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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Daycare Hours vs Clients
sophiamartinez 06:11 AM 03-30-2018
Good morning,

So I have an interested family with two kids. However my proposed hours don't work for her work schedule. I was thinking 7:30am to 5:30pm. But she needs till 6pm in order to get there on time. I want to stick to my guns (not set a bad precedence) but given she would be my first client I'm somewhat leaning towards indulging her. What do you all think? Thanks
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Cat Herder 06:21 AM 03-30-2018
To you it will feel like an exception, extra, special. To her it will simply be expected, her moneys worth. Resentment will grow. The relationship will sour.

Stick to your desired hours and avoid the grief.

If you decide to offer special, charge special rates for it to avoid the resentment.
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rosieteddy 06:25 AM 03-30-2018
I would pass on this family.You will hopefully have others sign up for the time you want.That being said you could take them and charge more for 5-6 pm.Its amazing how fast clients can find a solution to save money.I did open early and closed later for a fee.It was a fair amount to make my day longer.A child signed up for 7:30 -6 pm is in care a long time. When I did the extended hours my own children had grown up.It was still a long day though.I would definitely charge at least 10.00 dollars more daily for the added time.
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MomBoss 06:54 AM 03-30-2018
I did the same thing when i first started just to get clients. You will start to resent them and regret doing it. I eventually had to change my hours and let them go (after a year) becausw the burn out was real.
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Ac114 07:09 AM 03-30-2018
I agree with the other posters above. You will grow resentful towards them. I did this for one of my first clients just to get started and now I’m feeling burnt out. Their parents are usually off in time to pick up when I close but they always run errands etc and get here within 5 minutes of 6pm. It drives me batty. I’m currently looking for a replacement due to the resentment I feel.
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storybookending 07:15 AM 03-30-2018
I did the same with one of my first families and it did NOT work out. The child was a friggin nightmare and spending 11.5 hours a day with her was draining as hell! I ended up changing my hours hoping that it would scare them off and they magically could make it work and I ended up having to term a few week later for other reasons.
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MOM OF 4 07:46 AM 03-30-2018
Originally Posted by sophiamartinez:
Good morning,

So I have an interested family with two kids. However my proposed hours don't work for her work schedule. I was thinking 7:30am to 5:30pm. But she needs till 6pm in order to get there on time. I want to stick to my guns (not set a bad precedence) but given she would be my first client I'm somewhat leaning towards indulging her. What do you all think? Thanks
Well, I would charge for that. That is a 10 hour day for you. I work 4 x 10 in a row at my regular job and it's not nearly as demanding as child care and it's VERY DIFFICULT. There are some days I just don't want to bother even going, especially the 3rd day lol (except the part I need $$$). If you feel like you really need to work with the client, then work with her, but definitely explain that extending the hours 1/2 hour past closing time will cost an extra whatever...
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boy_mom 07:47 AM 03-30-2018
I think a lot of us make concessions when we first start out. Also, parents try to take advantage because they know you are a newbie. But seriously, you will burn out if you over extend yourself!

If you do adjust your hours to suit her request, I would charge a good amount extra for the hours needs outside of hours of operation. She will either be glad to pay, as you are helping her out or she will make a regular pick up time work. Or she may bounce, which means she didn't really value you in the first place!!
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sophiamartinez 05:16 AM 04-03-2018
Thank you for your honest responses. Well I definitely don't want resentment - I think I already have enough of that to go around lol. In the interest of starting off on the right foot I'm going to pass and stick to my guns. Hard because money is tight but looking forward I'm in it for the long hall hopefully and I don't want to burn out prematurely.
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gumdrops 05:43 AM 04-03-2018
Right now I open 15 min earlier than I wanted to. It's only 15 min, right? I HATE it! Now I have another family who has asked to drop off earlier, just that 15 min, so I might as well let them since I'm working anyway. My fear is when the first family ages out and I want to take back my 15 min, the second family will be upset. Stick to the schedule you want!
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Blackcat31 05:51 AM 04-03-2018
Originally Posted by sophiamartinez:
Good morning,

So I have an interested family with two kids. However my proposed hours don't work for her work schedule. I was thinking 7:30am to 5:30pm. But she needs till 6pm in order to get there on time. I want to stick to my guns (not set a bad precedence) but given she would be my first client I'm somewhat leaning towards indulging her. What do you all think? Thanks
You work 7:30-5:30
Those hours don't work for that family.

That is the family's issue to figure out.
If they like your program enough to enroll their child, they'll figure out how to make your hours work.


One of the #1 mistakes I feel newer providers make is adjusting their program for clients verses clients adjusting to the program. WHO'S business is it?
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daycarediva 09:27 AM 04-03-2018
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
You work 7:30-5:30
Those hours don't work for that family.

That is the family's issue to figure out.
If they like your program enough to enroll their child, they'll figure out how to make your hours work.


One of the #1 mistakes I feel newer providers make is adjusting their program for clients verses clients adjusting to the program. WHO'S business is it?

YES! and their 'neeeeeed' is not always work or work commute either, it's just what they WANT.

7:30-6 is a 10.5 hour day. 5 days a week? I doubt she's working 50 hours at a traditional job.
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Tags:contracted hours vs open hours, exceptions to rules, hours of operation
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