Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>DCG Won't Be Here, and Payment Not Received
blandino 09:42 PM 08-18-2013
I have a DCF who pays for 4 weeks at a time, and payment was due this past Friday.

At the beginning of August we changed tuition due dates to Friday instead of Monday. So I have been sending out reminder emails on Friday afternoons to the families who haven't dropped off a check yet, so that they can do so at pickup. I sent a payment reminder to this DCF, and at closing time she came and went and NO CHECK IN THE BOX (Upon closing, I realized this). I thought okay, well she will see it over the weekend and bring it on Monday. Not ideal, but it was okay.

Then... I realized that DCM is on vacation until Wednesday and DCG is out Monday & Tuesday (staying with family while DCM is on vacation). I sent another e-mail reminder tonight, saying that anything received after today will incur a late fee.

I have a strong feeling I won't hear from them until later in the week. I used to chalk mom's forgetfulness up to being spacey, but last month when it was payment time, DCG was sick until Wednesday of that week.

So I am figuring that each month they are waiting on a paycheck to come in, and that person gets paid on Wed/Thu. I guess they don't mind paying the late fees, but I don't want to keep doing this. I have a "no pay no stay" policy, but the DCG won't be here on any of the days that payment is due. By the time she is back, I'm sure they will have the check with them.

I am not really sure how to handle this. Clearly late fees will be applied, but what do you do next ? Talk about altering payment arrangements ? Honestly, could see terming over this. This DCG is our absolute favorite, and aside from this the family is lovely and kind. But this is a big thing to us, and isn't acceptable.
Reply
Familycare71 11:13 PM 08-18-2013
How frustrating!!! IF a parent brought up the situation to me that they had a hard time paying on fri and would like to pay on an alternate day I would do it- BUT she hasn't-
I guess you are getting more $ for less work tho
Reply
Play Care 04:09 AM 08-19-2013
I would address it head on. "Susan, I noticed you were late with payment the last two months. Is there a reason?" Depending on her answers you can decide how to go with it. I know that sometimes in this business because we are "home" clients may wrongly assume that we don't really need the money. And I think that misconception needs to be addressed head on. Good Luck!
Reply
JoseyJo 04:35 AM 08-19-2013
I personally wouldn't be bothered by this- I would just charge the late fees and move on- as long as you haven't provided services without being paid and you have a deposit on file.

I allow parents to pay on Monday at d/o if they pay in cash. If their child is sick on monday when they call to tell me they usually ask if they should stop by anyway w/ the payment. One day doesn't make a big deal to me so I say no, it's fine to bring @ d/o with the child (and don't charge a late fee since I said it was fine). I haven't had any parents abuse this (so far at least!!)

BUT- if this really is a deal breaker to you I would tell her so. She may not really realize (even though you have told her) how big a deal this is to you. If you thoroughly explain to you that it is such a big deal that you are going to term over it unless it is resolved and she does it again then it becomes a respect issue instead of a payment issue and you should term.
Reply
Sunchimes 04:36 AM 08-19-2013
Personally, I would ask her directly what was going on. If the problem is that they get paid mid-week, then I would work out a new plan. I have a family that pays monthly. They get paid on the 25th. Each month, I print out a 2 month calendar from printfree.com. I use a Sharpie and count the days they owe me for that month. Some months it is 21, some 23, etc. I give it to her a few days before payday, and on the 25th, she has a check ready for me.

People don't generally have a choice on when they get paid. If this was a great kid and a good family, I would be more than willing to go this little bit extra to keep them. It takes me 5 minutes max and makes everyone's life a little easier.
Reply
blandino 05:14 AM 08-19-2013
Thanks ladies ! Yes, it is more of a issue to us because they haven't said a thing, have ignored two attempts to contact, and are purposefully keeping DCG home to avoid payment. I mean they aren't going to be able to keep doing this month after month, but right now it feels very disrespectful to ignore our reminders and to have someone attempting to "pull one over on us".
Reply
blandino 05:21 AM 08-19-2013
I don't want to seem like I am blowing it out f proportion. But it doesn't bother me that they are knowingly ignoring a policy.

We switched to Friday payday, so that everyone has ample opportunity to remember their checks (we will take them at any point over the weekend too), so that we don't have checks staggering in in different dates, and so payment is more cohesive and we dont have to do multiple trips to the bank. We have 14 DCF paying us, and since there are two providers who split the daycare income, we Really wanted things as organized as possible.

I guess in my mind, if they don't have the amount of money each month when it is due, then they could pay bi-weekly or figure out something that works around their pay schedule.

