Empathy ladies - this is why my client handbook has evolved to be 18 pages long ... because of all those little 'minor details' that make my day run smooth needing to be ironed out before they start care to avoid conflict in care!

I like my crew here by 9am ... if you are going to be late or have an appointment you prearrange that before hand or you risk that you arrive to an empty house - the other 4 children do not deserve to be left 'waiting' on someone who has not bothered to call and give a heads up they slept in or that they have an appointment or so forth ASAP before your normal drop off time ... them being late is NOT MY PROBLEM and should not have a negative impact on the others in the program. I have a cellphone and clients can find us if they show up late - does not take that happening more than once and THEM being even later in turn for them to GET IT that respect is a two way street - had you had the respect to CALL I would have had the respect to either wait if this is a 'rare' thing for that client or let you know where to find us so you could drive straight there if you make a habit of 'being late' for morning drop off cause well even if you call I am not going to stop my program for you constantly - you get one freebie once in a blue moon

I also agree about the 'small above and beyond' things we do often going unappreciated by clients .. I prefer to remind myself that I do not do those things for the ADULTS I do them for the CHILD ... I only do gifts when it is a seasonal thing that everyone is getting so no child is left out - so do not do 'birthday' gifts their party here is my 'gift' but with Xmas, Valentines, Easter, Halloween if I give the crew a 'special something' to celebrate I get the thank you right away from the CHILD at least cause we open it HERE and well they are 'taught' to say thank you in my program .... if the parent does not also say 'thank you' well it is a shame their parent raised them up to be rude but at least we might be breaking the cycle with their children

With Mother's Day and Fathers Day and so forth again making those things with the children is about the 'process' for me not the end result for the parent ... the joy and excitement of the child to be creating a 'gift' for their parent and the look on their face when they give them that at pick up ... what happens to it after they leave here and if the parent appreciates it is well just 'bonus'.... all of my clients to date have always been very 'appreciative' so I am lucky ... although I do have one client enrolled whose kid has broken everything that has been sent home but I still do them with their child because it was a 'gift' and well it is theirs to do with what they want if they see more value in allowing the kid to 'play with it' than keeping it as a keepsake that is their choice ... I try to keep my gifts to under $5/child in materials and they would replace any normal creative art we do each week so it is not costing me 'more' to do presents for the parents it is just 'redirecting' my creative art budget to a gift with purpose opposed to open ended exploration