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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Current Generation of Parents Child Care Needs
Littlepeopleprovider 09:24 AM 08-10-2020
Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum but I've been following for about a year now. First I just want to say thank you to all of you that post on here! It has been extremely helpful with my daycare business!

I've been interviewing families for openings and noticed a trend with many of the families daycare needs. Most parents that I have recently interviewed seem to be asking for part-time care, organic only foods or vegan meals, not wanting to potty train until ages 3 or 4, want their child rocked/soothed to sleep because they cosleep at home, and don't want to pay the going rate for quality care.

Has anyone else encountered these things, if so, how do you find families to enroll and be a good fit in your program?
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Cat Herder 09:55 AM 08-10-2020
I decided what my program would be and told them, I don't ask. You will never get two parents with the same goals that way. Most don't even know what their end goal or philosophy is.

You are interviewing them, not the other way around.
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Mariposa 10:04 AM 08-10-2020
I agree. I can make some small accomodations but I cannot cater to everyone's wish. They can go to a daycare that does that, you won't be the right fit.
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Meeko 06:34 PM 08-12-2020
All organic? I'd go broke reeeeeal quick. Organic milk is about $6 a gallon around here, compared to regular 1% at $2.69 on average.
I go through at least two gallons a day just for the daycare, let alone what us 4 adults use. No way!
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Littlepeopleprovider 04:52 AM 08-13-2020
Exactly! I don't cater to the parents' requests unless it's small and doesn't impact my program. I let them know what I do offer during the initial phone interview and they ask these things or let me know what they want. I just noticed it is a trend in this area when getting calls from new parents. Does anyone else experience a lot of these requests? I guess I'm wondering if this is typical or just happening in my area?
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Cat Herder 05:23 AM 08-13-2020
Originally Posted by Littlepeopleprovider:
Exactly! I don't cater to the parents' requests unless it's small and doesn't impact my program. I let them know what I do offer during the initial phone interview and they ask these things or let me know what they want. I just noticed it is a trend in this area when getting calls from new parents. Does anyone else experience a lot of these requests? I guess I'm wondering if this is typical or just happening in my area?
It is typical. I am sure folks here can add to this list infinitely.
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Sunshine69 11:27 AM 08-13-2020
I don’t get many special diet requests unless it’s specific to an allergy.

Most of my inquiries are for part-time care. It’s practically impossible to find two families with differing enough schedules to fill one full-time spot with two part-time spots without them overlapping. I’m in a low-income somewhat rural community. There are head-start programs for ages 3 and up that provide free childcare for at least part of the day for income qualified. If I do get full-time inquiries it’s usually for infants, which I’m limited to 2 under 2 on, so I end up turning them away.

Half of my daycare kids are subsidized, which means I had to provide care for about 7 weeks before I saw a single payment and only get paid monthly now for those children. The county usually finds one way or another not to pay my entire billing so I have to spend additional time after childcare hours preparing invoices for the parents. The only good thing about subsidized care is they did cover the cost of childcare to hold the slots of the parents not working through Coronavirus shutdowns.

It’s disappointing, to say the least. I only make about half of what I figured I could make, which means I probably won’t stay in business as long as I originally planned.
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Unregistered 01:35 PM 08-14-2020
Originally Posted by Cat Herder:
It is typical.
  • Adult attention seeking.
  • Parental guilt behaviors.
  • Parental resentment behaviors.
  • Learned helplessness.
  • Those who got hooked on the "special" attention during pregnancy/birth and need that level to keep up.
  • Those who have to prove to their spouse that no childcare will work so they can't possibly work: AKA Future SAHM's.
I am sure folks here can add to this list infinitely.
Part of this is a generation that has never heard no. They're used to never hearing no to outlandish requests and behavior. Anytime you say no they will try to blame it on some ism. Once you let one get away with it, you have to let everyone.

Each generation is getting worse.
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Unregistered 10:28 AM 08-15-2020
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Part of this is a generation that has never heard no. They're used to never hearing no to outlandish requests and behavior. Anytime you say no they will try to blame it on some ism. Once you let one get away with it, you have to let everyone.

Each generation is getting worse.
And this is why so many good home providers are bowing out right now.
The industry was crippled already; add unreasonable parents who are not interested in parenting their children, undisciplined children, low wages, no benefits, plus throw in a pandemic. So many are fed up and realize its just not worth it to be a substitute mommy or daddy.

I'm afraid the industry will be left with mostly center care which often results in even worse child behavior and developmental outcomes because parents don't parent their children anymore. They seem more concerned with what's in with trendy parenting aka teething beads, special diets, etc. (following trends is not parenting). "Parent" :its a verb!

Not all but the majority of center children who joined our home program over 9 years have had some form of behavior issues or delays that were never addressed in large classroom center care. (These were always the children who weren't getting parenting and time in with their parents at home.) Through close supervision and redirection we were able to address most of these behaviors before kindergarten. It's impossible to do this with the ratios at centers especially if parents aren't parenting their children. These behaviors go with kids into grade school and adulthood. Not all centers fail to address behaviors, and delays, and needed emotional development but the nature of center structure cant give children what they need when children don't get time in and dedicated parenting at home. There is no substitute for a good mommy and daddy and so many in this generation don't get there is no substitute for parenting and no good excuse for poor parenting.
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Sunshine69 11:17 AM 08-17-2020
It does seem the younger generation is overly catered to. I guess I pretty much weed out the particular parents up front. I just email them a copy of my policy. If they think they can live with that, then we can continue. If they don’t, then there’s no need to call me back. Maybe that’s why I don’t have a full house? I’d rather be broke than driving myself nuts trying to please people who can’t be pleased.

I experience it more outside daycare, especially with my teen kids’ friends and their parents. I’m on the older side. Didn’t have my first child until my mid 30’s. My kids’ friends think my kids are unique because I give them chores and have expectations of them. Parents think it weird I make my children help clean the house and do yard work in exchange for their privileges (iPhones, television, etc.).

I’m not going to live forever. The kids need to learn to help themselves.
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Tags:art activities, business management, centers, classroom management, curriculum, daycare environment, drama for momma, drama triangle, enforcing policies - consistency, guilt, infant - nap schedule, learned helplessness, meal schedule, nap schedule, preschool - schedule, resentful, resentment, routine, sahm, schedule, set up, special treatment
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