I can't afford to hold a spot for anyone who isn't paying full price for it. All parents, regardless of profession, know they have an option when taking extended time off: they can pay to hold their spots and be guaranteed a spot when they return or they can take the risk that I'll have an opening when they need to come back.

I get how expensive day care is, especially if you don't really need it for the summer, so I don't take offense if they choose to risk it. I'm also willing to not charge if I need the spot for someone else who will be leaving when the other family wants to return. For example, when my own kids were younger, I didn't charge my 2 teacher families for the summer because I needed those spots. My kids counted in my numbers so not charging them and guaranteeing a spot in the fall worked for both of us in that case.

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