At my wits end with....Venting

So as many of you know (through other posts) I am currently with two agencies and would like to leave both come September.

I am just finding so frustrating, I can't seem to find any private clients in my area that are willing to pay my fee of $35/day. There are a few other daycare's in in area who charge between $30 and $45. My building seems to be surrounded by community living buildings, projects, and rent to income homes. Every one I meet either wants to pay me a lot less (not going to happen) or they need subsidy. I am finding that this is really starting to get to me. I really want my business to truly be my business, but as long as I am with an agency this will not happen.

Last Friday I had an interview. The family was great and they wanted the spot. I was happy and said sure, they seem like a good fit. The need subsidy, not a problem, so i thought. I emailed my adviser who returned the email on Monday saying : "That's great that you found a family. I have put them on our waiting list as we have a subsidy freeze on at the moment. We are HOPING that it only last a few weeks" WHAT, they need to start NOW. How am I to run a business when I can't even take on the clients that I find? This is so frustrating and is really getting to me. A subsidy freeze can last a few weeks to several months. A few years a go they had a freeze that was suppose to last just for the summer (July and August) but end up lasting until Jan.

The agencies age restrictions are killing me. It makes it so hard to get clients. I can only take on 3 kids under the age of 6, since my two are under the age of 6. This means I have no chose but to take on 2 B&A kids 6yrs to 10yrs. I really don't want school aged kids.

I know that once I find a private client I will feel a lot better. I just can't seem to find any right now. I have been open since last October. I have a website, I advertise everywhere I can, around the neighborhood, on Kijiji, here etc. I go to the connection meeting monthly.

I just don't know what else to do to get away from they agencies and finally be allowed to fully run my business my way. We do plan on moving in the next year or two, but have to save up first.

I am starting to feel like a failure as a business women. I know I just need to give it more time and everything will work out in time. But I just want to feel like a true business woman and not an "employee" trapped following the agency rules.

I do feel a little better now that I have vented.

Ah geez that's horrible. I came this close to go with an agency because of my location I thought I would have a difficult time finding people. Every time I see your posts about your agencies I am so glad I did not got with them. It did take me a year to fill and it was rough but I made it and you will too. You are not a failure sometimes. We are working against a lot of odds and challenges but the simple fact that you are finding clients proves you are doing great. You have outside challenges you have no control over. Don't get down on yourself for that !!

Are there any chance for you to move into a different area? I live just outside of barrhaven and I have never been with an agency and my daycare bear ad says I don't have an opening till July 2014 and I still have people contacting hoping its a typo .... I have turned 4 people away in the last few months and I have another one waiting till oct to see if I have a spot .... If you were able to move to a newer subdivision they are generally full of young families. You would mostly likely be beating them off with a stick.

Don't take this as a failure on your part! It sounds like it may just be the area you live in...not any fault of yours. If moving is not an option, is there anything else you can do that would set you apart from other daycare? Programming, set-up, unique things you offer?

I agree that location could have a lot to do with it. I filled up before I opened, and turn away at least one potential client per week. I get requests now to take babies in the fall of 2014... these babies are not even born yet! My other caregiver friends are full too, so it's not just that everyone wants a grandma (although it would be nice to take it personally!). I really think the area you are in makes a huge difference. In my smallish city, it apparently isn't that easy to find quality child care.

first you've only been open since october. I know you want to be full, but it takes time and sometimes a long time. This is the biggest misconception in this business, that you will be full right away and making money. It took me 3 yrs to get full.
also, it takes a while to be established too, people are leary because they don't want you to me a fly by nighter and just suddenly close up.
I would also give up on the agency. I worked for them too when I first started and quit after they promised me clients and they would show up always at lunch time and I didn't like that your children counted in the numbers.

Only 3 kids under 6... Is that standard? That seems really unrealistic to me. You could only ever have 3 full time then?!

If they aren't finding you clients that fit in their ridiculous criteria then they aren't doing anything for you, in my opinion.

