Tweet
Well, I only have 3 weeks left of daycare before me and the family are on the road! This last month has been the most hellish month of ALL my years doing daycare. We are a military family and I have done this move/daycare care thing a few times and this by far has been the hardest with the daycare families. I have really great families that follow the rules for the most part, they always give me praise, their kids are will behaved and I just love them all to pieces.
I was having such a hard time with this and choosing the right time to tell my daycare parents. I settled on giving them 6 weeks notice. I told everyone in person and then the next day gave everyone written notice. I explained that if you find something sooner than July 13th, I completely understand but 2 weeks notice is required. I also am giving anyone that stays until the 13th half off the last week. THEN CHAOS ENSUES...
1. I get notice from 3 kids the next day.
2. DCM calls and says they aren't suppling any more diapers at daycare because new preschool wont take her until she's potty trained. Mom was basically making it my problem that she wasn't potty trained yet. So I gave mom her problem back and said she is potty trained here and if she isn't for you, then it is something your doing, not me. The next week same mom texted me at 4:15 (PU time is 4:30) and said she decided to run errands and won't be there until 5:30. So I texted back my overtime rate and gave her what the overtime fee would be. Mom brought the overtime fee and notice.
3. DCF (has 3 kids that I watch) waits till Sunday of this week (has had notice for 3+ weeks now) and says they found care for one DCG but they had to start paying right away so can they not have to pay or give 2 weeks notice. I say no, still have to give 2 weeks. Then she says okay well the 2 other DCBs wont be here mon-wed this week so can they use vacation rate. I say no vacation rate requires 2 week notice. So then Monday DCM gives me 2 week notice for the one DCG. Then in the evening texts me, Can we get any discounts or use any leave for her last 2 weeks. I said no, vacation rate requires two week notice and you can't use vacation for last 2 weeks per contract. So then she goes on but you are giving her other 2 sons, 50% off last week. So I explain, only kids who stay until July 13th get 50%. She doesnt get it. So I say well if you would like to have a conference where we can sit down and I can re explain my contract I'd be happy to. Uggggh
4. Next DCB - Mom and Dad don't work on Fridays. Mom and dad told me that they will pay full time rate but that they would almost always keep dcb home for family time. So then week after I give notice I found out from another Provider friend this DCB started and goes there on fridays. I dont really care because I am getting my money still for FT rate and I am sure they probably want to keep their foot in the door and try it out for when I leave. Then DCB starts getting sick. Over the last 7 weeks, he has had strep 2 times, a pretty much non stop cold, fevers, pink eye and hand foot and mouth. She calls me up Monday and says he has a fever (and is on antibiotics since last Thursday for strep) and that I really need to get a handle on this because I am draining her sick leave! I was like wait a minute. NOBODY here has been sick except for him. She said oh that seems hard to believe. I said I'll show you my sign in/out sheets. No one has been sick! She said well dr said someone is re-infecting him. I said well did you think that maybe it is the other daycare he goes to. She was so upset that I knew about that. I said I dont care about the other daycare, but you need to realize you are subjecting him to 2 sets of germs. He has been here for 2 years and has only missed a handful of days until he started the other daycare. He has built up immunities to the germs at this house. He hasn't at the other daycare. So she changes subject and says okay well he wont be there today, but if he is feeling better today she will bring him tomorrow. So this morning, she calls and says she gave him tylenol for his fever last night before bed and he slept well all night and seems fine this morning, will bring him in about an hour. I said no 24 hours after no fever with no tylenol. She gets all mad and says she only has a few weeks left and I have low enrollment, why am I making this so difficult for her. I said, I am just following my contract, just because I am leaving doesnt mean the rules are out the window. We are moving soon and the last thing I need is my kids sick! So then 2 hours ago she stops by and brings termination notice with 2 weeks worth of pay and asks for his stuff. I started crying and she asked if they were guilty tears? I said no, I really care for all my daycare kids and seeing him go makes me sad. I also said, I had grown really fond of all my daycare families and thought we had developed a close bond and mutual respect, but that maybe it was more one sided than I thought.
