My parents sign a contract that states what days they are reserving. The contract states that they pay their monthly fee on or before the 1st of the month. If a parent needs sparadic days per week then I suggest that they sign up for the full time spot and pay the full time fee of $900. per month. I let them know that I cannot guarantee that I will have space for their child if they do not do this. I explain to them that they then have a place that they can drop off their child to do such chores as shopping, haircuts, doctors or dentists appointment, etc. I use analogies with parents and they seem to understand the situation better, such as if you were reserving a hotel room, but you did not know which days you needed it for would the hotel hold the room for the full week knowing that you would only be paying for 3 or 4 of those days? If you think that getting your fees from this parent is going to be a problem every month, it may be worth looking for another family that appreciates what you do.
My contract states that if a child is absent from care and I am open, the family needs to pay for the reserved space. This is why parents pay on the first of the month. I have had parents ask me about their holiday and if they have to pay when they are away. I use the analogy---If you go away for 2 weeks do you phone your bank and tell them because you are not living in your house for 2 weeks that you are not going to pay 2 weeks of your mortgage? Or -- if they have a car loan will they phone the bank and let them know that they are not going to pay for the 2 weeks they will not be driving their car? Mine is a service also. Most parents get paid vacations, medical/dental and pension plans, paid sick days, etc, etc. and some of these benefits can add up to 35% of their wages. This is the hardest part of my business.