Whats Going Around Here...Phone Ringing Off the Hook

[daycare]

So I have had ads out since the start of the year with little or zero responses. This past week my phone has been rining off the hook.

Good and bad....Everyone wants part time care and I am no longer going to do part time care come fall.

So one lady calls and tells me that she needs care for her daughter 2 days a week, BUT the child is still going to be attending her old daycare as well one day a week. So the child will be in two different daycares. The lady was up front and admitted that the child really wants to go back to the old daycare lady, but the lady had filled their spot when they moved two citites over. The family is hoping that the old DClady will have a full time opening soon and then they will go back.

I have had horrible experience with children who attend two different daycares, but I am willing to try it out, as it sounds temporary. Who knows maybe the kid will end up here full time.

All of my other calls have also been part time but crazy hours and schedules!!

Is anyone else getting calls lately or is it just my area? I hope it's the time of year for everyone.....

[MissAnn]

[QUOTE=daycare;114754]So I have had ads out since the start of the year with little or zero responses. This past week my phone has been rining off the hook.

Good and bad....Everyone wants part time care and I am no longer going to do part time care come fall.

So one lady calls and tells me that she needs care for her daughter 2 days a week, BUT the child is still going to be attending her old daycare as well one day a week. So the child will be in two different daycares. The lady was up front and admitted that the child really wants to go back to the old daycare lady, but the lady had filled their spot when they moved two citites over. The family is hoping that the old DClady will have a full time opening soon and then they will go back.

I have had horrible experience with children who attend two different daycares, but I am willing to try it out, as it sounds temporary. Who knows maybe the kid will end up here full time.

All of my other calls have also been part time but crazy hours and schedules!!

Is anyone else getting calls lately or is it just my area? I hope it's the time of year for everyone.....[/QUOTE

I had a boy enroll while attending another daycare.....and they quickly decided to stick with just one....Mine!....so, you never know!

[Sunshine44]

I've had two people contact me for childcare within the last week. I haven't ever had an ad...I do word of mouth.

[dEHmom]

i had a couple calls today "are you licensed?" "no i am not" "ok thanks, nm"

but i had an interview successful today! starting monday!

[daycare]

i had a couple calls today "are you licensed?" "no i am not" "ok thanks, nm"

but i had an interview successful today! starting monday!

I am licensed....In CA you have to be licensed to take care of more than one families children at a time. if they have 8 kids, as long as they are one families kids you can have them.....Which who would want to rely on one family for their income.....??? NOT me..
heheh

congrats to hear about your newbie.

[Blackcat31]

So the child will be in two different daycares. The lady was up front and admitted that the child really wants to go back to the old daycare lady, but the lady had filled their spot when they moved two citites over. The family is hoping that the old DClady will have a full time opening soon and then they will go back.I have had horrible experience with children who attend two different daycares, but I am willing to try it out, as it sounds temporary. Who knows maybe the kid will end up here full time.

Boy, this is a tough one......Let me play the "what if" game here and ask you....what happens if you take this child and then you get a phone call for someone looking for FT space and you aren't able to take them because you have a child who is simply there until the other day care has availability? I would never put myself in the position to be someone's fill-in. I know times are tough economically but I would have a hard time with that one. I almost would rather have not known that they were gonna up and leave as soon as their first choice for daycare is available. Of course, I know it would be wonderful if they opted to stay with you and as a pp mentioned that has happened before but I guess unless you know the whole story (relationship with old provider) you can't really be sure of their intentions.

Can the mom maybe give you a time line as to when the old provider may have the open space? If you do take her, I would make sure you have an opt out clause to protect you in case some one wants her space on a more permanent basis. I had a bad experience being someone's "temporary" caregiver. BTDT. Now if I am that person, I prefer not to know and I can deal with it better....kwim?

[daycare]

Boy, this is a tough one......Let me play the "what if" game here and ask you....what happens if you take this child and then you get a phone call for someone looking for FT space and you aren't able to take them because you have a child who is simply there until the other day care has availability? I would never put myself in the position to be someone's fill-in. I know times are tough economically but I would have a hard time with that one. I almost would rather have not known that they were gonna up and leave as soon as their first choice for daycare is available. Of course, I know it would be wonderful if they opted to stay with you and as a pp mentioned that has happened before but I guess unless you know the whole story (relationship with old provider) you can't really be sure of their intentions.

Can the mom maybe give you a time line as to when the old provider may have the open space? If you do take her, I would make sure you have an opt out clause to protect you in case some one wants her space on a more permanent basis. I had a bad experience being someone's "temporary" caregiver. BTDT. Now if I am that person, I prefer not to know and I can deal with it better....kwim?

I did tell her that I would be going full time in the fall and if her child was not already full time there, he would need to be here. She said she would make a decision before then. I also told her that she only had until the end of July to make a decision, as this is when I would start looking to fill the two part time spots that I have right now.

I dont mind being a fill in. I feel bad that the child lost a provider he loves so much. And I can see from a parents side that i would want that too.
This actually happened to my sister. She moved her son in with her BF on the other side of town 16 miles from her sons current DC. So she had no choice to move Daycares for her son. She moves her son to a new DC and her son hated it. He would scream and cry every morning I dont want to go. Before he could wait to go. So my sister wanted him to go back to the old place and was willing to drive him back and forth daily. But no spots left at old daycare. So she put him in another temp until the old one had an opening again.

This situation is exactly the same thing and I am ok with it.

Thanks for giving me a heads up....

[Blackcat31]

Gottcha... Just wanted to make sure you were covering your own butt because we all know no one else will do it!

[cheerfuldom]

I think I am seeing more and more parents trying to do crazy schedules to keep kiddo out of daycare and so thats more and more people looking for just 1 to 3 days a week. They think they are doing the right thing for their kid but a lot of time it ends up with three caregivers (mom, dad and provider) on various days and each person just trying to survive "their" days versus creating a stable structure for the kid.

[laundrymom]

Gottcha... Just wanted to make sure you were covering your own butt because we all know no one else will do it!

THIS is why I love this forum. Love ya black cat!!

[Blackcat31]

THIS is why I love this forum. Love ya black cat!!

Right back at ya laundrymom

sometimes it takes all of our eyes and ears to see the whole picture...

[sharlan]

I've only been running ads for a month, but not a single call here. There are sooo many providers in my area. It's hard to drive a block without seeing a sign on a van or garage door.

Also afterschool care is only $35 a week at the local schools. I think summer care is $80 a week.

My neighbor managed to pick up a few kids, but they targeted a certain ethnic non English speaking clientele.

[snbauser]

Hope the new one works out!! Right now I am full. I will have one spot open up on June 13th. I actually am in the process of interviewing with 4 different parents. I told them all it is first come, first serve.