It's soooo hard to say good bye to the kids when they leave. I recently had a 4.5 year old girl leave because her mom got subsidy. I'd had her since she was 4 months old. She was so much a part of the family that she often spent nights here and even came to a number of my family events. Fortunately, I'm still friends with her mom (having martinis on Friday!) so I still get to be in touch with her frequently. These kids often become such an ingrained part of the family, it's a great loss to see them grow up an leave. Most of mine are long term (5 years and more) that it's very very difficult. One thing I do to keep in touch....I do host a few "family events" in the off hours every year (such as an outdoor movie/bonfire night). This keeps me in touch with the families (who have all become friends of mine). They typically will continue to attend these events on the basis of friendship, not business. It's nice.