I see. I empathize with you not wanting to pay for care you don't use, but you also have to understand where she's coming from. Most people have jobs that pay benefits and all that so they are covered in ways daycare providers are not. If you don't use her at all for a month, then that means she doesn't have $320 to help cover her own bills. And if she doesn't know in advance that that's going to be the case, then that leaves her in a tight spot. If your employer did that to you, I'm sure you wouldn't like it either. So unfortunately, it looks like you have a decision to make where you try to find casual care elsewhere or sign her contract.