Is Termination The Right Thing To Do?

[wdmmom]

I have a 3 yo dcb that I've had since he was 7 months old. He is an only child and spoiled rotten. He knows my rules but usually once a day he defies them just to see if he will get in trouble.

This is the same dcb that I had issues with regards to transportation a few weeks back.

DCM changed her work schedule and took Monday & Wednesday mornings off so she could do transportation. She ADDED Friday morning to this child's schedule. (He never used to come on Fridays.) Last week was his first Friday and DCM was late! While I had all of the other children down for a nap, he was up running around! I texted her and was told she would be about 45 minutes and requested I not lay him down. I didn't lay him down in the napping area but I did make him lay down until she got here.

DCM mentioned last week that she found someone to provide transportation and that starting this week, we would go back to his normal schedule (Monday through Thursday). Then at pick up yesterday she proceeds to tell me that she is on the schedule for the next 3 Fridays!

This now means that I will need to have my staff assistant work the next 3 Fridays and I will have the same amount of kids here everyday of the week rather than having Fridays be a little easier and quieter.

I haven't told DCM that I will accept the change. I really enjoy my easy Fridays and I'm really not interested in watching him if she can't be here to pick him up by 1230pm. (Last Friday it was 130pm.)

Now I'm considering just giving my notice altogether. This is also the only kid I have EVERYDAY after 5pm. All of my other children are picked up and gone by 5pm. Meaning if everyone left at 445pm for the day, I could technically be off work early if I didn't have this child. He is picked up anytime between 5pm and 530pm and lately it's been the later part of the spectrum.

And, because DCB is gone for about 9 hours a week for pre-school, DCM isn't paying any extra for Friday because she figures he's gone for 9 and they're adding 4.5 on Fridays so it's fair since she is paying for full time. She is paying for full time...Monday through Thursday.

I really like this family and they are good payers, tippers, give Christmas bonuses every year, and since I've had the kid for a long time, I feel as if he's one of my own. I know the Fridays are short lived so I can deal with that for another few weeks but what about changing my closing time to 5pm or even 515pm?

[Meyou]

They should be paying you for the Friday regardless. It's their choice to put their child in preschool and their choice to take him out for 9 hours per week for it. I have 3 that are in preschool and leave for 2 hours 3 times a week in the winters. The parents arrange the drives and take care of everything. I just have the kids ready to go at 9am for pickup and meet them at the door when they get dropped off again.

I would term because of the 5:30 pickup to be honest if all of my other kids would be gone by 4:45. You're gaining over 3 hours a week that way!

If the 5:30 pickup wasn't an issue I would charge them a daily rate for Mon to Thurs and a 1/2 day rate for Friday IF they were there by 12:30. After 12:30 it would be a full day charge, no exceptions. That should stop the late pickups on the Fridays.

I can't believe she didn't ASK to add Fridays and assumes she doesn't have to pay for them!!.

[PolkaTots]

I guess it depends on how much you are willing to tolerate...
For me personally, I only accept children who compliment our daily routine, and not distract from it. I actually have a DCK kind of like the situation you have now...DCMs hours have changed, her asking me to not put him down for nap, disregarding policies, showing up late...ect. The little things do add up, and just aren't conducive to the way we do things here, so unfortunately, my DCK will be given notice tomorrow.

On a side note, we will be relocating to WDSM next summer, (We are in the Quad Cities now)

[littlemissmuffet]

Personally, I think it is wrong to term this family based on what you are saying... you are OPEN until 5:30pm, you are OPEN on Fridays... but you just don't want to deal with this kid during those time frames. I don't think that's right - especially when you say they're good payers/tippers, give xmas bonuses and this child is supposedly like one of your own.... :confused:

What happened to communicating with our clients?? Why don't you just let her know the Fridays won't work unless she pays a higher fee - and change your daycare hours if you don't like working passed 5pm?

