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

[Crayola kiddies]

Already here ....... We have all been telling her that you have to look out for your business and you have been giving her a good deal so she should go with the part time that you have offered .... If this was me ..... I advertise and bring in a full time family and she would be looking for new care if I had no other spots available .... Families look after their own needs and providers need to look after their needs too ..... Everybody has bills to pay

[alreadyhere12]

I understand I am not angry...and I see that, I just wanted to give you all my side..I didn't take her on as a casual client to start my daycare, I only take ft or pt clients ...Just wanted to set the record straight.

[sunnydays]

I think even before you came on to tell your side, we all had a pretty good idea of what was going on (minus a few details you just added). I would have given her a time limit on signing the part-time contract and when the time is up start interviewing (I would be advertising now). You have been clear and from what she herself says, I think you are doing a great job of being professional!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Ah see ~ always two sides to every story

[Judy Trickett]

Ah, isn't it amazing how views change when you know BOTH sides?

To the provider in this situation: Let this be a lesson to you about doing SPECIAL for parents. When you offered her the lower fees schedule/minimum days and kept her on that became her NORMAL and never, for a second did she see that YOU were being kind and making an exception for her (as is obvious from her posts). The only person who, time and time again, remembered that this parent was getting a special deal was you every time she paid you. Your daycare - your rules. You have the right to have FULL paying clients if you so chose to have them. I think you are likely just a nice person who was trying to understand things from the parent's perspective but, sadly, that is all to often forgotten. And, this is and always has been a BUSINESS first and foremost. When YOU go without income and the parents are "up" income then why is YOUR mortgage payment or YOUR bank account less important than a dcparent's??? Stop being so "nice" and just be a pleasant business person.

To the parent in this situation: Be VERY glad you had a provider who was nice enough to allow you to come on a casual basis for so long and not having had to PAY full-time fees for that schedule. Your provider lost A LOT of money allowing you to attend in that manner. Oh, and "paying on time" does not make you special - it is EXPECTED. Paying your daycare on time is expected just like the bank requires you to pay your mortgage on time or your car payment on time. It doesn't make you a "great" client - it makes you an average client.

Personally, if this were me I would terminate in a heartbeat and get a FT client.

A quick little story for you:

My first client came flex too - for FIVE years. At first they had one child and then another one came along. I did a lot of SPECIAL for that family. In short, for FIVE years I basically held 2 FT spots for them and they attended only an average of 2.5 days a week. At the end of the fifth year when the oldest was about to start school and they wanted a B/A school rate I felt forced to ask them to commit to a minimum payment of $100 a week for their TWO kids regardless of attendance. Well, everything I did over the years and all the money they saved meant nothing and they bolted. In the end, over five years I lost $28,000. Trust me, YOU deserve that $28,000 just as much as ANY client - maybe more so.

[jazmic]

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

Oooh. The plot thickens.

[Bugaboo]

Wow. Pick ups and drop offs are sure going to be awkward from now on.

[alreadyhere12]

Oh it does, yes....

And you see, I told her I would be interviewing for her spot a month ago..I didn't just start saying it last week or something....As well I sent her contract home with her the month before that, and gave her a month to sign...

So this BS about me not giving her time... Um no.

[alreadyhere12]

LOL Bugaboo, if she wants to come to this board and try to get others to understand why she doesn't need to pay me for a regular spot ..not that any of ypu took her side, this is what happens; specially when its a forum that I told her to go to because all providers ask for commitment of some sort.

[Momof4]

alreadyhere12 I accepted a casual client when I was new and they were just using sporadic days, sometimes just 1 or 2 a week and I put my food down at the urging of my fellow HDCP's and insisted on 3 days/week minimum. I don't ever want another client like that who is all over the map. I couldn't budget or plan field trips or activities. It was a royal pain. I understand where you are coming from. Can you insist on 3 days/week with this client?