Change is good...RIGHT?!

[wdmmom]

I'm going into my 3rd year of doing in home daycare.

I've had a lot of kids come and go and think I've finally made the appropriate changes for the kids to stay longer. I'm just worried that with the few changes I've already made, more might be too much for some families to take.

For example: I stopped providing any type of transportation last year. This year it proved to be a problem for one family wanting to enroll their 2 year old in pre-school.

Effective October 1, I also had my first rate increase. Most of the parents took to this quite well.

I've also stuck to my guns on not allowing swapping days or hours out for another.

I've revamped my policies and my handbook is now about 9 pages.

So now I'm considering changing my hours. The only problem is that it will affect 1 family (the one family I've had the longest.) I also think that changing my hours might have a negative impact on getting new clients in the future.

When I started, my hours were 6am to 6pm. As time went on, I changed it to a few different times and now it's 730am - 530pm. I'd like to push back the closing time to 5pm or even 515pm if I could get away with it. All of my current children leave between 345pm and 445pm leaving me with 1 child for as long as 45 minutes sometimes. And while I'm still working, I'm trying to start dinner, help kids with homework or projects, etc.

How many of you close at or before 5pm and how has it affected your business?

[morgan24]

I close at 5 and I have had a few who needed later that I didn't take because they needed until 6 and one needed someone until 9. I will go without kids instead of extending my hours because that is what keeps me happy. So It does effect my business but I don't mind. If your prepared to lose the one child that is there 45 minutes after everyone else, I would close at 5 or 5:15. I have had clients that have wanted a 5:30 pick up and when I told them I close at 5, they somehow can pick up by then.

[Cat Herder]

It is a difficult choice. I close at 6pm and stay full.

I decided to open 8am-6pm (vs. 6am-6pm like the chains) instead of closing earlier to minimize child hours in care.

One newer (beautiful!!!) local (private)120 center changed their hours to 7am-5pm (for same reason) two years ago and is now for sale.

Most clients demand that 6pm closing in our area even with most working until 4 (here most can work through lunch hour to get the hour at the end, "Employee Flex Hours"). :confused:

I RARELY have a pickup-up before 5:00 with most being around 5:45.

[Country Kids]

I just changed from 5:30 to 5:00! It totally frees up 1/2 hour to start getting dinner done, errands ran, kids to things or picked up etc. I wanted to do 4:30 but knew that was pushing it. I'm still working a 10 hour day but know that everyone will be gone by then and not have a straggler for 45 min or so. It forced parents to be get here and not think oh I have more time to run errands, work, etc.

[cheerfuldom]

who is left that last 45 minutes? I used to have one kid that was here a lot longer than the others. After the others leave, I consider my family time to start and this little kid just went along with that. Her mom knew that all the other kids were picked up and daycare was unofficially done for the day. The last kid would watch a cartoon, color pictures and even sit at the table with a small snack while the family ate dinner. Is there anyway to keep this kiddo busy without being at their beck and call?

[MsMe]

I close at 5:15.

All of my parents work in localy and we are a small town. It takes 10 TOPS to get from one side to the other during peek driving hours. I chose to close at 5:15 bc here parents get off at 5 and I give them a window to get here but NOT to do other things.

[tbutler]

The change will be good for you and your family. Unfortunately, you may lose a family, bu,t if you're able to make it without that income then I say do it. But who knows, they may be able to pickup or have someone else pickup their child so they won't have to leave. I hope whatever decision you make makes you happy.

[tbutler]

The change will be good for you and your family. Unfortunately, you may lose a family, but, if you're able to make it without that income then I say do it. But who knows, they may be able to pickup or have someone else pickup their child so they won't have to leave. I hope whatever decision you make makes you happy.

[Blackcat31]

My 2 cents: I was open from 6-6. I let parents pay me after services, I didn't charge for sick/absent days or take a vacation. I put up with a million and one things that every member on here has vented about. I had good families, crappy families, really really bad families and a couple great families. But all in all, I think it took me a long time to "earn" the spot I am in now where I can really be picky and choose who I want in care and who I don't. I can decide what hours and what rates I am going to charge and what I will and will not put up with.

I get that you are trying to make child care work with your family, your finances and your life but I think if you start off continually tweaking things all the time and not making gradual changes, you are always going to have families coming and going.

I think if you want those long term clients where you rarely have to advertise or fill spaces then you have to put in the time. I don't think a provider can open her doors and be all strict and run at full backbone capacity from the get go without parents leaving or being confused. I think being able to do that comes with a reputation and a good reputation is ONLY built after a bit of time in the "trenches" putting up with long hours and policy infractions happening on a regular basis.