If it were any other family, I would definitely be terming. But they really are a good family.
Reply
MyAngels 05:40 AM 08-19-2013
I would definitely talk to them directly and ask them if they are having trouble paying the bill in a timely manner. If it's just a matter of carelessness then this will likely prevent future problems. No one likes to be thought of as living paycheck to paycheck if it's not actually true, right? If they actually are having money issues you might offer to accept an extra amount added to each payment until they've built up enough that they're paying in advance.
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 05:43 AM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by JoseyJo:
I personally wouldn't be bothered by this- I would just charge the late fees and move on- as long as you haven't provided services without being paid and you have a deposit on file.

I allow parents to pay on Monday at d/o if they pay in cash. If their child is sick on monday when they call to tell me they usually ask if they should stop by anyway w/ the payment. One day doesn't make a big deal to me so I say no, it's fine to bring @ d/o with the child (and don't charge a late fee since I said it was fine). I haven't had any parents abuse this (so far at least!!)

BUT- if this really is a deal breaker to you I would tell her so. She may not really realize (even though you have told her) how big a deal this is to you. If you thoroughly explain to you that it is such a big deal that you are going to term over it unless it is resolved and she does it again then it becomes a respect issue instead of a payment issue and you should term.
Same for me.
But, I agree about addressing it if it is a deal breaker or highly irritating to you!
Reply
blandino 05:57 AM 08-19-2013
I can honestly say I can never predict the response I will get from this forum. I thought I was going to get so many people upset with me for allowing this.

And I really thought everyone would be more upset about a family who habitually and purposefully pays late, and is avoiding bringing their daughter so that they don't have to pay.

Haha. I really thought I was going to get a stern talking to about allowing this.
Reply
littlemissmuffet 07:51 AM 08-19-2013
I'm pretty zero-tolerance on late payments... BUT it does seem like it's an issue about the parents being paid before they pay you... so I would bring it up and if that's the case, I'd provide an alternate payment date along with an inconvenience fee ($10/week?).
Reply
Blackcat31 08:01 AM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by littlemissmuffet:
I'm pretty zero-tolerance on late payments... BUT it does seem like it's an issue about the parents being paid before they pay you... so I would bring it up and if that's the case, I'd provide an alternate payment date along with an inconvenience fee ($10/week?).
That's how I would handle it as well.

I currently have a long term family that has been switched from paydays every Friday to now being paid on the 1st and 15th of each month.

Of course, the 1st and the 15th never fall on my required pay dates so what I did was have them pay their regular fee plus whatever additional days were between MY pay date and her next pay date so sometimes she is paying 2 weeks + 3 day and sometimes she is paying 2 weeks + 1 day..... however we can work it.

I "allow" this because the family is long standing and has never paid late and has excellent communication with me about this. (something your family is lacking though...)

I think it may be time to have a sit down conference with her about this so you can all come together and decide a payment plan that works for everyone and one that accounts for the fact that little DCG doesn't have to miss so much daycare just because of odd pay dates... kwim?
Reply
JenNJ 08:27 AM 08-19-2013
I have a family who gets paid on Tuesdays for one parent and the 15th & 30th for the other. They pay me on Wednesdays. I totally get why and understand it is out of their control. I just made another payment contract for them stating payday is Wednesday. I hole their checks until Friday when everyone else pays me and I do one deposit at the bank. Its not a problem for me.
Reply
TheGoodLife 09:10 AM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
That's how I would handle it as well.

I currently have a long term family that has been switched from paydays every Friday to now being paid on the 1st and 15th of each month.

Of course, the 1st and the 15th never fall on my required pay dates so what I did was have them pay their regular fee plus whatever additional days were between MY pay date and her next pay date so sometimes she is paying 2 weeks + 3 day and sometimes she is paying 2 weeks + 1 day..... however we can work it.

I "allow" this because the family is long standing and has never paid late and has excellent communication with me about this. (something your family is lacking though...)

I think it may be time to have a sit down conference with her about this so you can all come together and decide a payment plan that works for everyone and one that accounts for the fact that little DCG doesn't have to miss so much daycare just because of odd pay dates... kwim?
That seems like more of a headache than anything! When I had my girls in daycare, Id get paid once a month as a teacher. I'd put money aside in savings so I could have it ready when it was due. I'd never expect my DC to go around my paydays- that's just budgeting 101! How do these people manage any bills?!

Reply
Blackcat31 09:24 AM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by Mama2Bella:
That seems like more of a headache than anything! When I had my girls in daycare, Id get paid once a month as a teacher. I'd put money aside in savings so I could have it ready when it was due. I'd never expect my DC to go around my paydays- that's just budgeting 101! How do these people manage any bills?!
Oh, it IS a headache sometimes but I agreed to it a while back and they have a great track record with me about communication/respecting policies and even paid the late fee while the change in their pay dates was going on....I actually asked them what was up and mom told me the whole story.

