Pool Time Guilt Trip

[MsMe]

Does anyone else get a hard time about the pool?

EVERY morning nearly each mother asks "So are you taking little Suzie to the pool today?"

EVERY morning I reply with, "Well I don't know yet, it all depends on the weather, and our manners, and If Ms. X can take us today. Like I told you yesterday I can never garentee a pool day "

We are a 2 provider center that has low numbers in the summer (teachers kids take off) and provider #2 is only part-time (really only takes kids to the pool and she is not (nor is she required to be) avilable each and every day).

We average 2-3 pool trips a week. 1 with both providers and 1-2 the SA two/three littles and Ms.X.

I know the reason they ask is bc they want them 'worn out' at the end of the day. I cringe at the end of a pool day when parents say "oooh I am so excited little Johnny is going to go right to sleep after dinner, you really wore him out today!! THANKS!!"


If it is a nice day and Ms.X is unavalible and we do not go to the pool I treated like a bad guy,,,even if we have gone 1-2 times already in the week!

SORRY PARENTS POOL TRIPS ARE A TREAT AND NOT A REQUIREMENT!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone else have parents like this?

[cheerfuldom]

I could see how that would be really annoying. My DC parents get like that occasionally about our walks. Their kids don't get out of the house much so me taking them is all they ever get for the most part. One mom said that her 1 year old had never been in their backyard and another said that her 9 month old had never been in an out door baby swing even though they have one. They just don't take them outside at all.

[nannyde]

The way to solve it is to attach additional fees to it.

They get two swimming trips per week and any additional trips will be 15 dollars per kid and you must have at least X number of kids sign up. The money needs to be paid in advance and YOU schedule the two free times (like every Monday and Friday) and the days when you have the funds to do additional swimming.

If you don't have enough parents scheduling and paying for the additional swim days you will not go.

If the parents of the kids who WANT to go and pay are upset about not being able to have the extra days then your answer is "we didn't have enough participation this week... we will see how next week goes... here's your money back or would you like to apply it to next weeks bonus swim day?"

OR

Just charge for every trip. Ask parents how many swim days they would like to have and have them pay up front. Make the fee enough to cover the staff assistant AND make money for the extra work.

OR

Charge them at the end of the week for every time you go swimming. If it's fifteen a trip and you go two times it's an additional thirty. If you go three it's an additional forty five.

The reason you are having problems is because you aren't separating the money from the regular day care fee. Once there is a fee attached you have a chance you won't have any takers.

If you advertised on enrollment that you do two/three/four swim trips per week in the summer then they will want FOUR. Whatever you gave them as the max number of times per week will be their minimum. Be careful next year to NOT agree to ANY swim trips and have it be a bonus as it is happening OR charge a fee for it to cover the extra.

[PitterPatter]

Does anyone else get a hard time about the pool?

EVERY morning nearly each mother asks "So are you taking little Suzie to the pool today?"

EVERY morning I reply with, "Well I don't know yet, it all depends on the weather, and our manners, and If Ms. X can take us today. Like I told you yesterday I can never garentee a pool day "

We are a 2 provider center that has low numbers in the summer (teachers kids take off) and provider #2 is only part-time (really only takes kids to the pool and she is not (nor is she required to be) avilable each and every day).

We average 2-3 pool trips a week. 1 with both providers and 1-2 the SA two/three littles and Ms.X.

I know the reason they ask is bc they want them 'worn out' at the end of the day. I cringe at the end of a pool day when parents say "oooh I am so excited little Johnny is going to go right to sleep after dinner, you really wore him out today!! THANKS!!"


If it is a nice day and Ms.X is unavalible and we do not go to the pool I treated like a bad guy,,,even if we have gone 1-2 times already in the week!

SORRY PARENTS POOL TRIPS ARE A TREAT AND NOT A REQUIREMENT!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone else have parents like this?

Not over a pool but if they napped longer than 1 hr and I didnt make them wake up I get barked at. If it rained all day and they didn't burn energy outside I have been asked why they cant run inside ( riiight)

An old client would call and tell me she will be late and to feed her son dinner so she didnt have to buy him a meal when they go eat with her friends at Olive Garden. Other times she just wanted to go to the gym and said let him eat with u so I dont have to stop and buy him anything.

Yet another parent has said many times she is glad I feed her kid every meal of the day so she only has to wake him up bring him and pick him up and get him ready for bed. THAT was the saddest of all!

