I'm sorry this will be long.

I am allowed a max of 5 kids. Currently I have 4 Monday - Thursday and 5 on Fridays. I love my Friday kiddo, she is great. She is currently 3.5 and I have had her since she was 15 months old.

Financially I would like to term my Friday DCK and replace her with a full time kiddo. Here, finding a family who needs <4 days per week is next to impossible.

I had an interview tonight for a 2 year old girl. Girl was sweet, mom was sweet. A few things that bothered me were:

* Mom said 3 times in a 1 hour interview how she is a "single mom" and "relies on her babysitters because of this"

* Mom is starting a new job and doesn't know what her new hours will be. Current DCP is closing shop and her last day is one week before mom starts her new job.

* If DCG does come here, she will likely be here until 5:30. That would extend my work day by 1 hour. I am open 6:30a - 5:30p but currently all my children are picked up by 4:30p. It is wonderful and I actually get to get stuff done. Plus, to be honest my heart is not in DC right now. Not because I don't like it - I have wonderful families and I love them - but my own DD is a terror right now and it is really wearing me thin having to work with her and the DCKs. I am not sure if I can do an extra hour. But the money is calling my name...

* Mom said current DCP allows sick kids to attend because she figures everyone has already been exposed.

Here is my issue. Come May I am loosing two kids - which means I will loose $1000 a month when they leave. I am stressing big time over this, which is why I am considering terming my 1 day per week girl to fill her spot with a full time spot. It will lessen the financial blow come May.

HELP - what would you do?

How would you word needing to know this mom's hours before making a decision? Especially if she herself isn't really sure?

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I am losing 2 kids in May (they are moving) and am advertising it now. I am hopeful people are planning ahead. I hope to have at least one of them filled before hand. I would give Friday family the opportunity to add more days, offer them the spot, then let them know you will need to let them go if not. I just had to do this last week. I replaced a part time baby with a fulltime baby. (I actually ended up keeping the same baby - the took the fulltime when they realized that was their only option, I was so glad to keep them and get a fulltimer!)
As for dcp hours, I wouldn't take a child without knowing the hours.
Sorry your little one is hard right now sometimes ours are the hardest

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I agree that I would talk to me part-time family first and then I would want to know more about work hours. If she doesn't know her hours, how does she know she will need care until 5:30?

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The sick kid thing would worry me...sounds like Mom expects to send her sick kid to you.

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Thanks ladies I already talked to my part timer and they are not interested in going full time. DCK spends her other time with grandma and just comes her for social interaction and to give grandma a break. They already know and are okay if I have to term them for a full timer.

Prospective DCM is basing her new hours off of her current ones. At her current provider she drops off at 7:30 - 7:45 and picks up between 5:30 and 6:00. I close at 5:30 and have a $1 per minute late policy, mom knows this.

She did say that her new job would give her more flexibility to set new hours and she was excited that I opened earlier then her current provider so she could start her day earlier and end earlier. But, she still doesn't know what her hours will be.

I asked mom why she chose a home based program vs a center and she said she needs the flexibility of a home based program and not a center. I am not really flexible though. My business hours are strict, my late pick up policies are strict and my payment policies are strict. I am not sure where else she would need flexibility on and I of course did not think to ask for a specific from her.

Would it be unreasonable to offer her a two week trial period until she finds out her new schedule and then I can reevaluate?

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Not at all. I think I would address the "flexible" and sick comments though. In a nice way but making it very clear no sick kids and policies are not negotionable. Not sure if it will do any good as we all know half the time they think those rules are for "everybody but them". But setting that tone from the very start would be a good thing!

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This was immediately addressed when she brought it up. She said "So, kids always get coughs and runny noses, you allow them to come unless they have a fever?" No...no I do not. I took this as she may try to dose and drop if her child gets sick.

What is throwing me off the most are hours (which might be resolved once she starts her new job) and the "single mom/relying on her babysitters" comment.

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I turn this right back where it belongs.
::
You're not the only mom depending on her paycheck. If you lose your job, so do I.

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I would pass. I hate the single mom card being played. It drives me batty. Not to mention the sick kids thing. The hours (sounds like she WANTS the late pick up, saying it before she even needs it).

I would keep advertising.

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Too many red flags, PASS!

A few years ago, I lost 4 kids at once (2 moved away, 1 mom got laid off and the other one I knew was leaving for school). I was panicking and I took a rotating schedule infant. The infant was adorable!! The mom wanted full time availability with a discounted price, got upset that I changed the baby too many times, then got upset that it wasn't enough times, failed to send back up clothes because baby wasn't messy (child had reflux!), complained about my days off, when baby crawled she wanted her confined in a pack n play so she wouldn't get messy outdoors... And much much more. Oh and she bounced a check and then had the nerve to avoid me by sending others to do drop off & pick up. It ended in an uncomfortable discussion where she accused me of doing this job just for the money. I finally said YES, I do my job to get paid! That stopped her in her tracks and she acted horrified until I said 'you're a teacher. You do it because younger paid right?' The baby was a doll, but there were so many red flags at the interview (just like yours, she pulled the single mom card & the occasional work late card). Now if I see more than one red flag, I pass. The stress the mom put me thorough wasn't worth it, I would've stressed less worrying about money!

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you and me both. I was a single mom once and I never saw it as a disadvantage EVER..... Yeah it was not easy, but it was the life I chose.

I have friends that are single parents and they act like their problems automatically come everyone else problems because they have to work a little bit harder than the next person.........

I told them that I envy their single mother/father life because all of them have weekends off without kids.....I mean that to a point, I love spending my weekend with my kids, but you know what I mean.

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PASS! You see the red flags, listen to your gut. Every.single.time I go against my gut and chase after a promise of money, I lose.
Your Friday pt kid sounds like a nice kid, great family. I have one like that, too, and although it has made sense to fill with a full timer in the past, I've never done it because they are just wonderful. Mine has also provided me with three referrals lately!

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Thanks for your opinions everyone. I have decided to pass on this mom and keep advertising. If I stop and listen to my gut it is telling me no - it was even telling me no in the interview...hence my post

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