Just When You Think You Have It.........

[Country Kids]

your have to add to your handbook again. I feel like typing a letter to my parents and letting them know the reason my handbook is the way it is, is because of things parents do/have done to make these rules.

Things I learned this year!

I'm a nap/rest childcare. No, I won't wake your child up so early. I will wake them up at the end of the naptime. If they are grouchy each day though after nap they may receive a longer nap. THEY ARE TIRED!


Arrival time-you need to let me know the night before that you will be arriving later.

Arrival times may be no later then 9:00 unless your child is in a different program then mine.

Thinking on this one-Your child must have had breakfast before coming to childcare. I'm tired of kids not eating/crying/yelling at each other/etc. every morning during breakfast. They already bring their breakfast food so figure they can feed them at home. I know for some of them its pretty early but I did it as a working parent-mine was up, ready and fed by 5:15 AM.

Start charging a holding fee or something for teachers. I haven't done this ever as I love the lighter load in the summer but with a change in hubs income we can't do this anymore.

Also, since I'm hourly I'm thinking of just charging them for the schedule they give me. This is the tricky part though-they have to sign in and out for our food program. So the times will be different then what I'm charging for and I don't know how that will work with the food program. Especially if they just write down the normal time but leave earlier and I don't feed the child a meal then it will probably screw everything up. Still working on that one.

I need to start writing these all down as when it comes time to do my handbook I will have forgot everything-.

[Blackcat31]

My parents need to give me a written schedule week before WITH the payment for the time they scheduled.

Then they also have to sign in and out each day. The times they sign in and out have NOTHING to do with the scheduled times they gave me and paid for so keeping them separate is no big deal.

The only time it makes a difference is if they are later than what they scheduled for pick up...such as paying until 3:00 but not picking up til 3:30, then I put out the late pick up sign out sheet and they have to pay the late fee immediately so I am paid for hteir scheduled time as well as anything they are late with or go over.

Even though you are hourly, you can still do this.... are you pre or post paid?

[Country Kids]

I'm post paid as with the hourly, I've pretty much always done what hours they were here. Most of the time they followed it to a T but I know have some parents that aren't arriving when they are supose to for drop off or suddenly showing up early for pickup. These are my fulltimers that the parents have set hours in offices so I'm not sure whats up!

[My3cents]

your have to add to your handbook again. I feel like typing a letter to my parents and letting them know the reason my handbook is the way it is, is because of things parents do/have done to make these rules.your business you make the rules. They should be clear and as you go they become clearer. Nothing wrong with updating, you don't want to be doing it left and right.

Things I learned this year!I understand where your coming from, but you have to clean this up to be more professional and still make your point. You don't want to come across as.........fill in the blank. Even if you have done repeat and repeat and are blue in the face.

I'm a nap/rest childcare. No, I won't wake your child up so early. I will wake them up at the end of the naptime. If they are grouchy each day though after nap they may receive a longer nap. THEY ARE TIRED!


Arrival time-you need to let me know the night before that you will be arriving later.

Arrival times may be no later then 9:00 unless your child is in a different program then mine. I take it your a Center or running more then one program?

Thinking on this one-Your child must have had breakfast before coming to childcare. I'm tired of kids not eating/crying/yelling at each other/etc. every morning during breakfast. They already bring their breakfast food so figure they can feed them at home. I know for some of them its pretty early but I did it as a working parent-mine was up, ready and fed by 5:15 AM. Again, I get that your tired but you don't want to phrase it this way in your policies. Couple of people here that are awesome at wording and helping out with handbooks/policies

Start charging a holding fee or something for teachers. I haven't done this ever as I love the lighter load in the summer but with a change in hubs income we can't do this anymore. I would never let my problems become my parents problems

Also, since I'm hourly I'm thinking of just charging them for the schedule they give me. This is the tricky part though-they have to sign in and out for our food program. So the times will be different then what I'm charging for and I don't know how that will work with the food program. Especially if they just write down the normal time but leave earlier and I don't feed the child a meal then it will probably screw everything up. Still working on that one. charge a flat rate- have them pay if the child is there or not. You need to be able to depend upon your income and know what that is going to be, not guessing from week to week.

I need to start writing these all down as when it comes time to do my handbook I will have forgot everything-.

Ok I was reading this as to be how you were going to put it in your handbook- think I am wrong and you are just venting off the things that are bothering you and that you want to change. I say change it up. It takes a while to know what is going to work and what is not going to work. One year it works well one way and then the next it just doesn't.

This was def a 3centser because I don't think I was much help to you-

Happy Monday~

[My3cents]

I need to start writing these all down as when it comes time to do my handbook I will have forgot everything-.[/QUOTE]

I do this- forgot to mention this to you. I have been writing down a bunch of things to change up and then I will do them all at once before they sign my renewal contract. My thoughts were to highlight them so they are clear-

An example of this, is I don't have room for strollers, diaper bags and car seats. I let one parent that walks here leave the stroller and I can see this as being a potential problem. It makes dirt on my floors every day and more work for me. I figured Grandfather that parent and from then on out don't allow it. I was not thinking about it when I said sure no problem--- have grown to resent it, but at my own fault. I view it as a lesson-

Let your parents decide if they want to be full or part time and then charge them a standard rate that they pay no matter if the child is in attendance or not. Give yourself vacations too----

[texascare]

I tell each perspective client at the time of interview the policies and handbook are 25 years of learning and things that have come up in my business. I pre charge by 2 weeks and they pay a flat fee period and I am open set hours each day.--7:30-5:30 and I charge $175 per week. No hourly etc as that was becoming an abused situation. I ended up doing what workes best for me and my family-- which obviously differs for each provider. I just got tired of being run over in the business and last year I added to my policies and had the parents sign a new contract at the beginning of the year. For teachers i pretty much quit taking them. I do have 1 left and I charge for the summer full rate. I got to the point of why should my income go down because they aren't here? My bills don't go down or stop coming in so why should my income. I charge weather a child is here or not. The only thing I do not charge for is my 1 week off during the summer, other than that they should consider me a weekly bill and include me in all the other bills they pay.