Policy for letting kids go?

[Play Care]

I posted yesterday about giving notice to the parent of my two school aged dcb's. There were several reasons, but the main one being that I have so many spots and would have too many kids. These boys only come after school 4 days a week, and occasional days off/vacations from school. I have a toddler/preschool program and they have also outgrown my day care. Legally with the infant I have 5 FT spots and 2 SA spots. I didn't even think to offer the SA family the option of paying two FT rates and telling mom of the infant she would have to wait until other spots opened up. I don't think she would have, but then she would have essentially termed herself.

What is your policy for keeping kids and letting kids go? I do kind of want to make sure my policy (FT trumps part time, SA kids outgrow my program before outgrowing DC, keeping families together when possible, etc.) seems unreasonable. I honestly don't like the idea of giving a family who has outgrown my care the opportunity to stay longer, but I guess I need to find a way to make sure parents better understand my SA policy...

[cheerfuldom]

I absolutely would not keep the schoolagers any longer. Even paying full time, which I seriously doubt they would do, these kids dont fit in. I dont even think you necessarily have to outline every reason why you would term and who has first dibs on spots because then you tie yourself down to whatever your contract says and that may not be what works for a particular situation. I think you need to know your own general plan but that doesn't mean you have to outline every scenario to the parents.

Don't feel you have to run circles to prove anything to this neighbor that you termed. You could put everything in black and white and still, people are going to be upset when you can't care for their kids, it is just the way it goes.

[Blackcat31]

My hardfast rules about accepting kids into care and letting them go are:

• Full time ALWAYS trumps part time (Part time is given option to take the FT spot though)
• Infants of current families are the only exception to the under 9 months old rule
• I will keep a child who is school age through first day of 1st grade ONLY IF I have the space available regardless of how long I've had the family.
• If I have more SA'ers interested in a space than I have room for, SA kids with siblings in care automatically give them priority over other SA kids.

HTH

I read your other thread and understand the DCM is kind of upset but in all honestly, she really has outgrown your program and the whole "why MY kids" line of thinking is really not appropriate as this business isn't meant for loyalty when the money just isn't there...kwim?

Of course you are going to keep families with younger sibs in care and of course you are going to keep younger kids verses older kids as they are the kids that pay your bills and keep you in business.

Her kids are pretty much at the cusp of not needing care anymore so she has alternatives. She just doesn't want to do the work and is trying to make you feel bad about it.

You made the right decision and as much as it ****s for her, it's business NOT personal.

[Play Care]

Full time ALWAYS trumps part time (Part time is given option to take the FT spot though)
Infants of current families are the only exception to the under 9 months old rule
I will keep a child who is school age through first day of 1st grade ONLY IF I have the space available regardless of how long I've had the family.
If I have more SA'ers interested in a space than I have room for, SA kids with siblings in care automatically give them priority over other SA kids

My top policy (in theory anyway) is the same as yours - but I guess I consider SA a different ball of wax. I have maintained that I'm not a SA provider and that by 2nd grade kids have outgrown my care, so I wouldn't feel comfortable even offering them the option of paying for the FT spot because it's not an appropriate placement.

[Play Care]

I absolutely would not keep the schoolagers any longer. Even paying full time, which I seriously doubt they would do, these kids dont fit in. I dont even think you necessarily have to outline every reason why you would term and who has first dibs on spots because then you tie yourself down to whatever your contract says and that may not be what works for a particular situation. I think you need to know your own general plan but that doesn't mean you have to outline every scenario to the parents.

Don't feel you have to run circles to prove anything to this neighbor that you termed. You could put everything in black and white and still, people are going to be upset when you can't care for their kids, it is just the way it goes.

Good point! I don't want parents to feel uneasy that they could lose a spot, but I also don't want to set a policy and be stuck with kids who don't belong in my toddler/preschool program.

[Blackcat31]

My top policy (in theory anyway) is the same as yours - but I guess I consider SA a different ball of wax. I have maintained that I'm not a SA provider and that by 2nd grade kids have outgrown my care, so I wouldn't feel comfortable even offering them the option of paying for the FT spot because it's not an appropriate placement.

Same here...I only offer the part time family the full time spot if they aren't SA. I don't take SA'er either.

Like I said, I will keep them up until 1st grade IF I've had them since they were babies and IF I have the space available.

Otherwise NO SA kids for me either!