Opinions Please Ladies...

[Angelwings36]

I posted earlier about how I am taking emails and phone calls this week and starting to interview potential clients next week.

I had a mom contact me via email this morning who is interested in a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday space for her 2.5 year old son. I do like taking part time as that means for slower days through out the week. This is also the first child who has been over the age of 2 years for potential clients.

Problems are:

1. Dcm wants an interview tomorrow evening as they are heading to Mexico next week. I already promised myself I would not start interviewing until next week so I'm not so overwhelmed with answering emails, phone calls, getting paper work together and interviewing all at the same time while doing my regular daily daycare work. She is not back until April 24th.

2. She only wants a temporary space until November as she is due with her third child at that time. Mom is a sahm of 2 children, with one on the way. She is sending one to daycare and keeping the other 7.5 month old girl at home. Is this a flag, or is it just because her daughter is only 7.5 months old you think?

So...

Do I go against what I want and schedule an interview tomorrow evening or do I wait until she is back on April 24th? I wanted to wrap all of this up by no later than April 23rd.

Opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[Blackcat31]

You have a pretty valid reason for doing what you wanted to do such as not interview until next week, so personally I would not just take the first person who called or e-mailed.

I would be a bit pickier and find one that works better into your schedule.

I also wouldn't really be interested in temp postions since I work hard to integrate a kid into my program and wouldn't want to do all that work just to have the kid leave.

Plus why is this mom waiting til right before she goes on a trip to look for daycare? Where are her priorities? kwim?

[daycare]

Looks like you already have your answer....

Stick to your plan. I would not hold the interview tomorrow for this family. I would tell them sorry I will not be conducting interviews until *** date. If you can't come then, I would love to meet with you when you come back.

Also let them know up front, that you are looking for a long term family (if you are)

YOu are already being asked to do special..DO NOT DO IT!!!!

[Angelwings36]

You have a pretty valid reason for doing what you wanted to do such as not interview until next week, so personally I would not just take the first person who called or e-mailed.

I would be a bit pickier and find one that works better into your schedule.

I also wouldn't really be interested in temp postions since I work hard to integrate a kid into my program and wouldn't want to do all that work just to have the kid leave.

Plus why is this mom waiting til right before she goes on a trip to look for daycare? Where are her priorities? kwim?

Thanks blackcat. Right now my latest pick up on Mondays is 4:00pm and I'm off on Fridays at 4:30pm. She wanted Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 7:30am - 5:00pm (kinda long hours for a sahm?? Do you think? Would you do nanny's rate structure to see if she would cut her pick up time down a bit?)

I also would not give her my decision on whether I could accommodate her until the earliest of April 23rd. I'm not sure why she is rushing to interview now when she leaves on Sunday, that is weird.

I agree with not favouring the temporary positions, however, it is 7 months.

[Angelwings36]

Looks like you already have your answer....

Stick to your plan. I would not hold the interview tomorrow for this family. I would tell them sorry I will not be conducting interviews until *** date. If you can't come then, I would love to meet with you when you come back.

Also let them know up front, that you are looking for a long term family (if you are)

YOu are already being asked to do special..DO NOT DO IT!!!!

I think I REALLY needed to hear the line in bold.

[Blackcat31]

Thanks blackcat. Right now my latest pick up on Mondays is 4:00pm and I'm off on Fridays at 4:30pm. She wanted Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 7:30am - 5:00pm (kinda long hours for a sahm?? Do you think? Would you do nanny's rate structure to see if she would cut her pick up time down a bit?)

I also would not give her my decision on whether I could accommodate her until the earliest of April 23rd. I'm not sure why she is rushing to interview now when she leaves on Sunday, that is weird.

I agree with no favouring the temporary positions, however, it is 7 months.

I would just tell her that you close at a certain time and let the rest be her problem. Don't give her the option of staying later.

I would also mention to her that IF you do decide to take her that if a long term family came knocking and wanted the space that she would be termed.

I applaud her honesty about wanting temporary space but she HAS to realize you are a business and taking long term clients that want to stay AND pay is our ultimate goal.

[Crazy8]

is finding new clients a challenge for you?? If so I would not take one you know will be leaving in November and I'd be leary of a SAHM who wants to send a child 9.5 hours a day when she is home with another one. I think you will come to really regret that last half hour regardless of how much she is paying for it. I know I would!!

