Daycare Dad didn't pay....

I don't know if I would have used the word "expected" MIght have come accross a little harsh.

Calling is always best, that way you know they have spoken to you and you're not worried if they received the text or not.

Call him this afternoon. "I sent you a text, but I wasn't sure if you recieved it"

Oh no, you worded it correctly and have every right to EXPECT payment on the day it is due. All business expect to be paid or you can't take the item home from the store or the plumber will take you to court for payment and so on and so on. We have exactly the same right to be paid on the due date. And yes, I would have emailed or called yesterday if that was the due date. And I would add daily late fees. You can give them the benefit of the doubt that they made a mistake but it should NOT be repeated and they need to learn their lesson NOW.

I also agree with brightsparks, post-dated cheques and pay BEFORE the week, not after- that's the way to go

Can you tell if he has seen your text? I think that you usually can with IPhones?
If he didn't get back to you, I would go from "haha, a little oversight" to pretty ticked.
And the others are right. It's not YOUR problem that Daddy is on duty this week. You still have bills to pay.