Anyone else experiencing this ?

So I filled my two spots and was excited to start June full , dcm picks up dcg today and says , oh sorry dad hasn't been paying support , can't afford to pay day home fees so end of May is dcg last day !
It seems I fill up and then someone leaves ! Ugh
I really like this young family ! I am extremely happy with all my families ! But it seems like my turn over is 8 months ? Is that usual ? I raised my rates each turn over and I'm prob charging more than average , especially for part time . But everyone is happy and seem to be glad to come !
I just feel like I'm always looking to fill a spot !
Maybe it's just part of the job ?

yes I agree! Just when you get comfortable someone leaves. I have all my spots filled and don't anticipate having any open spots until July 2015 but I guarantee it won't work out that way, never does.

Between parents being laid off/fired, kids going to preschool, moms going on mat leave or getting a spot in a centre, it can sometimes feel like I am always looking to fill a space. I think it happens to all of us and it comes with the job. Most of my kids have stayed for a year but I have one coming up to being here for 2 years. I've only had my hdc for 2.5 yrs though. Right now I have 2 families that said they applied to centres but couldn't get in. I'm glad they told me because that's always in the back of my mind and when/if they do get a centre spot at least it won't be as big as a shock as the others who left for that reason.

I'm not sure if this is of any use to you......regarding parents leaving for preschool - during the first interview, we always have a reasonable amount of time where I steer the conversation into something more casual (casual for them, but I'm gleaning as much info as I can). In that time, I always ask how their search has gone, as I know it's a stressful time. Often, I hear that they always wanted home daycare, but checked out larger centres, just because, and weren't impressed. That's one of the things I look for that shoots a family to the top of the list. I want someone who's first choice has always been home daycare. I certainly don't want a client who's pining for another setting and is just biding time. I'm not a stepping stone :)

I've had periods of high turnover, too. It is frustrating and hard to plan when nothing is for sure. Good luck filling your space!

I'm in a small town and I've been lucky .... I've had all my parents have another child and it just seems to work out that as one goes of to jk the next one is coming in .... My newest one started in nov but I already had the sibling , my longest family is 2.5 years and my newest family is 1.5 years, I have one heading to jk in the fall and another child's sibling starting
There were times when all I was doing was interviewing and trying to fill spots so I'm happy for the break ..... Hope you fill your spot soon

I here you, the false hope kills me when I get lots of interviews and people start with me and then leave in the space of a few months time. I have a nearly three year old and I had his sister also so I have had this family so far for nearly 4 years and he will be with me until Sept 2015 when he starts JK. Aside from him, my average was generally 3 years, sometimes longer as I have had a number of children start at just a few months of age. The last 12mths I have had 5 start and the same 5 leave due to Mat leave and finances. I lost a couple of siblings in Dec 2012 and it's been down hill since then. Got a couple of part timers in the summer of 2013 but then lost 2 to school that September. I have 4 kids 3 days a week and 3 kids 1 day a week but I'm losing another in Sept to Mat leave. So much competition in my area now that regardless of my program the low ballers are making it increasingly difficult to fill my spots. We are talking at least $15 less per day and for a new parent who knows no better and hasn't done their research, of course they are going to go with cheaper. I haven't in erased my rates in 3 years!! GAA I hate this...I need to be full right now, I need my husband home and my kids need their dad not to work so many damn hours :(

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Originally Posted by cfred

I'm not sure if this is of any use to you......regarding parents leaving for preschool - during the first interview, we always have a reasonable amount of time where I steer the conversation into something more casual (casual for them, but I'm gleaning as much info as I can). In that time, I always ask how their search has gone, as I know it's a stressful time. Often, I hear that they always wanted home daycare, but checked out larger centres, just because, and weren't impressed. That's one of the things I look for that shoots a family to the top of the list. I want someone who's first choice has always been home daycare. I certainly don't want a client who's pining for another setting and is just biding time. I'm not a stepping stone :)

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Oh I do this too...ideally, I want someone who is looking long term but it doesn't always work out that way. However, IME, parents want a dccentre solely for the fact that it is considerably cheaper than hdc's. Some choose it too because they don't have to worry about finding alternate care for my holidays, only for when their child is sick. For parents who don't get paid holidays or sick/family days, I can totally understand this reason for wanting a centre. My city has a lot of hdc's so while I don't like to be the "stepping stone", I don't like to not be full either.

As an example, I had a single mom (no dad at all in the picture so no child support either) who had her daughter here f/t and was going to college. She was paying me $600 a month. She got a call (2 years after being on the dccentre list) and accepted it. She now pays $40 a month....it's sort of a no brainer for her. She didn't want to leave but when you're a single mom, that extra money can go towards so much more (like paying off her student loans quicker). Her mom (the child's grandma) who I dealt with most often, even considered paying the dc bill with me so that they could stay but she knew that she had to let her daughter live her life and make her own choices. They were a fantastic family but I hold no hard feelings towards them because with that big of a fee difference, I would choose it too!!

My one that went to preschool...well I knew that was coming when I accepted her at the age of 3.5. Taking on older kids just naturally means that they won't be here as long.

Daycare centres are not cheaper in my area, obviously if a person qualifies for subsidy (and it's not a private centre that doesn't accept subsidy) then the cost is less and the difference in money is a huge reason to switch but I find the majority who want centre care want it for the consistency, no concerns over providers sick days or time off for vacations. Regardless of their preference over one or the other, if a person doesn't have back up care or flexibility in their job to take time off then this would be a good reason to go with a centre.

I agree bright sparks

Same here. In Newmarket, daycare centres are higher (about $10 higher than me), with only subsidy offering lower rates. Although....my sister is looking into daycare for my nephew as he has to leave my care by March to make way for baby sister. His age bracket (3+) does appear to be a bit less than me. I'm a flat rate across the board. I think, as Bright Sparks said, most (in my experience) who want large centres do so because of reliability and, sadly as of late, the license.

I guess it all depends on the area you live in too, with high turn over. In my old location, which was rural, I kept clients for up to 7-8 years. Honestly, they all became close friends and options were limited. Once all my friends stopped having kids and the younger families started moving in, I started getting pushed out by 2 new daycares in the centre of the village that were more convenient.....and by the woman in the neighbouring village who charged a pittance but brought in 15 kids. In my new place, I have no problems, even with high competition. But that may be this area. I know people are struggling all over. Hope you fill up soon :)

Thank you everyone !! I hope to have the families I have now for quite a while ! My new family just asked if I could accommodate an extra day in October and I almost was shocked ! Lol "your planning to stay until then ? Yaay !!
Lol