Do You Give Notice For Cancelling A Drop In Contract?

[daycarediva]

I had a family call for very PT care, and they needed the very random two days that I had available, interviewed with them twice, and they signed on and started already.

I have two families that use me for drop in care. One of the kids isn't very well behaved and it really throws off our day when he is here, and I was pretty relieved to have a legitimate 'out' for not allowing him to return.

I have a separate drop in contract that has NOTHING in it about giving notice. I notified family #1 and they just said thank you, if you have a drop in spot available in the future please let us know. They use me when Grandma is sick and are neighbors. I really enjoy this little guy when he comes in, so it is kind of sad, but they only use me once every 3ish months or so. They understood that this is a business and a financial decision.

The second family were NOT happy with it and told me I should have given them notice, that they had nobody lined up for next week (they also hadn't arranged him to be brought in that day).

What is your drop in contract? Do you give notice?

[craftymissbeth]

IMO Drop-in care isn't meant to be a family's only source of childcare. It's there for when they need it, but they should have a back-up in case a spot isn't available. If they truly expect that spot to be available to them whenever they need it then they should sign a contract and pay for a part or full-time spot to ensure that it's available whenever they please. Just my 2 cents

ETA: I forgot to answer your question. OOPS! No, I won't give notice to drop-in families. If they're drop-in, then I shouldn't be their only source of childcare. When they call to schedule a day for drop-in care, it's either available or it isn't. KWIM?

[JoseyJo]

I agree, if they are drop in I wouldn't feel the need to give notice.

[ksmith]

i give as much notice as I can. But in your situation it sounds like you did that, you signed on a client that was taking their drop in spot, and let them know once you knew. They have no reason to be angry though, they should've known that drop-in care is just that.

[TheGoodLife]

I would try to give as much notice as possible, but again with drop in, they aren't guaranteed a spot anyway. Have you had any days where they needed care but you were full?

I recently got burned TWICE by the same family- in my contract I state that there is no notice necessary but would appreciate 2 weeks if they know there will be a discontinuation or change in drop-in scheduling (I was doing care for a substitute teacher so her schedule was somewhat regular but fluctuating, 1-3 days a week usually) Well, after Christmas break I hadn't heard from her for a couple weeks so I emailed the new year's contract. At that point she said she had surgery and wouldn't be subbing for a while. She'd be in contact when she returned to work. When she returned in February she happened to mention that she scheduled the surgery for Christmas Break. Well she never gave me a heads up that she wasn't going to need me. And now last month she just stopped coming out of the blue! All this after the had 2 day-before cancellations that I didn't charge for, even though my contract states that anything without 24 hour cancellation will be charged. I just sent her an email telling her I filled spots with FTers and had her come get her things. Glad to be done- I loved the DCBs but I felt so disrespected!

[momofboys]

I think you did fine! I had a family get mad at me for giving them 2 weeks notice when they only came 1.5 days/week - I mean for such a short timeframe you would think u could find a friend or family member to fill in. Some people will never be pleased no matter what you do. Also, even if you had given more notice they may have not used it anyway. they may have stopped coming immediately.

[Laurel]

I don't have a contract for drop in care. They just call if they need me and I tell them whether or not I have room that day. If they need something on a fairly regular basis then we work out some kind of part time arrangement.

Laurel

[daycarediva]

Yes, I have had days that they needed me and I was full-both families in fact. My drop in contract states that spots aren't guaranteed and are on a first come, first serve basis.


The dcb whose parents are upset came ONCE last month and wasn't scheduled to come at all this month, last I knew they were out of town. His Mom has mentioned to me that she wants to enroll him PT/1 day a week but when I pressed her to finalize a new contract several weeks ago, she backpedaled because I wouldn't allow her to chose her day each week (which essentially takes a FT spot if she wants her choice of which day he can come guaranteed). We both agreed at that time, keeping him drop in was the best arrangement for their needs.

She is a SAHM who uses those days to run errands, make appointments and get her hair and nails done, so it isn't like I am causing her to miss work until she finds someone who can watch dcb.

[MarinaVanessa]

If your contract and/or policy says that drop-in is first-some/first-serve and not guaranteed, depends on availability etc etc. then you are fine. It is their responsibility to call you and ask you if you have an opening so even if you had not terminated their contract and kept them on as drop-in clients and they had called you to ask if you were available or had just shown up you would have already had that day filled and they would have been out of luck ... and you still would have been within their rights.

If they want to be angry at someone they should really be angry at themselves for expecting that this drop-in spot was their guaranteed and for not having back-up child care.

After this situation you may want to add a little part to your drop-in contract that specifically says that you can cancel a drop-in contract at any time without notice, just on case you fall into a similar situation again. It would just literally spell it out for clients that "don't get it". I personally think that it's self explanatory and common sense but apparently not everyone does (like your client).

