well, i dont get paid days off and nobody that i know of does. when i was interviewing for my spots when I reopened for toddlers in september I had 3 people tell me that they felt my contract policies and fees were the fairest that they had seen. they had met with several people who wanted paid vacation and given that they would have to pay for alternate care it wasnt something that they would agree to. That could seriously be a deal breaker for someone. As far as fees go, it may be that you have raised rates too high too fast. I undertand that you gave her a break in the beginning but she needs to understand that you can no longer take the loss of income. why is that extra money better in her pocket than yours? I think if i was to be flexible it would be on the paid vacation days. Take the monthly income and save some of the extra to cover those extra days. She has to realize that she's not going to get a deal like she has now from anyone else so unless she moves just to make a point she's not going to gain anything.