wow. shoot i think that some parents sniff out the new providers and know good and well who to take advantage of. trust me, she knew exactly what she was doing. she conveniently forgets that her child needs wipes and cream but has a photgraphic memory about three socks. that just makes me ill to think what she has done to you

reminds me of the time that a parent tried to sneak out with no notice. would not respond to call or email. i demanded two weeks pay and they suddenly had an issue with a day WEEKS before that their child was feed only one jar of food, not two. it wasnt important enough to mention the next day but all of a sudden is important enough to term over?! trust me OP, this mom is doing nothing new. we have all worked with parents like this but unfortunately, you didnt know any better and you got burned.

to me, 75 hours in daycare is neglect on the parents part, plan and simple. i would never ever work for this family! there are many lessons to be learned here so the best you can do is move on from this situation and adjust your parent contract about the following:

*stick to your business hours. i highly suggest 10 hour work day at most. anymore is too much for most providers and most kids. do not allow early drop off (dont answer the door) and charge for late pickups. i suggest a $1 a minute
*always get paid in advance and require a two weeks paid notice (whether they attend or not). at least if you get paid in advance, you are paid up through the current week
*never buy supplies for the parents if you put in your contract that you do not provide particular items. check the bag at the door and do not allow them to drop off child without items. if they say they will get it and come back, make them take the kid with them. there is no reason to forget. and they wont forget if you dont take their child when they forget!
*make sure your contract outlines what happens if they do not provide two weeks notice. a highlighted portion letting parents know that you do use a collections agency and the court system to collect on any parents that do not abide by the contract
*add a portion that says that items lost or damaged in daycare are never replaced/repaired/reimbursed for, period. they need to provide the supplies, you do your best to keep track of anything but you do not pay for any items for any reason. (this also keeps parents from sending kids in pricy clothing, sending tons of extra things that might get lost)

by the way, what was the amount still owed? the above is not to say that you shouldnt try to collec though! you absolutely should.

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