3.5k
Daycare and childcare providers in Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, Ontario etc. in CanadaGarderies à Montréal ou au QuébecFind daycare or childcare providers in the USA
Forum control
+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    Outgoing
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    290
    Thanked
    66 Times in 49 Posts

    Closing - when to give notice?

    I am closing my daycare mid-end June (if my pregnancy continues to go well). My clients don't know yet that I am pregnant. How much notice do you think I should give them? I am nervous because I don't want them to leave right away but also want to give them enough time to find replacement care.
    How do I handle the 2 week deposit they gave me? Would it be awful of me to say, "I'm closing on xxx, your deposit will be used for the last 2 weeks"?
    Or Should I ask them to give me a certain amount of notice as a reassurance?? Example: please provide me with three weeks notice if you find alternate care prior to my closing date. Any notice less than three weeks will result in you forfeiting your deposit"?

  2. #2
    Starting to feel at home...
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    242
    Thanked
    84 Times in 58 Posts
    Congratulations ! Hope you're feeling well, and that your pregnancy is going smoothly. I think it's completely reasonable to explain to the parents that their deposit will be applied to their children's last two weeks of care - it will encourage the families to give you at least that much notice. In the past I had a system where I used the deposit to cover the first and the last week's dues - and wouldn't you know it, the parents had a really tough time providing me with two weeks notice. Hmmmm.... I wonder why that might have been ? You said that you're due in June, I would give some thought to telling them now - it's about three months until your due date, right ? As a general rule, I think it would take parents about a month to find a suitable caregiver. You also want to build in a bit of a buffer for yourself - in case the babe comes early, or if you're just to tired at the end of things to continue caring for other little ones. I've never been in your position, but from what I've heard from other ladies be prepared for your families to leave quite soon after they get the news. If you need the income, and can "hide" your condition for another month - you might be able to get away with not telling them for another few weeks. Good luck, and congratulations again !

  3. #3
    Expansive...
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    629
    Thanked
    267 Times in 182 Posts
    Good for you for keeping it a secret this long. I have a DCM expecting around the same time and she is HUGE lol. As for the deposit I don't think you can really dictate when they can use it. If they don't want to stay all the way until you close, then technically all they would require is to give you two weeks notice and they're good. I think all you can do is hold off as long as you can and to be nice I would give at least one months notice if it was me.

  4. #4
    Expansive...
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    971
    Thanked
    173 Times in 136 Posts
    Yay ! Happy to hear the pregnancy is moving along.

    Personally, I would tell people the first week of April so that they have adequate time to find good care. I think 8 weeks is the kind thing to do because I wouldn't want my parents to pick someone out of desperation.

    June gets to be a hard time to find care because summer faces fill up June - August for school agers who need FT care until September.

  5. #5
    Outgoing
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    290
    Thanked
    66 Times in 49 Posts
    Thanks everyone! Just to clarify, I am due in October - I'm only 9 weeks now but will be closing in June. I have a herniated disc in my back which caused me a lot of pain in my third trimester with my last pregnancy so am preparing for that to happen again. I also just want the time alone with my two kids and to enjoy a less stressful summer.
    I am starting to develop a little belly but am going to pass it off as weight gain for as long as a can! I know that at least one family will leave ASAP once I tell them I am expecting so I'm pretty nervous about that.
    Someone suggested that I tell them I'm pregnant when I can no longer hide it, tell them I will be open until my due date and then 'unexpectedly' close in June but I don't feel comfortable doing that especially since it is more difficult to find daycare in the summer.

  6. #6
    Euphoric !
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Posts
    3,161
    Thanked
    1,085 Times in 810 Posts
    I think I would tell them your due date is October but you are staying open until June. Let them know that you would appreciate if they stayed until than. If you are willing, I would also help them line up daycare for when you close.

    Are you ever re-opening? My reason for closing on good terms is that word of mouth can either be the best or worst advertising for you. If you close on bad terms and than re-open, they may hear of this and warn their friends/family to stay away.

