Spot-Holding Frustration

[Leanna]

I have an infant in care (had her since the end of Aug. 2013). Upon interview and enrollment her parents did not inform me that mom works academic year at the college (she is not a professor, works in an office so it is not obvious).

Now that she has told me (at drop-off this morning no less) she is asking how it is going to work when she isn't here for 3 months (!!!) but still wants the spot and still wants to bring her occasionally over the summer. So I said well you pay for the spot so you can bring her whenever you need to. Mom's face drops and says, "How can I pay for the spot when I have no income?" I respond, "Well, unfortunately, I cannot go that long without income or you won't have child care to come back to." She says she understands but still cannot/will not pay the rate. Can she do a reduced rate? Can she put down a deposit to hold the spot and then pay for the days she does come? What does ***** do (another family where the mom is a public school teacher)? Well, I am not discussing someone else's contract so I sidestepped that question and just told her that I would have think about it. I said if I fill the spot (it is an infant spot and around here I could fill it ten times over again) then it might not be here for her in August (read: it won't be here in August).

UGH! I don't know what to do! The baby is AWESOME - very sweet, easy going, & fun! The family pays on time every week and has only had minor issues over the year. I would like to keep them as a family but honestly don't know if I can do it financially. Anyone have an creative solutions for this?????

[Play Care]

I have an infant in care (had her since the end of Aug. 2013). Upon interview and enrollment her parents did not inform me that mom works academic year at the college (she is not a professor, works in an office so it is not obvious).

Now that she has told me (at drop-off this morning no less) she is asking how it is going to work when she isn't here for 3 months (!!!) but still wants the spot and still wants to bring her occasionally over the summer. So I said well you pay for the spot so you can bring her whenever you need to. Mom's face drops and says, "How can I pay for the spot when I have no income?" I respond, "Well, unfortunately, I cannot go that long without income or you won't have child care to come back to." She says she understands but still cannot/will not pay the rate. Can she do a reduced rate? Can she put down a deposit to hold the spot and then pay for the days she does come? What does ***** do (another family where the mom is a public school teacher)? Well, I am not discussing someone else's contract so I sidestepped that question and just told her that I would have think about it. I said if I fill the spot (it is an infant spot and around here I could fill it ten times over again) then it might not be here for her in August (read: it won't be here in August).

UGH! I don't know what to do! The baby is AWESOME - very sweet, easy going, & fun! The family pays on time every week and has only had minor issues over the year. I would like to keep them as a family but honestly don't know if I can do it financially. Anyone have an creative solutions for this?????

The only thing I might offer is three days a week at a higher daily rate to make up the difference. But she would need to pay for those days regardless of if she uses them or not.

[Play Care]

And I'd only offer it if I could and wanted to. Otherwise I'd be filling the spot with another infant.

[Blackcat31]

I have an infant in care (had her since the end of Aug. 2013). Upon interview and enrollment her parents did not inform me that mom works academic year at the college (she is not a professor, works in an office so it is not obvious).

Now that she has told me (at drop-off this morning no less) she is asking how it is going to work when she isn't here for 3 months (!!!) but still wants the spot and still wants to bring her occasionally over the summer. So I said well you pay for the spot so you can bring her whenever you need to. Mom's face drops and says, "How can I pay for the spot when I have no income?" I respond, "Well, unfortunately, I cannot go that long without income or you won't have child care to come back to." She says she understands but still cannot/will not pay the rate. Can she do a reduced rate? Can she put down a deposit to hold the spot and then pay for the days she does come? What does ***** do (another family where the mom is a public school teacher)? Well, I am not discussing someone else's contract so I sidestepped that question and just told her that I would have think about it. I said if I fill the spot (it is an infant spot and around here I could fill it ten times over again) then it might not be here for her in August (read: it won't be here in August).

UGH! I don't know what to do! The baby is AWESOME - very sweet, easy going, & fun! The family pays on time every week and has only had minor issues over the year. I would like to keep them as a family but honestly don't know if I can do it financially. Anyone have an creative solutions for this?????

This is the part that **** about this job.

Honestly, you are running a business. If you MUST have the income, I would sympathize with her but let her know you can't put your family's financial security at risk due to someone else's job status.

I bet you she gets unemployment over the summer months. When I worked for Head Start, the gals that worked in the offices had summers off WITH unemployment benefits.

I know that UE doesn't pay nearly the same income as the job but I bet she plans for the loss of income for those months. How else is she surviving?

I have it written in my handbook that as a business that is open 12 months out of the year, I do not accommodate people who work seasonally. There are a lot of jobs here like that and just because a family is not working, laid off or on a break, doesn't mean I can afford to be.

It DOES make me feel bad but not bad enough that I am willing to take a loss for someone else's job situation.

[NightOwl]

Don't hold the spot without compensation. I've seen other posters on the forum who have done this exact thing and then the family does not return in August. If someone wants one of my spots badly enough, and I really want that family to have it, I will agree to half price for the summer weeks. That's with the child not in attendance. If she comes for a day here and there over the summer, charge the regular daily rate on top of the half price rate for the week (unless this amount exceeds your regular full time weekly rate. If that's the case then just charge the regular weekly). Explain to her that this is a huge favor, that you wouldn't normally do this. But you love her child and the family and don't want to lose them. If she looks at it as special treatment, she's more likely to agree.

