Early in the game to be pushy...no?

Yup, I'm in complete agreeance.
I would let her know that while I respect her voicing her "concerns", I cannot make any promises as to what/how many/which ages of children I am taking in. I reassure her that I would not at any point take in any kids that I didn't know for sure I would be able to handle to the best of my professional abilities.
I don't know that I would turn them away at this point, but I would certainly be on the lookout for any other "signs" that this relationship isn't going to work.

How'd it go talking to Mom? I'm always interested in the updates :)

It went well! dcg starts in August! :thumbsup:

My email to them:
Dear ****** & ****,
re: the question(s) you had - you were right in thinking that I am very in line with your thoughts on this :-) I appreciate your concerns, I want to reassure you that I only add children to my care that I feel are a fit and that I feel I can watch safely. This is my current goal, not to add anyone else, however if my financial situation changed and the only way I could make-do was to take on one more infant, I would consider to take an additional 'under two' in that case BUT I think we can cross that bridge when/if we get to it (hopefully not). I hope to hear from you soon.
xoxo
Mamma_Mia

Reply:
" This is mom (I am emailing from my work address). Thank you for getting back to us on this. We are happy to hear your response. It makes us feel re-assured that *** would be in great hands. Dad and I are happy to have found you. What happens next? :) "

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio

Yup - I agree with Playfelt - unless your business plan is to follow 'licensed age restrictions' than I would thank them for their interest but they are NOT a match!

I personally choose to have no more than 2 under two years of age HOWEVER I do not advertize that publicly and I tell people in interviews that this is my CURRENT GOAL however if my financial situation changed and I HAD to ensure I was full and the only way I could do it was to take on more infants or QUIT daycare I would consider to take an additional under two cause MY BUSINESS - MY CHOICE and depending on how 'under two' they were they do grow independent quite quickly in care ;)

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BTW your wording ROCKS! Thanks for that hun :)

Oh glad they were open to that - besides by the time something like that arises THEIR KID will likely not be an infant anymore and they wont care anymore ;)

Very nice!!! Yay to new clients!!!

Well unless you are with an agency, you don't have to follow the 2 under 2, 3 under 3 and no more than 5 including your own. Private home daycares can have 5 -12 mth olds plus your own if you choose. I am glad it worked out for you though. Hopefully they are golden clients.

I haven't read anyone elses's responses yet because just hearing what you wrote totally made me think RED FLAG. She wants to be in control. Which is totally OK. She's just looking for what's best for her child, which is something any mom would do. I would do it. I would ask all these questions and more, and that's why my child isn't in a daycare. I'm too controlling. Sounds like mom has some legitimate concers, and legitimate suggestions, but I would be very CAUTIOUS with her. I had a mom suggest the way I run TV watching in my daycare and I knew right away that she would be constantly giving me "suggestions" that would drive me nuts. I run my daycare the way I want, and if they don't like it, they can find care that matches their wishes more directly. This mom sounds like she may be one of those moms who may try to control the situation and have the upper hand at all times. IMO I would tread carefully with this mom. Things could get stressful, fast.

Also, it sounds like she's sort of making suggestions of things that should already be established in your policies or ideas (how many kids you'll be taking in, whether or not you'll be following regulations...) If these are things you've already decided on and it doesn't match the "suggestions" she's given, maybe it's not a good fit.

I have learned TIME and TIME AGAIN. "Go with your Gut", if anything about a parent makes you feel uncomfortable or uneasy...DONT DO IT! I have almost always regretted ignoring the early signs because if the parent seems strange or controlling in the beginning, it ussly gets worse. :)