Prolly gonna get an ear full, but that's alright I guess

[kidlove]

There's the problem!!! I see now, some months you may not need her at all. That's where my minimum due comes into play, and now it makes perfect sense. Consider and employer hires a person and at the end off the interview says, "one catch, some times we won't need you to work at all" what person in their right mind is going to agree to a job that every once in a while provides no income at all? As a provider this job is unpredictable enough, people come and people go and it's often comes with no warning. We do what we can to keep our income stable...we too have bills to pay and mouths to feed so we have to protect ourselves with some reassurance that next month we will be ok. That's why we draw up contracts and require minimum due. Makes perfect sense that she wants a gaurenteed paycheck. it's up to you to take the offer though, your money your kid, but hopefully you can see it from her prospective too. good luck

[kidlove]

Just an FYI too! if this is how you have been going for some time now? (some months you don't pay her at all?) consider your self extreamly lucky. Most providers have a weekly/monthly charge to keep the child in care. I personally allow one full week no pay per year. (of course, I don;t charge when I am closed) but other than that one week and the time I close for vaca....people have to pay the minimum due or I fill the spot.

[BlueRose]

maybe looking at it this way will help you understand where she is coming from:

if your child is in care for 3 days at $40/day, for 10 hrs each day totaling 30hours of care in a week, you are only paying your child's provided $4.00 per hour.
3days x $40 per day / 30hrs = $4 per hour

Out of that she has to pay for your child's food, your child's arts and craft supplies, and any other daycare items that are need as well as all her living costs (rent, food, etc)

kids working in fast food make more money an hour then the lady taking care of your child.

I have a lot of parents tell me that the $35 per day that I charge is a lot, until I break it down by hour.
I hope this helps.

[Crayola kiddies]

If it was me and I was offering you a spot at $350/month guaranteed and you didn't want to rake it I would definitely fill your spot. Paying on time is not a good enough reason to keep you because I expect everyone to pay on time. My spots are worth $800/month (based on four weeks) and I would not be willing to keep a spot open for half that amount. So if she is as good as you say and the availability of the service that you are looking for is almost nonexistant in your area then why do you want to risk losing it? If your son is happy there why take him out and have to transition him in another daycare (if you can find one)that he might not like so much. The grass is always greener on the other side till you get there and find out its actually weeds. I just don't get your problem ....from what you have said you are currently paying $400/month but she is offering you $350/month for a standard schedule why not take it and either send him on all the days and use those days that you are not working to run your errands and shop or get your hair cut ect so that way the days you have him home are free to spend totally with him or don't send him the extra day and you paying less per month anyway.... Or get a part time job at timmies or mc donalds to fill in the extra day and it's a win win......

[bright sparks]

There's the problem!!! I see now, some months you may not need her at all. That's where my minimum due comes into play, and now it makes perfect sense. Consider and employer hires a person and at the end off the interview says, "one catch, some times we won't need you to work at all" what person in their right mind is going to agree to a job that every once in a while provides no income at all? As a provider this job is unpredictable enough, people come and people go and it's often comes with no warning. We do what we can to keep our income stable...we too have bills to pay and mouths to feed so we have to protect ourselves with some reassurance that next month we will be ok. That's why we draw up contracts and require minimum due. Makes perfect sense that she wants a gaurenteed paycheck. it's up to you to take the offer though, your money your kid, but hopefully you can see it from her prospective too. good luck

I was going to add to this thread, but you took the words out of my mouth kidlove. Hit the nail on the head. Nicely put

[Crayola kiddies]

Umm Valerie ...... She also has to pay income tax and cpp on that as well as hydro, heat, rider on her home insurance, if she takes them out in her vehicle extra insurance for her car too .... So really it's more then food and craft supplies. Not too mention the work done after closing time .... Cleaning cooking shopping. Plus if this posters child is there 12 hours thats dinner too.... So yup ... I'd be charging extra to stay that long too. Actually if I was going to be honest I would never take a family on that needed those hours. I close at 4:30 so that I can be sane at 6:45 the next morning.

[Inspired by Reggio]

Yes there are so many things in life I would like to pay only when I 'use' it but have the peace of mind in knowing it is there for me when I 'need it' .... however sadly that is not the way many things work these days!

• We have a land line into our home that I maybe talk 5 minutes a month on ~ but Bell don't care that I rarely use it the fee is based on the whole month and unlimited local calls!
• We pay for a basic cable line and maybe watch only 1-2 hours a day ... sure would be nice to not have to pay for the other 23 hours!
• I pay a fortune in 'insurance premiums' every month but have never used it .... sure would be nice if you only had to pay the premium the month you knew you were going to need it
• My dad spends 6 months of the year sure down in the States cause he is retired I sure bet he wishes the property tax dude did not make him pay taxes on his residence here for the 6 months he is not here you know cause he is down there paying property tax on the residence he lives in there for that 6 months and vice versa.

