What To Put In This Letter Regarding To Sticking To Contract???

[PolkaTots]

There is a family I have had for 2 months now...they are friendly...but keep lightly bending the rules. It's my fault with letting them get away with it, but now I am writing a letter to them to inform them going forward fees will be incurred.

-I have a 9 hour limit...there infant is here over 10 hours
-They have a contracted arrival of 7:15 (my earliest arrival by 45 mins) sometimes they come a little early, or up to an hour late, without notification.
-I require all children fed and ready to go for the day...his mom hands me a bottle when they enter...so it's difficult to get my own kids ready for school when I have to feed their infant.
-They aren't timely with forms or payments...and never include the late fee.

I know my 13 page contract can be a bit much to read, but a lot of these issues I have discussed directly with them. I have since updated some of the wording in my contract and am going to send out an updated copy soon.

So how would you word a letter to this family?

[momofboys]

There is a family I have had for 2 months now...they are friendly...but keep lightly bending the rules. It's my fault with letting them get away with it, but now I am writing a letter to them to inform them going forward fees will be incurred.

-I have a 9 hour limit...there infant is here over 10 hours
-They have a contracted arrival of 7:15 (my earliest arrival by 45 mins) sometimes they come a little early, or up to an hour late, without notification.
-I require all children fed and ready to go for the day...his mom hands me a bottle when they enter...so it's difficult to get my own kids ready for school when I have to feed their infant.
-They aren't timely with forms or payments...and never include the late fee.

I know my 13 page contract can be a bit much to read, but a lot of these issues I have discussed directly with them. I have since updated some of the wording in my contract and am going to send out an updated copy soon.

So how would you word a letter to this family?

I'd be brief but to the point:

Dear DCP:

As of (whatever date, I suggest tomorrow!) I will be enforcing all my policies. I have been lenient since you are new to DC & I understand it can be a difficult transition. Each child has a limit of 9 hours of care each day, child must be ready for care & be fed & dressed prior to drop-off & payments must be received no later than ___________. Failure to abide by daycare policies will result in ____________ (late fees/whatever your policies say). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

[CraftyMom]

I'd be brief but to the point:

Dear DCP:

As of (whatever date, I suggest tomorrow!) I will be enforcing all my policies. I have been lenient since you are new to DC & I understand it can be a difficult transition. Each child has a limit of 9 hours of care each day, child must be ready for care & be fed & dressed prior to drop-off & payments must be received no later than ___________. Failure to abide by daycare policies will result in ____________ (late fees/whatever your policies say). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Yes, and I might also add "please review my entire handbook at this time" or something like that to be sure she is aware of all policies

[Blackcat31]

There is a family I have had for 2 months now...they are friendly...but keep lightly bending the rules. It's my fault with letting them get away with it, but now I am writing a letter to them to inform them going forward fees will be incurred.

-I have a 9 hour limit...there infant is here over 10 hours
-They have a contracted arrival of 7:15 (my earliest arrival by 45 mins) sometimes they come a little early, or up to an hour late, without notification.
-I require all children fed and ready to go for the day...his mom hands me a bottle when they enter...so it's difficult to get my own kids ready for school when I have to feed their infant.
-They aren't timely with forms or payments...and never include the late fee.

I know my 13 page contract can be a bit much to read, but a lot of these issues I have discussed directly with them. I have since updated some of the wording in my contract and am going to send out an updated copy soon.

So how would you word a letter to this family?

This is what I would e-mail (or write in a letter) to them. I know it;s lengthier than your regular communication notes/reminders but you said there were several issues so I thought I would address them all individually.

If you use this, you'll have to tweak it to fit your program rules/policies and what you want to say.

Dear Family,

As with any new adventure, learning the ropes can be tough to navigate. When a new family starts, I try hard to be lenient and understanding when policies aren't followed or are not interpreted as written so sometimes it becomes necessary to remind or revisit some of these policies as our working relationship progresses.

As of late, there have been a few policies that I am needing to reinforce and wanted to take this time to go over them with you.

The first one is daily attendance limits. I offer 9 hours PER day PER child for the rate of $_____. The last few weeks, Katie has been in care for over 9 hours per day without additional fees attached. As of July 21, I will no longer be willing to accommodate these longer days and need to have her picked up by xx time. (Or: As of July 21, I will be charging $xx for any additional time used)

The second issue that needs addressing is being prepared for the day. I require all children to arrive fed and ready for the day. Providing me with a bottle upon drop off does not work in my routine as I have several other children in care that require my attention so Katie will need to arrive already fed her morning meal.

