So many people use their phones and transfer info from emails to their calendar and shift stuff around and yes I prefer to have things in writing from an email so there is no misunderstandings.

Make sure you are saying why you need a phone call and just give her a time. Please call me this evening between 6 - 9 so that we can chat about the basics of care. In fairness to the parent she just assumes she needs to interview and everything will be hashed out then. Getting private phone time is not always easy with kids and one of the reasons I won't take screening calls during the daytime - well that is what night time is like for many families.

If she insists on emails you can list the important screening questions like a questionnaire to be filled out making your last question preferred interview days and times.

There is a fine line between getting parents to follow our rules and making our rules so rigid we miss out. All families do things differently for different reasons. Letting the parent know why you have your rules would go a long way. She may not realize how important it is to you and this day and age of texting she feels email is fine - besides on a cell phone a call will cost her air minutes so she may be keeping them brief not a long conversation so prefers the free air time of emails and text and who can blame her. Not everyone has a land line these days.