Sticking to your handbook rules, a vent

[Stacey55]

Why is it that others who stick to the rules in their handbook can get away with it when I do the parents find alternate care.

I have had this baby in care for a year, he started partime 3 days a week went full time after a couple of months. The contract signed by parent showed his hours as 7:30 to 4:30 little by little he started coming at 7:15 staying till 4:45 then went to 7-5 at which time I reminded them that she had filled out the hours as 7:30-4:30 at which time she stated that she wants to go to the gym in the morning and after work...lol...really?

I told her that I would love to go to the gym too! I also said that those hours are ok but she would have to pay $5 a day extra, she quickly went back to her agreed drop off and pick up times.

Well 1 month later she gave me a notice that she has made alternate arrangements.

So while I really try to stick to the contract, parents take advantage and when I speak up they leave.

I'm like everyone else here, need the income, now I'm down that pay and no bites so far to get a new child. I read here everyday and know about expecting respect from dc parents but it seems that I need them more then they need me. There are way too many daycare homes to choose from so parents can do whatever they want because if I don't like it they move on to the next.

Any suggestions on how to handle these parents?

Thanks!

[gramma]

you really have to pick your battles. i used to operate the same way with contracted times but i found that it ended up just being a source of aggravation when parent who were supposed to pick up at 4:30 came at 4:45 or something. The problem is that i was open till 5:30. I charged everyone the same rate unless they needed later than 5:30 or earlier than my open hours so I decided to continue with one standard rate but no "contracted" hours. most parents stay on the same schedule but it gives them a bit of flexibilty to do what they need as long as they are here by closing time. If you charge by the hour then they should abide by what they have signed up for or have a raise in their fees.

I think in this case you should have clarified that you are charging based on the hours used and if they need more hours, they have to pay for it.

Parents seem to get their back up as soon as we want more money. Most probably feel that they are overpaying to begin with but in my experience something so small as 5$ a day shouldnt be cause to leave without at least having a discussion about it. you may have been able to come to a compromise.Maybe there was something else going on that you weren't aware of.

to be honest I would be happy with 5 pm pick ups but I totally get your point, its the principle. Sadly the child suffers being moved from daycare to daycare and chances are this will happen again.

[sunnydays]

It's sad that there are so many daycare providers out there who will bend over backwards to accommodate parents demands...this makes it harder for the rest of us who refuse to. In the end, it all depends on many factors how flexible you are comfortable being...how much you need the income and how hard it is to fill spots. Also, you may want to think about how you could make your daycare stand out from the others so that parents will want to have their child there enough to follow your rules. For me, I am not willing to let parents take advantage of me....but I will admit that it is easier for me to stick to my policies and principles because I do not have a hard time filling my spots. I do understand that not everyone is so fortunate. Some things you cannot change, such as what other daycares are doing, but perhaps you can find a way to make parents feel they need you more than you need them.

[gramma]

It's sad that there are so many daycare providers out there who will bend over backwards to accommodate parents demands...this makes it harder for the rest of us who refuse to. In the end, it all depends on many factors how flexible you are comfortable being...how much you need the income and how hard it is to fill spots. Also, you may want to think about how you could make your daycare stand out from the others so that parents will want to have their child there enough to follow your rules. For me, I am not willing to let parents take advantage of me....but I will admit that it is easier for me to stick to my policies and principles because I do not have a hard time filling my spots. I do understand that not everyone is so fortunate. Some things you cannot change, such as what other daycares are doing, but perhaps you can find a way to make parents feel they need you more than you need them.

Great points sunnydays. I think that if parents see us waiver on THEIR wants they see us as easy targets to manipulate. bottom line is that its probably easier for them to find a new provider than for us to fill a spot.

[Inspired by Reggio]

Yes that is the tough balance ~ finding what the market can bare for your area in regards to hours, fees and so forth and what you need for your income!

