May Need To Change Some Things

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I noticed recently that my hours of operation are becoming more fluid. I advertise as open 7am-5pm, but most families come 8-4:30. I don't think I could get families advertising those hours though. Parents want a little flexibility I think. I do have parents who make my 5pm close work when a 5:30 would be more convenient. I am honest with why I close at that time "my kids burn out at 5pm, they can't share me more than 10 hours a day right now". Parents get that. I would take a child before 7am if I needed to fill the spot but not after 5pm. That is my current limit. I may eventually shift more towards 6am-4pm when my kids get into after school activities (they are 1,3,5 right now) who know...

I love that! That is totally true for my kids too. They (and me) are ready for daycare kids to go home and get some one on one time! I never realized just how much my daycare affects my kids and my husband until we get a little vacation from it. It makes me understand why setting limits on my hours is so important.

[nanglgrl]

Over the course of my time in this line of work I have changed my hours/days etc to meet the needs of current clients.

"You gotta go with the flow if you want to stay in this business" ~ That was advice given to me by the provider who mentored me when I first opened.

She said some years she was able to take half days off on Fridays, other years she took the whole Friday off. Some years she opened at 7 and other years she didn't open until 7:30/8:00. Some years she closed as early as 4:00 while other times she remained open until 5:30.

It honestly was dependent on the clients she had at the time.

It's what I do now. I set times I am simply unwilling to work before and after and then adjust accordingly.

Right now, I work half days on Fridays. I don't think I'll be able to continue doing that though once the school year starts as I have a full time family where the mom got a new job with a later start time therefore a later pick up time and she is no longer off at noon on Fridays. I also have 3 FT and 1 PT kid going to Kindergarten so the families I have lined up to take their places have slightly different schedules compared to the kids leaving.

All the changes are within my "will not work before or after" timeframe but it's still an adjustment as you do get comfortable with things but IME, it seems to cycle every 3-4 years and as long as I can be somewhat flexible about things WHILE maintaining my own needs etc, I "go with the flow".

In the child care world (at least in my child care world) things have a weird way of working themselves out.

I agree, although at times it takes me freaking out for a minute before it works out!

[Crazy8]

Over the course of my time in this line of work I have changed my hours/days etc to meet the needs of current clients.

"You gotta go with the flow if you want to stay in this business" ~ That was advice given to me by the provider who mentored me when I first opened.

She said some years she was able to take half days off on Fridays, other years she took the whole Friday off. Some years she opened at 7 and other years she didn't open until 7:30/8:00. Some years she closed as early as 4:00 while other times she remained open until 5:30.

It honestly was dependent on the clients she had at the time.

It's what I do now. I set times I am simply unwilling to work before and after and then adjust accordingly.

Right now, I work half days on Fridays. I don't think I'll be able to continue doing that though once the school year starts as I have a full time family where the mom got a new job with a later start time therefore a later pick up time and she is no longer off at noon on Fridays. I also have 3 FT and 1 PT kid going to Kindergarten so the families I have lined up to take their places have slightly different schedules compared to the kids leaving.

All the changes are within my "will not work before or after" timeframe but it's still an adjustment as you do get comfortable with things but IME, it seems to cycle every 3-4 years and as long as I can be somewhat flexible about things WHILE maintaining my own needs etc, I "go with the flow".

In the child care world (at least in my child care world) things have a weird way of working themselves out.

I've gone thru the same thing over the last 14 years of doing daycare as well!! I remember back when I had a client at 6am, another year where I had someone till 6pm (not at the same time as the 6am, LOL). I have worked with the flow of clients as well as the needs of my family. As my kids got older they go to school later but their activities start at 5-5:30 at night so it works better for me now to do the earlier closing. If I really need to I will go back to 5pm and work it out but if I can get 4:30 clients I will keep it as long as I can. Right now I'm closed on Fridays - can't believe that has lasted as long as it has but when I took on my latest client (new baby) I put a M-Th rate on my rate sheet and she took it because it saves her money and her mom was willing to watch the baby 1 day a week but couldn't do more than that! Worked out so well. Eventually things fall into place, hopefully you will find the right fit!!! There have been many years I felt like I was going to just close down and move on but somehow I'd make it thru to the next change! Good luck!!

[nanglgrl]

I've gone thru the same thing over the last 14 years of doing daycare as well!! I remember back when I had a client at 6am, another year where I had someone till 6pm (not at the same time as the 6am, LOL). I have worked with the flow of clients as well as the needs of my family. As my kids got older they go to school later but their activities start at 5-5:30 at night so it works better for me now to do the earlier closing. If I really need to I will go back to 5pm and work it out but if I can get 4:30 clients I will keep it as long as I can. Right now I'm closed on Fridays - can't believe that has lasted as long as it has but when I took on my latest client (new baby) I put a M-Th rate on my rate sheet and she took it because it saves her money and her mom was willing to watch the baby 1 day a week but couldn't do more than that! Worked out so well. Eventually things fall into place, hopefully you will find the right fit!!! There have been many years I felt like I was going to just close down and move on but somehow I'd make it thru to the next change! Good luck!!

I love the idea of adding a Monday-Thursday rate...I might have to add that!

[CraftyMom]

Thanks everyone for your input!

I will go with the flow and see what people are looking for and if I can live with it

[Crazy8]

I love the idea of adding a Monday-Thursday rate...I might have to add that!

yes, I had always had a 4 day/week rate but when I ended up with no kids on Fridays I really wanted to find a way to keep it that way! By having the M-Th rate instead of a just a 4 day/week rate the new family "magically" was able to find someone for Fridays to save herself money - had I not done it that way she probably would have taken Wednesdays off or something like that, LOL!

[Shell]

BC has some great advice, and I've so found it to be true that you kind of have to go with the flow.

This is the hardest part for me- always feeling like I had to look five steps ahead, just in case someone leaves, how will I replace them?! Then, I would obsess over advertising, checking craigslist and Facebook for potential clients.
I'm not the type that can relax and know it will all work out, though I admire those that can remain so upbeat

I'm happy to be going to a center where enrollment is someone else's problem ::