I don't think she would ever have asked me to make alternate pay date arrangements because she too, felt it wasn't my issue.

I offered so I am ok with it.

I see where you are coming from though and because she had the same attitude as yours, it was something I had no issue doing.

It's when parents EXPECT you to make exceptions that have me going "NO!" right away.
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 10:16 AM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by Mama2Bella:
That seems like more of a headache than anything! When I had my girls in daycare, Id get paid once a month as a teacher. I'd put money aside in savings so I could have it ready when it was due. I'd never expect my DC to go around my paydays- that's just budgeting 101! How do these people manage any bills?!
I always wonder the same thing. My clients get invoiced on a Thursday and they have until Monday morning at 7:00 AM to pay their invoice. In my opinion, that is plenty of time. One family doesn't pay it until Saturday every other week because they get paid on Friday.
For the most part, everyone else pays on time (a couple of times per year SOMEONE will pay late ... and by late I mean Monday after the cut off time). If not, they get a late fee and their child cannot attend that day. I don't mind the additional money from the late fee and it has only happened once or twice for the families that have paid late. They don't want to pay the fee so it works.

If this was always being done and it bothered me, I would bring it up. I don't have much tolerance for people disrespecting me any longer so break a rule once, I'll mention it. Break a rule twice, I'll bring it up seriously with the parent handbook page printed off and highlighted for you to reference to. Break a rule three times, things will probably get pretty real here and I won't seem so nice.
Reply
blandino 10:42 AM 08-19-2013
I think I will do something similar to BC's plan.

But Honesty, like the budgeting points made, thu could just pay bi weekly. Pay for two weeks when they used to pay monthly, set other amount aside and then add the amount they were short to it from the next parent's paycheck. They used to pay biweekly, and then went to monthly - only they don't do monthly - they do 4 weeks at a time.

At this point, I am kind of irritated because they are just ignoring atyempts at communication. I sent a reminder e-mail on Friday, which goes to all parents, and then one over the weekend that says it needs to be submitted before Monday to avoid late fees. And at this point I haven't heard back from either parent, who have each been sent two emails. That's going to make for an awkward Wednesday morning.
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 10:44 AM 08-19-2013
Awkward for them since they've been ignoring you. Not awkward for you. You're just following the rules you said you would follow!
Reply
Blackcat31 11:05 AM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by blandino:
I think I will do something similar to BC's plan.

But Honesty, like the budgeting points made, thu could just pay bi weekly. Pay for two weeks when they used to pay monthly, set other amount aside and then add the amount they were short to it from the next parent's paycheck. They used to pay biweekly, and then went to monthly - only they don't do monthly - they do 4 weeks at a time.

At this point, I am kind of irritated because they are just ignoring atyempts at communication. I sent a reminder e-mail on Friday, which goes to all parents, and then one over the weekend that says it needs to be submitted before Monday to avoid late fees. And at this point I haven't heard back from either parent, who have each been sent two emails. That's going to make for an awkward Wednesday morning.
Ugh! That is where my patience and willingness to help out seem to waiver.

When people can't communicate about simple things....

Then they later wonder what went wrong...

Blandino~ I would seriously consider calling/texting/e-mailing with an ultimatum. Tell them you are willing to work WITh them if, and ONLY if they can communicate with you by end of today.

Otherwise, they can continue paying the late fee and having to find alternate care arrangements and/or possibly lose their space altogether.

*sigh* simple solutions to simple problems but someone always has to complicate things.....
Reply
Sunchimes 12:43 PM 08-19-2013
I forgot about the avoidance, that does make it a different story. Just a thought, but is she really shy and/or timid? I ask because I had this happen to me once. DCM did not communicate at all. Answered questions with one word, etc. After a couple of months, I realized that she was either really timid or really afraid of me (which is silly, I'm a marshmallow). I decided to go all motherly on her (I can get away with it because I'm older). It took a couple of days of me talking to her like she was part of the family, and she warmed up. After that, we had a great relationship until she quit work to be a SAHM. She called recently and wanted to come back but our hours didn't mesh.
Reply
blandino 06:26 PM 08-19-2013
Okay, ladies. I have done a lot of thinking about all the good advice I received.

I still haven't heard back from them, after 2 reminder emails. Clearly they are ignoring them, so that they can pretend like they didn't know/play innocent. I've decided not to get upset about it, and just charge them the late fees. They can't keep DCG out every pay week, so they will either be hit with late fees or they will be hit with a "no pay no stay". Either way, they won't be getting away with anything.

