Sticking to your handbook rules, a vent

[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?

[Stacey55]

I think that I am pretty reasonable and flexible with my dc parents, I have never charged a late fee in all the years I have done daycare. I think most parents are appreciative of my daycare servces. I understand that at times parents are late due to traffic and at times a meeting at work will run late, but I did draw the line this time since the dc parent wanted to go to the gym, that is not work related or traffic related and where did it get me? lost revenue. I feel that she was trying to take advantage.

It's sad because her little guy really loved coming here and would cry when it was time to leave. I hope her other daycare will be a better fit to her gym hours.

Anyway maybe we are too soft, but being hard azzed has it's disadvantages, as I found out.

Have a great day ladies and again thanks for your responses.