[spinnymarie]

My only creative solution, if you want them to stay, is to have her find you a summer only replacement, like a school age kid, that woudl take her spot and give it back after summer is over.
I think some people let some families drop to PT (3 days/wk) over summer to have a lighter load in the summer, if you can afford it.

Outside of that, I say she either pays or loses her spot.

[Annalee]

This is the part that **** about this job.

Honestly, you are running a business. If you MUST have the income, I would sympathize with her but let her know you can't put your family's financial security at risk due to someone else's job status.

I bet you she gets unemployment over the summer months. When I worked for Head Start, the gals that worked in the offices had summers off WITH unemployment benefits.

I know that UE doesn't pay nearly the same income as the job but I bet she plans for the loss of income for those months. How else is she surviving?

I have it written in my handbook that as a business that is open 12 months out of the year, I do not accommodate people who work seasonally. There are a lot of jobs here like that and just because a family is not working, laid off or on a break, doesn't mean I can afford to be.

It DOES make me feel bad but not bad enough that I am willing to take a loss for someone else's job situation.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reading your post BC....I agree wholeheartedly. We are a business. Like you, I think providers should have compassion for clients, but a compassion that is NON-NEGOTIABLE and puts our own family first. I lost a client once that worked at the health dept.; when I went out there for something, a nurse friend came over to me and asked "what happened, this lady said you were too adamant about your contract"....to which I replied "well, I must be doing something right". :::: I have faults, but letting clients know up front what is expected is not one of them. There is NO PRETENSE when clients enter here. That being said, when clients ask about holding spots, etc., they are trying to change MY contract and that just isn't going to happen.

[sharlan]

This is the part that **** about this job.

Honestly, you are running a business. If you MUST have the income, I would sympathize with her but let her know you can't put your family's financial security at risk due to someone else's job status.

I bet you she gets unemployment over the summer months. When I worked for Head Start, the gals that worked in the offices had summers off WITH unemployment benefits.

I know that UE doesn't pay nearly the same income as the job but I bet she plans for the loss of income for those months. How else is she surviving?

I have it written in my handbook that as a business that is open 12 months out of the year, I do not accommodate people who work seasonally. There are a lot of jobs here like that and just because a family is not working, laid off or on a break, doesn't mean I can afford to be.

It DOES make me feel bad but not bad enough that I am willing to take a loss for someone else's job situation.

Teachers and office staff here do not collect unemployment. They have 10 month contracts. Some school districts will allow the teachers to lower there pay so they receive 12 month payments, but not all. The one my daughter's work for does not. Summers are tight for them so they have to budget accordingly.

For my teacher families, they have 2 choices. They either take the summer off and hope that I have space available in the fall OR they pay a minimum of 3 days whether they use it or not. I do not hold a space.

[sharlan]

I, personally, will never hold another spot after I got burned last year. I held a spot for 4 months for my sil's niece. I turned away 5 infants in that time. At the very last minute, she decided to go with a friend.

[Blackcat31]

Teachers and office staff here do not collect unemployment. They have 10 month contracts. Some school districts will allow the teachers to lower there pay so they receive 12 month payments, but not all. The one my daughter's work for does not. Summers are tight for them so they have to budget accordingly.

For my teacher families, they have 2 choices. They either take the summer off and hope that I have space available in the fall OR they pay a minimum of 3 days whether they use it or not. I do not hold a space.

I've heard of a lot of seasonal positions that don't offer unemployment over the off-time but still, like you said, they budget accordingly.

I DO sympathize with these families but I just can't afford to bend or discount any of my policies to "help" them out...especially if by doing that, MY family loses.

[Unregistered]

I DO sympathize with these families but I just can't afford to bend or discount any of my policies to "help" them out...especially if by doing that, MY family loses.

In what other business is the owner expected to do all the "giving"?
"Because you love the children." "Because this is like your calling."
"Because I can't afford that." "Because they aren't costing you anything when they aren't there."

Hmm. I do love the children. I did always want to do this. I can't afford it either, and often go above and beyond what I 'should' for YOUR child. And I DO have expenses whether or not your child is here.

[CraftyMom]

I would throw it back at them. They didn't bring this up at all until now, their fault. Should have taken care of this before they started with you and they would have known your policy before signing on. They waited until now. Your policy isn't going to change because the child is already in your care and they throw this at you now.

Don't bend! I got the short end too many times by being accommodating. This is their issue!

[sahm1225]

I have teacher families that go from full time to 2-3/days a week during the summer. I have 3 school age kids that come back for the summer, so out summer is booked already.
Would you be able to get a temporary child for the summer.

I don't understand your dcm, this is a pretty big thing to discuss prior to signing a contract!

One thing to offer - is that she pays more weekly now to be applied to the summer schedule?

[Second Home]

Maybe let her know you can not hold the spot for free but in case you have someone else interested you will give her the first choice to come back for whatever time is left of the summer .

But this will happen again next year too .

[TwinKristi]

I'm glad I didn't end up getting a dual teacher family who interviewed with me late last year. I didn't know how I would do summers and I'm glad I didn't have to. This is the crappy part of the job we have.
Personally I would explain that you get calls for infants all the time and can't afford to be without that income for 3 mos. She knew that she would have to do this when she took her job, she didn't explain this to you when you accepted the job. KWIM? You don't have but 30 days to plan for 3 mos without income. You may be able to accommodate a decreased income during the summer but not zero income for that spot.