I Find it So Frustrating...

[Unregistered]

To ask or not to ask...

When I opened my daycare, I would have interviews that I thought went really well and then I would end up not being called back by the parents or getting the "We really like what you have to offer but we decided to go with...". It was rough because of how smoothly I thought it went to not have the parents choose me. I had to know why they didn't pick me so for the first couple years, I would ask why they didn't choose me. It usually came down to money, my daycare being out of their way, or the lack of other kids around (I was new to home daycare and it took time to establish a name for myself). I thought I would feel better if I knew why but it still ****ed.

I don't ask anymore and I haven't asked in the last 7 or 8 years. I don't need to know the reason why a parent chooses another provider. It doesn't really help me out in the long run. I don't follow up with potential clients at all. I take the time to meet with them and their kids and I give them a tour and an interview and I answer their questions and address any concerns that they might have. I go over my contract in detail with the parents during the interview and I give them contact information to reach me at if they have any questions or if they want to enroll with me.

I've found it to be best for me to do the interview & tour and forget about it until I hear back from them (or don't hear back from them). It's less stressful!

[cheerfuldom]

I find the vast majority of the time, the reasons parents pick another place do not include anything I can change or am willing to change such as rates and location. I am getting better and better at weeding out people before they waste my time at an in person interview. I make sure that callers and emailers understand my rates, business hours and licensing status (happily and legally unlicensed) are not going to change and neither is my "academic" situation (I dont provide a boxed curriculum or preschool environment). I dont want people wasting their time talking to me if I am not really what they want to begin with. I have also heard thru the grapevine that some families felt my home was not "warm" enough meaning that my family are minimalist. Our playroom is not a toy explosion and a Chuck-E-Cheese environment with music and lights and kid entertainment busting out of the seams. At the time I heard this, we had also recently moved into the house and one mom complained to one of my references that I didnt have pictures on the walls LOL People will find ANYTHING to dislike if they have already made up their mind not to use you. I have had some parents say they already really liked somewhere else but felt they had to interview multiple places per XYZ parenting article/book/parenting expert. I have also had some people uncomfortable with the fact that I am a mom of four....these are the people that want nanny or Grandma style care, lots of one-on-one.