I could go on obviously but my point is that THESE business base their fees not on an a la cart basis but a PACKAGE deal because that is how it BEST works for that business ... and this is what your provider has now realized ~ you are COSTING her money to serve and that is not affected by matter how much she likes you or how awesome your kid is that is just the MATH of the service you want compared to what the market can bare for the spaces in her program!

Honestly I wish more newbies would just STOP offering this service in the first place if they truly cannot 'afford' to have at least one of their spaces be flex care long term because we visit this issue over and over again on provider forums

Newbies or those whose enrollment suddenly 'dips low' start out thinking that a flex care arrangement is better than 'nothing' cause they feel desperate at the time to just get some clients in the door but they are not thinking that down the road this is going to cost them even more in 'lost revenue' than if they just waited a few more weeks or a month or so for the 'better match client'!

Than inevitably they get established in their business and get full and realize they are now working the same amount of hours everyday but are making 'less' than they could be because of the 'flex care' schedule. They start thinking if they just traded you in for a full time consistent income they would be ahead of the game and be able to get some money set aside, or more debt paid down or whatever for a 'rainy day' when enrollment might dip again on them ~ suddenly the flex care option no longer seems like it is in the best interest of being a viable business!

Yet when they 'point that out' to the flex care client the client obviously never sees it as 'of that makes sense we've been getting an awesome deal for all this time asking you to take a hit in income with our pay as you go care and should be grateful it lasted this long' they only see it as 'Well this sucks cause you had agreed to this and now I am going to be expected to either pay more to continue or go find another newbie willing to take me on. I sure wish you'd made this clear as a risk when we started out cause I might have looked around for someone whose long term plan accommodated a flex care option'.

The reality is in this scenario you are both right ... the provider has every right to change her business plan to suit her needs as her business grows and changes cause if she does not keep herself viable you are out of childcare either way if she has to close but as a client you have a right to feel used cause it should have been made clear at the onset of your arrangement that 'flex care' is not an ideal arrangement for her business plan and can only be accommodated when there is no demand for a consistent full time client so that you knew heading IN that this might be a short term arrangement before you would be expected to pony up for a more consistent income OR forfeit your space!

[sunnydays]

I'm not actually sure what you are upset about. Your post the other day was similar and we all explained to you why most of us do not do casual care and why your provider is asking for a part-time contract guaranteed and I think you understood the reasoning behind it. So now you are back to arguing with your provider about it and I can certainly understand that her tone may get firm as she has already told you your options and it is up to you to decide to risk losing the spot or sign the contract....I wouldn't take kindly to someone trying to negotiate my contract either. Would you try to negotiate with your landlord..."sorry, sometimes I don't get enough hours at work and on those months I can't afford to pay rent" ? I think not...this is no different. Either sign the contract or risk losign the spot. I would have done exactly as she did...I'd be advertising an dinterviewing to fill the spot too.

[mustbenuts]

I think your provider is just trying to maximize her income. If you can commit to certain days/week and pay that flat fee so she can fill around you, why is that a problem, especially if you will actually be playing less than what you are now? I think this provider has been bending over backwards for you and has had enough. She needs to make an income just like you do. The fact that you were her first client explains a lot. She took you on and accommodated your hours like most of us do when we first start. Now she is realizing that to make her business worth running, she needs to run at capacity and your casual hours are standing in her way. If you have such issue working with her on this after she has been flexible for you for so long, then you might as well look elsewhere and good luck finding a provider who will accommodate you like that.

[alreadyhere12]

I believe that the client you are talking about (and the one who is posting is mine)

And I am willing to post even though I may be on her %h&t list after this, but hey, she came here posting about me, so fair is fair if it is her. She and her son were my first clients yes, but when she first came to me she was a perm pt client..Then as time progressed she told me she was laid off from her job, and she and her sons dad were no longer living together (about 4 months) so I let her go down to a casual status for slightly more, and she signed the contract revision.

Her son was full time through the summer, and I did her a favor and charged her my regular full time rate and not her daily rate of $40.00. Now all of a sudden she told me she got laid off in sept, and was trying to save up for a trip. I have broached the subject of a pt contract 2x now only for her to brush it off and say that her schedule is all over the place and she doesn't need or want to commit to regular days. (her and her boyfriend have since got back together)

I gave her a print out of all the hours and days she was here...Including what she would have actually paid over the summer if she had been paying $40.00/day at 5 days a week, and all she said was oh yeah, well I said mine and g^a$ts schedule had changed so I said I wouldn't be coming f/t anymore. (Instead I charged her $550.00 a month what I give to regular full timers who sign a full time agreement)

And to note: yes I did her laundry..I have given her my some of my sons gently used clothing, and I my husband went to pick her son up when her boyfriend had to take the car and she had to take the bus to work. And she knows this.

I don't want to fill her spot I care for her son he has been with me for 1 year, but I must look out for myself and my family. I actually had to call the bank this month and get overdraft because I couldn't cover everything. I hate this, but this is the way it has to be.