Dilemma - what would you do?

[Spixie33]

Back in March I had a current daycare parent refer me one of their friends. I had met this friend once before in a social setting and they seemed like a good family so we signed on starting for July for FT care.

last Wednesday I get a call from another daycare provider I know who says she is closing and would really like to recommend a 15 mo old boy to me and that his parents are great and would I interview them because she has already told this family about me.

I told her - sorry I am full because I have the other child committed for July.

This weekend I got an email from the mother of DC child #1 and she tells me she is having a baby in december and would I still provide care for those 5 months or she would understand if I say no.

I reply okay.

Then this morning a light bulb finally goes off in my head when I think about daycare child #2 who the other daycare provider was referring to me and I wonder if I made a mistake.

Should I tell the pregnant mom I changed my mind and interview the other child? Should I stick with my original commitment? My mind is spinning and weighing things every which way.

Both kids are full time but at least the second option would hopefully be staying longer and he is already older.
What would you do??

[Dreamalittledream]

Oh boy; that IS a tough one. Myself, I would be inclined to stick with the original commitment...just as an honor thing, and on the bright side, you may get another full time (new sibling) down the road? Good luck with whatever you choose

[Bookworm]

Well, before making any decisions, I would maybe interview family #2, since they might not even be a fit anyways.
Is dck#1 planning on staying during mat leave?
I'm in the same position as you sort of. I have to make a decision to keep a boy who is temporary with the potential to be permanent or to take on a little girl with better hours in September.
This is the part of running a daycare I don't like...decisions, decisions.

Good luck with what ever you decide!

[apples and bananas]

I would stay with the first as well... just as a moral thing. If I committed to her then I stay with her. She may decide she wants to leave her child with you Part Time during her mat leave... I had a client sign on knowing she was pregnant in September and with full intent to remove him from care for her mat leave. But, she now loves me so much and he's so comfortable she's not only leaving him with me, she's also paying a holding fee and leaving a deposit for baby number 2!

[Spixie33]

That's where I am torn...

there is the right/moral thing to do to stick to the original commitment and stand united in womanhood since she is preggo Been there and of course I can empathize with where she is coming from. It is a happy time for her to plan her family.

Then again - option 1 only is worth about 5 months of income and could be less if the mom gets put on bedrest or medical leave and I need to also think of it as a business.

option 2 covers my butt financially and might be safer in the long run.

I don't blame the mom for not telling me sooner because she would have already known when she initially made contact with me. She has no obligation to tell me....But at that time I had someone else also wanting the spot who was a great match and I declined them for the sake of mother #1. In retrospect that hurts a bit because I felt a real connection with that original mom before the referral mom. The mom at that time knew I had someone else interested but of course it was in her best interest to keep quiet because I probably would have decided differently.

I guess having two people to choose from isn;t the worst problem one could have but it still sucks and is confusing

[Littledragon]

honestly - i would do whats best for you and your business, financially and sanity.

[Momof4]

I'm sorry, I can't help because I'm in a similar situation. I just had two interviews and I have one space and I like both families a lot and they both want the space and I'm FREAKING OUT!!! What to do, what to do? Good luck with your decision!!!

[Spixie33]

So originally the issue was that I had signed a family in the spring and then found out they were pregnant (mom told me) and she offered that she would understand if I want to back out since I would only have the little DCK in care 5 months before she leaves on mat leave.

I told her I was okay to still do it since she was a referral from one of my current daycare families.

Then last week I had another daycare provider refer me another full time child that I had to decline because of this commitment I made to dcmom #1.

Now this morning I get approached by a lady who I interviewed with 2 years ago...she now has 2 kids and her daycare is closing and she wants to go with me.

is this a cruel joke ...am I being tested to see whether I make the right decision....or is the universe warning me away from DCmom #1?

[playfelt]

is this a cruel joke ...am I being tested to see whether I make the right decision....or is the universe warning me away from DCmom #1?

Interesting that you say that. Mom #1 gave you an out. At the time you didn't take it. Was it because you thought any money for a short time was better than non since you didn't have other options as in you said ok for the wrong reason. We talk a lot on these boards about how sometimes we take the FIRST family that comes along instead of holding out for the RIGHT family.

Maybe you are being shown that you don't have to settle but can do what is right for your group. I think it would be worth interviewing both potential families and then weighing it against the interview information letting the pregnancy part just be an extra piece of info. If that didn't apply which family would you have signed on and then maybe it would be worth actually doing it.

[Spixie33]

Interesting that you say that. Mom #1 gave you an out. At the time you didn't take it. Was it because you thought any money for a short time was better than non since you didn't have other options as in you said ok for the wrong reason. .

Great question. My reasons for agreeing are
1- One daycare family is BFF with the new daycare mom and recommended her . It gets complicated to then ditch the arrangement
2-I had already announced the coming July daycare child via newsletter and verbally to some parents so felt embarrassed if I renege on that.
3- I was thinking that a few thousand dollars of income is still better than nothing because I didn't like the idea of interviewing and advertising again and had already started to look forward to the extra income next month

Of course now all these options are coming and the great thing about them are that they are not based on my ads but because people are recommending me or have met me before and seem to like what I do with my daycare.

I feel really confused between my original commitment because I don't take it lightly vs the opportunity financially and longer term for the daycare. The mother who approached me today actually had kids that would fit in better age wise because I have a few three year olds and one of hers is 3.