So at this point, I haven't heard back from them after two reminders. Should I just invoice them daily adding on late fees, saying that payment in full will be due before DCG is accepted into care. I know DCD will show up on Wednesday without it, and say that DCM will bring it when she picks up, so I want to give them fair warning that they most definitely owe the late fees and won't be able to leave her in care without payment. Does that sound like a good plan ?
Reply
blandino 07:14 PM 08-19-2013
Sent it. And will continue to do so at the end of each day, until they come back.

Hey **** family, we tried sending two reminder emails, both on Friday afternoon and Sunday evening to avoid late fees, but haven't gotten any response.

This is a reminder that daycare tuition for this week has not been received. As of Monday August 19, late fees in the amount of $15.00 have been incurred. Bringing your current balance due to $165.00.

Your past due balance, including all fees, will need to be paid before your child can be left in our care.

As a reminder, payments are due Friday for the upcoming week, and any payment received after that be subject to a $15.00 per weekday late fee.

Thank you,

x & x
Reply
daycare 07:35 PM 08-19-2013
My late fees are steep..
first time $50
second time $100.00
3rd time bye bye.....

I had a family that didn't mind paying late fee. They were terrific for 2 years and then got divorced. All of a sudden, they started to have payment issues. By that time, I had fallen in love with the whole family and could not help but let my emotions get in the way. It started out as stated above, but they didn't care about the extra money (both lawyers) so this is what I did, until they finally got the hint. The child is still here...

after paying late the 3rd time, I could not let them go, I was too attached to them and their kid..... so I raised their monthly rate. They also pay monthly.

Well guess I did not raise it enough. So they paid late again. I was charging $100.00 late fee for paying late and then increasing their weekly payment by $25.00, so about an additional $100.00 a month for a total of an extra $200......It got up to $600.00 before they finally decided that they were going to pay on time. They have not been late since and I have since then dropped the increase in the rate by $75.00. this was about a year ago all of this happened........

I would increase your late fee so that it detours people from paying late. To me that is the whole point of the late fee in the first place.......
Reply
blandino 07:39 PM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by daycare:
My late fees are steep..
first time $50
second time $100.00
3rd time bye bye.....

I had a family that didn't mind paying late fee. They were terrific for 2 years and then got divorced. All of a sudden, they started to have payment issues. By that time, I had fallen in love with the whole family and could not help but let my emotions get in the way. It started out as stated above, but they didn't care about the extra money (both lawyers) so this is what I did, until they finally got the hint. The child is still here...

after paying late the 3rd time, I could not let them go, I was too attached to them and their kid..... so I raised their monthly rate. They also pay monthly.

Well guess I did not raise it enough. So they paid late again. I was charging $100.00 late fee for paying late and then increasing their weekly payment by $25.00, so about an additional $100.00 a month for a total of an extra $200......It got up to $600.00 before they finally decided that they were going to pay on time. They have not been late since and I have since then dropped the increase in the rate by $75.00. this was about a year ago all of this happened........

I would increase your late fee so that it detours people from paying late. To me that is the whole point of the late fee in the first place.......
I think we are going to increase it for second time offenders. I don't want the first time to be too steep, because I understand that sometimes people forget. I have only charged late fees one other time, and I would have felt bad for that family if they had been any higher. But you are right, I think this family is willing to pay them, and that isn't the point. I don't want to deal with late payments, I don't want an extra $15.00.
Reply
Cradle2crayons 08:24 PM 08-19-2013
Originally Posted by blandino:
I think we are going to increase it for second time offenders. I don't want the first time to be too steep, because I understand that sometimes people forget. I have only charged late fees one other time, and I would have felt bad for that family if they had been any higher. But you are right, I think this family is willing to pay them, and that isn't the point. I don't want to deal with late payments, I don't want an extra $15.00.
I charge $15 a day on the first offense. $25 a day for each offense thereafter. I rarely ever have a late payment. Both of my moms totaling five kids are low income and can't afford late fees so they are very careful not to push it.
Reply
daycare 09:41 PM 08-19-2013
I used to let them slide once but then I thought why should I?

I try to use a credit history of on time payments and open communication to decide if I'm going to charge or not. If you don't have an established history with me that is positive then I'm going to charge you. Meaning mostly new families get hot once with a late fee and they never to it again. Honestly I've only charged a late fee 3 times in 11 years.....
Reply
Play Care 04:06 AM 08-20-2013
Originally Posted by daycare:
I used to let them slide once but then I thought why should I?