I also need to insist that you stick to your scheduled drop off times and if that is not possible or you are running late, I must insist you call and notify me of these changes IN ADVANCE as I am juggling multiple families times and schedules at one time.

The last issue I want to mention is by far the most important but the most difficult to discuss. I love my job and feel fortunate that I am able to be able to work in this field. However, since this IS my job and I do have financial obligations myself, I MUST be paid on time, every time.

As if July 21, 2014, ALL payments must be made by xxxxxx xxP.M. Late payments will have a $xx late fee added and no services will be provided until ALL invoices (including late fees) are paid in full.

Thank you for your time and consideration in these matters. I know going forward, we can have a successful and happy working relationship.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Sincerely,

Provider

[Silly Songs]

Question : how do parents have a child in daycare for 9 hours when that is the typical workday ? ( 8 hrs plus 1 hour for lunch is a 9 hour work day, not including commute time .) Is that hard to abide by for the parents ?

[TheGoodLife]

I know my 13 page contract can be a bit much to read, but a lot of these issues I have discussed directly with them. I have since updated some of the wording in my contract and am going to send out an updated copy soon.

One thing I do is to give a one-page (or more if needed) bulleted "Policy Overview" for all parents. It goes over the basic, simplified policies and is a nice reminder of policies, so parents can review them in an easier-to-read manner.

[coolconfidentme]

Question : how do parents have a child in daycare for 9 hours when that is the typical workday ? ( 8 hrs plus 1 hour for lunch is a 9 hour work day, not including commute time .) Is that hard to abide by for the parents ?

Who gets an hour for lunch? I wanna work there, . My contract is 9 hours. You can get anywhere in my town in 10 minute. If a client works outside of town the contract & fee based on that.

[preschoolteacher]

There is a family I have had for 2 months now...they are friendly...but keep lightly bending the rules. It's my fault with letting them get away with it, but now I am writing a letter to them to inform them going forward fees will be incurred.

-I have a 9 hour limit...there infant is here over 10 hours
-They have a contracted arrival of 7:15 (my earliest arrival by 45 mins) sometimes they come a little early, or up to an hour late, without notification.
-I require all children fed and ready to go for the day...his mom hands me a bottle when they enter...so it's difficult to get my own kids ready for school when I have to feed their infant.
-They aren't timely with forms or payments...and never include the late fee.

I know my 13 page contract can be a bit much to read, but a lot of these issues I have discussed directly with them. I have since updated some of the wording in my contract and am going to send out an updated copy soon.

So how would you word a letter to this family?

That's NOT lightly bending the rules. That's majorly breaking many of the most important rules!

[SignMeUp]

One thing I do is to give a one-page (or more if needed) bulleted "Policy Overview" for all parents. It goes over the basic, simplified policies and is a nice reminder of policies, so parents can review them in an easier-to-read manner.

I like this idea I may have to put something together! It could be cute too :: Call me crazy, but I like putting things together with borders, frames, pics, etc.

[SignMeUp]

Question : how do parents have a child in daycare for 9 hours when that is the typical workday ? ( 8 hrs plus 1 hour for lunch is a 9 hour work day, not including commute time .) Is that hard to abide by for the parents ?

Many of my families have flexible hours, and some do some work from home also. Plus, often one parent goes in earlier and gets off earlier.
So if the later-start parent drops off, and the earlier-end parent picks up, the child's day is shorter. And if rates are set up to encourage the shortest day possible, I consider it a win-win-win (child-parents-provider) ::

[MarinaVanessa]

Dear DCP's,

We are approaching the two-month mark of our parent/provider relationship and have settled in. I would like to take this time to briefly go over an overview of the policies. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the policies as from this point forward all policies will be enforced and fees assessed. Thank you in advance for helping to maintain a positive parent/provider partnership.

[overview of all rules]

[Rachel]

I don't know if you already sent them a letter or not, but if you didn't I would suggest having a meeting with them with the letter. Just sit down and explain everything and hand them the bulleted list. Do it nicely, politely, but firmly.

[taylorw1210]

This is what I would e-mail (or write in a letter) to them. I know it;s lengthier than your regular communication notes/reminders but you said there were several issues so I thought I would address them all individually.