[wdmmom]

Personally, I think it is wrong to term this family based on what you are saying... you are OPEN until 5:30pm, you are OPEN on Fridays... but you just don't want to deal with this kid during those time frames. I don't think that's right - especially when you say they're good payers/tippers, give xmas bonuses and this child is supposedly like one of your own.... :confused:

What happened to communicating with our clients?? Why don't you just let her know the Fridays won't work unless she pays a higher fee - and change your daycare hours if you don't like working passed 5pm?

That's kind of what I reiterated in my post. Changing hours, working Fridays, etc. I'm not apt to change. I only have 4 others that come on Fridays. I enjoy the relaxed, quieter atmosphere on Fridays and now with him here, I'm having to pay more to have my staff assistant here and not getting any extra money from this family.

And, I know if I change my hours to 5pm pick up, they'll be forced to find another provider.

I also raised rates a month ago and because of what DCM was saying, I chose not to raise their rates....considering I thought he would be gone approximately 5 hours a week. I found it to be an even trade...no rate increase, here less hours. KWIM?

I'm just really not liking the Friday situation. I know I'll never keep a full load with a closing time of 5pm so that is something I'm going to have to deal with but I really don't need to continue the Fridays...or do I?

[Meyou]

I don't think you do based on what you've said. She's taken it apon herself to add a day without paying for it. You don't have to accept that if you don't want to. You also have every right to change your business hours if you chose. I would seriously consider it myself if I only had one child for the last 45 minutes everyday.

I don't do early mornings. I open at 7:30 (it will be 8am by next Sept) and I like it that way. If a current client told me they needed care at 6am I would give them a list of providers in the area that I recommend. I do have an early arrival option in my contract where they pay extra if they want to drop off between 7am and 730 am. They pay extra every day just to have the option to drop off early. I decided on a charge that would make me not resent getting up earlier.

[morgan24]

It doesn't sound like dcms schedule is working for you anymore. I don't blame you for wanting to give notice. For me if it doesn't work for me I give notice. Sounds like you are ready to do that, Good Luck!

[wdmmom]

I'm going to work the few Fridays only because I said I would but I am going to make it clear at pick up today that she needs to be here by 1230pm EVERY Friday! And, any unscheduled Friday is going to cost $20 for half day (5 hours or less) or $35 for the whole day. No more favors, no more negotiations, I'm entitled to my daily rate and she's entitled to care...if she pays for it!

[cheerfuldom]

don't forget to reiterate late charges! she thinks because you are home, that she can come whenever and it sounds like you have been allowing that

[wdmmom]

I haven't been allowing it. I've filled in for her if she's had an appointment on Fridays before and she's always paid for it.

Why would I need to reiterate late fees?! She picks up on time each day (with the exception of the 1 Friday he was here) and has always paid on time. I think that would be adding fuel to the fire. I'm sure she isn't going to be happy about the changes but she brought them all on herself.

[MarinaVanessa]

I also raised rates a month ago and because of what DCM was saying, I chose not to raise their rates....considering I thought he would be gone approximately 5 hours a week. I found it to be an even trade...no rate increase, here less hours. KWIM?

Do they know this? If they don't know that you raised your rates then how can they factor in these savings? To them it seems fair but maybe because they don't know that you didn't raise their rates. I would talk to them one on one and explain it. I do agree however that they are choosing to take their child to preschool. I have a 4yo that goes to preschool and they pay the same rate as anybody else. They are not NOT paying for the days that they need childcare, they are paying for my availability/slot/opening or whatever you want to call it. My clients pay the same weekly even on the days that they do not come such as when they are sick, so why wouldn't they pay the same rate if they are coming a few hours a day?

If your client was my client they would be paying the same rate increase AND paying fo rthe extra Friday if they needed it whether or not the child went to preschool for a few hours a day. Remember you can set whatever rules you want that work for you, and the parent can decide whether or not your program fits their needs. Think about what it is that you want and then sit down and talk to them. If it doesn't work for them then you can either keep things the way they are or enforce what you want and they can find another daycare of they don't like it.