All your rules ? I have in my contract and on my fb site that there is a 2 day minimum and if those 2 days are not met then there is $50.00 fee to insure your spot.

I have never onced inforced that, cause it was really never an issue. Till vacations took place. Now this week I have 2 dck who have been sick and made the rest of us sick. I had to closed down today due to my son having croup and being contagious.

So since they have been sick and I knew that they would not be here since ther were sick do I still charge them the $50 ? I am soft as can be and I feel like I just get walked over. But I am not sure what to do. I know ppl have it hard and stuff..I just don't have the heart to tell them they owe for days they wasn't here.

I tell my dcp as soon as they meet with me to have a backup incase of sickness since I have a toddler son and eveything. Well after the dcp's picked up all the kids yesterday after it was confirmed my son had croup after going to the dr. I told them all I would be closed today, to let him rest and to bleach everything down.

Last night at 9 I get a call very rudely saying "So you open or closed tomorrow" After they had already been told. I apolygized and told them closed and then they became even more disrespectful. I said "Sorry hun" and they came back with "Not as sorry as I am BYE" and hung up.

In my contract I have all that about backup care and such. I don't understand why people can't read it and go by it. I really need advice on how to run this as a business and not "babysitting" I have been pretty tore up over the coversation. Was I in the wrong for Closing ? Im not sure how to make this run any smoother, and it honestly makes me want to throw my hands in the air and tell them to go somewhere else. Someday's I think it would be easier to go get a job outside of the home then to put up with all of this :\

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I enforce every one of my rules. If it was not important enough to me to be enforced, I would not have made it into a rule.

Don't make rules you will not enforce.

Making exceptions to your rules is only an exception to YOU. It becomes the norm to them.

Later, whenever you need something and they don't comply, you resent all the exceptions you made for them.

Again, they don't know anything about the "exception" because it is the norm to them...and you are viewed as an overreacting drama queen when you get your feelings hurt. (remember half this issue was only in your head as far as they are concerned....)

It is a vicious cycle and only hurts you.

Have I learned this the hard way... Repeatedly.... Absolutely.

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Im just not sure how to enforce..I don't do invoice/billing..They just know what they pay and pay it weekly..So what do I say, "Oh even though you wasn't here cause your kids was sick, you still owe $50 for the week " ?

I guess I just don't want to make anyone mad..But I need to get over that I guess..lol

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Yes, you still bill the $50. Whether a child was sick or not doesn't matter. The $50 is paying for the space whether used or not.

When parents ask, you say the money is due regardless. No long drawn out explanations needed. It was written in the contract they signed so it is due. period.

Policies carry no weight if they aren't enforced. For situations that warrant individual consideration, I state that in my PHB. Other situations stand REGARDLESS of the situation.

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I say "Tuition is not based on attendance." (because it is based on availability) It is also in the contract they signed before beginning care.

The simpler you keep it, the easier it is.

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I only accept full time children and the parents have to pay for the month on the first of the month. If they don't bring them I don't really care.

I found part time and hourly a hassle. I also like full time for the social standpoint for the children.

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I was like you a few years back, not anymore..

back bone takes a while to earn and build up to.

If I were you, I would send out a letter to all DCP telling them that you have been very laxed on all of your policies, however, due to several different circumstances, you will be enforcing all PHB policies and rules. Attach another copy of it for them and let them know that NOTHING is going to slide anymore.

THEN and only then once you have control back of your group can you base it off of a case by case basis.

I would also be telling this DCM, per my policy, I do not normally let this go, but will this time. Next time there will be XYZ payment due.....

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How do you base pay for the month ? And I am starting to think that part-time is a hassle as well.

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I follow the keeping it simple rule too. I don't have a 20 page handbook full of policies and rules. I have the important stuff in writing and that I enforce. I have other "ways I do things" that aren't actual written rules and those I may or may not bend on - always MY choice!

Payment is due in full here whether child attends or not. I will contract for 2,3,4 or 5 days a week but that amount is due regardless of attendance! Now if I closed for my own illness I do not charge them (or in my case I'd credit them the day the following week since they pay in advance).

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I do part time and I love it....I make more off of part time than full time

its how you set it up that matters as well as enforcing all of your PHB rules

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Ok so stupid question...what is PHB rules ?

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Policy Hand Book rules

No question is a stupid question.

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Ahh Haa makes perfect sense now Thank you Blackcat !

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FIRED.

Effective IMMEDIATELY.


I can't believe no one else jumped all over that yet. I would have sent the email right after I hung up the phone.



