Would you allow a switch?

Just wanted to get some feedback...

I have a PT child who comes Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays but this child was sick for Monday and Tuesday.

The DCM told me in advance today that she would keep her home on Wednesday just to be safe but that she would like to send the child on Friday instead. She said she needs the day to clean house and do all the things she hasn't had a chance to since the child had been sick for so many days.

I have space on Friday so it wouldn't be an issue.

But she asked whether she would be charged for 4 days or 3. Would I be willing to do the switch or if she needed the Friday would she be charged. She said she would be okay to pay if that was what I would ask her to do but the fact that she offered made me feel worse. :S

I get on well with this family and feel it would be kind of heartless to not allow her to switch the Wednesday for the Friday this week but am wondering what everyone else would do.

Since the numbers are the same for me on either the Wednesday or the Friday and I am relieved she is not sending her sick child for a few more days just to be safe then I feel like the right thing to do is give her the Friday.

On the other hand the business woman in me thinks I don't want to set a bad precedence and have her think sick days aren't payable and can be switched around or moved around or that I 'owe' a day.

This is something that has never happened to me in the last few years so I am kind of torn

I'd be afraid that it could become too easy to start switching days regularly....I see where you're coming from and in all honesty I probably would allow...this time. Maybe say "just this time" or something.

I would allow the switch to Friday and charge for 3 days if I had a good relationship and this was a good client. I'm flexible with my really good clients who never try to push me but if it's somebody who is always bothering me in small ways by pushing their limits, then no, I wouldn't do it. If you do it make sure you stress that it is a one time exception because of the sickness and you don't normally allow switching or they will start doing it all the time. You can count on that!

My official policy is you cannot switch days - typically because I have always been full this has never been an issue ... my rationale is full time clients are providing the most consistent reliable income and they cannot make up days if sick so why should part time clients who are already a financial risk if you cannot fill their opposite space in comparison be given special consideration to make up or switch without payment for the extra day???

I know that is cold business logic and I admit that for the right client who did not expect it of me I too would likely make an exception of allowing them to pick up the extra day at not cost if I had the space.

I think I too would allow her to come on the Friday without charging extra but I would tell her that normally you would charge for it but you will make the exception this time but that it is a one time thing .....I would also thank her for respecting you enough to offer up the money.

I allow a part time family to switch a day at no extra charge in advance if I have the space. If a child was out sick they either pay for the day or use one of their "5 free missed days" which I give them per year. If they then wanted to bring their child another day that week, I would charge.

I switched days for a parent once and then it gets hard to say no and they do it all the time. The only benefit to being flexible with them, was that if I took a long weekend off, they switched days for me so I wouldn't lose income. Not everyone has this flexibility though. In hindsight, I would charge her for the extra day, or if you feel you want to cut her some slack, then be very clear and firm in reinforcing that this is a one off and if her child is sick again in the future then she would have to pay.

I probably would allow it partly because she is also keeping her home on the Wed so in effect using no days for the week when other families would likely send the child to care on the Wed and hope for the best so they aren't taking a whole week off work. I would allow the Friday but control the hours so she pays the regular rate but on Friday is the last to arrive and the first picked up or something like that.

Let her know that switching will not always be an option. Having said that I have always had a lenient policy that way if I have an opening but it is still my choice such as if I have two part timers which share a high chair then both can't come on the same day or we go to the park on a certain day and meet up with friends but have planned it for a day I have only kids that walk so don't need the stroller, etc.

I personally wouldnt charge for the day. I had a part time child several years ago who came M,T,w and she often switched days and I was fine with it as long as I had space because it ended up working to my benefit as well sometimes if i wanted a day off. I would ask her to switch days for me so I wouldnt lose the days pay.

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Originally Posted by Spixie33

Just wanted to get some feedback...

I have a PT child who comes Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays but this child was sick for Monday and Tuesday.

The DCM told me in advance today that she would keep her home on Wednesday just to be safe but that she would like to send the child on Friday instead. She said she needs the day to clean house and do all the things she hasn't had a chance to since the child had been sick for so many days.

I have space on Friday so it wouldn't be an issue.

But she asked whether she would be charged for 4 days or 3. Would I be willing to do the switch or if she needed the Friday would she be charged. She said she would be okay to pay if that was what I would ask her to do but the fact that she offered made me feel worse. :S

I get on well with this family and feel it would be kind of heartless to not allow her to switch the Wednesday for the Friday this week but am wondering what everyone else would do.

Since the numbers are the same for me on either the Wednesday or the Friday and I am relieved she is not sending her sick child for a few more days just to be safe then I feel like the right thing to do is give her the Friday.

On the other hand the business woman in me thinks I don't want to set a bad precedence and have her think sick days aren't payable and can be switched around or moved around or that I 'owe' a day.

This is something that has never happened to me in the last few years so I am kind of torn

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