When a child is sick on payday do you still require parents to pay? or let them bring it at drop off Monday? I have a family that I know won't be here tomorrow due to child having fever today - should I remind her about payment? Is that insensitive? I'm sure she will be going to work and grandma will be watching him.

She also has a late fee for picking up late Monday. He has been out since Tuesday (Dad was home - now child is sick).
Also what do you normally do if you don't know until that Friday morning?

Reply

ALL payments are due IN FULL by Friday 5PM. I don't care if the child is or isn't in attendance.

They can be in Italy for all I care but payment is still due.

If they are frequently late payers, I would absolutely text them that payment is STILL due today. Give them the option of bringing it on Monday but make sure to let them know there will be a HUGE late fee attached.

ALL due at drop off.

Reply

I generally just allow them to bring it the next time they'll be in. But that's just for my PT-er. My FT kid...it would be due that night by closing. Worst case, I'd allow them to bring it by Saturday at a certain time. If they didn't, then I'd charge a late fee. Seeing that she already owes a late fee, hell yes, I'd bring it up. I'd say, "I'm sorry dck is sick, but I will still need payment for next week by x o clock, along with the late fee of x dollars from such and such incident, as a reminder. I hope dck feels better this weekend; See you soon."

Reply

As soon as my clients come for a tour I point out that I charge a FLAT weekly rate that is based on enrollment not attendance. If they go on vacation, get sick, stay home to hang out with mom and dad, have a Dr's appointment etc. and they miss a day (or a few hours) the rate stays the same and there is no credit toward the following week. My policies also say that there is no switching days if days are missed BUT I may allow a client to switch a day IF I have room and if this is not a regular occurrence. But it's entirely up to me.

Reply

That is what I do also!

Reply

NORMALLY it's always due or you get big late fees even if on vacation but I just wondered with kids being sick if you still enforce that rule.

Reply

It depends on the family. I have one family who I know will bring it Monday w/o a reminder if their child is out on Friday. I have another family who always has a reason to be out on Friday-I require theirs on Friday.

Reply

Well I emailed her. I'm sure she will say she didn't get it. She conveniently does that BUT really I dont' really need to remind her.

I have another (new) client that I made the mistake this morning saying if your out and about today or tomorrow please drop off payment. U G G!! My fault and I won't make that mistake again. Not sure why I said that. Oh well, lesson learned.

I have two kids out sick today

Reply

My contract says that payment is due whether they are in attendance or not, including vacations (theirs or mine) and illnesses. Can she do an email transfer? That's what my parents do if they aren't able to get here.

So, yes, I would charge a late fee if not paid today. I also would expect the late pickup fee at drop off on their next day or their child will not be staying.

Reply

For me I always enforce the rule but that's because I have tons of ways for parents to pay me so if their child is sick they're still required to pay om time. My clients can pay in person, by phone (Square reader), online (childcarepay) or wired (through the Chase app) so my clients don't have any reason not to pay me on time, even their child is sick .

If it doesn't bother you that much I'd just let it slide. If it does then charge them the late fees if that's what they agreed too.

Reply

Depends on the family and why they are gone. If they are unexpectedly ill, I don't require them to bring the payment. If they are sent home on Thursday or Friday, I ask for payment at pick up. If they are gone on Friday due to vacation or something scheduled, I require payment on their last day prior to leaving.

Reply

I had this come up a few weeks ago. I knew a day ahead of time that dcb (my only dc kid on Fridays) would be home sick. When I remembered that it was payday, I sent mom an email just saying, hey, just remembered that tuition is due tomorrow. Would you like to stop by with it in the morning or evening? That way I didn't give her an option of not paying, but I was giving her an option of what time was most convenient for her.

She replied that she'd bring it in the morning, and offered to leave it on the porch so I could sleep in, since she knew I'd have a day off with her son not there. I thanked her for thinking of me, but told her I'd get up and meet her and give her a receipt.

I figured if I'm sticking with business policies and still requiring payment on that day, then it wouldn't be professional of me to sleep in. I think overall, if we expect parents to treat us like a business/professional, then we need to act as a professional. Not saying this about anyone or anything, just a general principle.

Reply

That made me realize that my DCG who has been out sick all week (she's PT T-Th) and today would be her payday. Normally I would text and ask about payment, but I love this DCM so much that I will just let it slide and wait until next week- DCM works by me but doesn't live in the area. (If I needed the money, I would ask though)

Reply

I require payments on Friday before care for the next week, but if the child is out sick on Friday, I will let them pay on Monday.
BUT if they already had a late fee, I don't know if I would be so nice.

Reply

Payments are due Friday by 9pm here, regardless of whether or not they attend that day.
Here's how I see it--if my electric bill is late because my kid is sick, the power company doesn't care, late is late. That's just the business end of it.
I'd text, ask about the kiddo, and add a reminder about payment being due.

