Dont think second interview went well

[Nickel]

So dcm came for second interview today with the baby. My dog got out of his crate and was at the door barking when the door bell rang. So I told her to hold on and put him back in his crate. My other dogs are barking so i excuse myself again to turn the radio on for them. All is quiet for about a min. Then he is smashing his crate against the wall trying to open his crate. Again I apologize. Then the beeper goes off cuz I'm baking cookies for a bake sale today. Then I notice grandma is standing here. They were here for 30 min and she didnt move from the post near the doorway. At this point I'm sweating.

But dcb is super cute, 4 months old, talks, no crying, not a real porker. He fussed a little I put him on a blanket I had near by. He did well then fussed a little so mom picked him up.

I was hoping for a deposit today and mom says she'll contact me early next week and leaves. So.... Im guessing I blew the interview that went great when it was just mom and I! Grrrr....

Then another interview I had lined up rescheduled and I told her I'd have to contact her with a date and time and she never responded to the new appt time. So I thought I was going to have two kids starting now it looks like I have none

[cheerfuldom]

So dcm came for second interview today woth the baby. My dog.got.out of his crate and was at the door barking when the door bell rang. So i told her to hold on and put him back in his crate. My other dogs are baeking so i excuse myself again to turn the radio.on for them. All is quiet for about a min. Then he is smqshing his crate aganst the wall trying to open his crate. Again i apologize. Then the beeper goes off cuz im baking.cookies.for.a bake sale.today. Then i notice grandma is standing. They were here for 30 min and she didnt move from the post near the doorway. At this point im sweating.

But dcb is super.cute. 4 mnths old talks, no.crying, not a real porker. He fussed a little i put him on a blanket i had near by. He did well then fussed a little so mom picked him up.

I was hoping for a deposit today and mom says she'll contact me early next week and leaves. So.... Im guessing i blew the interview that went great when it was just mom and i! Grrrr....

Then another interview i had lined up rescheduled and i told her id have to.contact her with a date and time and she never responded to.the new appt time. So i thought i was going to have two kids starting now it looks like i have none

dont get too upset about it. you never know what could happen next. its important to keep your expectations reasonable though and not plan on kids starting or get your hopes up if parents have not committed or given a deposit. We all have interviews that dont pan out. On a side note, next time dont have things going on (like baking) when you have an interview scheduled.

[My3cents]

dont get too upset about it. you never know what could happen next. its important to keep your expectations reasonable though and not plan on kids starting or get your hopes up if parents have not committed or given a deposit. We all have interviews that dont pan out. On a side note, next time dont have things going on (like baking) when you have an interview scheduled.

agree

and have your dogs crated or outside or whatever works for you. Many people are intimidated by dogs. Dog and kids- well you just never know. I would never send my child to a daycare that had big dogs or prob any dogs in the same area as the kids. Animals can be unpredictable. Kids too- a Combo for disaster. I know many people that have daycares and dogs combined. I am just saying for me I wouldn't like it. I have a dog but my dog is not available to the children or parents.

Keep on keepin on, you will find a family that is right for you and you right for them. My first interviews were not fun either. Learning curve-
Best-

[Blackcat31]

Hey, life happens. Sometimes the interviews I have that I think were the worst, end up signing on simply because I handled "life" when it happens.

You are a daycare provider and you run a household so unplanned things are going to happen and unless you are some kind of Martha Stewart in disguise, you aren't going to always have these prepared, organized, perfect interviews.....kwim?

If I am interviewing while DCK's are present, I usually make it very clea rot he parents that they will not have my undivided attention as I am always on the clock.

I sense you are doubting yourself again. Be positive and don't stress until they actually call and say no. If that happens, be glad they weren't the right fit and move on. If they call and sign on, atleast you know it is because you CAN handle whatever gets thrown your way and you will be off to a good honest start.

Chin up!

[Nickel]

Thanks for the replies. A few things.

I never let the dogs around dck. They are in my room and my one dog got his crate open by banging it against the wall. I heard him at the door of my bedroom, which was also closed when she rang the doorbell. I opened my bedroom door to get him back in the crate and he ran to the door barking. He has the scariest bark EVER.

So I told her to hold on a moment and put him back in his crate. Pushed the nightstand up against it and he continued trying to hit his crate off the wall so he could get out. I then forgot to turn the radio on, so when she came in my other dogs started barking.

So I excused myself again, turned on the radio in my room and closed the door again. At this point it was fairly quiet except for the sound of the crate being repeatedly banged off the wall while he tried to get out. I apologized, told them he broke his crate and I was going to get a new one this weekend so there would be no further problems.