I actually have 1 client now that says little johnny gets to much sun here because hes not sleeping well at night. (hes not even tan)

[MsMe]

The way to solve it is to attach additional fees to it.

They get two swimming trips per week and any additional trips will be 15 dollars per kid and you must have at least X number of kids sign up. The money needs to be paid in advance and YOU schedule the two free times (like every Monday and Friday) and the days when you have the funds to do additional swimming.

If you don't have enough parents scheduling and paying for the additional swim days you will not go.

If the parents of the kids who WANT to go and pay are upset about not being able to have the extra days then your answer is "we didn't have enough participation this week... we will see how next week goes... here's your money back or would you like to apply it to next weeks bonus swim day?"

OR

Just charge for every trip. Ask parents how many swim days they would like to have and have them pay up front. Make the fee enough to cover the staff assistant AND make money for the extra work.

OR

Charge them at the end of the week for every time you go swimming. If it's fifteen a trip and you go two times it's an additional thirty. If you go three it's an additional forty five.

The reason you are having problems is because you aren't separating the money from the regular day care fee. Once there is a fee attached you have a chance you won't have any takers.

If you advertised on enrollment that you do two/three/four swim trips per week in the summer then they will want FOUR. Whatever you gave them as the max number of times per week will be their minimum. Be careful next year to NOT agree to ANY swim trips and have it be a bonus as it is happening OR charge a fee for it to cover the extra.

I have no intention of charging extra for swim days, it does not cost me any extra money to take them and Ms.X and I really like pool days I just don't like being hounded about them. All parents provide summer pass to the pool for their child. I NEVER garentee ANY pool days, I tell each parent at the start of the start of the summer that we will go when and if we can.

A Mom called today to check so that she could find out how her night was going to be with her kids. I could hear the excitment in her voice when I told her they were at the pool. The really funny part is on her day off she will not take her youngest boy to the pool bc he is 'too wild' and only takes the older one who is allowed free run of the whole (HUGE)pool at just 5 yrs old.

[cheerfuldom]

yeah you are always going to have complaining about something. I agree in general with nanny on this though. Make your contract bullet proof (no negotiating about policies) otherwise the parents will of course want the most services and special stuff possible and will keep asking because there is no firm rule set.

[MG&Lsmom]

DCB did not come 2 days last week because it was hot and DCD was upset that I would not take him in my backyard pool. Nevermind it's not a licensed part of my home. He's also upset that I don't take him the backyard at all, where we have a huge dome climber, swings and gigantic sandbox. None of which can be seen from the front of the house or any area parents are allowed. He only knows they exist because his friend came to give us a mowing quote. There's a reason my backyard is off limits, it's out of compliance for licensing and I refuse to cover my backyard in sand just to be.

[MarinaVanessa]

Just tell them that they should feel lucky that their kids get a pool day and that Mrs. MarinaVanessa has a pool and that her daycare kids NEVER go swimming ::.

We have a pool in our complex (I live in a condo) and because of the liability I just don't take the kids swimming period. My daycare parents are bummed but what can they do? I've even had a DC mom ask me if she could use my pool once after pick-up. Um no ... no it's only for residents. She then asked me to call her if we ever went swimming on the weekend or evenings so that she and DCB can go with us ... um no.

[Country Kids]

DCB did not come 2 days last week because it was hot and DCD was upset that I would not take him in my backyard pool. Nevermind it's not a licensed part of my home. He's also upset that I don't take him the backyard at all, where we have a huge dome climber, swings and gigantic sandbox. None of which can be seen from the front of the house or any area parents are allowed. He only knows they exist because his friend came to give us a mowing quote. There's a reason my backyard is off limits, it's out of compliance for licensing and I refuse to cover my backyard in sand just to be.

Do you have anywhere outside for the kids to play? As a parent I would be upset if I knew my childcare provider had all that but the kids weren't allowed to play on it.

[Cat Herder]

Do you have anywhere outside for the kids to play? As a parent I would be upset if I knew my childcare provider had all that but the kids weren't allowed to play on it.

I have all that AND a box of chocolates... The State is the one that says we cannot allow daycare kids on it.

The daycare has it's own "approved" playground.

What are your regs for that kind of equipment :confused:

[cheerfuldom]

can you do a limit like 2 days a week depending on the weather? that way 2 days is the max and they will least stop asking at that point? just thinking out loud here.....