Reply

Depends on what the kid has. I usually pay my bills ahead so getting payment Friday instead of Monday is no biggie if a kid has strep or something I don't need to have additional exposure to. I also consider that if the child is so sick I require them to be home, I do not force the mom to come out simply to pay me. Now, if he's sick every other payday, then I might get strict. But for once-in-a-while unexpected illness, I'd rather they just pay on Monday. Now, if they don't pay Monday a.m., they don't drop off the kid.

Reply

I still require it but I have had some of my single parents been unable to come so they have made arrangements to get it to me on Saturday.

Reply

I take payment on the 1st of the month, but allow them to pay until the 3rd. If they are parents who normally pay on time I wouldn't make them come in special, but if I'd had issues in the past I would.

Reply

Payment due Monday at drop off. But if they're out they can bring it next day they come. Full payment due but no fees.

Reply

It would depend on the family. I actually termed one family because dcm always had some excuse as to why she didn't get my money transferred. In my mind the situation was ridiculous because she was state pay and the money was loaded on her card. All she had to do was make a phone call or could pay over the internet. She can't touch that money for anything other than daycare, so I couldn't understand why she was having such a problem with paying me??? She chose to pay weekly, which was fine however payment was due in advance on Friday, the same as my private pay. It was just completely disrespectful in my opinion. When I told her that it wasn't working out, and I had to have clients that paid me on time, she looked at me like I was crazy
Really? You didn't see this coming? And then tried to argue with me.
Now, I have another dcm that is state subsidy but she has to pay out of pocket the last week of the month because she doesn't rcv enough to cover the entire month. She is allowed to pay on Monday that last week instead of the previous Friday. She transfers the entire month amount in advance on the first, less the last week of payment that she owes.

Reply

depends on the family for me too..... great parents who ALWAYS pay on time I will tell them not to worry about it till Monday (and they are usually the ones who will bring it up first and say they'll drop it off before monday!) but if there are any issues with a family I would just send a reminder saying "hope dck feels better, please just leave the check in my mailbox by 5pm".

Reply

Depends on their attitude and how much you need the money that very day. If you need the money to buy groceries or supplies this weekend then you insist they come to pay you as per your agreement.

If a family tells me when they call to say their child is sick that they will be coming by later with their fees, if they have been a good family in the past, I might say to them, "Thank you, I know you're good for it, you can bring it Monday morning." (My fees are due the child's last day of attendance for the week). But sometimes I would just say "thank you, see you when you get here".

If they "tell" me that they will bring their fees Monday, I "tell" them that they will accrue late fees if they do that.

So, if they show respect for my policies, I am more understanding, if they are bossy and "tell" ME what they are going to do, no leniency.

But if I really needed that money that very day, I would insist they pay that day no matter how nice they were.

Reply

My DH has a great job that provides us a comfortable lifestyle.

Requiring parents to pay their fees when due (regardless of their issues) shouldn't be dependent on whether I NEED the money or not.

I think that makes it sound like those of us who don't give much leeway for late or missed payments, are money hungry and that is not at all the case.

I don't NEED the money that day. I require it because that is when it's due. period. There really shouldn't even be an option to give "golden families" or families I like or have a good relationship with an exception....

I provide a service and expect to be paid like everyone else. On time.

I understand that the mom has a sick kid but unless there really is no option for her to come pay it, I think it's due when it's due. In all my years of doing child care I think there my have been 1 or 2 situations where it was literally impossible for the parent to pay as scheduled.

Most times, they have the other parent drop it off, do a bank or e-mail transfer, have a friend bring it, bring it themselves and/or just pay the late fee when they come on Monday.

As a business owner, I personally feel it isn't fair to waive policies based on personal feelings or a "likeability" factor.

*FWIW~ This wasn't addressed solely towards you. I'm sorry if it comes across that way...... I just don't feel like parents should have to or not have to pay according to how badly a provider NEEDS the money.

It really isn't any of my DCF's business whether I need or don't need the money. kwim?

Reply

If they know in advance that they won't be here on payday, they pay me the last day of the week that they know they will be here. For example, if they know they are going to be off work/ going on vacation/ child will be spending the day with grand mom, etc. and they know that their last day will be Wednesday, than they pay me that Wednesday instead of Friday (their normal payday). If they were expecting to come to daycare on payday (Friday), but something happened to make them not need daycare (example - someone got sick), I require that someone stop by at the normal drop off time in the morning to pay me even if the child is not coming to daycare. By having them come in the morning at their regular drop off time, I am not stuck sitting here all day waiting for them. This is especially helpful if the other children get picked up early.

Reply