Does that make sense? I am not trying to say that you have to be a pushover but I do think you have to sort of do the long hours and put up with a little bit of BS before you can simply settle in and enjoy the job. Most of the providers on here who have been doing this forever can tell you that there is always going to be an element to this career choice that makes it so that in order to be able to stand firm in our convictions (and our policies) we have to **** it up a bit for a few years and make parents really want to be at our place versus someone else's in order to "earn" those long term enrollees. Once a really solid reputation has been built then I think that parents who really know what they are "buying" have no issue with changes because they are more willing to compromise in order to get and keep the wonderful and quality care you give.

I am NOT saying that you don't provide all that now, I am just saying that constant change makes parents uneasy. I am sure you are a great provider and know exactly what your doing (especially since you have Nan as a role model...) but I do think that in order to reach that caliber of service you have to put in the long hours and etc. I am sure Nan did the same before she earned the reputation she did.

In regards to the one late family you have, if you only have one child who is still there past 4:45, it doesn't really seem like that big of a deal to do all the family things you mentioned with an one extra kid around. I don't know, it just seems silly to me that you are willing to give up a long term family simply for a few minutes of time at the end of the day. This type of family should be the one you are building your business around. They are your best resource, your best advertisement and your best referral since they have been with you the longest. They are showing you their commitment to you after excepting the rate changes you said you recently made, the transportation change, the revamping of your handbook, and the change in allowing days or hour swaps. I guess I personally wouldn't throw any more on them without fully expecting them to go elsewhere.

If you focus 100% on you and what makes you happy then it will be at the expense of clients sometimes and I guess if you aren't having trouble getting kids then I would make the change. But if you are trying to focus on long term enrollment, I think you need to make changes on a more gradual time line.

[wdmmom]

My 2 cents: I was open from 6-6. I let parents pay me after services, I didn't charge for sick/absent days or take a vacation. I put up with a million and one things that every member on here has vented about. I had good families, crappy families, really really bad families and a couple great families. But all in all, I think it took me a long time to "earn" the spot I am in now where I can really be picky and choose who I want in care and who I don't. I can decide what hours and what rates I am going to charge and what I will and will not put up with.

I get that you are trying to make child care work with your family, your finances and your life but I think if you start off continually tweaking things all the time and not making gradual changes, you are always going to have families coming and going.

I think if you want those long term clients where you rarely have to advertise or fill spaces then you have to put in the time. I don't think a provider can open her doors and be all strict and run at full backbone capacity from the get go without parents leaving or being confused. I think being able to do that comes with a reputation and a good reputation is ONLY built after a bit of time in the "trenches" putting up with long hours and policy infractions happening on a regular basis.

Does that make sense? I am not trying to say that you have to be a pushover but I do think you have to sort of do the long hours and put up with a little bit of BS before you can simply settle in and enjoy the job. Most of the providers on here who have been doing this forever can tell you that there is always going to be an element to this career choice that makes it so that in order to be able to stand firm in our convictions (and our policies) we have to **** it up a bit for a few years and make parents really want to be at our place versus someone else's in order to "earn" those long term enrollees. Once a really solid reputation has been built then I think that parents who really know what they are "buying" have no issue with changes because they are more willing to compromise in order to get and keep the wonderful and quality care you give.

I am NOT saying that you don't provide all that now, I am just saying that constant change makes parents uneasy. I am sure you are a great provider and know exactly what your doing (especially since you have Nan as a role model...) but I do think that in order to reach that caliber of service you have to put in the long hours and etc. I am sure Nan did the same before she earned the reputation she did.

In regards to the one late family you have, if you only have one child who is still there past 4:45, it doesn't really seem like that big of a deal to do all the family things you mentioned with an one extra kid around. I don't know, it just seems silly to me that you are willing to give up a long term family simply for a few minutes of time at the end of the day. This type of family should be the one you are building your business around. They are your best resource, your best advertisement and your best referral since they have been with you the longest. They are showing you their commitment to you after excepting the rate changes you said you recently made, the transportation change, the revamping of your handbook, and the change in allowing days or hour swaps. I guess I personally wouldn't throw any more on them without fully expecting them to go elsewhere.

If you focus 100% on you and what makes you happy then it will be at the expense of clients sometimes and I guess if you aren't having trouble getting kids then I would make the change. But if you are trying to focus on long term enrollment, I think you need to make changes on a more gradual time line.

All of the changes I've made have been gradual and none of the changes have really had any bearing on my long term clients. I just tightened up on my illness policies and requested a diagnosis and care plan rather than the "child is able to return to daycare" type note.

