What Is The Standard For Home Daycare Closing?

[Josiegirl]

Two weeks is never enough for either party. But 2 weeks is the standard, when you're quitting a job to go to another one. I'd be very hard pressed to pick up another dcfamily within 2 weeks. Heck, it's been over a year for me.

Ask all your friends, family, co-workers, for referrals. To be honest, there are never any guarantees from either side. I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you had hoped.

[Blackcat31]

Two weeks might not have been ideal for the family termed but we all know had the provider told parents she was considering taking a job and closing child care, they all would have left immediately.

Maybe she couldn't handle the financial insecurity this job brings. Maybe she is burned out. Maybe the job offers perks that being self-employed doesn't.

Either way, if I planned on closing I would NEVER give my families more than 2 weeks notice. Losing more than two week's income could be financial disaster for some. Plus any new job delays your first paycheck so in my honest opinion, the provider did what she needed to do.

End of story.

I am sorry OP that you were attached...it makes the termination/notice that much harder but bottom line is that no matter how much the provider may have loved your children/family, that love doesn't pay the bills or put food on her table so try to see it from her point of view....even just a little. (I have no doubt, she is torn up about this too...especially if she really was attached to your children/family too).

[Unregistered]

I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.

[KatieG]

I agree with everyone else, two weeks is standard. I've been a provider for 11 years next month. I am planning to close my doors and look for another job later this summer, but I don't plan to tell my families that I am looking (as stated above, they would likely leave before I am ready to give up that income - as I would do if things were reversed). I will, however, give them 2 weeks notice, just as I would if I were leaving any other job.

[Play Care]

I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.

It sounds as if your situation is much different from the OP. I have never held a position where I would have felt comfortable telling my employer that I was interviewing for other jobs (unless I was looking to get a raise and using another offer as leverage) and I would never do it as a provider. I *would* hold to my contract though, which is two weeks. Most companies understand and expect that it will be two weeks before a new hire starts but a month would be a stretch.
That said, I don't know if the provider was necessarily lying when she told you she had long term plans to provide care. Things change and life often has other plans. If the provider can't make ends meet with the clients she has, gets divorced, etc. there are so many reasons people have to make changes. It stinks but it doesn't mean they weren't genuine when they said it initially.

[Blackcat31]

I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.

There is a big difference between being given a two week notice and being termed immediately via text message.

What your provider did was not the norm. I am sorry that happened to you. I can't speak for that provider so I don't know what, if anything she was thinking but it sounds to me like you may have suspected something before it happened.

If that was the case, did you bring your concerns to your provider? NOT saying that you did anything wrong. Just saying it's a two way street and usually when a relationship (whether work related or personal) goes sour, something stinks before-hand...kwim?

[Unregistered]

I'm the OP and thank you all for your thoughtful replies. I have had some time for this to sink in and have been able to talk to my DC provider and she took another job that offered her more stability and more importantly, benefits. I cannot fault her for that. She provided wonderful care and I will always appreciate that. I am also thinking positive that we will find another DC solution that works for us. Very luckily, I have my cousin home from college who will be watching my child for the next 10 weeks, so I have time to do some research.

[cheerfuldom]

I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.

24 hours is unacceptable to me unless there was some sort of major catastrophe. 2 weeks is standard. If and when I look for a job outside of childcare, I would not tell parents until the job is offered to me and I accept and have a start date. I am not going to tell parents I am interviewing at all and you know why? because every one of them will leave immediately when they get wind that I am looking for another job. They aren't going to wait around while I do the job search process (which could be months and months long!). Parents do what is best for them so it should be no surprise providers do it too. Even still, 2 weeks is the professional norm for either party ending an agreement

[nannyde]

You were able to make arrangements very easily. You have your child covered for three months. She did the right thing because most likely her experience tells her that parents make arrangements very quickly. If she would have told you she was considering a job the arrangements you made would have most likely happened whether she landed the job or not. She would have been a fool to tell you before the offer.

Here's the real truth. Parents don't like their provider to break up with them. They want to break up with the provider. When providers shut down parents most often find daycare in days not weeks. The only time they don't is when the provider is cheap and does terrible hours or their kid has behavioral or medical issues. That is hard to replicate quickly. If you pay a great rate, normal kid, and have good hours you will easily make arrangements in days in most parts of the country.

The number of parents who quit childcare with two weeks notice compared to providers who quit child care with two weeks notice is probably a gazillion to one. Parents have it really good in the relationship as a whole. They do the vast majority of the breaking up.

One other thought is that when a provider shuts down compared to just terming an individual family the very normal recourse of turning the provider in to the State is fruitless. The fact that the ONLY thing a parent can do is to quit before the two weeks is up is often the primary aggravation to the parents. Often parents want the upper hand they have had thru the entire relationship to exact to the end. When given notice with no recourse they are left with nothing to do that puts them back in the one up. That is often harder to take than switching child care UNLESS you have a monster child with long hours and cheap fees. Giving that up is harder than giving up the one up.

[Crystal]

You were able to make arrangements very easily. You have your child covered for three months. She did the right thing because most likely her experience tells her that parents make arrangements very quickly. If she would have told you she was considering a job the arrangements you made would have most likely happened whether she landed the job or not. She would have been a fool to tell you before the offer.

Here's the real truth. Parents don't like their provider to break up with them. They want to break up with the provider. When providers shut down parents most often find daycare in days not weeks. The only time they don't is when the provider is cheap and does terrible hours or their kid has behavioral or medical issues. That is hard to replicate quickly. If you pay a great rate, normal kid, and have good hours you will easily make arrangements in days in most parts of the country.

The number of parents who quit childcare with two weeks notice compared to providers who quit child care with two weeks notice is probably a gazillion to one. Parents have it really good in the relationship as a whole. They do the vast majority of the breaking up.

One other thought is that when a provider shuts down compared to just terming an individual family the very normal recourse of turning the provider in to the State is fruitless. The fact that the ONLY thing a parent can do is to quit before the two weeks is up is often the primary aggravation to the parents. Often parents want the upper hand they have had thru the entire relationship to exact to the end. When given notice with no recourse they are left with nothing to do that puts them back in the one up. That is often harder to take than switching child care UNLESS you have a monster child with long hours and cheap fees. Giving that up is harder than giving up the one up.

Yup. What she said.