How do you choose a client?? Which one?

[Crazy8]

Met with 2 prospective clients recently, both seemed like very nice expecting couples. I will have one opening coming up and not sure which one to pick. I understand as a pregnant mom wanting to know I have my daycare lined up so I need to give them an answer soon. I also have a few I haven't even met with yet but I think with the holidays coming up I am just going to decide between these two.

Family 1 - has a school age child, seem easygoing, live close by, mom will go back to work part time after baby is born, shorter days. Rate would probably end up being $140+. Would start a few weeks earlier than family 2 would start.

Family 2 - expecting first child, asked the typical out of a book questions but do not seem super uptight about anything, will probably be full time, full 9 hr days, maybe p/t in the summer. Live and work in the next town, so would be coming this way JUST for the daycare. Rate would be more like $180+.

The money is not the issue for me, and I kind of like the idea of not having a new baby full time. I am also concerned that while family 2 does not live too far - they are coming 15+ min. out of their way for me. They say it doesn't matter, but I wonder if that would change after a few months. I hate to turn them away for that though if it really won't be a problem.

I am always afraid of picking the "wrong" family. I picked 2 back in Sept. and I'm actually considering letting one of them go the end of June - I've never done that before. They haven't done anything super wrong we just got off on the wrong foot and I haven't felt like it was ever righted if that makes sense.

So, how do you decide between multiple families? What's the biggest deciding factor for you? Personality? Schedule? Money?

[daycarediva]

In order !

personality/parenting style (this can make or break a daycare situation, as we all know)

schedule (what is preferential to my group, my hours)

stability of the family (if they bounce around to daycares, move often, that sort of thing can usually be gained through chit chat "How long have you lived in the area?" type q's. People love to talk about themselves & during interviews it's usually insightful if I let them ramble a bit.

Money. Have to make it. I usually only have 1 opening at a time, so this is a low priority for me.


In this instance with just what you have said, I would probably go with the part time family. They already have an older child, so they have parenting experience and you aren't going to be handling a first time Mom. She may have already put her older child in daycare and know what to expect, that sort of thing. The drive time WILL make a difference with the other family, eventually. The new Mom doesn't know what a 30 minute additional drive, plus time getting an infant ready in the morning and to your house and home at the end of the day is REALLY like. I would like a PT baby with shorter hours over a FT baby, and bottom line with the price, there isn't much of a difference for a lot of additional hours.

[Crazy8]

thanks!! That is where I'm leaning on these families but needed to hear it from someone else too.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Personally, I would choose #1.

[ninosqueridos]

I go with the family I click with better....in this case, I would choose the less uptight family.

I don't think the parents' location matters. They must have other options close to their job, but they are obviously interested in you for a reason. I used to think closer was always better, but I've had families a mile away who STILL took an hour to pick up their sick child....whereas those maybe 1/2 hr away would get here literally within 30 minutes.

I prefer fulltime schedules mainly because I cannot tolerate interruptions with pick ups and drop offs. I also like to have as much consistency as possible in the child's life......I find that with part time schedules, the child (in my experience) is schlepped here and there and everywhere....and comes back to me all off schedule...and it takes at least Mon & Tues to get them "back."

Good luck!

[spud912]

My problems with family number 1 are part time and new baby coming soon. Will the parent have you take the new baby? Part time is a negative because of the financial aspect and adjusting a baby while only providing part time care is difficult. I personally have had great experiences with school age children, but many providers do not like having the mixed bag of older children. Also, will you be responsible for school drop-off/pick-up?

I know the distance with family number 2 is a concern, but I've found that it works in my favor. Three of my four families live 15 minutes away or more and the drive doesn't bother them. One of the families lives 20-25 minutes away and drives all the way here just for child care. The plus side I've found is that these families are much more prone to keeping their kids home when the children are ill.

I think the most important thing you need to do is go with your gut feeling.

Here is my criteria for choosing (in order of importance):

1. Family values and goals for their child(ren) are on par with what I provide.
2. Their schedule coincides with the other enrolled children's parents.
3. Financial stability of taking on prospective family. I prefer full-time.
4. The child behaves appropriately during the interview (most importantly, the child is not violent and follows most directions).
5. Stability of family and child care (like another poster stated, does the child bounce around at several child cares or do the parents move frequently?).
6. The child's schedule coincides with my current child care schedule. For example, the child naps at a similar time as everyone else and for longer than 20 minutes at a time.
7. Age of child. I prefer children aged 2-5 years old.
8. Child development is on par with the program I provide. For example, is the child almost 5 and still in diapers?
9. Gut feeling.

[cheerfuldom]

pick the first one. a lot of parents seem nice at interview, and then they have a baby and tons of issues come up. you cant know their parenting style because they arent parents yet. some people swear they will never do this or that and resort to that same thing pretty quickly. some of the nicest people I know have the worst behaved spoiled kids you could imagine. some moms that are very routine oriented, have absolutely no routine or structure for their babies.