I have only been open since September, and where I live there are a TON of providers. You don't get calls or emails every day or even every week, there are just tons of people offering "daycare," although some obviously view that term a lot differently than I do.

Anyways, I have a few spots open, as I had to terminate a pair of siblings, and one of the reasons I held on to them for so long was I knew how hard it was going to be finding decent clients to replace them. I didn't think I'd get my pick of clients, and was just hopeful that my fees, contract, and policies would weed out the worst ones.

In the last week, I have had 3 responses to my ad that all appear to be decent. Meaning, they didn't disappear off the face of the earth when I quoted my fees, respected my 3-days a week minimum for part-timers, etc. I am currently in the process of setting up interviews with all 3.

Now, I can't take all their children. One has a set of siblings, so 4 kids for 3 spots. I have never been in a position to turn someone down yet.

How do you let prospective clients know that they are not the only family interviewing for the spot? What phrase do you like to use to essentially tell them that there have been other inquiries, and that they'd better make a decision fairly quickly?

Also, assuming they all want to come here, what phrases do you use to "let down" the ones you decide not to go with?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!