Uggggggh, I know this post is painfully long, but has anyone moving or closing had the same experience. Its almost like they take it as a personal attack that my husband got military orders to another state. I pour my heart and soul into these kids and feel like I am getting stepped on and treated like trash. It is just so weird because I have a very strong backbone and generally don't have any issues. Thanks for listening :confused::confused::confused:
I was having such a hard time with this and choosing the right time to tell my daycare parents. I settled on giving them 6 weeks notice. I told everyone in person and then the next day gave everyone written notice. I explained that if you find something sooner than July 13th, I completely understand but 2 weeks notice is required. I also am giving anyone that stays until the 13th half off the last week. THEN CHAOS ENSUES...
1. I get notice from 3 kids the next day.
2. DCM calls and says they aren't suppling any more diapers at daycare because new preschool wont take her until she's potty trained. Mom was basically making it my problem that she wasn't potty trained yet. So I gave mom her problem back and said she is potty trained here and if she isn't for you, then it is something your doing, not me. The next week same mom texted me at 4:15 (PU time is 4:30) and said she decided to run errands and won't be there until 5:30. So I texted back my overtime rate and gave her what the overtime fee would be. Mom brought the overtime fee and notice.
3. DCF (has 3 kids that I watch) waits till Sunday of this week (has had notice for 3+ weeks now) and says they found care for one DCG but they had to start paying right away so can they not have to pay or give 2 weeks notice. I say no, still have to give 2 weeks. Then she says okay well the 2 other DCBs wont be here mon-wed this week so can they use vacation rate. I say no vacation rate requires 2 week notice. So then Monday DCM gives me 2 week notice for the one DCG. Then in the evening texts me, Can we get any discounts or use any leave for her last 2 weeks. I said no, vacation rate requires two week notice and you can't use vacation for last 2 weeks per contract. So then she goes on but you are giving her other 2 sons, 50% off last week. So I explain, only kids who stay until July 13th get 50%. She doesnt get it. So I say well if you would like to have a conference where we can sit down and I can re explain my contract I'd be happy to. Uggggh
4. Next DCB - Mom and Dad don't work on Fridays. Mom and dad told me that they will pay full time rate but that they would almost always keep dcb home for family time. So then week after I give notice I found out from another Provider friend this DCB started and goes there on fridays. I dont really care because I am getting my money still for FT rate and I am sure they probably want to keep their foot in the door and try it out for when I leave. Then DCB starts getting sick. Over the last 7 weeks, he has had strep 2 times, a pretty much non stop cold, fevers, pink eye and hand foot and mouth. She calls me up Monday and says he has a fever (and is on antibiotics since last Thursday for strep) and that I really need to get a handle on this because I am draining her sick leave! I was like wait a minute. NOBODY here has been sick except for him. She said oh that seems hard to believe. I said I'll show you my sign in/out sheets. No one has been sick! She said well dr said someone is re-infecting him. I said well did you think that maybe it is the other daycare he goes to. She was so upset that I knew about that. I said I dont care about the other daycare, but you need to realize you are subjecting him to 2 sets of germs. He has been here for 2 years and has only missed a handful of days until he started the other daycare. He has built up immunities to the germs at this house. He hasn't at the other daycare. So she changes subject and says okay well he wont be there today, but if he is feeling better today she will bring him tomorrow. So this morning, she calls and says she gave him tylenol for his fever last night before bed and he slept well all night and seems fine this morning, will bring him in about an hour. I said no 24 hours after no fever with no tylenol. She gets all mad and says she only has a few weeks left and I have low enrollment, why am I making this so difficult for her. I said, I am just following my contract, just because I am leaving doesnt mean the rules are out the window. We are moving soon and the last thing I need is my kids sick! So then 2 hours ago she stops by and brings termination notice with 2 weeks worth of pay and asks for his stuff. I started crying and she asked if they were guilty tears? I said no, I really care for all my daycare kids and seeing him go makes me sad. I also said, I had grown really fond of all my daycare families and thought we had developed a close bond and mutual respect, but that maybe it was more one sided than I thought.
Uggggggh, I know this post is painfully long, but has anyone moving or closing had the same experience. Its almost like they take it as a personal attack that my husband got military orders to another state. I pour my heart and soul into these kids and feel like I am getting stepped on and treated like trash. It is just so weird because I have a very strong backbone and generally don't have any issues. Thanks for listening :confused::confused::confused:
Comment