Individualized contract and Late fees....

[FunnyFarm]

First questions- Do you customize your contract for any of your clients. I am at the one year mark with one client in which I can amend my contract (ie give myself a raise etc). This client is frequently (once or twice a week) late to pick up their child and drop off is all over the place. I mean This Friday was 45 mins late because they didn't know who was to pick up the child. I mean do you NOT figure that out in the morning?! Yes I am close to terminating them, but the child is sooo adorable and sweet. The easiest child to care for!
Second Question (in light of the above). I want to amend my late fee for this family specifically because I am fed up with the way they don't even blink at my late policy. I currently charge $5.00 per 1/2 hr or any portion thereof. It needs to go up significantly I think. Do you mind sharing what your late policies are? I don't know if I should go by minute or break it down into 15min portions. My thinking is that I should take minimum wage and double it (hey, I'm working overtime here for only one child) and break it down into time chunks. does that make sense?

[AmandaKDT]

I had a problem with a flaky family last year and made an amendment on their contract that addressed the issue - we both signed it and I didn't have problems with it after that.

My late pick up policy is $5 for every 15 minutes or portion there of. A half hour is definitely too long of a time period. My sister's daycare charges $2 per minute, per child. They had a mix up one day last year and were around 45 minutes late picking up their kids. They had to pay like $60 in late fees - they won't make that mistake again for sure!

I also have a policy that if late pick ups become a problem then it is grounds for termination. I think I have it set for 3 late pick ups in my contract.

[mickyc]

My late fees are $5 for the first 10 minutes, $10 for the second 10 minutes and then one day's full rate for any time over the 20 minute mark. My contract also says that consistent late pickups may result in termination.

I do not work overtime and I tell all families when we meet that they are expected to be here on time. My contract also states that it takes approx. 5 minutes to get their child picked up so please not leave pickup until right at 5. I don't mind the odd time providing a family gives me a heads up (and apologizes for being late) but I do charge and think nothing of it. I only had 1 family a few years ago that I had issues with.

I would not have different contracts for different families. They all must follow the same rules. I suggest you have a long talk with this family and let them know that late pickups are not acceptable and that you will start to enforce a late fee and after so many late pickups it is grounds for termination. If you loose the family over it then so be it. We already work long enough hours and the parents need to be able to follow our rules.

[Busy ECE mommy]

Yes my contracts will change as I take on new clients and add in more paid days, increase fees and add additional policies. They are basically the same for all, but I do fine tune with each new family, so rates/policies may vary slightly.
Your late fees aren't high enough to discourage it. Mine are $20 for each 1/2 hr, but it starts at 1 minute late, so it's $20 at 1 minute after closing. That's why they need backup people for pickup.
Only had this happen twice in 5 yrs, so I guess it works!

[CrazyEight]

I don't have different contracts for each family per se, but I've tweaked my contract a bit since being open for a year, so the 2 new families I just started do have a different contract (and higher fees) than the original family that is still here. I am advertising for September at the moment, and they will probably get a slightly different version as well, as I fine-tune things. I realize that's different than changing the contract a year in, but I don't think that's a problem. When you hand it to them, you could always use language that suggests everyone is getting a revised contract, and they'll be none the wiser. It is your prerogative, especially if they've been abusing this particular point.

[nschildcare]

I make changes as I need to to my policies and contract. I have it stated that I will. I try to limit them to major changes and do a few at once as my contracts do not need to be renewed. If I was continuing with childcare I would have a 1 year limit on them.

However, I have changed prices, sick policies, etc and just get parents to sign, date and return. I would not let a serious issues go for months on end b/c my contract isn't up for renewal.

Late fees: $10 for any part of first 15 minutes, $20 for any part of next 30 mins. Go longer than that and I am calling authorities. I do not call to see where anyone is, it is the parent's resp to call and let me know they are running late. I will terminate if it starts to become a habit or they are excessively late. Late fees are due in cash at pick up or no later than drop off the following morning. I will refuse childcare if they don't have fees.

Even with this in place, I still have one family that has been 35 mins late twice and within the 15 minutes a handful of times. I have charged each and every time but it still isn't a deterrent. If I was continuing, I would feel no qualms with making late fees even more to discourage families from even being late 1 minute. I would also have no problem terminating on the 3rd late pick up.

[Momof4]

Your first question - No, I don't customize my contracts, I have everything covered under all my policies and charge all clients exactly the same amount and expect the same appreciation and adherance to my policies from all families. When I started in the business I learned things as problems occurred and was constantly amending my policies but they didn't change until we renewed the contract the next year and everyone got the same letter advising of the changes to the new contract. What if everyone has a different contract and they start to talk about it? How do YOU keep it all straight? Just some things for you to think about.

Lateness: Good advice already. I know some people get so angry about lateness they charge $1/1minute late. If you let people walk all over you, yes they will! If you are like me and do NOT want to work late, then tell them that, demand respect for your personal time. I tell clients that I am far from finished my day when the children leave, I still have to clean my house, do dishes, vacuum, get ready for tomorrow with food, etc, you know it all.

I like Amanda's idea about an amendment to the contract, but do it for all of your families and get them all to sign it. You can explain it with a letter that you are learning about the way you want to run your daycare in a more efficient manner and some things have happened so that you must make a few amendments to your contract at the present time. Then state that your family needs are not being met and you want to be fresh every morning for all of the children so you are not available for overtime unless there is a unique situation once in a while.

If you lose the client, it might be the best thing that could happen for you. There are a lot of great kids out there and great parents too. Don't worry about anything except your happiness.

[Fearlessbaby]

Hi, you shouldn't put up with that kind of disrespect. I charge parents $1/minute if they're late. After a half hour, that fee goes up to $2/minute. I've worked at commercial daycares and I run my home daycare with the same rules. Just because we work at home, it doesn't mean parents can take advantage of us.

Good luck! Keep the kid if she's a doll- just teach the parents the rules.

[FunnyFarm]

Wow, thank you all for the suggestions. lots for me to mull over clearly this family needs to learn a lessen. It drives me nuts because they joke about their flakiness. NUTS! Yeah, I guess we will see who is laughing when they start paying more!