For providers who do not do school aged children

[Momof4]

I haven't had school aged children but I have one child going to JK in Sept. and his baby sister is going to start at the daycare in his old space. I haven't asked his Mom yet, but it's crossed my mind that they may run into a problem for PD days and I won't have the room for him.

Remember our mantra - your daycare - your rules! Do what is best for you and fill your spaces the way that works out best for you. We have all learned the hard way that the families will take care of themselves first and drop us without a thought sometimes. Other times they want to stay forever, so if the family is a great one you will work it out, but if not, you know what to do.

[playfelt]

Both situations are possible. I am losing one this summer to school but he is going to the school based daycare so his sister moving too isn't an issue.

I am not in their school zone anyways. In that case it is also very common for the mom to move both kids to a daycare in their school zone when the older one is ready to start. Also a reason I don't like taking kids back after mat leave if there is only one more year till the older one starts school.

Depending on the options for school age kids in your area will determine what happens. I would get in the habit of thinking of your daycare as a 2 and under daycare and start assuming that when mom goes on mat leave that you will lose the older child too since by the time they would be ready to come back it would make more sense for mom to take the year of mat leave and find someone in her own area that can take both of them.

Also even if the mom says oh we will leave the little one with you and just move the older one. If down the road an opening comes up in the other daycare the mom may be put under pressure by the new caregiver to transfer the sibling over too under the threat of the caregiver going to fill with a baby/sibling team. Had that happen to a friend and a month into the school year the mom moved the sibling by which point no one on the caregivers list was still looking for care and well let's just say she was not a happy caregiver. One of the reasons I am so happy the way it worked out for my sibling pair and I will have her for two more years as she is only 18 months now and she will be first on the list for the school care because her older sibling goes there so mom is very happy too. And I open at 6:30 for her so that limits my competition.

[littlebugsdaycare]

I do not offer B&A care either, I have two little girls going off to school in the fall and their little brothers will both be in my daycare. For one of the girls she is in school FT every day so mom has arranged for B&A care and will pick up the son on the way to pick up the daughter, and the other mom is going to be going on mat leave shortly after the daughter starts school so the middle child will be here, mom will have the school age child every other day at home and be home with the newborn. I have not lost any children yet when older sib goes to school.