Questions/Questions....

[Blackcat31]

I'm feeling a bit nosey today....anyone in? Add your own????'s too..it is always nice to gather new methods/ideas and support in knowing it isn't just me who has this rule....

1. How often do you up-date or redo your policies and handbooks?
2. How often do you send correspondence home to parents? (Not stuff to specific parents) I mean things like themes, events, and news....do you do this as needed or do you do a monthly/weekly family newletter or just post announcements on a bulletin board etc?
3. How do you do the specific parent discusssions, like they need diapers or "Billy did this today at daycare...." Do you write notes or do it verbally?
4. Do you give receipts to parents every time they pay or monthly or only yearly?
5. Do you remind parents of closings? Payments due? I mean they know you are closed if it is on a calendar you give and they know when payments are due too, but do you do reminders so they don't forget that type of stuff? Like posting notes on doors etc.
6. Does anyone have an extra curricular activity the dck's get to do during your watch? (EX: Our YMCA offers swim lessons to daycare kids and their bus comes to area daycares and gets the kids two times per week and brings them back 90 minutes later.)
7. How often do you raise your rates?

[Lucy]

1. For me it's just a contract and 2 pages of enrollment, which includes policy notes. I'm easy. I re-type it and tweek it whenever I get someone new, which isn't very often.

2. I have a small group and we're more like friends. I just talk to them when they drop off or pick up.

3. Verbally

4. Whatever they ask for. I'm easy. Some need it every month for their pre-tax thing at work, some have said they don't need one ever. Whatever.

5. I make a sign on construction paper with markers and put it on the inside of my front door. I will also pass out a note about a week ahead of a closing or if I have to leave early for a doctor appt.

6. Sometimes we go to story time at the library, but that's about it.

7. It has averaged about every 2 yrs for established clients, but I raise a little bit for incoming new ones. They pay higher than established ones.

[laundrymom]

1. How often do you up-date or redo your policies and handbooks?I add to them through the year and save them on my computer and when I redo contracts in aug I print out the old, hand it out, tell them to read and return.
2. How often do you send correspondence home to parents? (Not stuff to specific parents) I mean things like themes, events, and news....do you do this as needed or do you do a monthly/weekly family newletter or just post announcements on a bulletin board etc?I post things on the board.
3. How do you do the specific parent discusssions, like they need diapers or "Billy did this today at daycare...." Do you write notes or do it verbally?I text them and send a note written in sharpie on their diaper
4. Do you give receipts to parents every time they pay or monthly or only yearly?only when they ask
5. Do you remind parents of closings? Payments due? I mean they know you are closed if it is on a calendar you give and they know when payments are due too, but do you do reminders so they don't forget that type of stuff? Like posting notes on doors etc.I post on the board out annual schedule and then again on the door the morning of the closure. I have had parents show up banging before but they see the closing note and turn around. It only takes once for them to realize that I mean it when I say closed. I dont hand hold. I used to worry so much making sure people were reminded and such,. but it led to them being more lazy and less prepared. Now I just inform them in august, and either they tell me the next open day or they never mention it again. If they came when I wasnt here. I do still have (the family I always have trouble getting paid from) who called me last april on tuesday, saying,.. where are you???Im outside your house,.. open the door,.. to which I replied Im in missouri at my dads sitting by the lake tanning,... Im on vacation this week. There is a note on the door,..I got the response,.. well,.. I saw that yesterday but didnt know it meant all week, what am I supposed to do? will you be here tomorrow? I said,.. no Im on vacation this week, did you read the note?? Yes,.. but I didnt think you meant all week,... I said,.. what does it say,.. read it to me maybe I miswrote it,.. she said,.. We will be closed the week of April 5th to 9th 2010. I said,.. see Im closed until AFTER the 9th. Oh,.. so your going to be gone the whole week??? where will I take him??? I answered with oh jenn, my signal is bad since Im at the lake Ill call you when I get back to town. " some people,... really,.. shouldnt well you know.
6. Does anyone have an extra curricular activity the dck's get to do during your watch? (EX: Our YMCA offers swim lessons to daycare kids and their bus comes to area daycares and gets the kids two times per week and brings them back 90 minutes later.)nope , I keep them mostly when they are bitty
7. How often do you raise your rates?[/QUOTE]not in 12 yrs but Im getting a healthy raise with the next set of families I enroll.