I'm with an agency in Alberta and our rules are 2 under 2, 3 under 3. But I get the complaints about the agency. I'm only with them for the wage top up. I do like the ladies with the agency I'm with, and they're really respectful of everyone's schedules. It's just a lot of extra work.

You are so right mom of nerds .... It took me a full year to become full as well. When I started advertising it was in a dec then I signed my first two families on ... One was full time and one was after school only. Then in feb I signed on a part time to start in march. Then I signed two more full times on but held their spot for 3.5 and 5.5 months respectively and both cancelled out on me the day before they were supposed to start. So I coasted along and in June my after school left and then in aug I signed on another before and after....in oct I signed on a baby to start in feb . In dec I lost the part time as mom was off work since aug and could no longer afford care but I was getting a lot of emails and I booked 7 interviews and out of those I signed on 3 to start in jan which filled me up and I been full ever since ... Some left new ones came but its so much less daunting to fill one spot instead of 3 or 4. It will happen. Maybe you will have to lower your fees just a few dollars to get someone in. Maybe your area can't afford that rate. The way I look at it is if you got one or two in at a little lower rate then you can raise them back up again for any families after that ...if I was sitting with lots if spaces open and needed to fill them some money would be better then no money to me.

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first you've only been open since october. I know you want to be full, but it takes time and sometimes a long time. This is the biggest misconception in this business, that you will be full right away and making money.

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I am not upset about not being full. I know that it will take time and as long as I can find 3 kids (2 full 1 pt) I am ok. What is bothering me is 1st: not being able to find at lest one private client. 2) finding a subsidized client then being told that there is a subsidy freeze on. they know I was looking for clients they could have informed me of the freeze.

Now I am wondering if I should just keep looking for a private client or should I just keep this family and hope that the freeze is over soon? Or
keep the family, but if I find a private one let them go and take the private one, since the freeze could last a few weeks to a few months. The family does have a meeting with subsidy on May 13, so I might wait and see if subsidy is off there freeze at that point or not. I really don't know what to due right now.

I know the area you are in as my girls live in Northwest One right near you and yes they tread carefully going around the buildings near them on their way up to the mall. I would say their building is about 75% seniors which is the reason the support group my daughter is with chose it for their supported housing.

Not sure what the wage is that the agency but if you could advertise for that same amount as your private income you would at least be able to attract the younger families since the age restrictions would be gone.

Is the family willing to pay the higher fee now with the understanding they go to the subsidized rate as soon as that is approved.

Sorry that the red tape is getting on your nerves and unless you are super lucky it does take a while to get those great clients. There are never any guarantees for any of us, we are always interviewing and filling spaces. Mat leaves, job transfers, JK, there are so many reasons that we are constantly in a state of flux. Big hugs to you and best of luck.

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Not sure what the wage is that the agency but if you could advertise for that same amount as your private income you would at least be able to attract the younger families since the age restrictions would be gone.

Is the family willing to pay the higher fee now with the understanding they go to the subsidized rate as soon as that is approved.

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The agency rate is only $2 and $5 (I am with 2 agencies) less then mine. But the clients I get through the agency are not full fee clients they are all subsidized so they pay according to their income. They can pay as little as $0 up to just below full fee.

As for the family paying full fee know. Its not that simple. i had a client a who wanted to start before their subsidy meeting. I was told that they could pay me my fee for the few days until they had the meeting. But I could NOT spend the money. If they did not get subsidy I got to keep the money, but if they got subsidy I had to give the money back and subsidy would back pay me. This freeze can last a few weeks to a few months (even to the end of the year) so their is NO way I will do this. If I know for sure that the freeze will be over with in 2 weeks I would budget for it, but not knowing for sure how long it will last, I just can't do it.

Not sure the agency can tell you not to spend the money but at the same time you know what rate the agency will pay you so as long as you charge the family the agency rate they would pay you then the back pay would go to the family - via you depending on the paperwork trail but you would still be getting the basic agency rate regardless from the day the family starts right. In other words it would be up to the family that wants to start now to pay the difference till their subsidy hearing and then get reimbursed for the excess fees paid. Your fee would be the same and you would have a child in care now. If for any reason they didn't get subsidy then they would either become a private client, a regular client through the agency or make alternate plans and you would lose the child but if you have a space not filled right now it might be worth the risk.

