Okay I think today ia the day I get a backbone. 3 families didn't pay me this week. That is over 300 dollars. My husband is out of work and I am pissed. Why do people do this. I think I am sending out a mass text since these families don't answer their phones saying if payment is not here by 6 tonight I will enforce the late payment fee and none of their children will be accepted into care until all fees and regular pay are paid. What do u think. I am so angry and between the sickness these families hid and now not paying I have enough. One of the ones that didn't pay is the one who hid strep. They all said they would be back to pay by 3 they pick up their kids at 130 Ahhhhhhhh

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They all work at the same place too. Its so annoying. K thanks for letting me vent

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My backbone is sent to you as well. Be strong and stick to your guns!!!! Enforce all the late fees inc. Sat. and Sun. maybe switch to Mondays before the week, or Fri. before the week of providing your care!! It works!!!

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That is not fun! Maybe you should redo the policy that you are changing to pay in advance effective Jan 3rd. No pay, no care until they pay you first. Hopefully you can be strong and don't let them get you.

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I feel your pain. I only have two families now, and most weeks one or both of them don't pay on time. I've never been able to figure out why these parents think it's ok to just pay whenever they feel like it!!!

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I have only had to enforce the late fee a couple of times. The problem is you haven't enforced it from the get go. You can't say okay this time I won't charge but next time I will because they will take advantage of it and get mad when you do enforce it. It's like dealing with children and discipline. If you tell a child not to do something or xyz will happen, then they do it but you don't follow through, you are teaching them that it is okay to do the wrong-negative reinforcement. Same with parents. If you don't follow through with late fee & no care then you are teaching them that they can get away with it. They signed the contract agreeing to payment and know about the late fees. When they do pay you , give them a letter stating, due to routine late payments, I am now requiring payment in advance for the week starting ? and no care until paid, then follow through. I know it's scary but you have to value your work.

I have come to the conclusion that parents don't think they should have to pay us on time because 1. they don't think what we do is important and 2. because we LET THEM. We do hard work and work long hours for low pay and we do it because we enjoy what we do. However, we also have bills to pay and expenses. What would they do if their boss decided not to pay them that week???

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I feel for you! I had a DCM call me on Friday and say "Oh, I totally spaced out stopping by today and paying you...." then there was that empty silence where I think she is waiting for me to say something but I'm just sitting there and thinking "Yeah you did, but it is only 3:00 and I'm here til 5:30 and you live 5 blocks away so...?????" but I don't say anything and finally she says ,"Well I guess I could bundle everyone up and come up there after I let the van warm up and drop off a check if you want me to." I just said "ok" and hung up. Really??? What did she think I was gonna say, "Ah, don't worry about it...I love watching kids for free!" I can't believe how inconsiderate people can be....so I am feeling for you big time...people always think it is just them you are dealing with. No one ever seems to realize that if 10 families owed you $10 how it adds up. I had a daycare dad once who actuallly counted the kids he could see playing and go "Wow! I should quite my job and do daycare...you're making like $20 an hour" Seriously?!?!? What about all the expenses and other things like dumba** parents (like him) I have to put up with? Parents really just do not understand.

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As if it was any of his business if you were making $20 hour. How annoying!

Regarding being paid do you guys just not say anything if the parent "forgets" the check? I outright ask for my payment if they are supposed to pay & have "forgotten". Usually then they will go get the $$$. I won't typically let them wait until the next day. So far I have had to ask for it but they have always went & got it when I asked for it. It is annoying to ask though!

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I used to ask for the checks but now I don't say anything and just add a $5 per day late fee onto the balance. (Including weekends) No one usually says anything because they know it is the policy as far as late payments go but if they do, I just say "the software I use for billing and bookkeeping adds it on automatically and I can't change it...didn't you read that part in the policy book?" They usually go "Oh Okay" and aren't late wiht paying anymore. I am lucky enough to really only have one family that is bad with late payments in the last few years...I swear she has paid almost as much in late fees, but oh,well good for me $ wise. If everyone did it I would have to change things again but right now so far so good.

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I get paid on Monday for that week. A couple weeks ago I was seriously needing that money paid that morning, and wouldn't you know it, neither family paid! (They usually just slip the checks in the diaper bags, and later, when I have a few minutes, I go get them). I texted both moms and let them know there were no checks in the bags and to please bring at pick up. These two moms are really good about paying on time, but for a while there, I would have to remind one of them (and I would forget to ask for it when I saw her!), but now it's very rare for them to not pay, but yes, I do ask if they don't. Well, those two anyway. There's one that I don't ask, but I charge her so little, and her child is here so little that I don't really make much from her anyway.

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Me too...short by $415...

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where do you guys find these parents? there is no way I'd put up with not being paid on time. You need to set the expectation, from the very beginning of the daycare relationship, that it will not be tolerated. I cannot remember, in 14 years, being paid late more than once or twice, and that was with special request....I just don't understand how parents can do this to their provider?????