[DCMom]

1. How often do you up-date or redo your policies and handbooks? Yearly

2. How often do you send correspondence home to parents? (Not stuff to specific parents) I mean things like themes, events, and news....do you do this as needed or do you do a monthly/weekly family newletter or just post announcements on a bulletin board etc? Weekly via email AND a bulletin board for reminders

3. How do you do the specific parent discusssions, like they need diapers or "Billy did this today at daycare...." Do you write notes or do it verbally? For supplies I stick a post it note on the cubby; my pickups are pretty evenly spaced, so I do it verbally.

4. Do you give receipts to parents every time they pay or monthly or only yearly? Yearly W10 or if they request for flexdollars

5. Do you remind parents of closings? Payments due? I mean they know you are closed if it is on a calendar you give and they know when payments are due too, but do you do reminders so they don't forget that type of stuff? Like posting notes on doors etc. I give them a list of scheduled closings in January with the new contracts, then I write reminders on a bulletin board.
I never remind them of payments; they know when they are due.

6. Does anyone have an extra curricular activity the dck's get to do during your watch? (EX: Our YMCA offers swim lessons to daycare kids and their bus comes to area daycares and gets the kids two times per week and brings them back 90 minutes later.) I have a music teacher that comes in on Tuesdays; in the summer I hire entertainment once a month (i.e. a bouncer, a magician, a clown). I usually split that with another provider who is a few blocks away.

7. How often do you raise your rates? Yearly, but only for new families. Once enrolled, your rate stays the same.

[misol]

1. How often do you up-date or redo your policies and handbooks? Immediately. I make the change immediately and new clients get the new contract and old clients keep the one that they have. If the new rule affects an old client then I will probably give them a letter detailing the new/changed policy and have them sign it. Each of my families has a slightly different contract because of this and I'm OK with that.
2. How often do you send correspondence home to parents? (Not stuff to specific parents) I mean things like themes, events, and news....do you do this as needed or do you do a monthly/weekly family newletter or just post announcements on a bulletin board etc? I post general notices and announcements on a parent board.
3. How do you do the specific parent discusssions, like they need diapers or "Billy did this today at daycare...." Do you write notes or do it verbally?
I put a sticky note on their sign in sheet so they can take with them if they need to.
4. Do you give receipts to parents every time they pay or monthly or only yearly? I send out the tax statement at the end of the year. I will give receipts upon request but have only had one parent ever request one.
5. Do you remind parents of closings? Payments due? I mean they know you are closed if it is on a calendar you give and they know when payments are due too, but do you do reminders so they don't forget that type of stuff? Like posting notes on doors etc. For holiday closings I just type CLOSED across that line on their sign-in sheet. For upcoming vacation notices I post a notice on the parent board and also write it in on the sign in sheet. For payments - I've only had to ask for payment twice and both times both parents had genuinely forgotten.
6. Does anyone have an extra curricular activity the dck's get to do during your watch? (EX: Our YMCA offers swim lessons to daycare kids and their bus comes to area daycares and gets the kids two times per week and brings them back 90 minutes later.) We go to the library once a week and sometimes take field trips related to our themes.
7. How often do you raise your rates? Been in business for just over a year and I haven't yet. I like the idea of not raising rates on current families and just having new clients come in at a higher rate.

[DanceMom]

1. Have updated only sick policy every year so far.

2. I send a monthly newsletter

3. I buy small notebooks for each child and write what they did each day in them, what I need etc.

4. I give receipts each time they pay and I do year end.

5. I remind them of closings by email, notebooks, newsletters and calendars sent home and on my front door
.
6. I only walk them to the park - too many to take somewhere.

7. I have never raised them, I already overcharge for the area..if anything I have lowered as they got older.