What Would Your Response Be?

[LaLa1923]

Based on how I run my daycare and how I charge (4 or 5 days per week is a flat full-time rate no matter how many hours a client needs each day) my response would be:

"Dear Family,

Thank you for following up and for your interest in my daycare. At this time it is apparent that your needs and the way that I run my program are not a good fit. My contract and policies are created to reflect the way that is best for me to run my business and unfortunately are non-negotiable. It is important to me that all clients that sign a contract agree and abide by all of the policies and stipulations in order to ensure a goodness of fit and a positive partnership. If you have reservations about any of the policies then I encourage you to find alternate child care arrangements that are better suited for your family's needs.

I wish you the best of luck in your child care search and decision and hope that if in the future your child care needs change that you may keep my daycare in mind.

Thank You
Child Care Provider"

Here are a few red flags that popped up for me:

1. She mentions that there is another provider that she is interviewing with. One main reason that people do this (not always) is so that you know you have competition. In other words, she may be thinking that if you don't change what she doesn't like then she won't be choosing you. SO you either change the way you do things or pass this one up. I'd pass.
2. She asks you for the names of everyone living in your household. If you are required to get background checks on the adults I would offer to show them the clearances. If you are not required to do this then I'd only be willing to give out the names of adults living in my household but not of any minors even if they were 17. The fact that she is asking you so that she can do background checks does not seem fishy to me at all however and actually I highly recommend it to anyone looking for childcare.
3. She is already telling you that there are financial concerns.
4. She is TELLING you that YOUR pay will reflect HER needs. She didn't even have the common courtesy to request, suggest or politely ask if this is a possibility. She did not try to negotiate, SHE TOLD YOU how it was going to be.
5. She says this "So aside from those points I agree with the majority of your contract. I hope we can come to some reasonable agreements regarding these details." So she just changed the entire way you charge, told you that she won't be paying for sick time, vacations or holidays, that she doesn't want to pay your rate for her SA son because she will be paying someone else to pick him up and she finishes up with how she hopes you can come to a reasonable agreement ... in other words everything in your contract that she just mentioned is unreasonable and she hopes that you will change it for her to suit her needs ... also other than ALL OF THAT she agrees to the MAJORITY of your contract, meaning there are still other issues and concerns that she has with other parts of your contract ... :confused:

[Cradle2crayons]

What do you mean by that? ( I made the letters bold it)

I contract with the parent based on hours and days. For instance, if they want special,they pay special

I have a sibling group that does mon through fri regular hours... They pay regular rate.

I have my special needs mom who only works three afternoons a week from400 pm until 1100 pm or so, she has her own rate.

I have my 18 month old girl whose mom only works three days a week. She pays her own rate. She doesn't want to have her kid here five days a week to get her money worth . She's one of those moms who LIKeS to spend time with her kid.

I have a three year old here for afternoons five days a week. She's here from 130 pm until 1130 pm. Her care includes a bath etc etc. she has a rate too.

Where I live,there just aren't bankers hours. People work wild shifts and have an hour one way travel times because we live in the middle of nowhere.

Aka contracted hours.

[Oneluckymom]

IMHO my response would be:

"Dear xxx,

Thank you for your follow up email. Unfortunately, my contracts and policies are not negotiable as this is how I chose to run my business. If you are still interested in the spots based on my policies, please let me know. Otherwise I wish you luck in your search for childcare."

If she is trying to negotiate your policies before even signing, you are setting yourself up for even more "negotiations" after she signs.

This.

if you DO sign her on...there may be more to come from this family

[jenn]

I would like to post an email that was sent to my by a parent that I had an interview with about 2 weeks ago and tell me what you guys think and how you would respond to this.....

Hi Tonya,

Sorry for the delay in sending you these questions or concerns regarding your contract. We have to see one more provider early next week. My husband and I will be making our final decision on which childcare provider to watch our two sons most likely by the end of next week, around May 18.
"I understand you wanting to make an informed decision. Please understand that my positions are first come, first serve. If someone fills these positions prior to the 18th, I will not be able to accept your children."

First and foremost is it possible to get the names of everyone who resides in your home. We would like to do customary background checks for safety reasons. "All background checks are done through licensing, feel free to contact them if you have any concerns." (Assuming your state does this)

As I mentioned to you before, I only work 25 hrs a week, Tuesday through Friday. As a part time employee I am not entitled to paid sick days, personal days, holidays etc. Therefore I am not in the financial position to pay for all the paid "off" days you specify in your contract. "This is a non negotiable part of my contract. I charge every client the same and it would not be acceptable to change the rules for you."

As I explained before with my current provider, my mother or I watch watch the kids every other Monday that my mother is off. So if you choose to be our provider you'd watch the kids Monday through Friday one week, Tuesday through Friday the next week, then Monday through Friday, then Tuesday through Friday, etc. Therefore the pay would reflect that. You also mentioned that you could give a 15% sibling discount on our 6 yr old's rate."Your contract can be written to accomodate this schedule."

I will be listing page#'s from this point on from your contract...

On pg 4... We'd be dropping the kids off about 7:45am in the morning to 6:30 pm in evening (as mentioned in our interview). Do these hours fit into your normal hours?

On pg 6... If a federal holiday falls on the every other Monday that my mom watches the kids, I don't expect to pay for that day.I only charge kids for days that they are scheduled to be here. Example: I have one that never attends on Thursday or Friday. Therefore on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, they do not pay. Depends on what you feel comfortable with.

