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I think one of the things I do not like about 'flex care' is that sense of entitlement expecting the business to hold open a full time space for them but only wanting to pay for what they use!
Can you imagine a customer going to their mortgage company or landlord and saying 'hey I am going down to Florida for a few months so I am not going to pay my mortgage/rent while i am gone cause I am not using the house' and expect your house to still be there when you come back or going into the the insurance company, phone, cable, and so forth and saying the same thing .... you are paying for those 'services' regardless of USE and no one questions that but somehow WE are seen as greedy or unreasonable for having similar business practices ... and the government does not CAP the insurance, phone or cable companies income by telling them 'hey you can only provide service to 5 customers on any given day' so if anyone needs their income protected it is CHILDCARE PROVIDERS ;)
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If you aren't planning to fill all your spaces right away then you could offer the family care until Sept and the older one starts school. That gives you a bit of income and time to see just how the schedule works and if you want to keep the child not in school. Are there school based daycare for kindergarten in your area?
Some people like an easier workload some days and don't mind forgoing income to have a child that only comes sometimes. Only you can decide if it is worth it.
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Ultimately, it comes down to what you want out of your business.
I always have one space that is "flex". It seems to be easy to fill with kids of nurses, so far. For example, I have a family starting next month that mom expects to be working 6 weekdays in the month. She will pay, at a minimum, for 6 days. This is regardless of usage. If she only uses 4, she pays for 6. This guarantees her a spot. I have a guaranteed income, and most of the week is a little bit "lighter" without that one child. However, I do have to count that child when I take in any other children, because I have to assume she could be there any day of the week.
What I don't want you to do, is take this family in, and regret it later. So think about it as if the other spaces in your daycare were filled. Are you still ok with the arrangements? If not, don't say yes! You will end up either resenting it, or telling mom you can no longer do it. And that isn't altogether fair, either.
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Venus, I had a flex care family for 3 years and they were here 3-4 days a week, different days each week, but they provided their schedule over a month ahead. I marked my calendar and they had to pay for every day booked no matter what happened. They were able to book around stat days so make sure you charge a higher fee.
It was iimpossible to fill the empty days but I enjoyed a few lighter days every week with only 4 children. It worked out fine for me so if you think you would be able to deal with it go for it, but think about it seriously. I wouldn't allow less than 3 days/week.
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Thats why I have minimum due each week, especially if the parents sched varies (dif days each week) if they are using 3 or more days each week, they must pay for a fulltime spot, due to the fact that I will not be able to find anyone to take the days they are not in attendance. IF they are using the same days each week but 3 or less days, they are required to pay a part time minimum. :) that way, I get paid a solid income each month
