Mat Leave and Part time

[ebhappydc]

Hi - I currently have 5 dcbs and all great families. One mom is going on mat leave starting next April and she wishes to drop to 3 days per week. I was doing this for moms in the past, but as previous posts have said, it is really hard to fill the existing days. and it's quite a loss of income. So, I advised her last nite, I prefer to keep full time spots only, or at the very least 4 days per week. She understands but she is considering sending her son to pre-school then for the year and hope that I have a full time spot for her new child in 2017...

I have 2 other older dcbs with one going to JK sept 2016 which leaves one older and now i'm afraid if all the olders are gone, he'll leave too to preschool.

I find that preschool fees for the olders are comparable to mine (40/day) but the one year olds at preschool are double my charge (I charge same across the board)...
I guess my question is would you consider 3 days per week if you have another child coming from that family in the future?
I feel like charging, like, $60 for 12 months to 24 months and then dropping to my regular fee of 40 after 2 years old. Parents get a great deal when I get their child for the first year or two at $40 and then they switch to preschool.

what a tough business!! thanks bunches

[Lee-Bee]

Tough one!

Are you in Ontario? Will the Bill 10 I would think you will have no problem what so ever filling under 24months spaces so taking a financial hit for a year to fill the spot doesn't really do you that much good.

EXCEPT keeping the older sibling 3 days a week to have them full time when the baby starts (if you will have space) does mean you have a over 2 space filled which I suspect is harder to do now that there are so many more over 2 spots out there.

Can you function for a year losing 2 days pay? Was the family a family worth keeping? I would think there are many variables in answering this. The key thing would be whether you expect to have space for the younger sibling when the child turns 1. Does that space open right when needed or will it have sat empty for months prior. Will that family pay for it to secure it when it opens up?

[babydom]

One of dcbs mom went on mat leave too. She wanted three days a wks then both full time next July then dcb b/a school in the fall. At first I said no. Full time only. But then I rethought. I love this family. And once u get in a good family u try to do everything to keep them. As u probably know it's hard to find good families....especial ly parents that respect u. So I agreed to it. Dcb went down to three days last July. And it ended up working in my favour because just last wk mom said dcb is bored at home two days a wk so let's go back to full time starting in jan

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I guess my question is would you consider 3 days per week if you have another child coming from that family in the future?

No. not anymore.

I used to but then sometime not have place for baby - unless hold empty place and incurring bigger loss. Or Mom switch job and need new hours and I lose both anyway.

I not know many other service provider who incur 40% loss drop FT to 3 days for full year on promise of maybe another child. It same as having FT place sit empty for 3 full month of year. It not often it take 3 month find another good fit family who need FT care so replacing make more sense and smaller loss.

Now, they either stay FT if they hoping for place for baby or they leave and take chance if I have place when need.

I would not give any FT client 3 month off, no pay, assured place on return, so allow drop to 3 days for whole year is same deal. This almost same as having all teacher child and no fee or care for Summer, March Break and Christmas.

[ebhappydc]

Tough one!

Are you in Ontario? Will the Bill 10 I would think you will have no problem what so ever filling under 24months spaces so taking a financial hit for a year to fill the spot doesn't really do you that much good.

EXCEPT keeping the older sibling 3 days a week to have them full time when the baby starts (if you will have space) does mean you have a over 2 space filled which I suspect is harder to do now that there are so many more over 2 spots out there.

Can you function for a year losing 2 days pay? Was the family a family worth keeping? I would think there are many variables in answering this. The key thing would be whether you expect to have space for the younger sibling when the child turns 1. Does that space open right when needed or will it have sat empty for months prior. Will that family pay for it to secure it when it opens up?

Thanks. Yes I live in Ontario so no problem filling under 2. Timing wise it would work out to have the baby come in future when the older sibling goes to JK but i am trying to break away from part timers The only benefit to me for PT is I can feel the lighter load of 3 or 4 kids as opposed to 5 all the time. Plus it's not always easy to fill the older spots and we've all experienced those killer dry spells. I have to think on it more.

[Busy ECE mommy]

I have kept several preschool age children while Mom was at home on mat. leave with the baby.
I did a 3 day a week minimum, and set days. Both moms couldn't afford to go back to work after number 2, but the older ones stayed about 6 months to give Mom a break. It's impossible around here to find kids over 2 years, so some income was better than none for me. To each their own...

[5 Little Monkeys]

I usually always have my spaces full and can't guarantee that there will be 2 spaces open when mom goes back to work so I no longer offer anything to moms going on mat leave. They can obviously choose to keep their spot but I wouldn't allow them to drop to part time

[mickyc]

Same as 5LM. If they want their spot they need to pay full-time for it. There is never a guarantee either that I will have room for baby.

I have had 2 great families that have come back after leaving. I always kept in touch and the minute a spot opened up the grabbed it and came back. In the meantime they got to experience what a different provider was like and I find they appreciate me so much more now. I have one mom on mat leave now on my waiting list for the baby next fall.