I personally have in my contract that I will give a two-week notice of termination however I have never actually had to use it. If I fill all of my openings and I get a call from a drop-in client I just tell them that I don't have room and I use that time to tell them that I am completely full, if I have only particular days open etc. If a drop-in client calls enough times and I have no room they usually just find other arrangements and I never actually have to cancel a contract.

If I have a drop-in client that uses my daycare on a regular or sort-of regular basis and I get a call from a client that is interested in that spot then out of courtesy I offer my drop-in client the priority option to upgrade from a drop-in status to a permanent status (weekly spot) and if they refuse then I let them know that I will attempt to fill the spot with the interested family. I do this out of courtesy however but I don't have to nor am I obligated to, I just do it.

[jenn]

I don't even have a contract for drop ins. I do drop ins as a 1st come/1st serve thing. I explain to potential drop ins that I will always fill spots with full time/part time kids when possible. If they need a drop in day, they are welcome to call and see if I have an opening that day, but it is never guaranteed unless previously arranged.

[daycarediva]

If your contract and/or policy says that drop-in is first-some/first-serve and not guaranteed, depends on availability etc etc. then you are fine. It is their responsibility to call you and ask you if you have an opening so even if you had not terminated their contract and kept them on as drop-in clients and they had called you to ask if you were available or had just shown up you would have already had that day filled and they would have been out of luck ... and you still would have been within their rights.

If they want to be angry at someone they should really be angry at themselves for expecting that this drop-in spot was their guaranteed and for not having back-up child care.

After this situation you may want to add a little part to your drop-in contract that specifically says that you can cancel a drop-in contract at any time without notice, just on case you fall into a similar situation again. It would just literally spell it out for clients that "don't get it". I personally think that it's self explanatory and common sense but apparently not everyone does (like your client).

I personally have in my contract that I will give a two-week notice of termination however I have never actually had to use it. If I fill all of my openings and I get a call from a drop-in client I just tell them that I don't have room and I use that time to tell them that I am completely full, if I have only particular days open etc. If a drop-in client calls enough times and I have no room they usually just find other arrangements and I never actually have to cancel a contract.

If I have a drop-in client that uses my daycare on a regular or sort-of regular basis and I get a call from a client that is interested in that spot then out of courtesy I offer my drop-in client the priority option to upgrade from a drop-in status to a permanent status (weekly spot) and if they refuse then I let them know that I will attempt to fill the spot with the interested family. I do this out of courtesy however but I don't have to nor am I obligated to, I just do it.

My contract does say 'drop in spaces are based on availability, and need to be arranged and paid for atleast 24 hours in advanced. Space for a drop in client is not guaranteed and permanent client schedules will take priority.

When they went from PT to drop in care, I REALLY stressed that they understood it wasn't an actual space here, that it was because I had an opening and I JUST offered them the 2 days at the end of February because when dcm called the day of she was annoyed that I had filled the day.

I am looking over my drop in contract now and just added in that the parent or provider can cancel the contract at any time without notice, the implication was there, but not the specific wording.

This dcb's behavior has been getting steadily worse since Mom became a SAHM in December. Last time he was here, I was super close to calling her and telling her to come get him, (because of his behavior we had to leave the playground!) so I was planning on phasing them out in the very near future anyway.

[butterfly]

Just as most others have said. I don't worry about giving notice to drop in clients. Their spots are just that - drop in. They don't have set days or guaranteed hours/days. If I have a spot available, they can come. If I don't, they can't. I have several families that I do drop in care for. They use me as a backup to their current provider or stay at home moms that want some time away, etc. I always tell them up front that I can't guarantee their spot or hold it for them without payment. If they choose not to pay the weekly rate to guarantee the spot then I can not hold it for them. It's first come, first serve. Some days I've even declined a drop in client because I was scheduled to have LESS kids here and I wanted it that way....

Don't feel bad. You did more than I would have by giving them ANY notice!

:hug:

[Blackcat31]

Uh, what do they think "drop in" means?

My definition of drop in means IF I have space. If I wanted to be done with a family, I would just nor have space anymore.

I certainly wouldn't give them notice of not having the space anymore.

The perk of advance notice comes with a signed contract for services and with regular attendance.

[Play Care]

Uh, what do they think "drop in" means?

My definition of drop in means IF I have space. If I wanted to be done with a family, I would just nor have space anymore.

I certainly wouldn't give them notice of not having the space anymore.

The perk of advance notice comes with a signed contract for services and with regular attendance.

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't even have a contract for drop ins. I do drop ins as a 1st come/1st serve thing. I explain to potential drop ins that I will always fill spots with full time/part time kids when possible. If they need a drop in day, they are welcome to call and see if I have an opening that day, but it is never guaranteed unless previously arranged.

Not every provider does, I personally have one because although they are drop-in clients I need them to follow certain policies just like any other regular client.

If I am asked to care for their child for 4 hours and they pay for 4 hours in advance but they leave the child for 8 hours then it'll be harder for me to go after the money without a contract. I also have a noise, disturbance, authorized pick up, parking and other policies that I want followed. Without a contract it would be difficult for me to enforce these.