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You are not alone!! I am in a similar situation as you and I have been feeling exactly the same way the last few days. Only a year and a half in business so I consider myself pretty new.
Right now I just have one DCG who was reduced to part-time as her mom went on mat leave recently. I had another pt-er that I lost due to moving away.
Very quiet in terms of enquiries and only had 2 interviews since actively advertising since Aug. The "rush" I was hoping for in Sept hasn't materialized yet.
I'm sorry your interviews haven't resulted in filling spots. Have you considered asking these families outright why they went with someone else? That might help identify what is going wrong with your interviews (if indeed it is a problem with you and not them, goes both ways).
I did this with one mom that I interviewed. I didn't feel comfortable asking but I HAD to know. I am glad I did because her response helped me determine what I needed to improve. In my case I failed at selling my daycare with enthusiasm compared to the provider she went with! I wasn't surprised... I HAVEN'T been feeling positive about my daycare lately. It's SO hard trying to find clients.
To keep morale up I have been acquiring new gear at garage sales (cheap), working on presenting my daycare better and just trying to keep hopeful and patient... also looking at other ways I can supplment my income. I don't want to give up and I hope you don't give up either!
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Sorry to hear that so many people are having or had a hard time filling out their spots. As a french daycare provider in orleans I am at the other end of the spectrum having to continually tell people I am full as i am being approached by parents at school, people at the parc or even getting a phone call from a person who got my number from someone i had met three years ago!
I agree with some of the other ladies to run a pretend interview with a friend who is a parent in order to get feedback on your answers, composure, presentation and so forth. It could only help!
It's normal to feel down, it's hard when you put all you have in an interview and it does not work out. But you have to remember that we can not be what everyone is looking for because we need to be who we are and stick to what we want to offer in our program.
Good luck
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I'm in Ottawa too well Orleans actually so east end - and yes we are dealing with a big hole in the main road in and out of here so some drop offs have been earlier and pick ups later this week so very glad it is Friday.
It has been very quiet here too and while I have been advertising everywhere the calls were few and far between and of those even fewer got to the actual interview stage. I have heard the same thing from people in lots of parts of the city. I think there are a lot of new moms that are afraid that their job just won't be there when mat leave is over and start to look for alternatives.
Not really a lot of advice I can give but at least a part of it all is nothing you are doing wrong so hang in there as best you can.
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Yes Naftafia, my lack of French is definitely what is holding me back from filling up. While others have to face the who much do you charge as the first question parents ask, around here it is do you speak French and when you say no they just say ok and hang up. That's as far as anything gets.
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Not much help to momof5, but just a random comment:
I know it sucks to lose $$ when moms go on mat leave and keep their kids home more often, but God bless those moms for keeping their kids with them when they have the choice!! I live in Quebec, where they pay $7/day regardless of their income and maybe about 5% keep their kids out of daycare when on mat leave. MAX! It is a huge pet peve I have. I know it's great for me, I still get business....but man it's hard to know that mom is home while the other kid(s) are here....