I was only baking because my daughter has this bake sale for a very expensive activity that she is in. I was going to do it Friday night (I waited because we got paid Friday so it was the earliest I could get the stuff) but I ended up with the worst headache. Most likely due to dehydration (it's 107 today)

I was stressed to begin with because my washer broke down, we are leaving town this weekend and I have to get to the laundry mat because we have no clothes, but it's so hot I have to wait until my husband gets home to do it (so he can watch the children, our children. No A/c at the laundry mat) and he's been working till about 8 every night this week.

Then I was stressed about the bake sale that I woudn't have enough time to finish everything before she got there. On top of that I have to vaccuum every morning because of the dogs, so I was cleaning, trying to get ready, taking care of my daughter, the dogs, and trying to bake before she arrived this morning.

I apologized to her for everything and explained that it wasn't the norm, I just had a lot going on that day. In the future, I will not be planning anything other than the interview. It's too stressful and doesn't work out.

Thank you everyone who applied. Good suggestions, and yes Blackcat, I probably am doubting myself again. But she was the only person that was starting. Like, we had pretty much agreed she would start on the 13th and she wanted to give me a deposit at the first interview, but I wanted to meet the baby first.

So she said she'd get with me early next week, but I sort of thought she'd give me the deposit today. Which leads me to believe she will look for care elsewhere. I too would be worried about the dogs, which is why I moved them into my bedroom in the first place. CRATED. They are always crated when we have company or aren't home.

sigh. I just hope she decides it was a fluke and she trusts me with her little one. I can see how it didn't go well... So, maybe she'll still want my services ormaybe not, but I'm going to assume she doesn't so I won't be dissappointed come Monday. And if she decides to stick with me, then all the better!!!

[Truly Scrumptious]

A few years ago, I had a provider friend who was doing an interview with a family and her 2 year old son came out of his bedroom naked and wearing his dad's underwear on top of his head. ::::::

She was worried that they wouldn't call back...I told her that if they didn't have any better sense of humor than that...then I wouldn't care if they did call back.

They called.

[Nickel]

. :: That's too funny! Well, I can always hope, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Although her current provider said she didn't say anything to her. So hopefully! I mean, if she suddenly changed her mind, she's tell her current provider right? But I just don't want to be to hopeful. Just in case

[GretasLittleFriends]

If it makes you feel any better, I had what I felt was a major red flag during an interview I had.

We have a collie. He is as sweet as can be. He's big and hairy, so he's an outside only dog. He has always been an outside dog. He weighs close to 100lb. We also have one or two (depends on if my DH is home or gone, one travels with him) mini-schnauzers. They are inside dogs.

I had a family show up for an interview. Apparently the back door didn't get closed tight. I was going through the part of my contract regarding pets and such. It was practically on queue that I started to talk about Bert (the collie) and explaining that he's an outside only dog. He came up the stairs into the kitchen, and straight to the dog dish, as if this is something he does frequently. I WAS MORTIFIED. I was afraid they would think I was lying. They could see that I was inwardly upset about the situation as I excused myself and put the dog back out. He had never been in the kitchen before, and has not since.

That was almost 3 years ago, and needless to say, they're still happy clients. You will have to keep us updated. I hope for the best for you! Hope you had a good trip out of town for the weekend.

[MizzCheryl]

If they don't call you didn't need them. That is life and if they can't deal with lifes little quirks then they would be too hard to please anyway.
So don't beat yourself up.

[Nickel]

Thank you for all of the replies. I do appreciate it. I know you all are right. I'm pretty sure she isnt coming back. Her current provider texted me tonight and asked if i could watch dck tomorrow as the provider isnt feeling well. She told me dcm asked her to ask me???? Well ten minutes later she said, change of plans dcm is working from home tomorrow. So if she doesnt trust me for back up care then there is no way she is going to bring him next week and i was going to have two part timers in the afternoon and their mom just told me she is only going to be working weekends. So i lost them too. Although I have them next week for a few days but then mom will have them.

On a positive note I have another interview Tuesday evening. Hopefully that one will go well. I will have the two boys here. Should I say they are just drop in or should I not say anything? They are the only two I have beside my own...

How long did it take for you all to fill your spots?

[cheerfuldom]

Thank you for all of the replies. I do appreciate it. I know you all are right. I'm pretty sure she isnt coming back. Her current provider texted me tonight and asked if i could watch dck tomorrow as the provider isnt feeling well. She told me dcm asked her to ask me???? Well ten minutes later she said, change of plans dcm is working from home tomorrow. So if she doesnt trust me for back up care then there is no way she is going to bring him next week and i was going to have two part timers in the afternoon and their mom just told me she is only going to be working weekends. So i lost them too. Although I have them next week for a few days but then mom will have them.