Playfelt - if all we were doing was waiting for their subsidy meeting I would talk to them about it. The problem is that subsidy itself has a freeze on. They are not giving out subsidy to any new family's until farther notice.

I would choose right now either private or agency. Then you can focus more on one them both. I would go private and lower my rate. Make a sign for your house either put it in the front yard or in your window. I bet you alot of people don't know that you are running a daycare. Hand out flyers thruout your neighbour hood, if you a community post office advertise there. Let the schools know too. I think more than half of us have worked for an agency all we all left.

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I would choose right now either private or agency. Then you can focus more on one them both. I would go private and lower my rate

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I would love to go private. I just can't find any clients in this area. they all want/need subsidy. I can not lower my rates any more then they already are. they are $35/day.

I do put up /hand out flyers in my area. The school across the street will not advertise home daycares, they have a daycare in the school. The post office will not advertise either, but I do put up flyers at the Metro across the street.

The area I am in is mainly low income. I am surrounded by projects, community living homes, group homes, rent to income housing. As long as I live in this area I have to face the fact that I have to stay with at lest one of my agencies. This doesn't mean I will not find a private client now and then but not enough of them to keep my business going. We are saving to move, but it will take a year or two before we can.

Right now if I would walk away from the agencies I would end up having to close. All my clients at the moment are through an agency.

could you maybe charge by the hour instead of by the day. I only charge 30 dollars a day. Maybe people need a couple of hours and by charging by the hour may seem less to them.

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Originally Posted by momofnerds

could you maybe charge by the hour instead of by the day. I only charge 30 dollars a day. Maybe people need a couple of hours and by charging by the hour may seem less to them.

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I am not going to do drop in care or "babysit" for a hour here and there. I will become to complicated with the age restrictions the agency put on me.

I am now willing to do part time 3 or 4 days a week. I have been getting a lot of requests for that.

Update:

the agency is STILL on a freeze and subsidy denied the family. Things just keep getting better and better. lol

I really need my luck to turn around soon.

Have you tried joining any on-line groups that connect Mum's in your area ? I was having a lot of trouble filling my last space, and I was doing all the same stuff that you are - belonged to daycare bear, ads on Kijiji, godaycare etc. There's all kinds of Facebook groups (I joined Mom's in Kanata, and Mom's in Stittsville because those areas are close to where I live) There were a fair number of parents who would post "Looking for a caregiver for my "X" year old child...." Another idea, is to join some of the Daycare provider support groups on Facebook (most are closed, PM me if you'd like me to "vouch" for you) These groups are helpful because caregivers who are full will pass along the contact information of parents who are looking for caregivers - it's like a professional association. It is really helpful - for both parents and caregivers - and it might help you bust out of the rut. =) Good luck, hang in there, and if I can help - just give me a holler. :D

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Originally Posted by Monday 2 Friday Mama

Have you tried joining any on-line groups that connect Mum's in your area ? I was having a lot of trouble filling my last space, and I was doing all the same stuff that you are - belonged to daycare bear, ads on Kijiji, godaycare etc. There's all kinds of Facebook groups (I joined Mom's in Kanata, and Mom's in Stittsville because those areas are close to where I live) There were a fair number of parents who would post "Looking for a caregiver for my "X" year old child...." Another idea, is to join some of the Daycare provider support groups on Facebook (most are closed, PM me if you'd like me to "vouch" for you) These groups are helpful because caregivers who are full will pass along the contact information of parents who are looking for caregivers - it's like a professional association. It is really helpful - for both parents and caregivers - and it might help you bust out of the rut. =) Good luck, hang in there, and if I can help - just give me a holler. :D

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I have just started joining facebook groups. but i am not having much luck finding any for my area. maybe I am just not looking under the right "search names". I am thinking about starting my own page.