Drop-in Care vs PT and Discount Programs

[KnoxMom]

I've seen a few threads on the topic, but none really answered my specific question. Here is a little about my setup: I am legally unlicensed (only bc of my HOA/being historic/parade of homes making it a PITA), participate in the CACFP (food program) as a sponsored child care home and can have up to 4 non-relative children in any 24 hour period (plus my own two). With my weekly rate, I only need 2 students enrolled to pay my current bills and quarterly tax deposits, 3 to have extra for family outings, dining out, vacation, shopping, daycare upgrades, add to my grocery stockpile (yes I am an extreme couponer), etc. and 4 would go straight to savings/retirement (I would pretend I didn't make it). I currently only offer full time care for children 6 weeks-5 years (No S/A). I am considering adding drop-in care or PT care for that fourth spot because I don't exactly want another full-timer (I love my ratio) but a little extra every now and then would be nice and I would be touching more people (which will help with WOM) since I'm new (less than 1 year in operation). Here are my questions:

1. Which would you choose to offer for the last spot: PT, Drop-in, or whichever comes up first? Why?

2. Obviously PT care is more predictable/permanent, but drop-ins would pay a premium rate; do you have enough drop-in traffic to cover a PT spot?

3. What are your complaints about offering PT or Drop-in care?

4. Do drop-in meals count any different than PT for the food program? Can you even claim them?

5. What differences or additional policies did you make in your handbook/contract specifically for the drop-ins or part timers??

6. LAST QUESTION I've seen other daycares offer drop-in care certificates via Groupon and Living Social for X # of hours. I'm really interested in offering this. I can see that parents are really biting on these deals (it shows how many vouchers were purchased). Has anyone done this before?? What are your thoughts?

[Cradle2crayons]

I've seen a few threads on the topic, but none really answered my specific question. Here is a little about my setup: I am legally unlicensed (only bc of my HOA/being historic/parade of homes making it a PITA), participate in the CACFP (food program) as a sponsored child care home and can have up to 4 non-relative children in any 24 hour period (plus my own two). With my weekly rate, I only need 2 students enrolled to pay my current bills and quarterly tax deposits, 3 to have extra for family outings, dining out, vacation, shopping, daycare upgrades, add to my grocery stockpile (yes I am an extreme couponer), etc. and 4 would go straight to savings/retirement (I would pretend I didn't make it). I currently only offer full time care for children 6 weeks-5 years (No S/A). I am considering adding drop-in care or PT care for that fourth spot because I don't exactly want another full-timer (I love my ratio) but a little extra every now and then would be nice and I would be touching more people (which will help with WOM) since I'm new (less than 1 year in operation). Here are my questions:

1. Which would you choose to offer for the last spot: PT, Drop-in, or whichever comes up first? Why?i would probably do drop in myself because it is more predictable like you said. However I really enjoy the mom morning out thing too. I did that for a while and for some moms it can be predictable. I used to have one mom on like a scheduled mmo routine and I got drop in rates less a few bucks but it was predictable.

2. Obviously PT care is more predictable/permanent, but drop-ins would pay a premium rate; do you have enough drop-in traffic to cover a PT spot? in my area I don't have as much drop in care customers as I do part time I guess that would be area specific

3. What are your complaints about offering PT or Drop-in care? complaints from parents or issues I've had??

4. Do drop-in meals count any different than PT for the food program? Can you even claim them?i have no idea about this because my states food program restricts the total number enrolled to five including my two and the state licensing says I can have five PLUS my two so its a wash out

5. What differences or additional policies did you make in your handbook/contract specifically for the drop-ins or part timers??a huge focus on drop off and pick up times. Although they all have late fees for pickup, I made them a little higher for the drop ins. And in drop ins and mmo they have to provide food

6. LAST QUESTION I've seen other daycares offer drop-in care certificates via Groupon and Living Social for X # of hours. I'm really interested in offering this. I can see that parents are really biting on these deals (it shows how many vouchers were purchased). Has anyone done this before?? What are your thoughts?

thats a great idea!!!

[cheerfuldom]

I would take a part timer but mainly because I am very attached to my sanity. Drop ins are notoriously difficult. you are just surviving the day. I dont take drop ins unless I already know the child and know that they will fit in well here without tearing the place apart. Plus a lot of parents try to use drop in services to leave sick kids. sad but true.

so for me, I would go with an older part timer, 2 or up.

[KnoxMom]

Cradle2crayons:

Re: the complaints question, I guess both. I'm mostly wondering what are the cons of offering either PT (2-3 days) or Drop-in (daily/hourly rate). Issues such as schedule, lunch, behavior, parent relationships, etc.

Re: meals (I never thought about them bringing their own meals if they can't be claimed anyway)

Thanks for the feedback :-)

[KnoxMom]

I would take a part timer but mainly because I am very attached to my sanity. Drop ins are notoriously difficult. you are just surviving the day. I dont take drop ins unless I already know the child and know that they will fit in well here without tearing the place apart. Plus a lot of parents try to use drop in services to leave sick kids. sad but true.

so for me, I would go with an older part timer, 2 or up.

