DSHS vs. Private Pay Question

[fctjc1979]

I'm not actually offended by what you said, although I know it's hard to tell that because tone gets lost a lot in written form. I too was not planning on taking government assistance but family members were adament that I needed to swollow my pride and do what was necessary for my daughter. I didn't mean for it to look like I think that anyone who is away from their child for long periods of time is an irresponsible parent - it would have made ME an irresponsible parent because of other things happening in my daughter's life at that time. I was just trying to keep my personal story to a minimum in an attempt to not hijack the op's thread - I'm not sure I succeeded

happykidschildcare, I think that the best thing that you can do for this mother is to assess if you can handle only accepting what dhs is going to pay you. If you can - you will be giving this mother an immeasurable gift. If you can't, tell her that you can't and be honest with her about your concerns about whether she can financially make it if she is paying you out of pocket. Tell her that you think this might not be the best fit. If you want to help her, tell her that you would be willing to watch her children until she can find other care. Being a single mother and having financial hardships because of it doesn't make her a bad person. Being financially unable to help her doesn't make you a bad person. It just makes the situation what it is.

[happykidschildcare]

Update..heres the email I sent her this morning

Dear ***x
Yikes! I appreciated the heads up on your schedule and that may change things, My contract clearly states that I give 2 unpaid weeks per year (usually you need to be here for 12 mos before actualy using those 2 wks) so to use your vacation time you could possibly take the March/June time, anything more then that is a $100 per week, per child holding fee. I will call my dshs person tuesday morning and try and find out more info about what they can and can't pay for as far as your schedule issue.
Unfortunatly, you will have this issue with any licensed daycare provider, this is my business and a huge part of our income and we have to stay full and get paid on time or we can't pay our own bills. Which Im sure you understand.

I hope we can work this out, I would hate to lose you before you even started. Thanks Mrs. Char

Does that sound ok??

[mac60]

I would treat her as any other client with the same rules. She is getting a free education. If she can't at least pay 1/2 for a few weeks each year, maybe she should consider going to school part time and working full time like many of us do. You still get the grant money for college weather you go fulltime or part time. I went to school part time and worked 55 hours per week, and I had 2 kids in school. It is doable. Of coarse it took longer to get my degree, but I was paying my own way thru loans, it wasn't handed to me.

The extra $10 per week is a good idea too.

[grandmom]

You must check with your state DSHS! Depending on your state's rules, it may be illegal for you to charge the parent the difference. Your caseworker can tell you the rules, sometimes they are online. If your state doesn't allow you to charge the parent, it really doesn't matter what your policy says, or what she signed for a contract. That the rule in WA, my state.

Ugh, if you are loosing kids, it may be better to have some money from her than no money...?

[fctjc1979]

I would treat her as any other client with the same rules. She is getting a free education. If she can't at least pay 1/2 for a few weeks each year, maybe she should consider going to school part time and working full time like many of us do. You still get the grant money for college weather you go fulltime or part time. I went to school part time and worked 55 hours per week, and I had 2 kids in school. It is doable. Of coarse it took longer to get my degree, but I was paying my own way thru loans, it wasn't handed to me.

The extra $10 per week is a good idea too.

Hmmm. I guess I missed the part where she's getting a free education? I didn't see that anywhere in this discussion.

[Unregistered]

Hmmm. I guess I missed the part where she's getting a free education? I didn't see that anywhere in this discussion.

Thank you for this reply to the quote you used. It's not like this mom is rich or she wouldn't be getting DSHD help in the first place but it is indeed very presumptous to assume she's "getting her education handed to her" and so what if she is. Which is worse?; the parent who works at a low paying job her whole life who needs daycare paid by DSHS until her children are grown, without a doubt also using the system for food benefits and medical or that same mom who has a grant "given" to her by the state for maybe 4 years if she's going for a Masters, which after those 4years (maybe sooner), she is completly off state assistance and able to support her child fully on her own? I say good for her, choosing to further her education thus having the opportunity to not be on the welfare logs all her life. Please people, realize not every one is fortunate enough to have the ability to pay for their own education, it's wonderful to live in a country that is so helpful to it's citizens.

[marniewon]

I think it's great that you want to help this young woman out! I had several dcp's when my children were younger who only charged what DHS would pay, and I was very grateful to them. However - since I've gotten into doing daycare and I understand how it works a little better, I really wish my providers would have let me know their rules (if they charged for vacation - not that I ever took any - or needed more $). I could have paid more, but I assumed whatever the state was paying was enough for them since they never asked for more.

When my daughter was a baby, I worked 3 jobs AND went to school part time. I was a single mom, and I made it work. Yeah, a lot of sleepless nights, or at least not very much sleep. I pulled A's & B's in school, and kept up with all 3 jobs, and even got to spend time with my baby! I am in no way super-mom, so if I could do and do it right, anyone can! I would definitely let her know of your policy on vacation time and see what she has to say.

I realize this thread is a little older - so....what happened? Did you keep her? Are you going to charge her for the time that she's off?

[happykidschildcare]

dshs pay during breaks

Yes we worked things out, she was willing to pay ( with her parents help) to hold the space during her school breaks. But ended up taking some classes during those times so she didnt have to, and the kids still came to care like usual. Im glad they are still here, great family

And to answer some other posts to this, yes when a single mom is having dshs pay for her childcare, she's usually either working fulltime or going to school. And yes the state does help pay for her education. And Im sure she appreciates it very much.