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tenderhearts 08:45 AM 07-29-2010
I'm trying to follow my own contract and not let things slide too much with people who like to take advantage of me. So I'm trying keep things straight. I redid my contract and things look good. Here's my question, I started a new family about a month ago, their contracted hours have changed along with a "special arrangement" (I didn't totally stick with my contract), would you redo the payment sheet with the "new" hours and put what the special arrangement is and have her sign a new one? My husband thought I should keep it verbal that I was getting to percise, but I said people always try to take advantage of me, I put an addendum on the new page stating what I told her. so what do you think?
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nannyde 08:56 AM 07-29-2010
Is the "special arrangement" more hours and no more money?
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kendallina 08:58 AM 07-29-2010
I would give her the addendum. You may regret it later if you don't. There is nothing wrong with being "too precise".
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tymaboy 09:02 AM 07-29-2010
I agree you need to have a paper trail on everything.
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tenderhearts 09:05 AM 07-29-2010
Yes, in my contract if a day exceeds 10 hours then there is an additional daily rate, well being they are "struggling" I said that I would help them out so I am not charging her the full additional daily rate but still charging a fee. Some weeks it may not happen and other days it may. In my contract if it exceeds 10 hrs per day the fee is $5.00 per day, So basically I said if it's just a 1 or 2 days per week I wont charge her but if it's more then I will charge her $12.00 per week (I split it in half to help them out since it wont be for a long time) or $5.00 per day which ever is less.
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nannyde 09:39 AM 07-29-2010
Originally Posted by tenderhearts:
Yes, in my contract if a day exceeds 10 hours then there is an additional daily rate, well being they are "struggling" I said that I would help them out so I am not charging her the full additional daily rate but still charging a fee. Some weeks it may not happen and other days it may. In my contract if it exceeds 10 hrs per day the fee is $5.00 per day, So basically I said if it's just a 1 or 2 days per week I wont charge her but if it's more then I will charge her $12.00 per week (I split it in half to help them out since it wont be for a long time) or $5.00 per day which ever is less.
A ten hour day is very long. I wouldn't make ANY exceptions for less money after that. You will be surprised at how easily they conform to your max hours when the money is so high not to.

I do nine hour days. Anything over nine hours is five dollars an hour. Don't have a single taker on that ever. The five dollars an hour is paid EVERY week wheether they use it or not. They have to schedule it and pay for it every week.

Solved.
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MarinaVanessa 10:07 AM 07-29-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
A ten hour day is very long. I wouldn't make ANY exceptions for less money after that. You will be surprised at how easily they conform to your max hours when the money is so high not to.

I do nine hour days. Anything over nine hours is five dollars an hour. Don't have a single taker on that ever. The five dollars an hour is paid EVERY week wheether they use it or not. They have to schedule it and pay for it every week.

Solved.
Pretty much the same for me except I do 10 hour days instead of 9 but anything after that is $5 an hour if it was arranged previously. If they're just late then it's $5 for every 15 minutes or part of.
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tenderhearts 10:29 AM 07-29-2010
Thanks, I prefer not to do a child more than 10 hours, I feel so bad for a child that has to be here that long. I didn't know this upon them signing with me the beginning of July, I dont' think she really did either. She was on her two weeks with her current job then starting a new one, well her old job asked if she could come after her other job because she would get off at 3:30for awhile, and since they have had some financial setbacks they needed the extra money. In all my daycare years I open at 6:30 close at 5 will stay open until 5:30 but just started doing that anyways no one has ever used me more than 10 hours, most of of my clients are here max 8-9 hrs per day, most are less though. Some how (they are young) when she took this new job they classified it as full time from 7:30-3, so she thought she was getting paid for 8 hours and only needing to work 7, then found out she is loosing that hour each day plus her hour lunch so she's now she changed her hours for 6:30 and isn't picking up until almost 5:30, she said that on the weeks her husband isn't out of town, which she said shouldn't happen too often he'd pick up about 3:30 or 3:45.
thanks
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momofboys 05:54 PM 08-09-2010
Originally Posted by tenderhearts:
Thanks, I prefer not to do a child more than 10 hours, I feel so bad for a child that has to be here that long. I didn't know this upon them signing with me the beginning of July, I dont' think she really did either. She was on her two weeks with her current job then starting a new one, well her old job asked if she could come after her other job because she would get off at 3:30for awhile, and since they have had some financial setbacks they needed the extra money. In all my daycare years I open at 6:30 close at 5 will stay open until 5:30 but just started doing that anyways no one has ever used me more than 10 hours, most of of my clients are here max 8-9 hrs per day, most are less though. Some how (they are young) when she took this new job they classified it as full time from 7:30-3, so she thought she was getting paid for 8 hours and only needing to work 7, then found out she is loosing that hour each day plus her hour lunch so she's now she changed her hours for 6:30 and isn't picking up until almost 5:30, she said that on the weeks her husband isn't out of town, which she said shouldn't happen too often he'd pick up about 3:30 or 3:45.
thanks
Personally I would not give them much of a break. You have their child for long hours. Someone is getting paid for overtime or at least getting paid for a long shift. You have every right to earn a little extra if you have a child for 11-12 hrs!
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professionalmom 07:56 PM 08-09-2010
I love your question especially when you have the "name" tenderhearts. Maybe your heart is a tad too tender. The $5 per day is leaving yourself WIDE open for issues. I had $5 per hour for OT in my contract. If it's only going to be an extra hour, then it works out to $5 per hour. But the next thing you know, they will need you for an extra 1.5 hours, then 2 hours, then 2.5 hours, then 3 hours. There will ALWAYS be a reason. But $5 for 2 hours is $2.50 per hour (definitely NOT OT pay, may not even be the regular pay). Then the 3 hours ends up being $1.66 per hour! For OT!! If you usually have $5 per hour for OT, I could see giving them a break and only charging $4 per hour or something like that. But it should be a per hour rate to protect yourself from being taken advantage of.