Thank you, this is what I was looking for because I have no experience with them. I never even considered parents would possibly try to take advantage by bringing sick children. How disgusting! The reason I'm even looking into this is because I have received several inquiries for drop-in care from teachers who are off for the summer but still want their children to spend time with their peers. So far I've had to say no because I don't offer drop in OR PT care at this time... maybe I should keep it that way ::

[MarinaVanessa]

1. Which would you choose to offer for the last spot: PT, Drop-in, or whichever comes up first? Why?

A: Personally I would want to fill it with a PT regular client so guarantee that extra income but that is how I work. If, in the meantime, I had drop-in interest for that spot I would fill it when I could with drop-in clients. If you prefer to have the freedom to decide when you want to fill your spot and when you don't then I'd suggest you offer your spot as drop-in only instead.

2. Obviously PT care is more predictable/permanent, but drop-ins would pay a premium rate; do you have enough drop-in traffic to cover a PT spot?

A The problem with drop-in is that it isn't guaranteed which is why I prefer PT over drop-in. I don't ever rely on filling my open slots with drop-in clients. I advertise for PT for those open spots instead and in the meantime while I wait to fill that opening I fill it with drop-in when I can but drop-in clients tend to not be regular ... they need an off day here or there so sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

3. What are your complaints about offering PT or Drop-in care?

Obviously my complaints with either of these is that I would rather have FT clients to fill my daycare because I can fill my spots with regular clients, have regular schedules and less parents. This makes it much easier. With PT clients you need more of them and filling all of the empty "blocks" that they leave can be difficult sometimes. For example if one PT client needs M,W,F it can be hard to find someone to fill the T,Th spot that is left. As far as drop-in I like that I can sometimes fill my random openings but you can't count on the money permanently. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not.

4. Do drop-in meals count any different than PT for the food program? Can you even claim them?

I'm in CA so I'm answering based on our rules. For me it makes no difference to the food program. I have every client fill out the application along with all the licensing paperwork that is required, even for drop-in clients (it's just a different contract then FT or PT) so even if they only come for one day they are still enrolled in my program. FT, PT or Drop-in ... it makes no difference.

5. What differences or additional policies did you make in your handbook/contract specifically for the drop-ins or part timers??

I have written my handbook so that it explains how FT, PT and drop-in works just in case a client starts off as one type of client and changes to something else (starts as FT and then goes to PT or starts as drop-in and goes to FT etc) they know what to expect. My handbook also includes all of the policies that ALL clients must follow (noise, parking, payments etc). The only thing that is different for my clients is that PT and FT clients get one contract and drop-in clients get another.

6. LAST QUESTION I've seen other daycares offer drop-in care certificates via Groupon and Living Social for X # of hours. I'm really interested in offering this. I can see that parents are really biting on these deals (it shows how many vouchers were purchased). Has anyone done this before?? What are your thoughts?

I have never seen this in my area but if you see that it's working for others then why not ask about it. It's definitely worth the time to call and find out how much they charge and how it works to see whether it interests you or not.

[MarinaVanessa]

I would take a part timer but mainly because I am very attached to my sanity. Drop ins are notoriously difficult. you are just surviving the day. I dont take drop ins unless I already know the child and know that they will fit in well here without tearing the place apart. Plus a lot of parents try to use drop in services to leave sick kids. sad but true.

so for me, I would go with an older part timer, 2 or up.

Just a quick note that although some have experienced this and prefer not to take drop-ins that they don't know I do take drop-ins that I don't care for on a regular basis and have never had an issue with them ... or at least I have not noticed any difference in behavior between drop-in and regular clients. If anything from my experience first-time, one-time or few-time drop-in children feel out of their element and are more soft-spoken, quiet and well-behaved (more cautious) than my regular children. They tend to feel out of their element therefore more reserved (in many cases).

Also the first thing that I do is go over the ground rules with the kids when we have a new child or a child that hasn't been here in a while ... it's more of a "let's show DCK where we keep the toys" type of thing and then I go over the rules ... for me it's not much different than my other clients (unless I get a cryer, which sometimes but rarely happens) but AGAIN this is just my experience so maybe I'm blessed, I have heard negative stories about drop-in kids though from other providers.

[Cradle2crayons]

Just a quick note that although some have experienced this and prefer not to take drop-ins that they don't know I do take drop-ins that I don't care for on a regular basis and have never had an issue with them ... or at least I have not noticed any difference in behavior between drop-in and regular clients. If anything from my experience first-time, one-time or few-time drop-in children feel out of their element and are more soft-spoken, quiet and well-behaved (more cautious) than my regular children. They tend to feel out of their element therefore more reserved (in many cases).

Also the first thing that I do is go over the ground rules with the kids when we have a new child or a child that hasn't been here in a while ... it's more of a "let's show DCK where we keep the toys" type of thing and then I go over the rules ... for me it's not much different than my other clients (unless I get a cryer, which sometimes but rarely happens) but AGAIN this is just my experience so maybe I'm blessed, I have heard negative stories about drop-in kids though from other providers.

