New Daycare provider in a small town

[conductor]

I do have a contract and a comprehensive info pkg for parents. I also require payment the first day of care each week. The one thing I don't have though is required notice when a parent chooses to leave. I'm going to rewrite my contract to include that. I haven't pursued small claims because it's never been more than a few days fees that a parent has not paid and it's just not worth the hassle and cost. This is a very small town where everybody knows everybody elses business, in fact most people are related in some way. I am on the high end for this area when it comes to my daily rate but I'm always upfront about what I charge. I've never had had anybody say I'm charging too much. This a blue collar town with limited resources, most families are struggling financially. The one thing I know I need to improve is my interviews with prospective clients and I've done some research to try and improve. Thanks for the feedback.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I do have a contract and a comprehensive info pkg for parents. I also require payment the first day of care each week. The one thing I don't have though is required notice when a parent chooses to leave. I'm going to rewrite my contract to include that. I haven't pursued small claims because it's never been more than a few days fees that a parent has not paid and it's just not worth the hassle and cost. This is a very small town where everybody knows everybody elses business, in fact most people are related in some way. I am on the high end for this area when it comes to my daily rate but I'm always upfront about what I charge. I've never had had anybody say I'm charging too much. This a blue collar town with limited resources, most families are struggling financially. The one thing I know I need to improve is my interviews with prospective clients and I've done some research to try and improve. Thanks for the feedback.

It sounds like your well on the right track. We all tweak our paperwork in the first year or so as we encounter situations we had not considered initially.

I would add a notice period for sure so you are not suddenly left short of income if someone loses their job and expects to pull their child immediately because they are home until securing new employment. You need that notice period time to line up a replacement.

For me, things got better when I changed from the mindset of it being me who was being interviewed and accepting anyone who came and said they wanted the space. When I realized that interviews were two way and that I might not want everyone who came for interview, it was easier to enforce my own boundaries. I tend to have a phone interview first because that way I can see if we communicate well but it also means that I'm not wasting my time, cleaning house, and giving up personal time for an interview when a parent thinks my opening hours are flexible. The number of times I've had an ad clearly stating my hours of business and a parent who just assumes that I'll keep their child an hour longer is insane. I weed out anyone who gives me an odd vibe, anyone whose hours don't match mine, anyone who appears surprised that I close on stats with pay, anyone who doesn't seem on board with my sickness policies etc. Changing my realization to being that I pick who comes into my house both professionally and personally made a big difference to the quality of clients. I still get it wrong occasionally but that tends to be apparent quickly and when that happens, I line up a replacement and give notice to the person who isn't a good fit.