Update On Variable Hrs Mom- She Doesn't Get It!

[legomom922]

For the hek of it, I called a center this am and they told me they do not honor varying schedules. It's $55/day for 2 days, $51/day for 3-4 days and $220/wk for 5 days, regardless of what or how many hrs a day you use.

I also would be willing to watch him until 4pm IF it was a set day of the week that I could plan around, that wouldnt interfere with my counts. I can only have 2 FT's anyway due to the fact I am not regsitred, so I dont have alot of room for flexability, as someone else who is able to watch 6 kids, but only has 4. That might be a better fit for her. I need to make the most out of what I have.

[marniewon]

For the hek of it, I called a center this am and they told me they do not honor varying schedules. It's $55/day for 2 days, $51/day for 3-4 days and $220/wk for 5 days, regardless of what or how many hrs a day you use.

I also would be willing to watch him until 4pm IF it was a set day of the week that I could plan around, that wouldnt interfere with my counts. I can only have 2 FT's anyway due to the fact I am not regsitred, so I dont have alot of room for flexability, as someone else who is able to watch 6 kids, but only has 4. That might be a better fit for her. I need to make the most out of what I have.

Licensed or not, regardless of whether one can have 2 kids or 6, I can't imagine anyone putting up with that schedule and waiting until the last minute sometimes to find out her hours. For all the crap you've been through with her, and with your dh's raise, I would just term her. It sounds like it's getting to be way too stressful and more trouble than it's worth.

[Daycare_Mama]

I commented a couple times on your last thread before you gave the mom the letter.

You say you would be fine if it was til 4:30 and you knew about it. I know you said you don't do traditional hours, but from my experience it is just easier to have a full day block they can come. Then you don't have to worry about what they are doing or when they are coming. You open at this time, you close at this time. Easy. If you are open to this (even bump your rate up a little if your original 3 day rate was for 6:30-2:30)

I would simply tell her this:

I feel like there is a misunderstanding, so I'm going to try and be clear. I am offering you 2 options and if neither work, then I will have to let you go.

Option 1.: Choose 3 days per week that you will come. These days CANNOT change from month to month. They MUST stay the same every month because I will be filling the other days with my appointments and another family to care for. You can drop off anytime between 6:30am - 4:30pm. Your rate for these 3 days at 10 hours a day is: $_____ You do not have to come for all 10 hours every day, but your rate will be the same regardless if you do. Overtime charges will apply if you come earlier than 6:30 or stay later than 4:30, regardless of when the child is leaving or got dropped off.

Option 2.: Sign a contract for Full-time M-F care. Your hours will be from ______ to ______ for $ _______ per week. Again, you can come at any time, any day during those hours. Overtime charges will be the same as Option 1.

If neither of these options will work for your family, I am really sorry, but I will no longer be able to provide care for _______.

As other poster said, I would talk to her in person about this as well as give her a letter in writing detailing what options you have for her. Talk to her right then, so you know what she wants to do. Then you can either write up a new contract or a 2 week notice.

It is not that hard to understand, but she's obviously confused. So you need to clearly spell out what options you are giving her and talk to her in person about it. What a headache! I feel for you.

[legomom922]

Youu say you would be fine if it was til 4:30 and you knew about it. I know you said you don't do traditional hours, but from my experience it is just easier to have a full day block they can come. I would simply tell her this:

Option 1.: Choose 3 days per week that you will come. These days CANNOT change from month to month. Option 2.: Sign a contract for Full-time M-F care. Your hours will be from ______ to ______ for $ _______ per week.

Daycare mama, I just wanted to clarify a couple of things with you. It's not that I don't "do" traditional hrs, it has just worked out that with most of the clients I have had, they have had non-traditional shifts. I just didn't want you to think I wouldn't do traditional hrs.

I would be fine if she stayed until 4 or even 430, if it was the same day of the week every week that those hrs were needed on.