On a positive note I have another interview Tuesday evening. Hopefully that one will go well. I will have the two boys here. Should I say they are just drop in or should I not say anything? They are the only two I have beside my own...

How long did it take for you all to fill your spots?

Always be honest about the other kids in care. Almost all parents will ask who is in your home on a daily basis and so you would tell them that you currently do not have any full time children, although you do provide care on a drop in or temporary basis right now. You dont want the parents expecting these other kids there (as playmates) if they are only temporary. I would also tell them the max number of kids that you would ever take on a single day (including theirs) so they know the possibility of how big your group might get.

[Nickel]

Of course. You're right. I'm just wondering if my inability to get spots filled is my lack of enrollment. Which is tough to overcome without first getting someone in the door! I've been advertising for several weeks and while I've gotten some phone calls and emails, only two interviews and possibly two more this week. One def on Tues (as long as she shows up).

I'm considering lowering my rates. It stinks because I am on par with other legitimate child care providers in the area, but if I can't get anyone in the door it doesn't really matter. So instead of $125 a week I was thinking of $100 and keeping my part time rates at $75. Or maybe even doing a tiered program. like 0-x is $50 x-x is $75 and over x is full time at $125. I know a lot of providers don't do part time care, but I live in a college town, so finding 4 part timers will pay better than 2 full timers.

I was thinking of putting an ad out that didn't include my website and name and all the other information, just to see if I get a better response with the lower rate. What do you all thing? thanks in advance!

[cheerfuldom]

Of course. You're right. I'm just wondering if my inability to get spots filled is my lack of enrollment. Which is tough to overcome without first getting someone in the door! I've been advertising for several weeks and while I've gotten some phone calls and emails, only two interviews and possibly two more this week. One def on Tues (as long as she shows up).

I'm considering lowering my rates. It stinks because I am on par with other legitimate child care providers in the area, but if I can't get anyone in the door it doesn't really matter. So instead of $125 a week I was thinking of $100 and keeping my part time rates at $75. Or maybe even doing a tiered program. like 0-x is $50 x-x is $75 and over x is full time at $125. I know a lot of providers don't do part time care, but I live in a college town, so finding 4 part timers will pay better than 2 full timers.

I was thinking of putting an ad out that didn't include my website and name and all the other information, just to see if I get a better response with the lower rate. What do you all thing? thanks in advance!

I think the rate you are considering is too much of a dip, if you decide to do it. I would go with $115 a week so its not such a loss for you. You could plan on a rate increase after the new year.

[Nickel]

Oh, I like that even better! And the parents can still save $20 biweekly. Thanks for the suggestions. Do you think I should tell the girl that on Tues or just wait and advertise now with the new rate?

[My3cents]

Of course. You're right. I'm just wondering if my inability to get spots filled is my lack of enrollment. Which is tough to overcome without first getting someone in the door! I've been advertising for several weeks and while I've gotten some phone calls and emails, only two interviews and possibly two more this week. One def on Tues (as long as she shows up).

I'm considering lowering my rates. It stinks because I am on par with other legitimate child care providers in the area, but if I can't get anyone in the door it doesn't really matter. So instead of $125 a week I was thinking of $100 and keeping my part time rates at $75. Or maybe even doing a tiered program. like 0-x is $50 x-x is $75 and over x is full time at $125. I know a lot of providers don't do part time care, but I live in a college town, so finding 4 part timers will pay better than 2 full timers.

I was thinking of putting an ad out that didn't include my website and name and all the other information, just to see if I get a better response with the lower rate. What do you all thing? thanks in advance!

hang in there, don't lower your rates. The right fit will come around. Work on handbook,policy book,rule book, and contracts and advertise like crazy. It will happen. Put an add on Craigslist. It takes time to get families and get going. Don't lower yourself in the meantime, esp if your rates are right up there with everyone else. Give it time. It does take time to find good fitting parents. You only have so many slots, so it is best to look for full timers and then take a few part timers after you get where you want to be. Get good references and hand those out to your clients at interviews. Don't sell yourself short. Just give it time. Do you have a set up for your daycare, room devoted towards it? Are you able to give the clients a tour of where the child will be spending the day?

If they don't call you in a couple of days, give them a buzz. Don't worry if they don't want to sign on with you, someone will and it will just take a bit of time-

She got to see you at your best, handling daily life challenges. yes lack of kids can be an issue for parents, but if you explain that your just get starting, many understand. I know my first kids got tons of undivided attention when they first started out and parents appreciated that. Sell your positives, but don't settle for the first people that come through your door. Make sure they are just as good fit for you as you are for them.

Best and Welcome, your in for a fun ride---