Frustrated!

[daycare]

That's a very good point! I hate to say this, but the town I'm in has a lot of snobs, so I can see where you're going with that. Thanks!

Omg so ture... my sis works with special ed kids and she had a summer program that she runs called near by nature... A lot of the parents did not enroll their kids when she started adding her special ed kids. The parents said that they didnt want their "regular" kids having to learn at the level of the "special kids"
wow some people........

[dEHmom]

Everyone in certain areas gets pregnant at the same time (rainstorm? snow storm? vacation time?) and so everyone seems to go back at the same time.

I noticed that everytime I get 1 call/email, I got 20 calls/emails to follow. Then it's dead silence for another 6 months.



Hang in there hun, They will be knocking shortly.

[SilverSabre25]

This seems to be a rather "dead" time of the year for filling spaces. It might pick up for you around late Spring/early Summer. Can you offer SA summer care? You could start advertising for that soon--put up flyers at the schools maybe.

[kidkair]

It's been dead here too. I've done a few interviews all looking for a May start and haven't heard back from any as none were willing to pay to hold the spot. I recently put up a craig's list ad and got one e-mail. I replied with more information and got a reply asking for an interview in all caps. I replied that all caps is considered yelling and if she wants an interview she needs to not yell at me and answer some basic questions. We'll see how it goes.

[daycare]

It's been dead here too. I've done a few interviews all looking for a May start and haven't heard back from any as none were willing to pay to hold the spot. I recently put up a craig's list ad and got one e-mail. I replied with more information and got a reply asking for an interview in all caps. I replied that all caps is considered yelling and if she wants an interview she needs to not yell at me and answer some basic questions. We'll see how it goes.

LOL sorry I had to do it.. that was funny... I need your backbone

[Zoe]

It's been dead here too. I've done a few interviews all looking for a May start and haven't heard back from any as none were willing to pay to hold the spot. I recently put up a craig's list ad and got one e-mail. I replied with more information and got a reply asking for an interview in all caps. I replied that all caps is considered yelling and if she wants an interview she needs to not yell at me and answer some basic questions. We'll see how it goes.

::::::Man I wish I had the guts to do stuff like that! Maybe after my income is a little more "stable"

[kidkair]

LOL sorry I had to do it.. that was funny... I need your backbone

::::::Man I wish I had the guts to do stuff like that! Maybe after my income is a little more "stable"

I'm glad you guys found humor in my situation! :: I used to be more passive about it and simply not respond or put it off as a one time thing but have since decided that I'm not going allow people to disrespect me ever. My income is far from "stable" and I really could have used the income from two more kids but I'm not willing to sacrifice respect for money. Like any other aspect in my life, I want to be surrounded by people who respect me and add to my happiness. It's hard to stand up to people and I still get nervous doing it but the end result is better for me and hopefully better for someone else down the road as well.

[momofboys]

I've advertised for a spot for the past 3-4 months on & off (usually one ad in our local paper every month for 3-4 days) & I constantly have an ad on CL. I have not gotten many calls. The calls I have gotten I have a sneaky suspicion that it is actually a mom who is starting her own DC wanting to knwo prices. So you are not alone. Just keep your chin up & try to be patient! The one person who was really interested in me had terrible hours (retail) & I was unwilling to be their caregiver as I didn't want to work Saturday & Sunday & evenings.

[momofboys]

LOL sorry I had to do it.. that was funny... I need your backbone

That's funny about the CL response. I constantly get replies from my CL ad but sometimes it seems like the people can't read as I say I don't do summer care outright in my ad & people seem to not notice that very important aspect.

[MyAngels]

If you have any large companies in your town you might call them and see if they have an internal referral service or listing service. There are two big companies here that have them, but you have to ask to be put on or referred by one of their employees. I didn't even realize that this existed or that I was on it until I started getting calls when I wasn't looking for kids and they mentioned that I was on "the list" of preferred providers.

[Zoe]

I'm glad you guys found humor in my situation! :: I used to be more passive about it and simply not respond or put it off as a one time thing but have since decided that I'm not going allow people to disrespect me ever. My income is far from "stable" and I really could have used the income from two more kids but I'm not willing to sacrifice respect for money. Like any other aspect in my life, I want to be surrounded by people who respect me and add to my happiness. It's hard to stand up to people and I still get nervous doing it but the end result is better for me and hopefully better for someone else down the road as well.