I also never advertised that I provided transportation so I don't think that should negatively impact me. (This is the same DCM that said I would be providing transportation rather than asking me.)

I have no doubt that this could be problematic and I face the chance of losing this family however, even though they've been in my care for 2.5 years, this families needs have changed as well. This family thinks they can change their schedule weekly and add days to accommodate hours the child won't be here. I already nipped that issue in the bud and told her that DCB can attend Fridays but the rate will be $20 for up to 5 hours or $35 for the entire day. She wasn't interested in that so he won't be attending Fridays now.

Closing at 5pm would be perfect for every family but 1 and unfortunately, cooking or helping my own children with homework isn't an option while this child is here. And, I really think that if I chose to close at 5pm, this family could accommodate it. Their child is here 10 hours a day as it is.

I also didn't say I was going to change my hours tomorrow. I'm just tossing the idea around. I really just wanted to know how much effect it had on people that close at or before 5pm.

[Blackcat31]

If you think the changes would be for the best, then absolutely change things. I was only referring to what you had stated yourself. You said,

"I've had a lot of kids come and go and think I've finally made the appropriate changes for the kids to stay longer. I'm just worried that with the few changes I've already made, more might be too much for some families to take."

Which led me to think you also believed that more changes will be too much for some families.

You also said,

"So now I'm considering changing my hours. The only problem is that it will affect 1 family (the one family I've had the longest.) I also think that changing my hours might have a negative impact on getting new clients in the future."

which tells me that you were concerned about how this will impact new clients.

With the additional info you have supplied however, I think that I would make the change in hours. I didn't realize that this family was sort of problematic for you in which case I would not hold them in such high regard...

I didn't mean to imply you were being wishy washy at all, just responding to your initial post which didn't include some details that show me a different light.

[wdmmom]

If you think the changes would be for the best, then absolutely change things. I was only referring to what you had stated yourself. You said,

"I've had a lot of kids come and go and think I've finally made the appropriate changes for the kids to stay longer. I'm just worried that with the few changes I've already made, more might be too much for some families to take."

Which led me to think you also believed that more changes will be too much for some families.

You also said,

"So now I'm considering changing my hours. The only problem is that it will affect 1 family (the one family I've had the longest.) I also think that changing my hours might have a negative impact on getting new clients in the future."

which tells me that you were concerned about how this will impact new clients.

With the additional info you have supplied however, I think that I would make the change in hours. I didn't realize that this family was sort of problematic for you in which case I would not hold them in such high regard...

I didn't mean to imply you were being wishy washy at all, just responding to your initial post which didn't include some details that show me a different light.

Oh no...what I meant by I've had a lot of kids come and go simply meant that I've had kids here for as little as 5 months and have left for reasons other than changes I've made. (Moving, divorce, job loss, etc.)

I've never lost a client based on changes I've made or contract changes. I have however, sent a family packing because they were trying to "Bogart" my assistant and convincing her to quit working for me and to go work as their personal nanny.

2 of the kids I have have been here for 2+ years, 1 has been here for a year, the others have been here 7 months, 6 months, and 4 months.

[Crazy8]

I went from a 5:30 closing time to a 5:00 closing time a few years ago, BUT I did it slowly and didn't abruptly change hours on any kids currently in care.

I run with contracted hours and had stopped offering the 5:30 closing time to new clients, but still had 2 families of part timers who had some 5:30 nights - I think I was down to it only being 2 nights a week that I had them till 5:30. They were great families and knew I was keeping my hours for them and they rushed here directly from work. I kept those 2 late nights until both went off to preschool. Now had they been 6 month olds that I was going to have to do that for for another 3-4 years I wouldn't have done it, but they were older toddlers and I knew I only had another year or so with them anyway. Many nights I just had to jump in the car right behind them to be somewhere for my kids but I was able to do it.

Now I'm offering a slightly lower rate for a 4:30 pick up time but I doubt that will ever be my official closing time.

[countrymom]

I close at 5pm and I love it. I use to have the 45min kid and its easy to say "let him watch tv or color" acually its not. Because I still had to watch him, and make sure he wasn't in trouble but he would become a nausense because all the kids were gone, he would start asking over and over when is he going home, he's bored, he's hungry... so I stopped that.

[MyAngels]

I close at 5 and have for about 15 years. It has never been a problem finding clients and I'm always as full as I want to be. The three major employers in my town are all highly family friendly, and allow their employees to basically choose the schedule they want to work, so that makes it easy for families to accommodate my hours.