[Solandia]

In the recent past, I have had 2 sahm's (one was not by choice, rather, unemployed, and one quit her job to be a sahm) with preschoolers in my care for 2-3 days per week. One had a younger sib at home, too. Both saw it as a "pre-preschool" for socialization. And a change to get stuff done without the older kid there.

I won't do that again. A 2yo, even a mature 2yo, doesn't get why mommy goes home and they go to my house. I would have never done this with a sahm new client, these were long time clients and I had their kids since babies. I will not do a sahm situation again. While it worked out 'okay', it just isn't my philosophy to force a child to be independent until they are older...in my area, there is a TON of pressure among parents to send kids to formal preschool at 2/2.5, so these mom think they were doing a light version of preschool/creating indepentent 2yo. My philosophy is more a kids don't need preschool until 4yo, and even then not really necessary. But, I am a homeschooling mom, so, I come from that direction.

The positive, though, was when kids were sick (here or theirs), the moms did tend to keep their child home to limit exposure. Oh, and since they didn't need extended hours b/c of work...I made sure they didn't come before breakfast, and pickup was an hour after nap was over...so 8-4:00.

[Angelwings36]

I do offer care until 5:00pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays so her hours are ok for those days. I would never offer later than a 5:00pm pick up. I was just thinking that maybe 7:30am - 5:00pm is long hours for a sahm and was hoping there was some way to shave it down a bit since there is really no need for her son to be in daycare for 9.5 hours when she is sitting at home. So I thought if maybe I offered:

4:00pm pick up - $35/day (MY REGULAR PART TIME RATE)
4:30pm pick up - $37.50/day
5:00pm pick up - $40/day

That she might decide to go with an earlier pick up time and if not then I won't be so bitter that I have her child for 9.5 hours a day while she is sitting at home. KWIM?

[cheerfuldom]

I don't do SAHMs. It just works against what I believe personally about child rearing and sort of rubs me the wrong way. In my experience, SAHMs do end up expecting "special"....because they don't HAVE to be at work or anywhere in particular, you might end up getting random drop offs and pickups and in general, them not valuing your time and the structure of your program.

[daycare]

I don't do SAHMs. It just works against what I believe personally about child rearing and sort of rubs me the wrong way. In my experience, SAHMs do end up expecting "special"....because they don't HAVE to be at work or anywhere in particular, you might end up getting random drop offs and pickups and in general, them not valuing your time and the structure of your program.

I have a lot of SAHM as clients and all of them thus far have worked out very well. BUT I agree with what you are saying about the child rearing

[Angelwings36]

is finding new clients a challenge for you?? If so I would not take one you know will be leaving in November and I'd be leary of a SAHM who wants to send a child 9.5 hours a day when she is home with another one. I think you will come to really regret that last half hour regardless of how much she is paying for it. I know I would!!

Finding new clients is not usually a challenge for me, I usually fill any available spaces within a week at the most 2 weeks. However, I do not really need to fill this space just thought it would be a little extra spending money so the temporary didn't look that horrible to me I guess given the situation.

[Christian Mother]

My daycare is for working parents. I haven't ever had a sahm call for childcare...I think that I would of taken one yrs ago when I was starting out bc I needed children. But, I've learned quiet a bit since running mine. I think to start off. I've noticed with part timers and specially moms that stay home don't stick to the rules. They drop off when they want and pick up when they want and think of you as a babysitter...not a daycare provider. It's up to you to really formulate what your policies are and days the child is in care. You need to make sure the parents understand that a schedule is key in making the child feel comfortable and if they decide one day to keep them home or arrive late or pick up early/late it messes everyone up not to mention you start becoming upset over the situations. Maybe have a structure put in place that they pay regardless of attendance and set strick rules on early late departures. I would recommend nans rate schedule. I think she is $5 extra every 30 min. I could be wrong..it could be every 15min. And it's a lot cheaper when they pick up early like say they only need 8 hrs. I wld charge more for part time like your doing and start lessening that when they only come less hrs..kwim. I think you need to stick to your policies and what you've set forth..no interview til next week.

[cheerfuldom]

I have a lot of SAHM as clients and all of them thus far have worked out very well. BUT I agree with what you are saying about the child rearing

well I would say that you are unique. I'm glad your SAHMs have been good to you but in my experience, that is not the norm.

[daycare]

4 of my kids come from SAHM... I think it is the norm here.