Opening in a new Province

[islander]

Thank you, Suzie!

I am in Summerside and have two local Facebook groups. One for advertising and one closed for parents. I advertise in all the local childcare/buy and sell and daycare groups.

I have done 6 tours where parents spend over an hour chatting, I am not formal, but I follow a professional process and I am not changing that because I am running a business. I've never had a parent feel uncomfortable here, mostly they will spend an hour plus and say they were just checking it out and already have a provider. I find people are nosey because I am new, not because they're necessarily looking for childcare. I will not be bending the rules for adding strangers or families to my personal Facebook page. I practice professional boundaries and feel it's invasive for people to be that nosey. I believe we can still be friendly and welcoming without people having a backstage pass to our personal lives.

The deposit goes towards their first weeks of care, so I am not just keeping a large sum of money. I would be holding this spot for 2017, as I am having a baby in March an this mother was well aware of that. I personally do not think it's overboard to ask for a deposit, when thy are reserving me for over a year.

I agree with the older sibling issue. I am loosing a child due to this in January. Mom I always looking for free days or me to hold her spot without pay while she waits for her contract. I am a half an hour away from her other child's daycare and now that she's old enough she will
Be switching.

I charge the same amount as local centres and I feel it's worth it. I only take 3-4 children, they all have individualized attention, structured programming by age and development,
I do not charge for holidays, my holidays etc. I can confidently say I am ran like a larger centre without the numbers.

I think some of is forget we are running a business and not jut making a few extra bucks on the side. I would never change the quality of my process, invasion of privacy or services because I move provinces. My response may sound stuffy, but I am in no way stuffy. Islanders make the assumption I am stuffy because I am from Ontario and then assume I am from Toronto and think I am better then them. It's not the case. I do not see a problem with getting to know someone the old fashion way, rather than stifling through their private info (not that I have anything to hide).