Hours of operation

[5 Little Monkeys]

I feel like a slacker now!

Core business hours are 7.30am until 4.30pm. I will open at 7am if needed for the Military as parking around the base is horrible. I won't close late.

Used to work longer hours but my client base changed and for about 3.5 years they were all gone by about 4.20pm so I decided to carry on with that.

lol....my hours are 730/745 to 445. If I didn't have my 445 child I could be done at 4/415! I love it!! Living in a small city where the commute is no more than 5-10 mins is the best!!

[mickyc]

martymonty - unfortunately we cannot control what the parents do, if we are open until 5 then we need to be prepared to keep the kids until the end of the day. I do have in my contract:

"It usually takes approx. 5 minutes to get your child ready and out the door so please remember I close at 5pm and would appreciate if all parents don’t show up right at 5pm to pick up your child."

As for vacation time - I quit worrying about what the parents say. I deserve my holidays (I usually only take 10 days a year and it is never in a row). We all deserve our time off and too bad if they don't like it. I do a monthly newsletter that I email to my families. Maybe that would help remind your families on which days you have booked off. I find that parents need a lot of reminding.

[Busy ECE mommy]

I open 7:30-5pm and that is long enough. I used to do 10 hr days, but not any more. There is no work-life balance with this job, so you've got to reclaim time to put your needs first.
I have 4 weeks vacation in my contract, but usually only take 2 weeks. When I go over 2 weeks, people give me a hard time-GIMME A BREAK! I'm too burnt out with only 2 weeks, so I'm going to start taking more, and not feel guilty about it. Over Xmas sounds like a great time to do it!

[Other Mummy]

I am open from 7:00am - 5:45pm. Normally I open at 7:30, but had one family start care that needed the extra 30 min. They pick up earlier though. If I didn't need the income, I would have turned them away. When my numbers go down, I usually try to be flexible even if it means working an additional 30 min. a day.

[playfelt]

Actually adaycarelady market your cleaning to other daycare providers. I know there was talk on a couple of my facebook groups about not wanting the lady in to clean during daycare hours and instead wanted them in on Sat morning while they went shopping or out for brunch and then could come home to a clean house. Add in some toy sanitizing and washing of daycare bedding and you might just line up a few - even if it is once a month for some just to give them a break from having to do it.

[Rachael]

What kind of clients do you have? I want them kind of clients lol. I'm guessing people who work 8-4 and people who go to school?

I go for the professional couples who have some flexibility with their schedules. That way, the one who starts later, drops off and the one who finishes first, picks up. I have one young couple who work shifts but the paternal grandmother picks up around 4pm for them and then takes the child home until the first parent gets in from work.

We also have a massive military presence here as the port in Halifax is one of only two in Canada which remain open year round. The base employees and the military posted there, tend to start work at 7.30am and finish around 3.30pm/4pm. I will open at 7am for them as parking around the base sucks and of course, I know they will be here on time for closing.

We also have a lot of hospitals so again, although I avoid nurses who tend to work shifts with rotating days, there are lots of supporting staff who work 8am until 4pm - office administrators, intake staff, appointment staff, etc.

I'm about 25 mins from down town Halifax so not in the core at all. It is harder to find these clients, but they are out there. Fewer of them here in the burbs but I have learned to hold on for the right client even if it means a vacancy sits empty for longer than I'd like. Since it's often a 4 year commitment until their child goes to school, it's a long time to be extending hours etc for a client which isn't quite a match.

I seem to get a fair amount of teachers too - even though I charge on days reserved and not used, and they know when they come, that they will be paying through the summer/christimas vacations etc.

I avoid those who go to school. And, we have 4 (I think) universities locally. For me, I have found that they want to pull their child in May and return in September which is understandable but it means 8 months a year placements only and I'd rather have a more stable core group if possible.