  7. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to 5 Little Monkeys For This Useful Post:


  8. #7
    Starting to feel at home...
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Posts
    173
    Thanked
    82 Times in 63 Posts
    I remember your first post about this. I agree with 5LM (as usual! We seem to have the same way of thinking lol).

    I don't think it's unreasonable to apply the deposit to the last two weeks. I advise all clients, and it's mentioned in my agreement, that that’s what the deposit is for. Why take money just to give it back?

    If I remember correctly you're closing for good but it's still a good practice to end things on a positive note with all clients. I wouldn't wait until the last minute as I would feel bad about it too.

    I think 6-8 weeks notice is good. That way if they leave earlier it's not too early. Most dc will want the 2 week integration so they would still be in your care part-time for two of those weeks. The child also needs time to process this mentally so last minute is not good for them either. I think these things are always hard.

    I had to let go of my b/a school kids when I decided to take on full-time dcb and I provided them with only 3 weeks notice since that's when my last FT spot filled. They took it hard (kids and parents) it gave us a bit of time to have a great time together and talk about it a lot before they left. I was lucky that they were able to find alternate care as its hard to find b/a school care in my area.

    Good luck with everything and keep us posted
    Last edited by Polkaroo; 03-12-2014 at 06:33 AM.

  9. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Polkaroo For This Useful Post:


  10. #8
    Expansive... Judy Trickett's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    In My Own Little World Of Warped Reality
    Posts
    739
    Thanked
    561 Times in 277 Posts
    Congratulations on your pregnancy!

    My first question to you is.....what does your contract say in terms of notice to be given? Always follow the contract. Mine is four weeks and, if in your position, I would be giving the four weeks notice.

  11. #9
    Outgoing
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    290
    Thanked
    66 Times in 49 Posts
    Thanks again everyone. At this point I will be closing at least until October 2015, and most likely for good. I would like to leave things on a positive note and not burn any bridges because 1) I really like my families and could see us being friends when our professional relationship ends; and 2) I would like to open another business and need the support in my community.
    My contract says that I require four weeks notice if the client wishes to terminate and that I reserve the right to terminate out contract at any time, without notice.
    My issue is that as soon I can no longer hide that I'm pregnant, my clients will start looking for other care arrangements.
    I think I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that they stay with me until my closing date. So as for their deposit and considering the circumstances do you think it's fair of me to require 2 weeks notice from them so I can apply their deposit to those two weeks?

  12. #10
    Expansive... Judy Trickett's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    In My Own Little World Of Warped Reality
    Posts
    739
    Thanked
    561 Times in 277 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by gravy_train View Post
    I think I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that they stay with me until my closing date. So as for their deposit and considering the circumstances do you think it's fair of me to require 2 weeks notice from them so I can apply their deposit to those two weeks?
    But if your contract says they have to give you 4 weeks notice then that falls within the two week deposit so you will have them pay for the first two weeks of the notice and then they can use the deposit for the last two weeks.

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to Judy Trickett For This Useful Post:


Similar Threads

  1. Reasonable notice to give dayhome
    By karenw in forum Parents' experiences with daycare providers
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-22-2015, 08:45 PM
  2. How much notice should I give?
    By MsBell in forum Daycare providers' experiences with parents
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 03-09-2015, 07:39 PM
  3. Advice on how/when to give notice...
    By Halo25 in forum Managing a daycare
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-31-2015, 04:47 PM
  4. Closing - when to give notice?
    By gravy_train in forum Managing a daycare
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 02-25-2014, 02:15 PM
  5. Changing my hours... How much notice to give?
    By Sassygirl in forum Managing a daycare
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-31-2013, 08:27 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts

A few tips...

If you visited or if you're using a childcare provider found on DaycareBear, do not hesitate to leave a review. This will most certainly help other parents!
Updates
We expect providers to keep their listing and available openings up-to-date. However, to prevent oversights, openings expire after 45 days.
Partner in your
search for a daycare provider