Bummer.

[Inspired by Reggio]

....I am one of those providers who do not charge ..... when your child is sick. .....

There have been times I have considered adding this to encourage them to 'keep their child home' when they are sick verses sending them cause they have to pay .... however I would definitely have a CAP on how many days they can use per year to help with my budgeting and to be honest it would still be factored into my daily fee so that at the end of the year I would still make the same amount of $$ even offering this 'perk' to clients ... aka one year I would raise my fees 4% instead of 2% and offer clients 5 unpaid days for their children ... so I would still get my 2% COL raise in fees cause the other 2% would cover the 'lost' income in offering the 5 days

[apples and bananas]

A&B I hope you did not take offense to what I posted. I was referring to the no contract and no termination notice, as I think those are key things to have and most daycares who operate illegally don't have those.

Not offended at all. We all have reasons for the way we run our business... some don't charge for time the kids aren't there, some do. I happen to be one of those providers who don't. I will say that when you do charge for all of these things I think you pull a higher quality of family. I have to be very careful who I take on, I want to make sure I'm taking on a good client who respects my business, not just one who wants to save a buck. I've made that mistake before.

[Cocoon]

Totally agree with Valerie. I'm sure she will find what she is looking for. Don't be surprise when you see her at your door again agreeing on whatever you asked. Good luck and I hope you will find perfect families soon!

[Littledragon]

I hear ya on the PMS part lol NO patience today

I would just move on. Sounds like she`d be a nightmare to work with anyways. She was just bluffing. If everyone else was so awesome, then why is she still looking? She was trying to manipulate you into getting what she wanted.

I had a mom who said "you have to realize the difference between what others offer and what you offer" whatever that meant and my reply was "I am not concerned with what others offer. This is my business and my daycare and I will run it the way I see fit." She apologized after lol

I know it's tough out there right now but keep the faith, keep your chin up and KNOW you are better than having to bow down to some *person* who is trying to manipulate you. I'm praying for you

[Littledragon]

There have been times I have considered adding this to encourage them to 'keep their child home' when they are sick verses sending them cause they have to pay .... however I would definitely have a CAP on how many days they can use per year to help with my budgeting and to be honest it would still be factored into my daily fee so that at the end of the year I would still make the same amount of $$ even offering this 'perk' to clients ... aka one year I would raise my fees 4% instead of 2% and offer clients 5 unpaid days for their children ... so I would still get my 2% COL raise in fees cause the other 2% would cover the 'lost' income in offering the 5 days

Totally off topic but I thought the same thing lol. I had an interview last week and I told them that I have three sick days a year - paid and he asked if he gets three sick days a year unpaid...thought that was interesting....

[mimi]

It amazes me how some parents so disrespect the person they are entrusting with the care of their beloved children. The parents role is to support us and be respectful of how we reasonably do business. We are not independently wealthy and do this for a lark, we chose this career because we love kids, it meets our families needs and we want to have our own business. Parents need to understand they are not negotiating to purchase a car and can pick and choose what options they want and it does not help to down play the importance of our role in their childs life and what we provide for them. We are not babysitters, we are child care providers and educators. Be grateful we are here to care for your child as you would care for him/her.
It can be very difficult when we are not full to be tempted by these negoiators because we need the work. This woman wants Alphaghetti to work without any job security - as a professional she/we deserve better.

[apples and bananas]

I don't charge for sick days for a few reasons. 1. I'm really good at budgeting and can handle the unexpected loss in pay. 2. I don't want clients bringing their kids sick. I don't want anyone to feel like they have to get their money's worth and tylenol them up and hope for the best as the day goes on. 3. It gives me an incredible competitive edge in my community. I have a ton of referals and everyone who comes to meet with me wants to sign with me. 4. I do not cap the days because of reason number 2. If a client is out with something like Strep they could be out for their entire 5 days. I don't want a client bringing them back early because they're trying to save days.

In saying all that... I also charge a higher rate then some of the providers in my area. It all evens out for me in the end.

You have to feel like you're getting what you're worth otherwise you'll resent the job. I get what I'm worth and I like the light days when someone isn't feeling well.

The other thing you have to consider is a parent only get's so many sick days at work. So, between them being sick and their child being sick they're really not off for that many days. If it's abused I warn them and terminate.

[Sandbox Sally]

I hear ya on the PMS part lol NO patience today

I would just move on. Sounds like she`d be a nightmare to work with anyways. She was just bluffing. If everyone else was so awesome, then why is she still looking? She was trying to manipulate you into getting what she wanted.

I had a mom who said "you have to realize the difference between what others offer and what you offer" whatever that meant and my reply was "I am not concerned with what others offer. This is my business and my daycare and I will run it the way I see fit." She apologized after lol

I know it's tough out there right now but keep the faith, keep your chin up and KNOW you are better than having to bow down to some *person* who is trying to manipulate you. I'm praying for you

Dude...you made me well up. Thank you.

[Sandbox Sally]

It amazes me how some parents so disrespect the person they are entrusting with the care of their beloved children. The parents role is to support us and be respectful of how we reasonably do business. We are not independently wealthy and do this for a lark, we chose this career because we love kids, it meets our families needs and we want to have our own business. Parents need to understand they are not negotiating to purchase a car and can pick and choose what options they want and it does not help to down play the importance of our role in their childs life and what we provide for them. We are not babysitters, we are child care providers and educators. Be grateful we are here to care for your child as you would care for him/her.
It can be very difficult when we are not full to be tempted by these negoiators because we need the work. This woman wants Alphaghetti to work without any job security - as a professional she/we deserve better.

When she was telling me about others in the area who charge less and who don't charge for parents' days off, I wondered aloud how they managed to make a living like that. She then replied, "well I guess they're not doing daycare to make money".

Anyway, thanks so much everyone. You've made me feel a lot better. Your support means so, so much to me right now.

I was very anxious after she left, wondering if maybe I am expecting too much from my new neighbourhood. The thing that pisses me off is the neighbourhood here and the old one are the same "social class", meaning they all probably earn about the same amount of money, and EVERYONE out here is nickel and diming me into the poor house. Back in Toronto NOBODY questioned my rates or anything else. Ugh.

[Sandbox Sally]

I don't charge for sick days for a few reasons. 1. I'm really good at budgeting and can handle the unexpected loss in pay. 2. I don't want clients bringing their kids sick. I don't want anyone to feel like they have to get their money's worth and tylenol them up and hope for the best as the day goes on. 3. It gives me an incredible competitive edge in my community. I have a ton of referals and everyone who comes to meet with me wants to sign with me. 4. I do not cap the days because of reason number 2. If a client is out with something like Strep they could be out for their entire 5 days. I don't want a client bringing them back early because they're trying to save days.

In saying all that... I also charge a higher rate then some of the providers in my area. It all evens out for me in the end.

You have to feel like you're getting what you're worth otherwise you'll resent the job. I get what I'm worth and I like the light days when someone isn't feeling well.

The other thing you have to consider is a parent only get's so many sick days at work. So, between them being sick and their child being sick they're really not off for that many days. If it's abused I warn them and terminate.

If I had some asshat bringing their SICK kid to my house just because they didn't want to waste the $35 bucks, I don't want their family anywhere near mine anyway.