Holiday week drop in

[holly333]

So I have a few teacher's families and during holiday weeks they generally keep the kids home some days (but still pay). I'm happy for the lighter load but it gets tricky trying to plan our day/week without knowing who is coming when. Over Thanksgiving break, I had one family who usually comes 8-3:30 try to drop baby off at 2pm (during nap time) and told me they'd be back at closing, 5:30. It disrupted our day and I had made a dr.'s appt late in the afternoon so told them they had to pick up earlier.

So for these coming holiday weeks I emailed my families asking if anyone would be out of town/not coming certain days so I could plan our week/put my son in camp if my ratio was full. Both teacher's families are telling me the same thing, that they might just do drop in as needed but won't be coming the entire time. I understand that they are paying for the spot but I really need to know if they are coming so I can plan our time better! Any advice on how to address the issue again? Thanks!

[TheGoodLife]

So I have a few teacher's families and during holiday weeks they generally keep the kids home some days (but still pay). I'm happy for the lighter load but it gets tricky trying to plan our day/week without knowing who is coming when. Over Thanksgiving break, I had one family who usually comes 8-3:30 try to drop baby off at 2pm (during nap time) and told me they'd be back at closing, 5:30. It disrupted our day and I had made a dr.'s appt late in the afternoon so told them they had to pick up earlier.

So for these coming holiday weeks I emailed my families asking if anyone would be out of town/not coming certain days so I could plan our week/put my son in camp if my ratio was full. Both teacher's families are telling me the same thing, that they might just do drop in as needed but won't be coming the entire time. I understand that they are paying for the spot but I really need to know if they are coming so I can plan our time better! Any advice on how to address the issue again? Thanks!

Tell them you need a written schedule by <date> so you can plan accordingly, or tell them you need a minimum of 48 <or 24, whatever you want> hours notice. They may be paying, and they can have access, but you require a schedule in order to have groceries, materials, crafts, ect ready and planned for.

[holly333]

Thank you, I just wanted to be sure I was being reasonable.

[rosieteddy]

My teacher contract is no school for parent no childcare for child.I am paid for school year only (not summer)but 3 school vacations are paid for me.I can not stand drop ins ,late arrivals ect.

[Meeko]

I am actually closed all week this year, but in past years, I send out notifications that Christmas week if different. I MUST have schedules set in stone, so I can plan our family activities around it. Parents have been very understanding that I don't need myself AND a helper here if I'm only going to have 6 kids for example.

No written schedule = no care at all.

Full payment is still due. So they are good about it.

[holly333]

Thank you all, I love this site for all the good advice!

So I told the two families that I would need their set schedule and their answer was that they would plan on bringing him the entire time. I have a feeling that means that they'll end up texting the night before telling me he won't be coming many days. I've explained how it affects our daily schedule/outings/my son not being able to be home with me but I'm not sure they understand. What else can I do?

[Crazy8]

I understand both sides of this and have had to deal with it a few times too. It gets tricky "requiring" a schedule when you normally don't. Their "schedule" is M-F 8-4 or whatever it may be, so they have the option of using all that time. But since they are on break chances are they won't use it. But I don't have any idea how I can require them to give me a schedule - because they will just do what yours did - just tell you they will be there the whole time (even though they won't).
Only thing I have found I could do was require children to arrive by 9am, not allow picks up/drop offs during nap (12:30-3 here) and if you do not contact me within 30 minutes of your contracted arrival time I will consider you absent for the day. These are all things that are just a normal part of my contract so I had that to fall back on. So I stopped asking for a schedule and when it was 9am and I still hadn't seen/heard from them for the day I went out.
I actually had one on a snow day call me in the morning saying they weren't coming but when the snow wasn't too bad by 10am they called to see if I would still take the child (so they could go enjoy their day!). That was a big fat NO.