Its All About The Money.... (Just My Opinion)

[Unregistered]

Lol! Time to put on your suit of armor! Jk...jk....::.......

I used to work my business exactly as you are mentioning now.
Instead of it working out for both me and the parent, me getting a more relaxing day without a particular child, and parent not having to pay for the day the child was absent....it backfired against me in that the parents started keeping their children home for every reason they could think of because they knew they would not have to pay.
My business was not paying the bills.
Now I charge for everyday, and they are here everyday. To the point that I have to get stern on illness policies, and such, for a parent to actually keep their child home for a change.
I think what most of us complain about isn't exactly the business aspect of us providing a service, rather the aspect of the business and $$$ taking priority over the actual child when it comes to the parents.
A child should represent so much more for a parent then $$$, but a lot of parents are putting the $$$ first.

I also used to do things as the OP feels is right. I feel it's right, too. A lot parents want to cook the books. Like one parent has a habit of picking her child up after closing. Then would justify is by saying "Well, you close at 6, but I pick her up at 5pm every day. I've already paid for four hours I didn't use". Um, no. The thing about the parents is they are 99.9999999999% of the time out for themselves. No, their family. Not their kids. Not their spouse. For themselves. Just as this threads we see about "When child is in dc, it's no this and no that, but you see the parent feeding them some type of junk outside of dc". It's all about the parent. Why did these people become parents in the first place? Let me share one more story. I'm sorry this is long, but think this really shows my point. My uncle in law was a jeweler. When he died, he left my husband and his family jewelry and gold instead of cash. My sil and mil got 90% of the jewelry. My husband got 90% of the gold with mil and sil getting the rest. I was pregnant at the time and picked one piece of statement jewelry for myself, one rolex for a boy, and one expensive tennis bracelet. I figured if I had a boy, he could have the rolex and (my husband has a rolex) his future wife the bracelet. If I had a girl, she could have tennis bracelet and her husband could have the rolex. (I have fertility problems. I knew I would be one and done.) My sil had three children already. Picked NOTHING for them. Years later, she and the mil pawned all the jewelry and gold. Recently, I went to dinner with her without her children. I said "Do you ever feel bad they're not going to have any of the jewelry your uncle made?". Her response was "He was my uncle. Not their's".

[Laurel]

If you don't want to charge for days the parents don't use you definitely will get a lot of business. It might even be a way to get your business going if you don't need the same income every week. I'd advise you to change it at some point though because I think you'll be sorry if you really need it to meet your bills. If it is just extra spending money then you may be okay.

Do daycares in your area do the same? I only know one center that does it that way here and no daycare homes (although it is possible there are some).

I don't see it at all like a store selling whistles. I see it more like paying your electric bill or your car payment.

I know providers sometimes complain when they know mom is home and brings baby anyway. I only cared when I had a mom who NEVER spent any time with her child. One mom even asked me to watch him on New Years Day (a paid holiday for me). Luckily they weren't here very long. Mostly I had good parents. Really I agree with you on that. We shouldn't complain if they are paying anyway. I said 'shouldn't' but it is kind of hard. You are having a rough day with their child snotting all over the place and whining and you picture the parent putting their feet up and relaxing while you're wiping snot every few minutes. Just human to resent it some if you know what I mean.

Laurel

[Mister Sir Husband]

How many DCK's do you watch? If memory serves I thought you just got your first enrollment recently? When you are full and expect a certain amount of $ each week and you don't get a paycheck to pay your bills you might change your mind...

Right now I have just the 1 enrollment.. and being a new business I am not expecting an actual profit for quite some time. Before I started my daycare, I was paying a mortgage, 2 car payments, electric, fuel, phones, etc.. I still have these bills, but my daycare money doesn't go for them. Any money I make prolly right through next year will be put back into the business.

How much I make doing this and my enrollment numbers are a bit off track though. My reasoning for the original post was because everyone seems to complain that parents bring their kids when they could keep them home. Honestly parents should keep their kids whenever they can if for no other reason than just to spend time with them, but quite often they won't. It's truly sad. Giving mom and dad a couple bucks incentive to keep junior home when they are able to is just my way of seeing that they do.

If you charge for all 5 days regardless of attendance, great. Good for you. If none of the parents have a problem with this.. awesome. But statistically if your charging for all 5, your gonna have the kid for all 5. Posting on here that mom went to the spa instead of work while you watched the kids is a cool vent, but it's gonna happen.

[Josiegirl]

I agree Sir. If they're paying, they're going to use their spot. Well, most of them will. You actually get some loving parents sometimes who love to spend that off time with their kids. I wouldn't offer an incentive though, because I'd be open and working anyways. And as someone said, it shouldn't be up to us to impress upon a parent that daily fee isn't as important as time with their child.
I think we all tend to go off on a tangent with this topic because it hits a lot of us as we watch these kids almost beg their parents to be with them. It's a major pet peeve at times.