About option 1, When I spoke to her this am, about the 3 days, I made it very clear to her that the days would have to be the same and she just cannot do that in anyway shape or form because of her 2 jobs, and her job at lands end already work around her other coaching schedule. Personnally, if I were her, I would give up one of those jobs and work at the mall at night when her DH is home or stay home because I cant believe she can be making much anyway to even make this worth it!

With option 2, that is what i had put in her letter and I included a contract that I filled out myself with the hrs and days and rate on it, so great minds think alike!

well just an update:, She came to pick up the baby and didnt say 1 word to me, and when I started to speak, she just shock her head, frowned and ran out my door..I guess she didnt want to hear anything I had to say...so I guess its over..I'm sure she will be telling me to take a hike soon!

I hope she goes home and makes some phone calls...

Is it best that I draw up a temination letter? Or should I let her give me notice?

[MG&Lsmom]

I'm sorry I haven't had time to keep up with this situation or comment. I too have a variable hour week-to-week dck. And it's driving me batty. I completely sympathize! My DCM is on state assistance, working retail at minimum wage. She's just completed her 4 paychecks to get a voucher so hopefully that will go quickly and I can get my full rate for all this hassle. Right now she pays my 1/2 day rate and brings food, snacks and milk (purchased with her food stamps) for everyone, not just her kid, to make up the rest. But with the holidays and a huge snow storm it really just became a mess. He's a super easy kid and gets along with my son very well so that's the only reason I decided to take him. It's pretty easy money even if it's not a lot and he's my only nondrop-in. I am having an issue with pickup only because traffic and distance mean it takes her 1.5hrs to get home some days and that's at least an hr past my closing time. Grandma is getting annoyed with daily calls to come get him, but I simply can not keep him until 6:30 when my own kids go to bed at 7.

I like Daycare_Mama's letter. It's very clear and to the point.

[Daycare_Mama]

Is it best that I draw up a termination letter? Or should I let her give me notice?

Yep, definitely YOU give her a termination letter asap. That's really strange that she wouldn't even talk to you. When is baby supposed to come next?

I would not let her call any more of the shots. You went out of your way to present a situation that would be okay for both of you and it's not your problem if she wants to act like that about it.

Be done, give her a notice, spend some time with your family, and search a family that won't be so much trouble!

[ninosqueridos]

I ran into a similar situation with my first dck ever. I just dealt with it because it was a referral and my first dck. After a year with them, I offered them the "come and go as you please" offer for my FT rate (even though it was more like 3-4 days, sometimes half, sometimes full days, depending on the schedule from week to week).........or the choose 3 or 4 FIXED days and pay for the day regardless of the number of hours. They chose the "come and go as you please" (of course no way they could have done fixed days) and it has turned out GREAT because they bring him the whole day now which makes the day flow much more smoothly than having him picked up and dropped off in the middle of meals and naptime.

Good luck, and sorry she's having an attitude about it.

[legomom922]

Should I send home the term notice with them tomorrow? When would my 2 wk technically be? 2 wks from yesterday? or 2 wks from tomorrow? Or I can email it to her today based on yesterdays events, and then have it end 2 wks from yesterday?

[Daycare_Mama]

Should I send home the term notice with them tomorrow? When would my 2 wk technically be? 2 wks from yesterday? or 2 wks from tomorrow? Or I can email it to her today based on yesterdays events, and then have it end 2 wks from yesterday?

I say your termination has to end the day you give them the notice. Basically, if I had problems for a week with a family and then decided to term them, I couldn't say, well your termination started 1 week ago when the problems started, so you have one week left. So, if you want the 2 weeks to start today, email it to her today, but you should still give her a paper copy.

[Daycare_Mama]

If you're lucky, she'll not want to bring him the rest of the 2 weeks, but still have to pay you.

[legomom922]

If you're lucky, she'll not want to bring him the rest of the 2 weeks, but still have to pay you.

I wish...I think she is stuck with me for now though because she doesnt have any family in the area...

