Mom Gave 2 Weeks Today After Saying She'd Be Permanent!

[MarinaVanessa]

Okay I'll try to make it brief but there are a few things that irritated me today. A family gave their two-weeks notice today after a month and after assuring me that they were permanent and not temporary. DCM mom (grandma) decided she would go back to caring for the kids again after telling them she wasn't able to anymore because she was going back to work (which is why this family needed daycare in the first place). Apparently she has not found work and her unemployent will run out soon so she wants to take care of the kids again. Okay fine, I get it. They feel better having the kids with a family member and they will probably pay less. It peeved me a little that they told me over and over that they were going to be permanent before we agreed to take them on and now they are leaving after a month.

What really gets me is that this family found a way around my policies and it was my fault. Before they signed on I made them aware that we were going on vacation Wednesday July 21st through Sunday July 25th. I have paid vacation that I am owed but had decided not to use it for this vacation and preffered to save it for when my baby comes in November. I gave my clients a written notice of this the same week that this family signed up including this family. The notice said that I would not be using paid vacation for this trip and that they would pay a daily rate for Monday & Tuesday based on their weekly rates and even stated how much they needed to pay for that week. I did it so that we would be clear as to what everyone would pay in advance and there would be no excuses or confusion. So today they gave me their two weeks notice in writing and DCM tells me that as per our agreement the deposit that they gave covers the last two weeks of care. The problem is that next week I go on vacation and I gave her a notice telling her that her fee for that week is only for Monday & Tuesday and so she wants to be reimbursed for Fridays difference.

I talked to her about how it also says that it covers it whether or not they come or not and that I should not have to reimburse her any money because I prorated their fees for the week I'd be gone thinking that they were staying and thinking that I would be given my paid two weeks vacation later in the year, which i wouldn't be now since they are leaving. She came back with that they are also entitled to 5 days vacation a year free of charge and that they would not be getting it either. I reminded her that to get it I needed to be given two weeks notice minimum of them taking their vacation and they have already given their two week terimination so they themselves forfeited their free week of vacation. Anyway, we went back and forth a little bit (not aggrivated just discussing) and she left to work without us agreeing on anything. So here I am irritated at myself more than anything because they found a loophole (whether intentional or unintentional) and now I have to change my policies.

I realized that I needed to add that families get vacation times after they have been here a year but I am wondering if that means that they have to be here a year for me to also get my paid vacation time. What do you guys think? How do you do it?

I need to change my policies so I was wondering how you all had it worded before I make my notices and hand them to the families.

[JenNJ]

I offer each family paid vacation time equal to the number of days they attend care. For example, a part time family here 2 days per week gets 2 days paid vacation per year. Paid vacation time for families does not kick in until they have been in contracted care for 6+ months. My paid personal days/vacation time is effective upon contract. I give my holiday/vacation schedule out at the interview with all the other paperwork so that they are aware of when I am closed.

Sound slike she is really trying to get over on you, but it is only one days pay, so I may let it go so she will pass your info on to anyone who needs care.

[My Daycare]

This is what I have in my contract under rules for vacation days.

iv) Vacation/personal days may not be used during the last 2 weeks of care.

Thanks for posting, I think I need to put something in my contract about the last 2 weeks falling on holidays or non-paid days. Right now I only have this...

If termination is immediate, two weeks charges will be owed to the daycare provider.

Maybe something like this...

Upon termination of care $***.XX will be due immediatly.

I would hope that would be clear enough.

Of course, the best thing to do is get the last 2 weeks up front before care begins, but that's not possible in some areas or for families you currently have.

[MarinaVanessa]

I offer each family paid vacation time equal to the number of days they attend care. For example, a part time family here 2 days per week gets 2 days paid vacation per year. Paid vacation time for families does not kick in until they have been in contracted care for 6+ months. My paid personal days/vacation time is effective upon contract. I give my holiday/vacation schedule out at the interview with all the other paperwork so that they are aware of when I am closed.

Sound slike she is really trying to get over on you, but it is only one days pay, so I may let it go so she will pass your info on to anyone who needs care.

Yes it's only one day for her but (I forgot to put in above) they are only here 3 days a week so it's 1/3 of their weekly rate. I know they did it on purpose because how convenient that the last week of their two week notice is that same week that I go on vacation. I also talked to them about how I only wanted full time kids because I already have 2 other part-timers but she wanted someone to watch her kids that she somewhat knew and she knows my fiance (he does her employers computer IT work on the side). I talked to my fiance and he told me she was nice and after talking to her a few times about how I would take her on as part-time only if she was sure that she would be staying permanently. I guess I'm peeved because she's trying pull a fast one on me after I told her that I wasn't looking for part timers and still took her on.

I like how you stated that they get it based on how much time they are here and after being here 6 months and how mine goes into effect immediately. I hadn't though of that. I think I'll start writing up a draft and work on it and give my other clients the notice next week before I go on vacation.

This is what I have in my contract under rules for vacation days.

iv) Vacation/personal days may not be used during the last 2 weeks of care.

Thanks for posting, I think I need to put something in my contract about the last 2 weeks falling on holidays or non-paid days. Right now I only have this...

If termination is immediate, two weeks charges will be owed to the daycare provider.

Maybe something like this...

Upon termination of care $***.XX will be due immediatly.

I would hope that would be clear enough.

Of course, the best thing to do is get the last 2 weeks up front before care begins, but that's not possible in some areas or for families you currently have.