As for your husband, tell him this IS business and IN business, you can never be too precise, careful, or documented. Maybe he needs to be reminded that this is your business, that you are a daycare OWNER, an entrepreneur, a business woman. Remind him that you are NOT a babysitter. Your mortgage company, landlord, bank (where you have loans or credit cards), utility companies, etc. would not allow a verbal adjustment without following it up in writing. However, I do think the addendum is sufficient as long as it is signed by the client(s) and you. Also make sure everything is dated.
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Abigail 09:38 PM 08-09-2010
I would stick to your regular hours and see if you have a neighborhood teen who is willing to become their "after 5:00 babysitter" that you could introduce them too. That way, you both win. You get your normal hours and pay and family time when you want it. They can work extra hours if they want and have their child go next door or down-the-street at 5:00 and pay them a babysitting rate of $3/hour or however much that teen is offering to sit for. If they say it is not fair, your contracted hours are in place and you are helping them find a solution beyond the means of your business. Does that sound fair?

Avoid Burnout and being used.
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QualiTcare 09:47 PM 08-09-2010
tenderhearts - your husband is wrong. you can never be too percise - verbal agreements mean nothing because the provider and parent remember what was said VERY differently.

i made the mistake of having a verbal agreement with a parent because we'd been friends for ten years. it was pretty simple (i thought). i would keep her child UP TO 40 hours for X amount of dollars. if her child didn't come for 45 hours, i still got paid X amount of dollars. this was WEEKLY.

it turned into.......well, you only kept him 38 hours last week, so can't u just keep him an extra day this week? UHH...NOOO!

our childcare relationship ended when she started calculating in her head all the previous days from previous weeks that she didn't use - and wanted me to have a 70 hour week one week for the same pay.

i was shocked because we had formal meetings where we had talked extensively (but no written contract) and i thought we were both on the same page.

lesson learned. GET IT IN WRITING!
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Unregistered 07:18 AM 08-12-2010
I had to learn to get everything in writing the hard way.
I was a live-in Nanny for a mother and son. It was my first nanny job, and I was trying to please everyone but myself (since I have had 2 other wonderful experiences). I was to work 40 hours a week for X dollars. Since I didn't have anything in writing.. slowly 40 hours became 42, then 45, then 50 and soon I was working 60+. It got to the point that I would go to sleep at night taking care of him and would wake up to his mother sending him in my bedroom to get me at 6am.
Sadly I didn't say anything about how much I was working because I was afraid I would be fired.. but I eventually was fired because the child wanted to call me Mommy!!!!! He would ask questions in front of his mother like... "How come I can't call you both Mommy?" .. It really upset her. I would reply .. "Because I am your Nanny.. you only have one Mommy."

What I am trying to get at is, have everything in writing.. it is way to easy for parents to take advantage of you.. and it's way too easy to let them. (especially when you feel sorry for the child.)
I hope this example helps.. because before you know it.. you're someone's door mat.
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