Phasing out ??

[Secondtimearound]

I started in September , all excited , ready to go !! Spent $$ on getting my dayhome set up exactly how I wanted !! Opened and filled all six full time spots !!
September was great !! October too ! December brought my first issues with contract , parted with one family over Christmas Day , Boxing Day pay ! Ugh filled the spot , life went on .
Terminated a family due to needs beyond what I could handle , left that position open . January let go 2 siblings ( hours could not be accommodated)
Filled those spots with part time siblings. February one left for mat leave , did not fill the spot , march moved everyone to mon tues and Wednesday , two days off a week .
End of April lost 2 because of issue with contract concerning my two sick days , non payment resulted in termination .
So May , I have 2 dck Monday Tuesday and Wednesday , one dck Monday and Wednesdays and one dck Tuesday and Wednesday !!!
I'm not making a whole bunch of $ compared to first months !! But I am going to start to go out more parks and outings !! But I'm wondering if it's worth it to keep open ?
I have my own dd who starts homeschool grade one in September , trying to decide if I'm really into it !! I'm not being a jerk when I say I have never worked and I raised 4 already and we did fine . We are older have more expensive tastes and I like having my own money but I am feeling conflicted as to going forward in any direction !!!
Ugh

[bright sparks]

Urghh, it sounds like you are really stuck at a cross roads I don't envy you. I would ask myself what my alternatives are. If you are considering public school versus homeschool then think about what you would do if your child was in school full time, run your home daycare or possibly venturing out into the "outside the home" workplace?? Do you prefer the flexibility of working from home where you set your hours and work policies, or would you prefer the more guaranteed income of set hours working as an employee?? You need to ask yourself a lot of questions to determine what it is YOU actually want and come up with some different options and scenarios so you can choose which way you will go forward.

[Crayola kiddies]

Do you charge when you close for your own sick days ? Because as a parent I would not want to pay for that however if it was in your policy book and they read understood and signed it then not sure how they come back and say they don't want to pay..... If I close for a sick day then I do not charge .... I have never closed due to sickness .... Thankfully..... I do have 5 personal days written into my contract but they can't be used as sick days and notice must be given so parents can plan ahead...
Same goes for Xmas and Boxing Day if it is in your policy book as a paid closed day then there shouldn't have been an issue ...... Do you go over the the policy book with families prior to signing ? I find every family is a learning experience and the first year is the hardest year !

[Secondtimearound]

I have 6 days a year I take for sick or personal , it is right in the contract . Maybe it is too much but I thought it was the norm ?
I have never closed my dayhome ( besides this last 3 days )
Other than that I have numerous scenarios running through my head !!! Ugh

[5 Little Monkeys]

I don't charge for my sick days but I do charge for 11 stat/civic holidays. If you want to charge for sick days, I think that's up to you but be prepared that some parents won't like this. (it's not the norm here so I can't see that going over well but if it's the norm in your area, great!)

Am I understanding that you do this 3 days a week and it's more for extra money? If so, I think that is great! If you can find parents who only need part time and it's extra fun money for you, that's awesome Come summer, you will likely enjoy it so much more because you can get out and do things and go places.

I don't know how overwhelming running a hdc and homeschooling your child will be but if it's something you think you can handle than I would stick it out for a year and then re-evaluate how you're feeling.

I've been in childcare for about 7 years and running my hdc for 2.5 and I'm still learning new things every day and from time to time I change things. I think I probably always will have a few changes per year as there always seems to be something new that comes up that I want to address! I wish you all the best in deciding where you want your future to go

[Torahtots]

Hi all I am a newbie here so still feeling my way around... I have found in my case that having as part of our written policy regarding the charge a flat rate, prepaid, monthly fee works well. My prices are low but for me personally this works better then it being deducted for any personal or sick days that the child/ren are not there.
For my own sick, personal days except 6 days written in contract I deduct their fee accordingly.

[gravy_train]

Awe - I just typed a long reply to this and somehow I deleted it :-(.
I think you're asking if you should stay open or close and concentrate on homeschooling your own child - is that correct? I think that only you can make that decision but here's my perspective.
My vision of having a daycare and the reality are two totally different things. I LOVE kids but find it really exhausting and not that rewarding to take care of children under 2 and that's the demand in my neighbourhood. To top it off, there is an issue on a weekly basis with some client not following a given rule, questioning an aspect of my contract in some way, picking their child up late, etc. I find this part really stressful and totally exhausting. I think it's really hard to find good clients who value our service and understand how demanding our job can be. I personally also really miss the social interaction of a job outside of my home or even having the ability to leave my house and yard. With such a young age group it is not possible to go to playgroups, the library, or even the park :-(. But, that's just me and I am closing my daycare in 8 weeks so the end is near and I feel such relief!
I guess you need to figure out the financial stuff and the other stuff - it sounds a bit lame but I always find it helpful to write a pros and cons list and weigh them out on your terms - while having the means to buy expensive things may be a priority for you, it may not be for someone else so that is a very personal consideration, as are all aspects of your decision making. good luck and let us know!

[Crayola kiddies]

I agree gravytrain the plan and the reality are two very different things ..... I too hate being strapped to my house everyday and talking to toddlers all day.... However my mortgage dictates that I must have a job and given that I don't have a university degree I would be making minimum wage outside if the home so this is the best option for me right now and likely for the next ten years ....however if you have never worked and dont need to work then why bother with the aggrevation ...I would love to sell my home and downsize so I wouldn't have to work but my husband is not on board with this suggestion since he built this home for me just 5 years ago..... But the reality is I will be paying for it till I die!!!

[gravy_train]

I am SO with you! I can't wait to be 'off' on maternity leave just so that I have the freedom to get out of the house when i want to and to not feel guilty when I have appointments, etc. I am hoping to go back to work part-time after my mat. leave ends so I have a bit more balance in my life.