I really admire you for putting respect above money. We've been really having a hard time the last three years with money to the point of considering bankruptcy. Not fun... So I've been desperate enough at times to settle for things that I wasn't very comfortable with just to pay the bills and get food on the table. It was really that bad. Now that things are settling down and tax refund season is nearby, I am able to do more of what you do and I'm very much looking forward to truly enjoying my job surrounding myself with great people!

I've advertised for a spot for the past 3-4 months on & off (usually one ad in our local paper every month for 3-4 days) & I constantly have an ad on CL. I have not gotten many calls. The calls I have gotten I have a sneaky suspicion that it is actually a mom who is starting her own DC wanting to knwo prices. So you are not alone. Just keep your chin up & try to be patient! The one person who was really interested in me had terrible hours (retail) & I was unwilling to be their caregiver as I didn't want to work Saturday & Sunday & evenings.

I don't really get some people! I found the greatest daycare lady on craigslist when I was teaching, so I keep posting my ad there just in case I get a "golden" family. So far, I'm getting bupkiss, but we'll see!

If you have any large companies in your town you might call them and see if they have an internal referral service or listing service. There are two big companies here that have them, but you have to ask to be put on or referred by one of their employees. I didn't even realize that this existed or that I was on it until I started getting calls when I wasn't looking for kids and they mentioned that I was on "the list" of preferred providers.

That's interesting. What kind of companies are you talking about? I live in a fairly small town, but I'll look into it! Right now, I'm on a list of "preferred providers" with my DD's preschool teacher. She used to be a childcare provider so she's always helping people find great daycare.

[Meeko]

Advertising

I have a listing in the yellow pages (for $16 per month) and my phone rings off the hook. A yellow pages listing also gets you a listing in DEX Online too for those who turn to the web instead of the phone book. I do get some calls from R&R too......but I make a point of asking callers where they got my number and 90% of the time they say the phone book or Dex Online.

Only problem is, it's not instant and depends when you phone book is published. If you miss the deadline, you could have up to a year before you are in the phone book.

But I HIGHLY recommend it. I never go more than a few days without filling spots.

You could also try the local elementary schools for free referrals!. I know the staff at the local school very well as all 4 of my kids went through at some time or another. If they hear a parent mention looking for child care for younger siblings etc...they refer them to me.

I also had some magnetic signs made up at a vinyl sign shop and they go on the sides of my car. I can just pull them off when I don't want to be a moving ad.

[MyAngels]

That's interesting. What kind of companies are you talking about? I live in a fairly small town, but I'll look into it! Right now, I'm on a list of "preferred providers" with my DD's preschool teacher. She used to be a childcare provider so she's always helping people find great daycare.

Look for any company that provides decent benefits to their employees. The two I am referring to are an insurance company and a manufacturer. I would call the human resources department to see what they might have.

[Zoe]

I have a listing in the yellow pages (for $16 per month) and my phone rings off the hook. A yellow pages listing also gets you a listing in DEX Online too for those who turn to the web instead of the phone book. I do get some calls from R&R too......but I make a point of asking callers where they got my number and 90% of the time they say the phone book or Dex Online.

Only problem is, it's not instant and depends when you phone book is published. If you miss the deadline, you could have up to a year before you are in the phone book.

But I HIGHLY recommend it. I never go more than a few days without filling spots.

You could also try the local elementary schools for free referrals!. I know the staff at the local school very well as all 4 of my kids went through at some time or another. If they hear a parent mention looking for child care for younger siblings etc...they refer them to me.

I also had some magnetic signs made up at a vinyl sign shop and they go on the sides of my car. I can just pull them off when I don't want to be a moving ad.

That's wonderful! I kinda figured there'd be a wait with the phone book, that's why I've been putting it off. But I'd never thought about the online thing.

I'm not taking school age kids because of the busy street I live on and how uncomfortable I am with the bus situation. I wonder if advertising at the school would still be a good idea for the younger siblings?

You all have given me so many great ideas! Thanks!

[DBug]

Just wanted to mention (although maybe I missed it ...) to make sure that you have either tear-off strips on your fliers or business cards pinned up beside them. Alot of people will notice a flyer and think "Hey, I should let so-and-so know about that" but if they don't have the contact information to take with them, they'll forget about it right away.

Also, make sure that your website is easily found with the various search engines. People will often search for "daycare in Timbucktu" or whatever your town's name is. The ones that come up are the places they contact.

Good luck, and hope things turn around soon!