I wanted to eliminate the couple of part timers I had so I changed my policies to include a 20 hour per week minimum charge. Part timers left as anticipated and it's been a nice thing to have in place for my remaining full time families when they go on vacations and such. I had the hardest time the first time I had to actually bill it, but all of my parents understood the reasoning behind the charge and had agreed to it so didn't say anything about it.

I had envisioned the worst, but found I had tortured myself for nothing

I do still charge hourly because it makes sense and works for me.

I also only contract for care with parents who need my services (read, both need to work and will go or lose their jobs). I definitely prefer and so much as demand regular attendance because I believe the consistency is what's best for the children as individuals as well as for my group as a whole.

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Sadly, snarky comments, while not face to face, are becoming more and more common. Granted, I am twice my clients ages, so I guess I just turn my ignorer on. It is simply an adult temper tantrum.

That kind of comment to my face would have been abruptly halted although I can't imagine it having happened in my presence.

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Willow, you beat me to it! Nobody would speak to me that way and still be a client.

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So should I start doing invoice's ? And yes I was so upset over her comment to me on the phone. But this is where the soft part comes in. This is the same parent months ago got made cause I was going to check her childs head before she came in b/c of wks of finding nits..and last week I worked till 8:45 for her (Im off at 6)

I have bent over backwards and for her to make that comment was just rude. But as my dh says I need to grow a pair..Just not sure how :\

I need to learn to run this as a business and not just as a sitter !!

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Yes, to protect yourself and for tax purposes. Check out Minute Menu Kids, it has a free 30 day trial and is very simple to use. It has cut my workload to almost nothing.

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I use MMkids but never even thought about it to do billing...is it expensive ? I only have 2 private pay and 2 county famlies.

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I am BAD at enforcing any rules One DCM forgot the check two mornings in a row and all I said was Okay with a smile. I wasn't too peeved about it because I knew she wasn't paying me intentionally but because she really forgot (DCG has a cold and a boogery nose and will fight you if you try to wipe it) DCD dropped it off that afternoon. I know I will have to enforce the rules but MAN it makes me nervous...

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Yes it makes me so nervous too !! I want to be a people pleaser..and I have only done this a year so it is still all pretty new to me. But wow I can't stand up for nothing it seems like.

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Try to think about it as standing up for your family..... not turning down a simple request for "special". Make it about them, not you, in your head.

Giving "special" to one means you feel obligated to give special to all...the worst part is they won't even see it as "special". Before you know it, you are burnt out.

Your being burnt out (stressed, hurt, tired, upset, resentful, walked on, etc.) all effects how you interact with your family. It is all connected.

Put your families needs first and you should have nothing to feel bad about. The biggest perk is they magically stop asking after a couple No's.

It is amazing what people can accomplish when we don't enable them not to....


Edit: What version of MMK are you using?? It should already have "Accounting" and "Bill parents/record payments".

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MMK and their childcarepay.com link has been a lifesaver for me. It automatically creates and e-mails the invoices for me. Some parents even have it automatically deduct the amount from their account (auto pay is amazing)!

Get the money they promised to pay you. I'm sure they have paid sick days at their jobs.

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LOVE the bolded!

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I am having trouble wording a letter to enforce not only my tuition but also my late fees being enforced!! Help please

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Please consider registering with the forum. There are LOTS of threads about this topic and lots of members willing to assist and help.

Most of these "perks" come with registering.

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I so wish I was better about enforcing every rule. On top of me being a sucker too many times, every time I get angry and want to enforce something, my dh steps in saying how he "feels bad" or he doesn't want me to burn bridges .

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This is where monthly billing and paying in advance is helpful. If I close for illness I don't charge, but if they're out sick, on vacation, grandma wants to have baby that day... they still pay. If I owe them a day because I closed for illness they can deduct it from the next month's payment. Even for PT parents. I would much rather owe them a day the next month than be owed and have to Chase down my money, KWIM! It's worked great and no one has ever questioned it. Like someone else said, you're holding their spot at daycare for when they do attend, not charging for your services based on attendance.

Eta- I'm horrible at enforcing other polices though! I haven't charged a late fee ever. I don't have a lot of late parents but one late Nana. She is always running a few mins late but that's just how she is. I told DCM that I don't charge late fees as long as they communicate to me that they're running late or something. I understand that sometimes there is massive traffic and she could be stuck for an hour and I would feel bad charging her for something completely out of her control. But that's just me. Nana, on the other hand, just loses track of time. After the first of the year I thought of changing my late policy and charging if you're late. They're my only family currently so it's not like a chronic issue I have or I'm closed and he's the last one here... But a DCM who's got about 6wks left stops to get gas on her way here and is often 10 min late but it's not the close of business so it doesn't really "bother" me. It's the ones who are here until my last minute who are then 10+ mins late. No thank you!

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