Thanks so much for the input and support! It helps to know that we are not the only ones that think this is out of the ordinary.

I initially had the idea that the change in hours was indeed done to try and make us cancel, but when I gave the notice, they did not seem to like that very much.

Before, things were going OK, although not great. I do think that we are quite easy going. We always paid on time, and were only twice late in 6 months, and only by 1-2 minutes and a heads-up in advance. Our daughter is also very easy to care for; always happy, easy to play by herself, relaxed, does not move much or quickly :-)

We sometimes asked for information regarding the day (food, sleeps, etc), and also regarding their schedule, amount of kids, activities, etc, because we wanted to be informed, but those often did not go very well, to the point where they got quite defensive. It was not at all meant in a critical way, but purely informative. However, because of their behaviour we did not have a great feeling with it. Our daughter seemed happy though, so there was no major cause for concern.

In hindsight, I am glad we canceled, knowing how this was handled, but my daughter still has to go for another full month before starting the new daycare. The new one seems great, although very expensive... so I am hoping it will work out. Of course, I am also hoping they will give back my deposit, as that really seems illegal. We gave the proper notice, so there is no reason why they should not return it.