Hello,
I am a new provider. I charged a holding fee to a family to hold three weeks of child care at about 75% pay during the holiday season. I agreed to let mom bring her two infants on two pre arranged days during the holding period so she wasn't paying for nothing and also a good opportunity to get to know the children before they started. She messaged me at the last minute asking to bring the infants the next day. I told her I was unavailable as I had made plans. She became upset stating she doesn't think its fair she's paying me and I'm not available.

I explained I understand her frustration but a holding fee is to hold a spot, and doesn't block me from being able to make plans. I reminded her I gave her a discount on the price, and allowed her to bring the infants on two days. I explained that a holding fee simply guarantees she has a spot for her children on her desired start date, that it's very late notice and inconvenient for me to have to change my plans last minute.

In the end I offered to change my schedule so I could accommodate her, but made it very clear in case she needed to pay a holding fee in the future that it doesn't obligate me to provide care during the holding period. She stated she understood and that it wasn't fair for her to expect me to change my schedule at the last minute, and that she would just wait until the planned on start date.

I think in the future I will make sure I explain explain explain to families that since I am not charging full price to hold the spot, I am not on call. I would be happy to negotiate SPECIFIC dates they can bring the children during the holding period, otherwise it's not a holding period anymore, it's just regular enrollment. If they want me on call during the holding period I will need to charge full price.

I'm posting this because I had seen other providers do what I did. They charge a discounted rate for holding, and allow the parents to choose a few days they can bring the children. That's exactly what I did, but I'm second guessing myself.

How do you all handle a holding fee situation when a parent just wants to drop in last minute?

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