Hoping for some advice from you ladies - please no haters - I'm genuinely not sure what to do, and I would appreciate some feedback from other caregivers. I currently care for 5 little ones. One of my little ones will be leaving my care in March to join her Mum on mat leave. Instead of keeping them until the very end (when Mum has her new babe) I would like to let this family go at the end of January - when my new family needs their care to begin. In the past I have always taken the "hit" and just accepted the loss in income when I was between families. I really don't want to do that any more. This past year has been a tough one. I had one family leave on very short notice due to a job loss. In addition to losing the one child, I also "lost" the sibling who was scheduled to start up here in the Spring. While I found replacement families there was a "gap" of almost four months where I had fewer kids than I need to make things economically viable. Icing the cupcake, one of my current families is paying reduced dues for the next few months until his Mum returns to work. (babe #2 is scheduled to start up here) Translation: I don't have any more wiggle room in my budget. How horrible a person would I be if I gave my soon to be leaving family their notice in January ? I would connect them with other caregivers in my area who have space in their programs, and I don't need them as a reference. I don't bear them any ill will, but I really don't want my bottom line eroded any further.