a seasoned provider who is trying to do the best for her business and run a great program for the kids in her care. You are bringing your child into group care so you need to be willing to follow the policies put in place for the good of the group. If you are not willing to pay for the spot then by all means look elsewhere but you will likely find that all the better providers will have very similar contracts.

Lots of people have set times when you may drop off and pick up, often because of nap times. I would not want to wait for a child to come at 11 if we usually go to the park or the early learning centre from 9:30 to 11:30, for example. No drop off after 11 or pick up before 3:15 are reasonable time in my opinion. My contract is probably about 8 pages and is very "stuffy" but I wanted to make sure parents knew exactly what was expected before they signed the contract. I took the advice I received from more experienced caregivers very seriously. I also decided not to offer casual care for the reasons others have mentioned. I cannot afford to lose the income on days when someone might have a spot reserved but not need it. If a parent wants casual care, they would have to pay for any days that are "reserved" whether they need to use them or not. That is why so many caregivers won't do casual care... we just cannot afford it!

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Originally Posted by 1kidmama

.... she is one of the only providers to give part time spaces...

I just am -- not much for being told when I can and cannot come, or being told pay for a regular spot or else... I dunno. She's nice about it, and shes an awesome daycare, but her handbook and stufff makes her seem very stuffy tbh.

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Well if she is one of the few who offer what you need than you need to ask yourself is it worth LOOSING your arrangement over ... cause if there is a demand for full time and other providers than prefer to seek full time over what you need the MARKET is in their court so to speak ... you want a premium service that others are not willing to offer you need to accept that you might need to PAY a premium fee for that service as a result!

Personally my drop off cut of is 9 am because I do not offer 'half day' options as I want children here for the morning to engage in the program, fresh air of outdoors and the nutrition of a morning snack and lunch provided by ME so that I can be sure that come afternoon quiet time they are in the frame of mind and body to rest well so that the 'groups needs' can be met because well this is GROUP care and sometimes policies have to be made for the best interest of the group .... often when children are HOME for the morning their routine is very different and as a result they will not be hungry or tired when the 'group is'.