Lied to.......Advice please

[Judy Trickett]

You know, a few years ago I would have told you to just terminate them immediately. But now, I guess maybe I have mellowed or something. (yes, hard to believe, I know ). But I recently had this happen to me. Similar situation where I was assured a kid was not going off to pre-school at a later date even though, given what I knew about their family, I felt it necessary to ask POINT BLANK. So, in the end, yes, they lied to me.

But I kept them in care until their end date. Yes, again, shocking, I know.

WHY did I do this?

Well, in short, I have learned that had I gotten pissed off and reacted to it (yes, I was angry but I took time before reacting out of haste) then I would have had a spot open that had not been filled at a time that was the hardest part of the year to fill. So, instead, I kept them on, KEPT THEIR income and it gave me time to patiently find a WAY more awesome family to replace them in August.

So, if they are otherwise following rules, paying on time and the kid is good then I would keep them, advertise, take your time finding an awesome replacement and then go from there. NOW, IF the new client I found needed a start date that occurred before the end date of the liar family then, YES, I would tell the liar family they were done at XX date and not look back so I could accommodate the new family.

I have learned that even though I am pissed off at a family sometimes standing back and assessing what is in MY best interest and then carrying that through is far better than just making an ego-based, knee-jerk reaction and terminating them, thus, leaving the provider with an income hit. Because, at the end of the day, it is only YOU who pays the price by losing that income and stressing to fill the space. I can assure you, once you hastily terminate a family, within a few days, they will not give you a second though. Meanwhile, you are still stewing over the lost income and the nighttime interviews you have to do.