On pg 7... I can't pay for 2 weeks vacation time and 5 personal days off, especially since I will have to take a day off (unpaid) or pay someone else to care for my children. My other concern that is that during the school year, I have to pay someone else to pick my older son up and he will not be there a full day. I don't think I should pay a full day's rate when my older son is attending school since he will only be at your childcare 3 hrs or less. "This is a non negotiable part of my contract. I charge every client the same and it would not be acceptable to change the rules for you."


So aside from those points I agree with the majority of your contract. I hope we can come to some reasonable agreements regarding these details.

Thanking you in advance,

Overall, this does not sound like a great fit, but I have found that some people will try to push the rules and once they know you stand firm, they go with it.

[TheGoodLife]

I would like to post an email that was sent to my by a parent that I had an interview with about 2 weeks ago and tell me what you guys think and how you would respond to this.....

Hi Tonya,

As I mentioned to you before, I only work 25 hrs a week, Tuesday through Friday. As a part time employee I am not entitled to paid sick days, personal days, holidays etc. Therefore I am not in the financial position to pay for all the paid "off" days you specify in your contract.

As I explained before with my current provider, my mother or I watch watch the kids every other Monday that my mother is off. So if you choose to be our provider you'd watch the kids Monday through Friday one week, Tuesday through Friday the next week, then Monday through Friday, then Tuesday through Friday, etc.

On pg 4... We'd be dropping the kids off about 7:45am in the morning to 6:30 pm in evening (as mentioned in our interview).

:confused: Why the heck does she need DC those hours if she only works 25 hrs. a week?!

[tjones34]

Just to make it more interesting, the husband called my home this evening saying he would like to talk to me and maybe we can come to an agreement because he really wants his sons in my care. I say too little too late

[Patches]

Just to make it more interesting, the husband called my home this evening saying he would like to talk to me and maybe we can come to an agreement because he really wants his sons in my care. I say too little too late

Wow...really? If you want your kids in someone's care, then you better be willing to abide by their rules. I just don't understand why some parents feel this is a negotiable thing (ok, it might be somewhere....but not at my house). This is MY business and MY rules.

"Oh, ok, you want to come to an agreement? Can we agree that you will follow my policies and pay the rates as they are in my contract? Or can we agree that you will be searching for care elsewhere?" < That is rude and I would never actually say that, but this just gets to me!

[MyAngels]

Just to make it more interesting, the husband called my home this evening saying he would like to talk to me and maybe we can come to an agreement because he really wants his sons in my care. I say too little too late

Hmmm...so much for that "other provider" they plan on interviewing ::. In this situation I'd probably take great pleasure in turning them down, but then I'm kind of mean that way sometimes .

[Patches]

Hmmm...so much for that "other provider" they plan on interviewing ::. In this situation I'd probably take great pleasure in turning them down, but then I'm kind of mean that way sometimes .

Yes, that other provider was probably a bluff....Didn't really work out for them, huh?::

[AmyLeigh]

Yes, that other provider was probably a bluff....Didn't really work out for them, huh?::

That or the other provider didn't change her policies for them either.

[tjones34]

Yeah I knew it was a bluff, the wife sent the email and they were expecting me to cave. So I guess the husband is going to try and be the voice of reason. But I'm making notes now as to what I will say which is simply either you can agree to my policies, or you can look for care elsewhere. I'm also a tad bit mean when it comes to people trying to get over on me. I think they think that I am desperate because I just started and I only have 2 children in my care right now. Just my thoughts

[Patches]

That or the other provider didn't change her policies for them either.

So very true! I wonder if they will find someone who will give in to their demands. Hopefully, they just find someone that has policies that fit with them better.....or they start to realize how ridiculous they're being::

[Patches]

Yeah I knew it was a bluff, the wife sent the email and they were expecting me to cave. So I guess the husband is going to try and be the voice of reason. But I'm making notes now as to what I will say which is simply either you can agree to my policies, or you can look for care elsewhere. I'm also a tad bit mean when it comes to people trying to get over on me. I think they think that I am desperate because I just started and I only have 2 children in my care right now. Just my thoughts

Good for you for continuing to stand firm on your policies

[TheGoodLife]

Yeah I knew it was a bluff, the wife sent the email and they were expecting me to cave. So I guess the husband is going to try and be the voice of reason. But I'm making notes now as to what I will say which is simply either you can agree to my policies, or you can look for care elsewhere. I'm also a tad bit mean when it comes to people trying to get over on me. I think they think that I am desperate because I just started and I only have 2 children in my care right now. Just my thoughts

It seemed like a very "I'm in control, not you" email from the start. I actually expected to hear that they came back again, trying to get into your daycare. Unless you REALLY need them, Id be very cautious and only consider taking them if I was desperate for the income. I have a feeling hey will try to bully you, and the mom especially would have the mindset that you are her "employee", she is the "boss", and would later try to wiggle out of your contract Just my opinion. Best of luck to you!!!

[MyAngels]

Yeah I knew it was a bluff, the wife sent the email and they were expecting me to cave. So I guess the husband is going to try and be the voice of reason. But I'm making notes now as to what I will say which is simply either you can agree to my policies, or you can look for care elsewhere. I'm also a tad bit mean when it comes to people trying to get over on me. I think they think that I am desperate because I just started and I only have 2 children in my care right now. Just my thoughts

Their version of good cop/bad cop I guess .

It's nice to see a newer provider with a good strong backbone happyface. It will serve you well the longer you are in this career .