I think if you only charge by the day or hour, it's flat out RUDE not to call if you're not coming or going to be late.

If you charge whether the child is there or not, I can see (from a parent's perspective) not thinking it's a big deal. Personally, when my children went to a CENTER that was open and had children regardless - I called (MOST of the time - I admit, not always) if they wouldn't be there. However, I'm biased bc I've worked in daycares and schools and I realize it's nice to know - ESPECIALLY in daycare because it effects whether or not you can send a staff member home (to save labor costs) or how much food to make if they may or may not be there in time for breakfast/lunch. I DO realize there is also a difference between center care vs. home based care - parents do not. They see that they pay you whether they show up at 6am or 10am - period.

Assuming you don't have a staff and have a relatively small number of children, I don't see why you wouldn't just call or text the parent to see what's up. I personally would be worried, and in the past, parents were just running late and would just answer and say so - and you can hear it in their voice assuming they're actually working.

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