For me to address this issue cause I was open 10.5 hours when I stated and found the same thing ... clients who slowly over time were here longer and longer than they initially said they 'needed' and even though my contract stipulated fees were 'based on a 9 hour day' you were always dealing with the 'reminder' of that fact with those few clients ... so now I am only OPEN 9 hours a day ... so all my clients I choose to attract are basically needing 7:30 - 4:30 care and than if they need care earlier or later it is contracted right from the start at the additional 'fee' which is a strong motivator for families to figure out a way to keep their child within the '9 hours' by having one parent drop off and the other pick up or for the single parents enlisting grandma or someone to help

[playfelt]

This is a good example of having to go with what the norms are for your area. If being open for 10 hours is what others are doing then you will have a harder time attracting people who don't use the 10 hours and certainly not get people who are going to pay extra for it.

A lot of the time I base things on what the hours of everyone else is in the sense of if I am open that early or that late for others then I would be much more willing to be open for this family but talk to her about ok if you want to come earlier in the morning please try to be here as soon as you can at night.

Do you have something specific in your handbook about how many hours of care the daily fee covers ie 9 hours or 10 hours. With a statement about what the fee will be fee for additional time? If you don't then I can see where the mom might have felt she was the one being taken advantage of in the sense of she felt she was paying for a full day of care - ie your open hours and should be able to change her hours as needed.

[Stacey55]

I always ask the parent what hours of care they need, and ask them to write it in their contract. I also state in my handbook that daycare hours include parents work hours plus travelling time to and from work. I don"t think that it is fair for parents to change their hours and add time to those hours without notification, or for going to the gym, grocery shopping etc.

This lady was getting a cheaper rate then my other parents as she was only using 9 hours of care, she was well aware of the higher rate for increased hours, stated clearly in my handbook. My normal hours of care are 10


I have been in the daycare field for many years and have all my bases covered for this reason. My handbook is thorough. I' more upset because she was reminded that she signed on for 9 hours with a reduced rate, then she took it upon herself to increase those hours without consulting me and yet she was surprised when I raised her rates and chose to terminate.

So do you think that I should've sucked it up and not said anything since her hours were under the 10 I offer?

Thank you for your replies.

[Sandbox Sally]

I offer nine hour days. Anything more than that, my fee increases. It is in my contract.

In keeping with the title of this thread, a question to all of you:

Do you enforce your contract rules each and every time? This is why I ask...I bend the rules and don't enforce my late payment/late pickup fees, so long as it's not a habit, and as long as I don't feel taken advantage of. Someone on another forum recently suggested that, because I do not enforce my rules every single time, that I am sending mixed messages to the parents, and that it's MY fault that they pay/pick up late, since I am not enforcing the rules.

My husband agrees. He thinks that I should make the parents pay every single time they are late with fees or for pick up, otherwise they're going to get bent out of shape when I *suddenly* ding them with extra fees, whereas if I enforced it every time, including the first time they are late, they would expect it, and not make a fuss.

What do you all think? What do you all do?

[sunnydays]

Personally, I have never had a late payment, so haven't had to deal with that, but for late pick-up, I have never yet charged a fee. I rarely have parents arrive late, but if they do and it is within 10 minutes and is nto a habit (they have a good excuse and it almost never happens), than I do bend the rule and I don't charge them the fee. If it ever became a regular thing for any parent, I would warn them and then charge late fees. Even though I have bent the rule for parents on a few occassions, it has not become a habit for any of them so far. If there is an accident on the road or a snowstorm etc, I am not going to be strict with the rule.

I offer nine hour days. Anything more than that, my fee increases. It is in my contract.

In keeping with the title of this thread, a question to all of you:

Do you enforce your contract rules each and every time? This is why I ask...I bend the rules and don't enforce my late payment/late pickup fees, so long as it's not a habit, and as long as I don't feel taken advantage of. Someone on another forum recently suggested that, because I do not enforce my rules every single time, that I am sending mixed messages to the parents, and that it's MY fault that they pay/pick up late, since I am not enforcing the rules.

My husband agrees. He thinks that I should make the parents pay every single time they are late with fees or for pick up, otherwise they're going to get bent out of shape when I *suddenly* ding them with extra fees, whereas if I enforced it every time, including the first time they are late, they would expect it, and not make a fuss.

What do you all think? What do you all do?

[Sandbox Sally]

I have parents paying me late all the time. I also have people showing up a half hour late on a regular basis with no apology.