[Mister Sir Husband]

If you don't want to charge for days the parents don't use you definitely will get a lot of business. It might even be a way to get your business going if you don't need the same income every week. I'd advise you to change it at some point though because I think you'll be sorry if you really need it to meet your bills. If it is just extra spending money then you may be okay.

Do daycares in your area do the same? I only know one center that does it that way here and no daycare homes (although it is possible there are some).

I don't see it at all like a store selling whistles. I see it more like paying your electric bill or your car payment.

I know providers sometimes complain when they know mom is home and brings baby anyway. I only cared when I had a mom who NEVER spent any time with her child. One mom even asked me to watch him on New Years Day (a paid holiday for me). Luckily they weren't here very long. Mostly I had good parents. Really I agree with you on that. We shouldn't complain if they are paying anyway. I said 'shouldn't' but it is kind of hard. You are having a rough day with their child snotting all over the place and whining and you picture the parent putting their feet up and relaxing while you're wiping snot every few minutes. Just human to resent it some if you know what I mean.

Laurel

Very well put.. I prolly would resent it sometimes, and might even post on here about it, but it wouldn't change anything. My solution works for me. I get a couple less bucks, in trade for an easier day. Of course I also haven't ever had any real problem children. When kids are here (speaking before I was licenced.. I used to care for some) they behave and treat each other well or they don't participate in the fun stuff. If it continues they aren't invited back. Usually it was the kids who's parents let them get away with everything that didn't last long.

As far as I know, I'm the only one in my area that does it like this and the mom I have now loves it. She's due to have another in November, and I have the spot waiting for her. I also care for her daughter on alternate Saturdays, and 10am to 7 pm during the week which no one anywhere near here would even consider.

[NeedaVaca]

Right now I have just the 1 enrollment.. and being a new business I am not expecting an actual profit for quite some time. Before I started my daycare, I was paying a mortgage, 2 car payments, electric, fuel, phones, etc.. I still have these bills, but my daycare money doesn't go for them. Any money I make prolly right through next year will be put back into the business.

How much I make doing this and my enrollment numbers are a bit off track though. My reasoning for the original post was because everyone seems to complain that parents bring their kids when they could keep them home. Honestly parents should keep their kids whenever they can if for no other reason than just to spend time with them, but quite often they won't. It's truly sad. Giving mom and dad a couple bucks incentive to keep junior home when they are able to is just my way of seeing that they do.

If you charge for all 5 days regardless of attendance, great. Good for you. If none of the parents have a problem with this.. awesome. But statistically if your charging for all 5, your gonna have the kid for all 5. Posting on here that mom went to the spa instead of work while you watched the kids is a cool vent, but it's gonna happen.

You can search my posts, I have never complained about this issue because I don't have it I charge by the week for 6 kids and only 2 are full time. I only take families that share my beliefs that kids need quality time with family. My families, even though they are only part time, still keep the kids home when they can.

[LysesKids]

Sir Husband...

Some of us have very limited #'s and really need each spot at capacity in order to just break even $ wise ( I can only have 4 because i specialize in under 2's only). Now when I lived in AR, I could have 5 babies... that last spot was specifically set up as a "pay by the day" position because I knew I could make it off 4 FT babes...

here, I compete with a lot of SAHM moms starting up what I call "fly by night" childcare homes; here today, gone 3 months from now... they don't realize it's not a get rich job, but they charge much less than I do or offer to take sick kids (not happening here) - I offered pay by the day and no one took, I offer FT and now have bites. It just looks like a more professional childcare in many parents eyes (especially since I have done it 14 years) - I still offer the pay by the day but with the understanding it's only available AND booked if a spot is open on the day requested. BTW, I also offer Part time care, which many infant providers will not do

[CraftyMom]

I see your point, but I also feel that when providers say the parents were home and should have kept the child home it's because the child so badly wants or needs the parent's attention. Or we hear the parents say how they wish they could spend more time with their child, but when they get a chance they have a me day instead.

I have dcb 2.5. Mom and dad just recently split up. Dcb is now adjusting to 2 different homes and worries all day, asking me where he is going today, mom's or dad's (sometimes grandma's). He has started telling me he wants to leave to see dad (or mom, depending on who he saw last). It's hard for him. He needs to spend extra time with his parents right now for reassurance. You'd think the parents would be thinking of dcb's needs. Nope. Dad drops off the other day and dcb is telling me "I wanna go home with dad. He's gonna go home and watch a movie. I wanna watch a movie with dad too"

As providers it hurts us to see these kids that we have come to love yearning for their parent's attention and getting swept aside because they already paid for the day so they're going to use it.

I offer 2 free days to my families per year. Not one parent has ever used a free day in my 2 years of operating. They have the option to not pay and they STILL send their child.