This also gives me more ideas thanks. Thank goodness I have them give their deposit for their two-weeks in advance. Yes I recommend doing it this way to EVERYBODY, if I didn't I'd be in a tougher situation.

[bgmeyers]

My families only get to take a week (or prorated if part time) of leave unpaid after they have been with me for a year. I, however, get 10 paid vacation days and all holidays paid. I usually have them figured out way in advance and incoming families are made aware of them when they sign up. They all have to pay for them.

The mistake you made was trying to bank your vacation for later use. It's not really a mistake, you just trusted they would be around.

[MarinaVanessa]

My families only get to take a week (or prorated if part time) of leave unpaid after they have been with me for a year. I, however, get 10 paid vacation days and all holidays paid. I usually have them figured out way in advance and incoming families are made aware of them when they sign up. They all have to pay for them.

The mistake you made was trying to bank your vacation for later use. It's not really a mistake, you just trusted they would be around.

Right, as we had talked about in WAY in advance before they signed on I wanted to make sure that this EXACT thing wouldn't happen. I was afraid that grandma would change her mind and decide to take the kids back and I was REASSURED over and over that it would not happen. Surprise, surprise. I have it in my contract the same way pretty much that you said only I give myself the same time and courtesy that I give my clients. They get 1 week vacation (5 days unpaid) and a 2nd one at half rate. Any other time they take they pay me no matter what. I get a week paid vacation (5 days) and a 2nd one paid at half rate. Any more that I take off extra they don't pay. I know that I'll want to take at least 2 weeks off when my baby comes and so I decided not to use my vacation time towards this since I'll need more money later VS now. I also get paid holidays off. All current families know of this and I discussed this with this new family before they signed on. Ugh, just aggrivated.

Still looking for advice on how to word it. Like, how to state it in my contract. I won the first battle at least. DCD came by today and I told him that I was sorry that they were leaving and that I hoped that we would come to a solution that we were both happy with. He asked "What solution" and I told him about the discussion with his wife. He laughed and said not to worry about it and told me to keep it. He said he'd talk to his wife and take care of it. He also told me that if she brought it up tomorrow to tell her that he said to consider the Friday she was asking for reimbursement for as a bonus. . He even wrote me a little note that he pinned up on the board in front of the sign-in sheet . But I learned my lesson. I'm fixing my contract right away.

[momma2girls]

My families only get to take a week (or prorated if part time) of leave unpaid after they have been with me for a year. I, however, get 10 paid vacation days and all holidays paid. I usually have them figured out way in advance and incoming families are made aware of them when they sign up. They all have to pay for them.

The mistake you made was trying to bank your vacation for later use. It's not really a mistake, you just trusted they would be around.

I had this happen to me, I did daycare for a seperation anxiety little boy for a whole yr. we took a week off, and gave everyone 3 months notice of my paid week vac. I had this family put their 2 weeks in, 2 weeks before we left, and I didn't receive my paid vac. from then on I placed in my contract, that if you leave me for any reason, the paid vac. is still owed to me. I went thru h*** with this little boy, and I well deserved my week paid vac. I couldn't believe that family did that to me!! It ****ed!!!!

[MarinaVanessa]

I had this happen to me, I did daycare for a seperation anxiety little boy for a whole yr. we took a week off, and gave everyone 3 months notice of my paid week vac. I had this family put their 2 weeks in, 2 weeks before we left, and I didn't receive my paid vac. from then on I placed in my contract, that if you leave me for any reason, the paid vac. is still owed to me. I went thru h*** with this little boy, and I well deserved my week paid vac. I couldn't believe that family did that to me!! It ****ed!!!!

Yes it does ****. I figure I'll just make changes to say something about these:

**2 weeks notices can't be used towards my vacations. As in, if I put in my vacation time and they put in their 2 weeks notice for the same time I get paid for my vacation AND the two week period.
**I am entitled to get vacation times immediately upon sign-up.
**Clients get to use their vacation times (6 months or 12 months) after they sign up.
**The 2 week termination period needs to get paid no matter what.

I hope I'm not forgetting anything and that this will take care of it.

[QualiTcare]

i know that has to be frustrating, but i've figured out that everyone is looking out for #1. they will do and say whatever it takes to make it from point A to point B.

i'm guilty of it myself actually. i feel bad about doing it, but i just took a job not long ago where the manager was under the impression that i'm finished with school (which i did graduate) and that i'd be a permanent employee who'd be interested in moving up in the company.

problem was - i was desperate for a job away from home and MY family needs the money NOW. so...i played along. i'm sure they'll be upset when i tell them a month from now that i'm returning to school and they'll have to work with my schedule if they want me to stay. but actually...she never asked about my plans for the future. she just asked if i had graduated and did i plan on teaching. i told her yes i graduated and no i didn't plan on teaching. that was the truth. i just didn't tell her i plan on being a nurse and school starts in august.

i do feel guilty a little, but not much. the job pays jack and i have 2 kids and a bachelor's degree. how long do they REALLY expect me to stay? it was either be honest about my future plans, turn the job down, cancel the beach trip my kids have been talking about every day (cus i couldn't afford it) and probably take out a loan (i already cashed out my 401k) ..OR make it seem like i'd work for peanuts for the rest of my life so i could get my head back above water.

i chose to play the game cus i'm usually the one getting played. afterall, they don't value education or family whatsoever so why should i value their investment in me and the profits they'll make?

this family probably knew from jump street they wouldn't be staying, but they were looking out for themselves and what they needed at the moment. it's the american way. no piece of paper is going to make someone do something they don't want to do.