Have you ever lost kids from not having enough other kids

[DaisyMamma]

I just lost a kid due to parent job loss. I have another moving in Oct.

That leaves me with 3 part time kids and 4 days off per month. Many days I will only have one child! I can swing it financially as long as no one pulls out. It's inevitable that the dcp will notice and in one case the child is old enough to tell the parent I have no other kids!

Have you lost more kids simply due to low enrollment? I'm kind of wondering if I should just look for a job...
I've turned away families due to their hours and other circumstances. I'm very picky on dcks and just didn't find any I wanted this school year.

[laloolee]

I am in a similar position, so very interested to hear from you about how things turn out for you.

This is a tiny operation here and have advertised as such from the very beginning. Like you, I'm very picky. But my only FT client has expressed, even before two kids went off to school this fall, that I should consider getting a gym membership and take the kids out to play within the childcare there so that they can interact with even more kids??? I already take the kids to storytimes, museum events, the park, and other special outings in addition to having a structured environment with curriculum here, so I just nodded along at this suggestion coming up in conversation multiple times. The membership here is sky high and wouldn't make sense for me to purchase just for the sake of taking little dkg out to an additional spot.

I am trying to figure out when and how to phase out daycare. I really care about these children and want them to have a good transition to their next spots. My big question has been what time of year would be the best to send them packing and looking for a new provider. I am starting to strongly consider letting the last family to sign on go before Christmas break with a generous notice since they can be the most challenging to accommodate. I know I want to move on completely from daycare before the next summer break and finally take a little vacation time with my family before returning to my former position. Taking on new clients in the meantime is definitely not on the table so I wonder how this will factor in to everyone's next move, particularly the FT family.

I would love for one of these families to have left by now on their own accord so the process of phasing this all out would work itself out for me. Landing a job between now and then would seem like a more palatable reason to give for closing down.

I think it can't hurt to look for a job that will better fit with your situation and be better for your family.

[EchoMom]

I haven't been in the position of being so low in kids. However, when I was first starting out, I did have the problem of people not signing up because their child would be the first or only. Honestly, at that point I just had to kind of fib and say I had a couple kids. As soon as people thought they weren't the first or only they started signing up easily and so it very very quickly wasn't a fib but the truth. Just needed to prime the pump a little. ..

[DaisyMamma]

I am in a similar position, so very interested to hear from you about how things turn out for you.

This is a tiny operation here and have advertised as such from the very beginning. Like you, I'm very picky. But my only FT client has expressed, even before two kids went off to school this fall, that I should consider getting a gym membership and take the kids out to play within the childcare there so that they can interact with even more kids??? I already take the kids to storytimes, museum events, the park, and other special outings in addition to having a structured environment with curriculum here, so I just nodded along at this suggestion coming up in conversation multiple times. The membership here is sky high and wouldn't make sense for me to purchase just for the sake of taking little dkg out to an additional spot.

I am trying to figure out when and how to phase out daycare. I really care about these children and want them to have a good transition to their next spots. My big question has been what time of year would be the best to send them packing and looking for a new provider. I am starting to strongly consider letting the last family to sign on go before Christmas break with a generous notice since they can be the most challenging to accommodate. I know I want to move on completely from daycare before the next summer break and finally take a little vacation time with my family before returning to my former position. Taking on new clients in the meantime is definitely not on the table so I wonder how this will factor in to everyone's next move, particularly the FT family.

I would love for one of these families to have left by now on their own accord so the process of phasing this all out would work itself out for me. Landing a job between now and then would seem like a more palatable reason to give for closing down.

I think it can't hurt to look for a job that will better fit with your situation and be better for your family.

Sounds like we are in the same boat!
I hope to be done with daycare by the end of this school year too. In the meantime I need the small amount of income it is generating as well as the flexibility to be there for my own SA children. So I suppose substitute teaching is always an option but I prefer getting household chores done during naptime!::

As for OP I know what you mean about starting out with no kids. My own children were a great buffer to hide having no kids, but now they are off at school! So I might find some activities or friends kids to keep that fib going.

[midaycare]

I would think yiu have time to find another family if you really, really want to. Of not ... They might pull. Depends on if they appreciate one on one quality care. Spin it that way. You can give so much more individualised attention and help special snowflake with letters, colors, numbers, etc. Thats what I did I. The very beginning when I had 1-2 for the first few weeks.

[originalkat]

I think it is possible that you could lose kids over it. My new family that I just enrolled is leaving their current provider because there is only one other (much younger) kid and he has been crying at dropoff. (Note: They are coming from an unlicensed SAHM so not really the same situation as yours.)

[Crazy8]

I have lost kids due to having none others in their age group. Last year 2 of my 2-3 year olds left and I had one more in that age group, I really had to do some convincing to get the mom to keep her son here. Fortunately about 6 weeks later I got another one close to his age.

Can you step up the advertising a bit to try to fill at least one spot?

[AmyKidsCo]

I did for a similar reason - most of my kiddos went to 4K last summer. I had new ones start in the fall but the mom of the 1 that was left decided she wanted to send her child to "3K" instead of have him be the oldest one here. Oh well...

[melilley]

I have lost kids due to having none others in their age group. Last year 2 of my 2-3 year olds left and I had one more in that age group, I really had to do some convincing to get the mom to keep her son here. Fortunately about 6 weeks later I got another one close to his age.

Can you step up the advertising a bit to try to fill at least one spot?

I'm the opposite, I try to send them to preschool when they are 3/4 as I prefer the young 3 and under group. I have only lost 1 from being "too old" to be here according to dcm, but is still a drop in. I have one 3 yo, and one who is almost 3 and the rest of the kids are 2 and under. The two older boys are p/t and sometimes aren't here on the same days so they have to be here alone with the younger group. I keep telling one mom that dcb is really ready for preschool, that he would benefit from being around more kids his age and she keeps telling me that she knows, but she likes that he can go from home to another home and that in Dec. she may take him to a preschool that she wants him to go to.

The dcb who is almost 3 (will be in 2 days), is potty training and I keep telling mom that when he is potty trained, our school district has preschool now and he would be able to go (in a nice way, of course). She said she wants to keep him here, that he'll have enough time to go to "school" when he's older.

For op, I have never had this problem, even when I first opened a little over a year and half ago. I was even up front and honest and told them that I just opened and didn't have any children enrolled yet, and they still came. I was full (well with the numbers that I needed financially) within 2-3 months from when I put my first ad out. (that could also be due to the fact that infant/toddler care is in high demand here)
People seem to like the low ratio as well.

[GabsKids]

I am in the same situation. I was also worried that they would pull their children due to low enrollment. I didn't want to enroll more because this will be my last year of childcare. I did end up telling all of my parents. I decided if they pull out sooner than I have planned, I will just move on to my "after daycare" plan sooner. I have a good relationship with all of my families and I really think they are going to stick it out. Most have been with me for 2+ years and I think they know it may be difficult to find another provider.
My plan is to finish out the school year. I think that will be a good transition time for the kids and parents. I also agree the end of the year (right before the holidays) is a good time as well.