However, I may have doomed myself on this one, because everytime she changed her days every semister, I would have her sign a new contract with her new days. Well her new days started yesterday, and I dont have a new contract with her yet because I didnt know what she was going to decide about the FT position, so I am assuming, that right now I am actually working without a contract for protection..so if she doesnt show tomorrow, wouldnt that mean since her old contract ended I could not enforce the contract?

Normally I would give her a new contract to fill out when she let me know her days were changing, but she let me know on her last day here, Dec 22, before I was off for vacation until Jan 3, so with Christmas and everything, I did not bring up the the new contract because as soon as she gave me the new wacky sch, I kn ew it would not work, so after Christmas is when I sent her my letter, and thats why I dont currently have a contract. Does that make sense?

[legomom922]

I say your termination has to end the day you give them the notice. Basically, if I had problems for a week with a family and then decided to term them, I couldn't say, well your termination started 1 week ago when the problems started, so you have one week left. So, if you want the 2 weeks to start today, email it to her today, but you should still give her a paper copy.

After she had sent me that email that I showed you, which left me puzzled, I had written her back and pasted this on here below, so in my mind, I feel I already let her know as of sunday night, that I will watch him 2 more wks, and then I am done. Let me know what you think and how this would be interperted:

As I had explained in my letter, your schedule needs a great deal of flexability, which I can no longer accommodate, unless you wanted to contract 5 days. It is too hard for me to work around with other clients, potential clients, afterschool kids, etc.

After doing some research, and speaking with other providers, I have made a business decision, that I can no longer provide part time care because of the scheduling issues that come from that, and trying to fill the remaining days is difficult, which then means I lose income. As a courtesy to you, I wanted to offer you the FT spot first.

If you are unable to contract 5 days, I will be glad to watch Jack for a couple of more weeks, until other suitable arrangments are made that would be a better fit for your schedule. I of course understand the situation this puts you in, and I hope you understand the difficult position I'm in too.

Let me know if you need more clarification on this.

[Daycare_Mama]

I wish...I think she is stuck with me for now though because she doesnt have any family in the area...

However, I may have doomed myself on this one, because everytime she changed her days every semister, I would have her sign a new contract with her new days. Well her new days started yesterday, and I dont have a new contract with her yet because I didnt know what she was going to decide about the FT position, so I am assuming, that right now I am actually working without a contract for protection..so if she doesnt show tomorrow, wouldnt that mean since her old contract ended I could not enforce the contract?

Normally I would give her a new contract to fill out when she let me know her days were changing, but she let me know on her last day here, Dec 22, before I was off for vacation until Jan 3, so with Christmas and everything, I did not bring up the the new contract because as soon as she gave me the new wacky sch, I kn ew it would not work, so after Christmas is when I sent her my letter, and thats why I dont currently have a contract. Does that make sense?

Kind of. So does your old contract go through a specific date? If it does have an end date on it, then yes I would say you are not under contract and you could terminate today and have him not come back at all.

But if it doesn't have an end date AND she has not signed a new contract AND you have not given her a dated termination notice, then I think you are still under the old contract.

[legomom922]

Kind of. So does your old contract go through a specific date? If it does have an end date on it, then yes I would say you are not under contract and you could terminate today and have him not come back at all.

But if it doesn't have an end date AND she has not signed a new contract AND you have not given her a dated termination notice, then I think you are still under the old contract.

No end date, but her hrs/days do not match up at all with what is written on her old contract, and I opened my big mouth in that letter I sent her and told her I was currently providing services without a contract and even if she doesnt go with my offer, I still need a temporary contract...:confused:

[laundrymom]

I say draw it up today, email it dated 2 weeks from today as term date.
Dear miss bounce around.

While we are currently not bound by contract I am extending a professional courtesy of a two week termination period. The last day I will be available for care is ***xx. As previously stated I am unavailable for care on ***x. Thankyou






Or

Dear miss bounce around.

Because our previous contract no longer is valid and I am unable to accomodate your changing needs, I am terminating childcare services effective immediately.