[SignMeUp]

The great thing about family child care is that each provider can run their business how they see fit. However, I doubt that anyone who provides child care (even if they look at issues from the family's perspective) and does it as a necessary income source, will use a pay-as-you-come model successfully long-term.

[Laurel]

I see your point, but I also feel that when providers say the parents were home and should have kept the child home it's because the child so badly wants or needs the parent's attention. Or we hear the parents say how they wish they could spend more time with their child, but when they get a chance they have a me day instead.

I have dcb 2.5. Mom and dad just recently split up. Dcb is now adjusting to 2 different homes and worries all day, asking me where he is going today, mom's or dad's (sometimes grandma's). He has started telling me he wants to leave to see dad (or mom, depending on who he saw last). It's hard for him. He needs to spend extra time with his parents right now for reassurance. You'd think the parents would be thinking of dcb's needs. Nope. Dad drops off the other day and dcb is telling me "I wanna go home with dad. He's gonna go home and watch a movie. I wanna watch a movie with dad too"

As providers it hurts us to see these kids that we have come to love yearning for their parent's attention and getting swept aside because they already paid for the day so they're going to use it.

I offer 2 free days to my families per year. Not one parent has ever used a free day in my 2 years of operating. They have the option to not pay and they STILL send their child.

Wow, two free days and they still send them. Just wow.

Laurel

[debbiedoeszip]

It's more the same as renting an apartment. You are renting it for a specific period of time, and you pay even when you don't spend the night there. It's not about specific usage, it's about paying for a spot that could be otherwise filled by someone else.

[Thriftylady]

In a way you are right. It is about the money. It has to be. It costs money to care for these kids. To keep the kids, you pay more expenses than you would otherwise. I change diapers, so I have to wash my hands more. That costs me more on water and sewer and on soap and towels since I have to wash the laundry. I have to feed them, so it costs me more at the grocery store. I have more lights on, I really don't mind just the outside daylight when I am alone, but the kids can't see so well to read and write that way. While they are reading and writing, they need books, paper, pencils crayons. My youngest is 16 she doesn't use all those things so much anymore, so I have to buy them special for the littles. And yes, I need to make a little otherwise I would be sitting around reading my books, writing the book I am writing and eating bonbons all day. What do bonbons even taste like? I can't afford them . So yes it is about the money. And it is for you also, or honestly you wouldn't be doing it. If I am wrong and it isn't for you, I am guessing you won't be doing it for long most of us can't afford to do charity.

[midaycare]

You can search my posts, I have never complained about this issue because I don't have it I charge by the week for 6 kids and only 2 are full time. I only take families that share my beliefs that kids need quality time with family. My families, even though they are only part time, still keep the kids home when they can.

Most of my kids are part time and I have very high parental involvement. With that said, I don't care if parents drop them off when they aren't working. Everyone needs a break once in awhile. My parents don't abuse it, so I understand when they do it.

When my ds was in daycare, I would take a few hours every 3 months and go to the bookstore, shop, or even get grocery shopping for the week done when I was out of work early. Then when I picked up I was relaxed, focused on ds, and a much better mom.

I charge for every day they are scheduled to be here, regardless of attendance.

[nannyde]

This is a topic that has been debated since my first time on an internet daycare board in 98.

I have seen thousands of these threads and they all are the same end game.

I know you intended to discuss parents bringing kids on their time off when they are paying a full slot but the concept of only charging for attendance is what I'm interested in.

I don't know of any provider who has charged by attendance and is a veteran provider.

Are there any providers here who have made a career of charging a daily rate by attendance only? Or an hourly rate by attendance only?

I have seen thousands try it and either go out of business or switch but I haven't heard of anyone who has made it to the five or ten year mark. Maybe if they have a spouse paying the family's way.. but if they need income they would have a terrible time. Also, having kids who are very part time sporadically would be a nightmare job.

A lot of providers start doing daycare as the daycare they would have liked to have had as a parent accessing daycare. That works for the loving stuff but not the money stuff. Once they start allowing unpaid days and rotating schedules, they go broke. Once they allow "mildly ill" kids they go broke.

I pray you aren't considering that unless it's just to make SOME money. Being new to daycare it will be tough to manage the occasional kids.

[Angelsj]

How many DCK's do you watch? If memory serves I thought you just got your first enrollment recently? When you are full and expect a certain amount of $ each week and you don't get a paycheck to pay your bills you might change your mind...

I do appreciate both sides of this argument, however, I have been working that way for over 30 years, so it really is not a time thing. It is not always easy, but neither is having a full load of kids every day even when their parents could and should be with them.

I choose to put my money where my philosophy lies and encourage parents to spend time with their kids whenever they can by not charging unless they are actually here. I generally have as many children as I want at any given time, and parents who respect my concepts by giving me consistent (though part time) schedules. This enables me to balance a variety of schedules to fulfill my needs as well as theirs.

If you choose not to do so, that is ok too.