[Country Kids]

I have all that AND a box of chocolates... The State is the one that says we cannot allow daycare kids on it.

The daycare has it's own "approved" playground.

What are your regs for that kind of equipment :confused:

I have a swingset, did have two but just got rid of one. Had it like that for 11 years. Have a climbing set with two slides, a playhouse, and another little climber with a slide. Would love to get a wooden playstructure but a little spendy for right now. Also have a sand area and and area for riding toys. Have a teter totter that swings around and goes up and down plus a little one that just rocks back and forth. Just not allowed to have a pool of any kind-not even a plastic wading pool.

[MsMe]

can you do a limit like 2 days a week depending on the weather? that way 2 days is the max and they will least stop asking at that point? just thinking out loud here.....

We are more than happy to take them ANY day we can if it were 5 days a week, but it doesnt always work out that we can (even if the weather is nice enough)

It remeind me of when kids is asking for a drink.

"Can I have a drink?"
"Can I have a drink?"
"Can I have a drink?"
"Can I have a drink?"
"Can I have a drink?"
"Can I have a drink?"
"Can I have a drink?"
"Can I have a drink?"

Just bc you ask a 100 times doesnt mean I am going to get it any faster!!!!!!!

I just don't know how to get get it across to the parents that YES it will be a pool day any day that we are able. That asking me (infront of their child and it puts the idea in their head!) is not going to magicly remind me to go to the pool bc I forgot it was there and I was going to keep their kids locked up inside all day sleeping!!!!!

[nannyde]

This reminds me of my staff assistant and her hours. I've had this with every staff assistant I have ever had.

I pay my staff assistant a set schedule every week whether she does them or not. I have her paid until 5:45 p.m. every day.

Friday is a day when we are often lucky to get everyone out the door by 4:30 even though we have kids scheduled until 5:45. About nine Fridays of ten we are off early.

When we have week after week of being off early the times when we have to work until 5:45 my staff assistant is unhappy. I've had a number of times when she realizes we have to work the full day and she asks to leave early because she has planned this or that. When I say... no... you are scheduled to work until closing she says "but I HAVE to go to blah blah blah".

When we are running eight kids full time she is fine. When we have blocks of time (like most of the summer) when we have five or six kids daily she really struggles when we go back up to eight.

The job IS for eight kids and working till 5:45. The job is NOT early outs and five kids.

The only way to solve it is to have a LOT of extra work for her to do when we have five kids. I make sure I have her do deep cleaning and organizing when we are low on kids. I make sure her hands are busy every minute.

If I do THAT then she is happy when we have eight kids. Eight kids is way easier than watching five AND tearing into cabinets and reorganizing.

The only way to solve the upsetedness for no early out is to have her stay till 5:45 whether we have kids or not. Sometimes I have to do that for a few weeks in a row so when she does get out early on Friday she appreciates it SO much instead of expects it.

Even though.. in the end... it's the same hours and the same work... it's all in how she sees it. I have to manage it because it doesn't take long at all before she thinks the job is until 4:30 with five kids.

So this is the same with these parents. They will only see the side of it where they get the swim trips as what they are paying for. They won't see the days of no swimming as what they are paying for unless you give them a time where they have a couple of weeks of no swimming at all or attach money to when you do go swimming.

My staff assistant doesn't care about what WORDS I put to the "the job IS eight kids until 5:45". She actually cares about when she has to DO eight kids and work until 5:45. Sometimes I have to give her the schedule AND the workload that she is being paid to do to get her to understand that when she gets easier and earlier that it is a bonus not the actual job.

I've had this with EVERY staff assistant. If I paid them based on the actual hours and a rate of pay based on the number of kids they would want the full hours till 5:45 and eight kids every day. They would be HAPPY to be that full and work the late hours. The problem is when they get the SAME pay to work less hours and have less work to do... That's when the conflict comes in.

I don't ever want an unhappy staff assistant so it's my responsibility to show her what the job REALLY is so when she gets early and easier she actually sees it as special and in her favor. If early and easy are her day to day job for ANY length of time she's unahappy when she's faced with what she is actually being paid for every day regardless.

[Kaddidle Care]

When did it become your responsibility to take their children to the pool?

That's for Mom and Dad to do - sorry. Don't you worry yourself about it.