Daycare Parent/Friend

[B Lou]

I have a friend who has become a DC parent who has signed all the contracts and papers I require for any parents who registers with me. She has been coming to me for alittle over a month and a half. As the new year has arrived I decided to stick with my contract to the letter.
I am a prepaid DC provider, this friend has never prepaid as she feels she doen't need to. So as this last Monday arrived a had bills for every parent including her according to the schedules given to me the Friday before. As I handed my friend her bill she asks, " well how do you know when he will be hee"? I responded with "well I just went the hours he is normally here, as schedules are due on Fridays". She responded by saying she didn't know that. If she would have read the contract she would have know this.
Anyway she says she would like to keep paying on Fridays because that works best for her. That way she's only paying for the hours her child is here. Instead of the hours that she is suppost to reserve.
My question is how do I handle this. I don't want to lose her as a friend or a DC parents. Any suggestions?

[AnythingsPossible]

I have a friend who has become a DC parent who has signed all the contracts and papers I require for any parents who registers with me. She has been coming to me for alittle over a month and a half. As the new year has arrived I decided to stick with my contract to the letter.
I am a prepaid DC provider, this friend has never prepaid as she feels she doen't need to. So as this last Monday arrived a had bills for every parent including her according to the schedules given to me the Friday before. As I handed my friend her bill she asks, " well how do you know when he will be hee"? I responded with "well I just went the hours he is normally here, as schedules are due on Fridays". She responded by saying she didn't know that. If she would have read the contract she would have know this.
Anyway she says she would like to keep paying on Fridays because that works best for her. That way she's only paying for the hours her child is here. Instead of the hours that she is suppost to reserve.
My question is how do I handle this. I don't want to lose her as a friend or a DC parents. Any suggestions?

For one...never do business with friends or family!!! In my experience it has doesn't work out well. My suggestion would be to give her a bill this Friday that has this weeks, and next weeks amount due on it. She would be prepaying but it would be on Fridays instead of Mondays. Have a contract handy and show her your policy on prepayment. If your policy is that they pay for their spot, then point that out to her as well that regardless of the time attended, she will be paying for the time requested. Gently tell her that if she doesn't feel that your policies will work for what she needs you would be happy to help her find alternate daycare.

[Cat Herder]

I would not make ANY exceptions for her. None.

Warrning: Steep Hill Ahead.

[Blackcat31]

Hi B Lou, welcome to the forum!! I agree with previous poster, it is tough to do business with friends and/or family as they seem to always expect special treatment. I would also explain to her that you try very hard to not mix business with pleasure and that in order for you to be a sucessful business owner, you must hold ALL your clients accountable for the rules and policies you have outlined in your contract. As with many parents, they don't always understand that they are paying for a reserved space, not just the hours their child attends. I would start there and tell her that from now on, she will be required to follow the rules you have set for your business. I would also try to put it in a manner that she could maybe relate to...for example if she is a hair stylist, you do not go to her and expect discounts or special treatment. When you make an appointment with her, she has a right to fully expect for you to show up and pay for that service. Sometimes putting things in a scenario they can relate to helps them understand better....kwim? Good Luck. I would be inclined to believe if a person is truly your friend they would try even harder to be respectful of your business, but I guess that may just be me.

[kendallina]

It can be tough to do business with friends, but it can be done.

When I started the preschool almost all parents who enrolled were my friends from the playgroup I belonged too. I knew some better than others, but I felt familiar with almost everyone, so I knew it could be tough. I started out in the beginning by being very clear that I was opening a business and I would have the same rules that other business's have, including a contract and a policies book and that I stick to my policies very strictly. Whenever I met with a parent to enroll, I was very professional just as I would be with any family. I was worried that things being so professional would scare them away (and I have a few parenst that are really 'free and loose', so I really thought all the contract stuff would bug them). But, everyone stuck with me. In the beginning with all of my families I enforce every little tiny rule to the T. This helped them to know I was serious and that this part of our friendship would be 'professional' and we could still go out and have drinks together and things will be fine.

I've had some sticky situations, but honestly, I handle my friends exactly like my other clients. There was one time when my best friend had to take her mother to the hospital and wasn't able to pick up her child, so she called our 3rd friend (who's on her emergency list) to have her pick him up. Honestly, I would have gladly kept him, as she's my closest friend and of course I would do that for her, but I was secretly glad that she didn't try to use our friendship to bend my preschool rules.

My advice would be to sit down with her and explain that maybe you weren't clear in the beginning about enforcing the child care policies with her, but for the sake of your business and your sanity you need her to give you her schedule on time, pay on time and follow all policies in your handbook. Be clear that you're running a business and this part of your friendship is business, so you need to enforce policies with her too. Hopefully she's understanding -good luck!

[lvt77]

i had a similar issue, but told them that its business not personal. that she has to follow all of the rules and contracts just like others...you could actually get into trouble with discrimination laws....why does she get special treatment...if you let her, you have to let everyone else and taht is not fair....(discrimination) This is what I told her... I told her straight up, I am a business woman, this is my business and I expect you to treat me as a business professional as you would any day care provider....I also told her how I only did my accounting one day a week, which for me was fridays because I did not have time to do it here and there other days of the week. I just did not have the time.
If she doesnt like it, then she can go find a daycare that when she pulls that stuff will throw their PHB at her......
just stand your ground, explain yourself professionally and I think she will be ok. My friend was...

[Lucy]

Slippery slope. I watched my 2 nieces when they were younger, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It created a strong bond, and I feel I had a hand in raising them, which I LOVED!! They are now 14 and 9, and we're very close.

That being said, I'm going to contradict what I just said and say "don't do business with family or close friends". . We worked without a contract, so I only have myself to blame, but my sis-in-law felt she only had to pay for days they were here, and if they were picked up early, she deducted a percentage of the day. She was late with a lot of payments. I never said a word because of the family relationship, and the fact that I literally ADORED having these girls, but boy did I resent her during that time. They moved to a nearby school district, so they started going to a different Provider when they were about 6 and 11, and I would hear complaints about how she expected payments for holidays, sick days, early days, etc., etc., and I soooooo wanted to say "so did I, but I didn't ask". I just bit my tongue.

Bottom line, I have NO regrets about taking them, but I'd never do it again. I know none of this helps you or answers your concerns, but maybe someone else will get the message that this is, as I said, a slippery slope.