Discouraged.

[Rachael]

Forgive me if this sounds harsh. I know I can sometimes come across that way in writing however careful I try not to be.

Reading your post, I do have a few comments.

Firstly, as someone who has been in this business a long time, I have learned to vet potential clients just as much as they vet me.

No one joins my daycare without a two week deposit which they lose if they change their mind or which is applied to their final weeks of care when they leave. This means that I already have two weeks fees towards their notice period. Secondly, they sign a contract. I don't consider a place taken unless my contract is signed. In that, notice period of one month is required to cancel the contract - for them or me (unless something has happened to affect the safety of my family or day care children then I can terminate without notice) - and it has to be in writing.

By having a contract which spells out everything, Fees, payment schedule, closure days, annual leave, sickness policy, notice period, hours of business, everything, which is signed by them and I, both parties have some protection. My contact states one month notice required and payment for day registered is due regardless of attendance during the notice period.

Do you have a contract which this parent signed? If not, there's little you can do about the short notice change of plans.

I have learned that parents who try and mico-manage my business always end up burning their provider. Learn to identify overly picky parents, and avoid them where possible. If these tenancies aren't discovered until after they join you day care, then don't let it slide. If you don't put clear boundaries in place, they don't know where the boundaries are.

Allow yourself a full year to find good quality clients, who are the type of people you want. That's a realistic aim. At the moment, due to your reduced numbers, I think you are being tempted to accept less than suitable clients because you are aware of the places sitting empty. Although short term that might help, it's never the right decision in the long term.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

What I look for in a client...

1. No part-timers. Part-timers always lose me money in terms of having to find someone to slot into their unwanted days. It has always worked about better when holding on for a FT client plus the core group is more settled when the same children come each day.
2. Parents who come to interview or who ask 50+ list questions at interview, are usually, what you term as over-picky. As an example, I currently have one opening for one day only - Wednesday. I had an e-mail from a new parent looking for care in Feb 2015, part-time and she asked if I would fill in a short questionnaire - of 63 questions! The fact she expected me to spend almost an hour answering her questions, before she'd even established if I was interested in taking her, is a red-flag. Someone who expects and demands your time in this manner, won't lighten up in time.
3. Do a telephone interview first. You can tell a lot by someone's tone and voice. You can also tell a lot about their expectations of when that call will happen. Someone who wants to call at 8pm or in the middle of a weekend day, won't be respectful of your family time when the come. Someone who shows up late for a scheduled interview, has no respect for your time either. People often tell you who they are, you just have to learn to listen and believe them. Vet potential clients by phone. If they need hours outside your business hours, if they need care when you don't have places, if they aren't considerate of your time, don't view them as lost business when you decline, but a sound business decision. Not all clients are good clients.

Try and think of this as an awesome chance to review your contract to cover all the things this client was difficult with. Try and think of this as a great chance to reflect on the tell-tale signs that this parent was going to be tricky - it will help you avoid these people again. Try not to stress about the openings - you said financially you don't need to stress which is a huge luxury as you can allow yourself time to find clients who are a good fit for your business. This is a great opportunity to review and reflect and amend.