If you use this, you'll have to tweak it to fit your program rules/policies and what you want to say.

Dear Family,

As with any new adventure, learning the ropes can be tough to navigate. When a new family starts, I try hard to be lenient and understanding when policies aren't followed or are not interpreted as written so sometimes it becomes necessary to remind or revisit some of these policies as our working relationship progresses.

As of late, there have been a few policies that I am needing to reinforce and wanted to take this time to go over them with you.

The first one is daily attendance limits. I offer 9 hours PER day PER child for the rate of $_____. The last few weeks, Katie has been in care for over 9 hours per day without additional fees attached. As of July 21, I will no longer be willing to accommodate these longer days and need to have her picked up by xx time. (Or: As of July 21, I will be charging $xx for any additional time used)

The second issue that needs addressing is being prepared for the day. I require all children to arrive fed and ready for the day. Providing me with a bottle upon drop off does not work in my routine as I have several other children in care that require my attention so Katie will need to arrive already fed her morning meal.

I also need to insist that you stick to your scheduled drop off times and if that is not possible or you are running late, I must insist you call and notify me of these changes IN ADVANCE as I am juggling multiple families times and schedules at one time.

The last issue I want to mention is by far the most important but the most difficult to discuss. I love my job and feel fortunate that I am able to be able to work in this field. However, since this IS my job and I do have financial obligations myself, I MUST be paid on time, every time.

As if July 21, 2014, ALL payments must be made by xxxxxx xxP.M. Late payments will have a $xx late fee added and no services will be provided until ALL invoices (including late fees) are paid in full.

Thank you for your time and consideration in these matters. I know going forward, we can have a successful and happy working relationship.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Sincerely,

Provider

[Indianadaycare]

This is what I would e-mail (or write in a letter) to them. I know it;s lengthier than your regular communication notes/reminders but you said there were several issues so I thought I would address them all individually.

If you use this, you'll have to tweak it to fit your program rules/policies and what you want to say.

Dear Family,

As with any new adventure, learning the ropes can be tough to navigate. When a new family starts, I try hard to be lenient and understanding when policies aren't followed or are not interpreted as written so sometimes it becomes necessary to remind or revisit some of these policies as our working relationship progresses.

As of late, there have been a few policies that I am needing to reinforce and wanted to take this time to go over them with you.

The first one is daily attendance limits. I offer 9 hours PER day PER child for the rate of $_____. The last few weeks, Katie has been in care for over 9 hours per day without additional fees attached. As of July 21, I will no longer be willing to accommodate these longer days and need to have her picked up by xx time. (Or: As of July 21, I will be charging $xx for any additional time used)

The second issue that needs addressing is being prepared for the day. I require all children to arrive fed and ready for the day. Providing me with a bottle upon drop off does not work in my routine as I have several other children in care that require my attention so Katie will need to arrive already fed her morning meal.

I also need to insist that you stick to your scheduled drop off times and if that is not possible or you are running late, I must insist you call and notify me of these changes IN ADVANCE as I am juggling multiple families times and schedules at one time.

The last issue I want to mention is by far the most important but the most difficult to discuss. I love my job and feel fortunate that I am able to be able to work in this field. However, since this IS my job and I do have financial obligations myself, I MUST be paid on time, every time.

As if July 21, 2014, ALL payments must be made by xxxxxx xxP.M. Late payments will have a $xx late fee added and no services will be provided until ALL invoices (including late fees) are paid in full.

Thank you for your time and consideration in these matters. I know going forward, we can have a successful and happy working relationship.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Sincerely,

Provider

Excellent letter! This is how I would handle it from here out.

I too, had a casual friend who brought her child to my daycare. They are not a "detail oriented" family. I spent a lot of time on my 16 page policy handout and covered all the details so I wouldn't have to verbally repeat everything all the time! And yes, they signed it. (but probably didn't read it thoroughly) When they were late at pick up for the third time in their first week, I had to tell dcm face to face that I would have to enforce the late pick up fee, and please add it to the next weeks tuition. I felt so awkward! She acted surprised, but paid. She's never been late again. All that to say that I like the letter idea better; more comfortable for me personally and an opportunity to sound friendly but professional.
You deserve to be treated professionally and with respect.

[Indianadaycare]

That's NOT lightly bending the rules. That's majorly breaking many of the most important rules!