Honestly, if a parent did that to me more than once, there would be no more child care services for them.

sorry they did that to you.

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One of my moms was on vaca this past week. I have a sick feeling tonight knowing that she will "forget" and not pay me until later in the week. Uhhh! But she goes out to eat and had her car filled up with christmas stuff since she "had extra money".

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I had a client who regularly spent her daycare money and paid me late, or tried to float checks which then bounced, who I ended up terming. The people who pay late now absolutely have the money.

I think that they assume that not paying me on time isn't a big deal, what's the difference between Friday or Monday, it's just a couple of days...

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If you have a late fee of, oh, say $10/day, the difference is $20! I know I have no room to talk, since I've had my own share of problems with people paying late, and not having a backbone to make them stop paying late.....but I really do agree with late fees and the "no pay, no stay" ideas.

Question for anyone reading this far: my families leave check in diaper bag and I get it later in the day, when I have a chance to look for it. If it wasn't in there, would you text/call mom to remind her to bring it? Or just add late fees? If you add the late fees, do you send a note home every day that it's late? Or just not say anything? I understand the courtesy of letting them know they forget the check, but really, they are adults and I get tired sometimes of searching for the check, and finding it not there, and then having to contact them to remind them to bring it. I've actually been thinking about switching payday to the Friday before, that way I can deposit checks on Saturday, instead of having to put them through the ATM on Monday night, and then the funds aren't available until Tue or Wed.

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Tuition is due on Friday by noon for the upcoming week. If they forget the check on Friday morning then they either have to bring a check over by noon or they have to pay in cash at pick up. We only do one run to the bank Friday after lunch. They pay in advance for the upcoming week.

I don't have late fees for payments in my policies. If they don't have the money to me on Friday by check by noon or by cash by pick up they will be terminated. I don't chase them for money. I don't like money conversations so I make it clear what we expect for them to attend the day care. I don't have any problems with late payments. Most of my clients do wire transfers on Wednesday or Thursday so it clears my bank by Friday at noon. I only have one that pays by check so I cash them when I am out and about so I don't have to make a special trip for it.

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In my case, I don't have the option of termination. I have SA's, so once you terminate, that's it for new families until the following school year. They pretty much have me over a barrel, and they know it.

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Nikia, what ended up happening with this situation?

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I did send the parents a message that if I did not receive payment by 6 that night late fees would be enforced. 2 of the 3 paid I am still waiting on the 3rd. One of the moms called and said that she just spaced me off and asked if I really needed it that night. I told her if she didn't bring it late charges would be added. I wanted to say well I will just space off watching your kid on monday that ok with you?? I know that it is my fault letting parents get away with being late pays but really its called being a decent human being you pay for the services that are provided for you. I'm still angry about this just in case you couldn't tell. Lol. I actually have a job interview today I really need to weigh my options and think about what is best for my family. If I decide to continue daycare I am going to change to being paid before care for the week I am also going to just term any family that pays late more than once. So my handbook will become even longer. Lol. Lots more happened as far as sickness and lying but that's another thread lol. Thanks for all the insight ladies sometimes I feel as though its just me that gets bad parents.

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Don't be too hard on yourself....we all have those parents now and then. I agree with you...it is all about just being a responsible adult and paying for services you receive. It is sad that as providers we have to chase our paychecks sometimes. I am human and I forget things too...but I know exactly where you are coming from. For the most part parents are pretty good. You just get a few bad ones here and there and even then it isn't black and white because sometimes those parents are great about everything else so no parent fits in the BAD catagory all the time. THAT is what makes it hard. This job requires a big heart and yet that is what gets taken advantage of. I try to use my best judgment in every case and sometimes I let some families get away with more than others but again every family is different so it is tough to know....Guess I should listen to Kenny Rogers more and know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run! LOL!! Good luck in deciding what you are going to do....

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The thing about the 3 families is not one of them have EVER paid on time (they have only been here a couple months) and they are the ones who covered up sickness this past week, so I think it was my last straw with them. I have 2 other wonderful families and 1 that is so-so. If one of the other families were to say oh I am so sorry I forgot to bring your check this morning but I will bring at pick-up I would say no problem and not be angry at all. I struggle with quitting daycare because I love these kids. When they run up and tell me they love me and hug me its the best, but having to chase my pay down and the parents who lie about their kids being sick just sucks so much out of me.

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I would be sending out a newsletter to say that late fees will start being enforced if payment is not recieved on their last day of care for the week starting 01/01/2011!!

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This is why I get paid Friday BY 5:30pm for the FOLLOWING week and if they dont pay their kid doesnt stay end of story. The 2 families I have now 1 has NEVER been late and she has been with me a year and half and the other family has been with me almost a year and was late 1 time but it was an emergency and I understood she did pay at 8am on Saturday plus late fee even thou it was an amergency and I did not ask for it. I had 1 parent pay late 3 times and she is gone because I dont put up with that and I charged her 25 late fee everytime but 3 strikes and your out.

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