I have a daycare in my home that I need your help with. I have two wonderful families that are on a pay as you go schedule (both are teachers). The problem is only the money. I know this sounds petty but I am now in the situation of needing a full-time salary instead of a part-time. Do I let the families know and give them the opportunity of paying the full-time rate regardless of weather their children are here or do I close the business all together? I have been doing this for 10 years and love what I get out of being around these children but my familiy is financially suffering. I want to do what is right for everyone and know we live in a community where quality and loving environments are minimal. I am sick at the fact that it is a situation that is all about the ability to make money. Any suggestions?
Thanks very much for your insight.
ps. My husband works between 60 and 75 hours a week at his job some him working more is not an option.
Thank you all so much! I think I am going to sit down and and write a letter to each of my families and explain why I will be changing the pay structure. I guess I just felt bad because so many things these days are figured around how much cost is invloved. You were all very helpful.
Hi,
I would certianly give them that option. Can you look to fill in other days or add more kids to make more $? If they can't continue with you I would suggest lookimg for different families before closing shop, especially if you love what you do! Good luck!
I am also an in-home daycare provider. My policy is that my clients pay the regular weekly rate no matter if they have a holiday or vacation day from work. I treat teacher time off in the summer like I do maternity leave, they pay half the weekly rate and they do have the opportunity to bring their kiddo to me 2 days a week.
My suggestion is to explain that you are running a business and your family depends on your income, so fluctuations in income are unacceptable. Give them the opportuntiy to get on board with paying you as you expect or be prepared to replace them.
This is a difficult/touchy situation. Good Luck!
I am a licensed childcare provider...my parents pay for their childs spot in my daycare, whether or not they are in attendance. Give your parents three weeks notice and let them know you will need to either have them pay full-time or go elsewhere. Also, start looking/advertising for full-time positions.
If you truly love what you do, don't give up just yet! If they know the quality of care their children are receiving, they will pony up, even if it is a little painful for them at first. My argument is this...they get paid full-time (even during school breaks) and so should you!
I am with Charlotte Z.
I would have a good discussion with them, but make them aware that this is a business you are running and just like them, you need a stable income. My clients pay by enrollment, not attendance. They pay for their spot on my license.
Its actually fairly difficult to just fill in around a PT child, even if their schedule is set. You need a very specific set of hours to go around someone elses very specific hours/days. SOunds easy enough, but in reality its not. I currently have 2 PT kids. For the first 10 or so years I did daycare I never had PT kids. I love the kids, but hate the PT (one just went to PT this week..when I only had one part timer it wasn't so bad...not sure how I will like 2).
So one is only W, Th, F. The other is only M, W, Th. NOt so easy to fill around..just FYI . Also...I never take teacher kids. In my market they usually want summers off and I just can not afford that. Many around here will just take other school agers for the summer to make up the $$, but I do not take SA'ers. I am not set up for them.
But if you really love your work, you need to try to make it work, but on your terms.
Best of luck!
I would do a newsletter style notification. Tell them how things are going and that you are needing a stable income and are considering closing, looking for full time employment.
You could also, if licensed, go to the state office where people file for child care assistance and make sure your name is on the list of providers that accept subsidized payments. Getting a deposit each week is a wonderful thing. If there is a legal holiday where banks are closed there won't be a deposit on that particular day of the week, it can be a couple of days later.
It's not petty. You need to do what's best for you and your family.
Let the families know that you're in this predicament. Offer them full-time care at the full-time rate. If they aren't interested, they will have to go elsewhere. Try to give them ample notice. If only one of them wants to leave, maybe you can find a new family to offer your services to. If they both want to leave, you'll either have to find two new families who need full time care or close up shop and do something else. Good luck with whatever you decide!
any sitter, nanny, daycare, etc that we have used or kow of make you pay whether the kid is there or not. If you chose not to take your child to daycare, that is not the care givers' issue...you pay for their time and the spot that they hold for your child. You need to run this more like a business it sounds like.
You write them a note,
"Dear families,
I love having each of your children in my care. It's so fun to see X do blah blah and helping them learn to play well together and learn about polar animals has been so wonderful.
However, I have thought long and hard and am weighing my options. I need to have a full time income. I have two options as I see it. Number one is to revamp my payment schedule, number two is to close altogether and get a job outside the home.
Having done this job for 10 years I really do love it and want to continue. Therefore I am attaching a new contract. This contract will go into affect on March 1st. I need the last two pages returned with your signatures by Feb. 14th. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to talk to me."
I ONLY DO teachers in my home daycare and if you need a contract sample for that please check mine out on my website http://www.tarastoyland.webs.com
You have been very kind to your families, but now it's time to get serious. Most daycares charge to hold the spot. So, if you need only after school care, you pay the part time rate, but you pay for the entire week, whether your child actually goes or not. Same for kids below school age. If they are going to be there for a full work day, the parents pay the full time rate, whether their child was there or not.
I am not a fan of teachers so I wouldn't be giving them any breaks. Let them pay like the rest of us!
I have been doing daycare in my home for almost 6 years now, and I feel your pain!! I decided on this type of position since I was going to school for elementary education before I got married, and then I thought it would be nice to have a couple of children with me and my boys during the day and make a little extra cash. I charge $4 an hour or $115 a week. Anything over 28 hours is the $115. People don't understand how hard it is to get other children to fill in the voided days/ times when they are not present. I have tried coming up with a contract that would allow me one week of vacation a year, and If they took a week they had to pay me for the first week and any week after 50% of fees. If they were hourly I would prorate it. For the life of me I always here nagging and complaining!! How many hours are they their a week? What is your FT fee, and are you licensed? I would be honest and lay it all on the table and if they dont like it find new children. It is such a blessing to be able to do something every day that you love, and to risk giving that up would be sad. Also what are they paying now and how many hours are they in your home a day, and how many days.
I am a teacher and when my kids went to an in-home daycare I paid by the week, regardless if they went or not (except summer, when they went 2 days a week so I could get stuff done around the house). They should understand that. I would just give them some time to adjust. I'm not sure how it is there, but here we only get paid once a month, so if I needed to make a big change in my bills, I need a little notice to make it work.
As a provider myself, I know how hard it is when you truly care about the families you service. BUT, you are doing this for you and YOUR family first, and if you need to make changes to continue to do this, then you do that. Let your families know that you are making changes that will go into effect by X date, and give them the opportunity to make a decision as to what they want to do...OR, tell them that come summer, you will be filling their spots if they do not want them and you can not guarantee spots in the fall if you are able to fill them. Also, if you do not have a contract, you need to make one...and a handbook w/ your policies! Chances are, you already have these things in place, though!
After many years, I finally raised my rates a minimal amount recently...it was very hard to do, but I was not even charging the state reimbursement rate, which is fairly low, so it was time...and guess what? It was fine...no one complained, everyone did it w/out reminders and they all are still here!
Best of luck...this truly is a tough spot to be.
What schedule are the families keeping now? Are they full time most of the time except school vacations, workshop days etc? Or do they come 2 days one week, 3 the next etc? If they typically come only a few days a week, I would try to get a set schedule and fill the rest of the week with another family. If they are mostly full time, I would discuss with the parents how to handle vacation weeks, workshops etc. Maybe you can figure out some sort of compromise. My kids used to go to a daycare center and we paid whether the kids went or not, with the exception of 2 weeks a year that we could keep the kids home as vacation. I know some other families that have gone to home daycare and they pay a percentage on days they don't go - maybe 50% of the cost of a day if the kids aren't there. I think you need to figure out exactly what you need and see if it is feasible for the parents. Good luck!