Same here. I have no issues with behavior problems on drop ins. At least not yet!!

[cheerfuldom]

I will clarify that normally preschoolers do a lot better at drop ins than babies. I wouldnt do drop ins for kids under 18 months because they just dont understand what is happening and dont like the novelty normally. Older kids may be distracted by the novelty of a new place enough to contain any bad behaviors.

[KnoxMom]

Just a quick note that although some have experienced this and prefer not to take drop-ins that they don't know I do take drop-ins that I don't care for on a regular basis and have never had an issue with them ... or at least I have not noticed any difference in behavior between drop-in and regular clients. If anything from my experience first-time, one-time or few-time drop-in children feel out of their element and are more soft-spoken, quiet and well-behaved (more cautious) than my regular children. They tend to feel out of their element therefore more reserved (in many cases).

Also the first thing that I do is go over the ground rules with the kids when we have a new child or a child that hasn't been here in a while ... it's more of a "let's show DCK where we keep the toys" type of thing and then I go over the rules ... for me it's not much different than my other clients (unless I get a cryer, which sometimes but rarely happens) but AGAIN this is just my experience so maybe I'm blessed, I have heard negative stories about drop-in kids though from other providers.

See, this is how I think my own children would behave in a new setting: a bit shy at first but excited to meet new friends. Maybe it depends on age?

[KnoxMom]

I will clarify that normally preschoolers do a lot better at drop ins than babies. I wouldnt do drop ins for kids under 18 months because they just dont understand what is happening and dont like the novelty normally. Older kids may be distracted by the novelty of a new place enough to contain any bad behaviors.

Exactly what I was thinking! I think I'm just going to go ahead and prioritize the last spot as FT, then PT, and reserve drop-in care only for the times it can't be filled. I think it will be better that way both for budget and consistency.

Thank you all for helping me think this through! I lovethis forum!

[wdmmom]

I've seen a few threads on the topic, but none really answered my specific question. Here is a little about my setup: I am legally unlicensed (only bc of my HOA/being historic/parade of homes making it a PITA), participate in the CACFP (food program) as a sponsored child care home and can have up to 4 non-relative children in any 24 hour period (plus my own two). With my weekly rate, I only need 2 students enrolled to pay my current bills and quarterly tax deposits, 3 to have extra for family outings, dining out, vacation, shopping, daycare upgrades, add to my grocery stockpile (yes I am an extreme couponer), etc. and 4 would go straight to savings/retirement (I would pretend I didn't make it). I currently only offer full time care for children 6 weeks-5 years (No S/A). I am considering adding drop-in care or PT care for that fourth spot because I don't exactly want another full-timer (I love my ratio) but a little extra every now and then would be nice and I would be touching more people (which will help with WOM) since I'm new (less than 1 year in operation). Here are my questions:

1. Which would you choose to offer for the last spot: PT, Drop-in, or whichever comes up first? Why?

Part time with a regular schedule. Same days/times each week. Pay regardless of attendance. Drop in care is very infrequent and you never can plan for it.

2. Obviously PT care is more predictable/permanent, but drop-ins would pay a premium rate; do you have enough drop-in traffic to cover a PT spot?

I offered drop in care in the past and I only had 1 family contact me about it. They wanted to use me as a fill in for when their regular sitter was taking a day off. All was great until we got to the discussion of rates. They weren't comfortable paying $45 per day for a 10 hour day. Oh well...

3. What are your complaints about offering PT or Drop-in care?

If you offer part time care, try to get someone that has a regular schedule with regular hours. In the past I had a girl attend mornings and a boy attend afternoons to make up a full spot. I've also had others come 3 days per week (my minimum) full days. I loved it. DCG came in at 620am. Took a nap right off the bat. Got her up at 8am for breakfast. Took a full afternoon nap and sent her home right at 3pm each day!

4. Do drop-in meals count any different than PT for the food program? Can you even claim them?

You claim every meal you serve. If you have more kids on one day versus another, you just need to keep track. I use a planner. I write who's all in attendance and the total breakfasts, lunches and snacks I serve each day.

5. What differences or additional policies did you make in your handbook/contract specifically for the drop-ins or part timers??

They must follow all of the exact same rules and drop offs must be before 9am each day. Drop in is a first come/first serve option. I would suggest they call to see if you have room before dropping in.

6. LAST QUESTION I've seen other daycares offer drop-in care certificates via Groupon and Living Social for X # of hours. I'm really interested in offering this. I can see that parents are really biting on these deals (it shows how many vouchers were purchased). Has anyone done this before?? What are your thoughts?

I've never done it before and I wouldn't suggest it. Groupon or Living Social charge a high price just for the advertising and there's a lot of fine print to go through.

[KnoxMom]

I've never done it before and I wouldn't suggest it. Groupon or Living Social charge a high price just for the advertising and there's a lot of fine print to go through.

Thanks for the insight. I'm planning to do what Marina said and just contact the centers that did it to find out how it worked out and if they would do it again.