Daycare.com Forum - View Single Post - Used My Backbone This Morning

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
That's what I'm worried about. That she'll just keep bringing him earlier and earlier which I'm not willing to do. When I first agreed to 6:30 I was fine with it because 6:30 is the time that I wake up my DD for school and I get up 10 minutes earlier than that. With the 6:20 am drop-off I need to get up 10 minutes before I usually do in order to be ready. That wasn't so bad because he's a sweet boy and I was still able to get some quiet time to myself while he played or laid back down if he was still tired.

But I draw the line at being taken advantage of after I've been more than accommodating.

I was already toying with the idea of letting this family go because I have a gap of Tues, Wed, Thurs where I can fit another child. I also have every other Monday and Friday open. If I let this family go I can then free up those Mondays and Fridays and I can get a FT child in here but I felt bad. Now I don't feel so bad .

I literally just talked to her about showing up earlier than contracted time without notice, and I did ask her if she needed to drop off earlier since she started dropping off first 5 minutes earlier then 10 minutes earlier. She said yes so I changed her scheduled hours from 6:30 to 6:20am. Today is her first day back to daycare since signing the new contract and me talking to her about being earlier than her contracted time and she showed up 15 minutes EARLIER than her NEW EARLIER contracted time!

Had I not given her a new contract to sign she would have been 25 minutes earlier than her contracted time. When I asked her if she needed an earlier drop off time (when we signed the new contract) I asked her what time she needed to drop off because I needed to know if she needed to drop off earlier than what I was willing to accomodate. She said that 6:20am was what she needed. Then the very next day of attendance she brings him at 6:05am .

I do try to accommodate my clients if I am able without compromising my values or way that I do business. I am VERY flexible and VERY willing to work with my clients on any matter. I'm glad it shows in my posts. What I am not willing to do is just allow a client to assume that I will be okay with whatever they decide they want without first discussing this with me.

I'm the type of person that is more than willing to share my plate of food with my DH but if he reaches out for it without asking me first I will chew his face off . It bothers me that people don't ASK first. I don't even go to my family's house and use their bathroom without first asking if I can use it even though they always tell me that I don't need to ask. I know they won't say no ... but I still want to ask. It's just good manners but I guess not everyone is built like that .

This is the funniest thing I've heard all day. It totally made me LOL. I'm lucky I didn't wake the napping kids.

No I wouldn't allow an earlier drop off even with notice without pay. My fees cover my client's scheduled hours only so any extra time that they need is charged extra. Had she asked in advance I would have charged her $5 for the extra time ... but because she didn't I charged her my early drop off fee so she paid $10 more than she would have had she just asked me yesterday.

I think I just decided to give her a 2 weeks notice. I'll give it to her on Monday when she picks up and that way she'll have 2 weeks to find another daycare.

Good for you for thinking of terming! BTW - your CL ad rocks & I am guessing you will have no problems filling a FT opening!