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I have a set of parents who frequently pay late. I have stressed the importance of paying on time, as I have to be able to count on my income. One parent is active duty military and the other is a civilian. I have suggested they pay on military pay days, so they can budget their fees. They only pay a small portion and the military subsidizes the rest. They pay the late fee, but I need them to pay me on time. I was thinking of writing a letter, but I am not 100% sure how to word it. Any help would be much appreciated.
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I would switch them to pre payment only. That is the ONLY way I do things now. With some parents, I have had to do a payment plan and let them pay at the end of the week and add extra for several weeks to get them on pre payment on Friday for the following week. Either way if you do it pre pay or after care has been give (which I quit because to many people left owing fees), implement a no pay no stay policy. So for me, if you owe fees, your child may not stay and play. The parents still owe for the care they are not getting, up and until they give and fulfill their two week notice period. Do you have a contract? -
I dont do subsidy so I don't know how those payments work but as for payment if I'm not paid then the child can not attend daycare. My clients pay for 2 weeks in advance so get paid bi weekly every friday. I have yet to deal with a payment being later then Saturday morning(only due to forgetfulness). I think If I was to not get paid by someone by the start of Monday morning I would Term (unless they had some extreme reason they couldn't get the payment to me). Can easily fill a spot with someone who will pay me. they are working parents and expect to get their paycheque on time and so do I.Comment
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Here are some threads with examples of Late Payment Letters: https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.p...payment+letterComment
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For next time write in your contract that there is a fee for late payments and that after 3 late payments care may be terminated. This helps me a lot in avoiding late payments.
As for the current family I would simply say:
"Dear DCF.
I will no longer be accepting late payments. Payment is to be paid by xyz or I will no longer be able to provide care for xyz. **optional: "Late payments are affecting my ability to pay my bills and this is why I have changed my policies. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know".Comment
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Thank you all so much! You really helped get the gears rolling in my head! I am going to use the line, "late payments will no longer be accepted." I am going to refer them to the subsidy office, maybe they are having financial difficulty and can get their fees readjusted.
Thank you all so much!Comment
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I can totally relate! I used to have make runs to the bank 3-4 times a week due to late payments. Something that has worked for me is to send out reminders each week. It's an extra step for you, but it helps. No longer do parents say they forgot (at least not as much). Also, since the parents receive the "reminder" each week, they don't really get bothered by it because its a usual thing.
Send me a PM with your email if you would like me to share the wording I use for the mass email each week.Comment
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