Technically I am not a daycare provider yet because I haven't even landed a client yet, but I have already had a negative experience. Short version: this woman at my girls' school needs care for her 7 month old in September, when her maternity leave ends. It would be 2 days a week, starting at 6 am. And she'd also need before & after school care for her 4 year old daughter. I told her during a phone interview on Saturday that my hours were 7.30 to 5.30, that I would be willing to take them at 6.30 because it was only 2 days a week, but no earlier than that, and that I don't do b & a school care so she would be charged for a full day at the part time day rate (less than 4 days a week is 45 per day, 4 or 5 days is 35 per day).
She was hemming and hawing and I said something along the lines of "yeah, sorry it won't work out, but good luck". She asked me to send her some info anyway, so I did.

Today after school she comes up to me and says:"I have to pass, it is just too expensive. For 3 hours that would be 45 dollars, that is just too much. You would get 15 dollars an hour! That is half of my pay, and I don't get bad pay! I can get 7 hours of care at the hospital (where she's a nurse) for 25 dollars!"
I told her I don't charge 15 dollars an hour, I just don't do b & a school care so I would charge her for a full day. She wasn't even listening. So I wished her good luck and she walked off.

But now I find myself worrying about this woman spreading misinformation about my daycare. Well, my hopefully soon-to-be daycare. If she tells moms at the school that I charge 15 dollars an hour, nobody is even going to talk to me about care for their child. And she seems that kind of passive-aggressive sort of person.
I don't know, the whole thing just makes me feel icky. Am I overreacting? I am completely brand new to this, and I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid. I decided not to discuss my drop in rate with her on the phone and work something out because I didn't have a good feeling about her. Now at least I know that was right on the nose!

Ugh. People are so hard to deal with. They are just never happy.