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Suggestions Needed. I'm Unsure How To Handle This Situation
Hello! I'm new to the forum. I've been doing home daycare for 10+ years. I have a situation in which I don't know what to do. I became friends with one of my daycare children's mom. I'd say we've been friends for about a year. She is constantly late paying me. This started around Christmas and hasn't stopped. She acts like its no big deal. The kicker is she use to be a license daycare provider. Of all people she should know better. I care for her grand child. He is the sweetest boy. and I feel bad for him as he is chucked from his grandparents, his dad and his mom. I get him ever other week. She will tell me I cant pay you this week I will catch up with you the next week I have him. Which leaves me without a check for 3 weeks. and what kills me is she tells me why she can't pay me. one time she had to buy her oldest son a hockey stick and gear and then this week she couldn't pay me as her husband spent $300.00 on mulch for the front yard. UGH! I really don't want to get rid of the child as he loves coming to my daycare and I love having him. I don't want him to think I don't like him anymore. he already feels like that between both parents. My husband said I should re due her contract add to it that there will be a charge of $10.00 for each day she is late. My contract now states she needs to pay me every Monday and you see how that turned out.
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Do you have a pre-pay policy? If not it's a good idea. You could send a notice home to everyone so your friend isn't singled out.
"Beginning xxxx I will require all payments to be pre-paid on Friday for the following week. There will be a $10/day fee for each day a payment is late. If I do not receive your payment by Monday I will not be able to care for your child and fees will continue to accrue. No exceptions" -
Other than putting your foot down and explaining to her that daycare is your income and you can't wait until next week, there aren't a lot of things you can do that will work.
I have a friend that is a provider and she is always afraid to be upfront with parents so what she does is offer the parents TWO choices...
Pay up front BEFORE services are provided at $30 per day
OR
Pay AFTER services have been provided at $45 per day.
Seems parents ALWAYS pick the first option.
For me personally, I am friendly with my clients but I also make sure they TRULY understand that they are clients first and that means they MUST pay on time every time.
Being a friend means she should have MORE respect for you not less.
Making you have to chase your paycheck around is pretty disrespectful....I am sorry she is treating you this way.
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since you seem to want to put an end to this you are going to need to do things differently and speak up. Friend or not, child you love or not… payment needs to be made. Your policy is to be paid on Monday, then do not let the child stay if payment is not in your hands Monday morning. Since this has been going on for a while you need to have a talk with your friend before you turn them away at the door for the first time. Explain that this has gotten out of hand and that you value your friendship but you feel by her not paying on time she is not putting the same value on the care you give her grandchild. Explain that going forward payments MUST be made on time regardless of her other expenses and if she can not pay that the child can not stay.
I do suggest having late fees in your contract but in this case I wouldn't even go there… all you are going to do is add to the amounts she never pays. Its payment made on time or no care - no other options.
Your only other options are to terminate care or keep doing what you've been doing and that obviously isn't working for you.Comment
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I agree! I have one DCM who is a friend, and the one time she forgot (actually forgot) to pay me on time, she felt horrible when I brought it up. She apologized for making me be a bill collector and voluntarily paid me extra as a late/apology fee.
While it's uncomfortable to bring up, you have to put your foot down. It's not fair to you to provide services without pay, or to have an unsteady income. Her excuses are selfish - you have bills to pay, too. Why should you be the one to have the stress because of her poor financial planning? :/
:hug:
Good luck!Comment
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I know you love this little guy. But what they have deemed as acceptable treatment of you shows me where their priorities lie. You can either accept that or change it.
You've already received some great advice. I just want to tell you I'm mad at them for you! Why are we so often down the list of important things in their child/ren's lives?Comment
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and when you have this talk, explain that you have late fees and from now on they will be implemented. Only you can make this change and I would. If not your going to have other parents catch on to this and it could be a trickle down cluster boinker for you. Business first friendship next-Comment
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I did this exactly!
It worked well for me.
Another thing I add to my explanation to dcp's is fees I will inquire from the IRS if audited. I've been audited by the IRS twice and passed with flying colors. One thing I was taught by my accountant, if the audit goes past a desk audit, they can request all you child care records, including your hb, and attandance records. The IRS is known to check and see what kind of late fees you charge, and match your attendance records. If you received any late fees, You must claim them in taxes, because you can bet that the IRS will have their hand out for taxes on that!
So I tell my parents.....If Uncle Sam expects me to honor my late policies, then you should too!Comment
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Thank you. this is very helpful.Comment
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