I try to use a credit history of on time payments and open communication to decide if I'm going to charge or not. If you don't have an established history with me that is positive then I'm going to charge you. Meaning mostly new families get hot once with a late fee and they never to it again. Honestly I've only charged a late fee 3 times in 11 years.....


If I've had a family for years and they've been golden then I give the benefit of the doubt - once usually that's the first and last time it happens. Families who are new who start that stuff are charged. I find that after years of on time payments, the first time is a genuine accident/oversight. A few weeks or months into the relationship and they are late? It usually means they are testing.
Reply
Blackcat31 06:56 AM 08-20-2013
Originally Posted by blandino:
Sent it. And will continue to do so at the end of each day, until they come back.

Hey **** family, we tried sending two reminder emails, both on Friday afternoon and Sunday evening to avoid late fees, but haven't gotten any response.

This is a reminder that daycare tuition for this week has not been received. As of Monday August 19, late fees in the amount of $15.00 have been incurred. Bringing your current balance due to $165.00.

Your past due balance, including all fees, will need to be paid before your child can be left in our care.

As a reminder, payments are due Friday for the upcoming week, and any payment received after that be subject to a $15.00 per weekday late fee.

Thank you,

x & x
I am anxious for Wednesday to come so I can find out if she shows up or not and whether they have payment.

I would address the non-communication with them directly face to face and let them know that if their plan is to always keep DCG out during pay weeks and pay the late fees, that's on them but the disrespect of not communicating is NOT acceptable.

I have been thinking about this too and I think you are handling the money part awesome....it's that lack of or refusal to reply or contact you that has me baffled.

I understand if a person is shy or quiet like Sunchimes said but come on....these are grown adults in charge of a child.....they really need to stop putting their heads in the sand and start having a conversation with the person they trust enough to care for their child....

I'd set a rule that if you text or contact them via e-mail or phone call, that they are required to atleast acknowledge that you contacted them after so many days so this type of situation doesn't continue to repeat itself....
Reply
Unregistered 07:06 AM 08-20-2013
I this point I perssonaly would just wait and see if they are even showing up on Wednesday or what their next move would be since they have not acknowledge your e malls etc.
Reply
blandino 08:41 AM 08-20-2013
I kid you not....

Text

DCM: Crap ! Was I due for tuition on Friday ?

Me: Yes, we tried emailing on Friday afternoon before you picked her up and over the weekend, both to you and DCD.

.....
Reply
MyAngels 08:56 AM 08-20-2013
Originally Posted by blandino:
I kid you not....

Text

DCM: Crap ! Was I due for tuition on Friday ?

Me: Yes, we tried emailing on Friday afternoon before you picked her up and over the weekend, both to you and DCD.

.....
If they claim "oversight" offer to have them set up auto payments through their bank. My credit union offers that service even if you're paying an individual and it's free.
Reply
Blackcat31 09:00 AM 08-20-2013
Originally Posted by MyAngels:
If they claim "oversight" offer to have them set up auto payments through their bank. My credit union offers that service even if you're paying an individual and it's free.
This^^^ or write down ALL the paydates on a calendar (I highlight paydays in green) and keep one copy, give the other to mom.

She can hang it on her fridge or keep it in her purse...which ever helps with "reminding" her the most.
Reply
Leigh 08:01 AM 08-21-2013
I talk about paydays and such at my interview. I tell them that I understand how difficult it can be to pay daycare fees-it's a lot of money when you pay it out, not a lot of money when you're the one receiving it! I ask what kind of payment schedule works best for the family, and we work something out (in writing) that works for both of us. I have seen more and more businesses in the area going to 2 week pay periods to save money. I am flexible with payment dates with families as long as they work out a schedule that works for both of us. My standard is weekly pay on Fridays for the upcoming week, but if we can find a plan that works for both of us, then we both win.
Reply
MyAngels 08:32 AM 08-21-2013
Did they show? Did they pay? Inquiring minds want to know
Reply
misslori50 01:47 PM 08-21-2013
Originally Posted by Sunchimes:
Personally, I would ask her directly what was going on. If the problem is that they get paid mid-week, then I would work out a new plan. I have a family that pays monthly. They get paid on the 25th. Each month, I print out a 2 month calendar from printfree.com. I use a Sharpie and count the days they owe me for that month. Some months it is 21, some 23, etc. I give it to her a few days before payday, and on the 25th, she has a check ready for me.

People don't generally have a choice on when they get paid. If this was a great kid and a good family, I would be more than willing to go this little bit extra to keep them. It takes me 5 minutes max and makes everyone's life a little easier.
agree talk to them
Reply
Tags:non-payment
Reply Up