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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Am I Just Too Picky?
ZB4 06:25 PM 10-20-2018
I currently have 4 openings and really need to fill the spots . I had one that went to kindergarten, one that didn't want to pay and two sibs removed from their home by dcf. All within a short period of time. Of course it never rains but it pours. I really do need the income. The one call I have received was from a parent who needs one full day and a couple of hours another day. The hours were longer than I currently offer. I feel terrible for turning her down...I need the income but I really want to fill the spots with full timers. I really hope I'm not making a mistake. Sorry I'm just throwing myself pity party!! 😣 Do all of you take part time kiddos? Would you have just taken what you could get?
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Blackcat31 07:49 AM 10-21-2018
Originally Posted by ZB4:
I currently have 4 openings and really need to fill the spots . I had one that went to kindergarten, one that didn't want to pay and two sibs removed from their home by dcf. All within a short period of time. Of course it never rains but it pours. I really do need the income. The one call I have received was from a parent who needs one full day and a couple of hours another day. The hours were longer than I currently offer. I feel terrible for turning her down...I need the income but I really want to fill the spots with full timers. I really hope I'm not making a mistake. Sorry I'm just throwing myself pity party!! 😣 Do all of you take part time kiddos? Would you have just taken what you could get?
I understand needing income but I also understand the importance of good clients.

My advice would be take the temp income when you can but make sure the client understands that it’s only until you fill the space with a full timer or client that is more income steady for you.

This is business and for me full time always trumps part time if it nets more income/money.
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DaveA 07:50 AM 10-21-2018
To me it's a trade off- It takes me longer to fill openings because I'm picky. But because I'm picky I don't have to fill openings as often. This job is crazy enough without dealing with every nutjob out there.

ETA- I don't do part time, but if I did I would make sure they knew it was just till I found a FT enrollment for the spot. If you really like the family I would offer the FT spot before filling it, but otherwise PT would be temporary care to me.
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Ariana 03:40 PM 10-21-2018
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I understand needing income but I also understand the importance of good clients.

My advice would be take the temp income when you can but make sure the client understands that it’s only until you fill the space with a full timer or client that is more income steady for you.

This is business and for me full time always trumps part time if it nets more income/money.
Totally agree! Fill it with whoever you can in the moment and look to replace. You may even find more part timers to offset this kid. Do what works for today, don’t plan too much for tomorrow!
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amberrose3dg 03:26 AM 10-22-2018
Originally Posted by ZB4:
I currently have 4 openings and really need to fill the spots . I had one that went to kindergarten, one that didn't want to pay and two sibs removed from their home by dcf. All within a short period of time. Of course it never rains but it pours. I really do need the income. The one call I have received was from a parent who needs one full day and a couple of hours another day. The hours were longer than I currently offer. I feel terrible for turning her down...I need the income but I really want to fill the spots with full timers. I really hope I'm not making a mistake. Sorry I'm just throwing myself pity party!! 😣 Do all of you take part time kiddos? Would you have just taken what you could get?
Nope do not settle for just anyone for income. Trust me you will regret it later. Hang in there!
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Gemma 06:38 AM 10-22-2018
Originally Posted by ZB4:
Do all of you take part time kiddos? Would you have just taken what you could get?
Every time I went against my instincts just to fill a spot I ended up regretting it!
I learned to be picky and just wait for a better fit family, because it is the only way I can do this job without burning myself out!
I don't enroll for less than 4 days, I absolutely do not enroll outside of my hours of operation or age group, it doesn't end well!
Good luck!
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Gemma 06:40 AM 10-22-2018
Originally Posted by DaveA:
To me it's a trade off- It takes me longer to fill openings because I'm picky. But because I'm picky I don't have to fill openings as often. This job is crazy enough without dealing with every nutjob out there.
well said!
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e.j. 12:04 PM 10-22-2018
Originally Posted by ZB4:
Do all of you take part time kiddos? Would you have just taken what you could get?
I take part timers and it's worked out really well for me. I've been very lucky when it comes to scheduling families. I'll get a family looking for Mondays and Wednesdays and the next call I get, it's someone looking for Tuesdays/Thursdays. I'll have a family enroll a 4 year old in 1/2 day preschool and within a week or two, I'll get a call from someone looking for the other 1/2 of the day. My husband often shakes his head and says, "I can't believe you've been able to stay full all these years taking mostly part time kids." In theory, I like full time better than part time but I have to say, taking part timers has worked out very well for me.

As far as taking what I could get....I've done it when I felt I needed to in order to pay the bills. Sometimes it's worked out much better than expected and other times it hasn't worked out as well. You're the only one who knows what you can afford to do when it comes to taking on or refusing a family. I'm pretty firm about not working past a certain hour of the day, though. If a family wants hours that are much longer than what I generally offer, I turn them down because I know there is going to come a time when they will start to show up later and later for pick up. There's always a "good excuse". It never fails. If it's a matter of say an extra 15 or 30 minutes, I might try it if I really need the money. If it doesn't work out, I can always let them know that and look for someone else. I should also say that when my kids were young, I didn't take anyone past my regular hours. It was too important for us to have family time. Now that my kids are adults, I have a little more flexibility. Don't feel guilty for not taking on a family you don't think will work out, though. That's your prerogative and one of the pluses of owning your own business.
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Josiegirl 02:30 AM 10-23-2018
I tell potential dcfs that I only have so many spots to fill and to make it financially feasible I have to charge FT rates. Basically, I have to do what works for me now. Used to be years ago, I'd be flexible, take PT, whatever I could to appease parents and keep clients. I had a very demanding group of parents. Now I have wonderful dcfs who I feel closer to, who appreciate what I do, respect my needs as well as finding what works for them.

I guess it all depends on how badly you need that PT income at the moment. Can you hold off while you actively seek other dcfs? Can you cut back somewhere else to adjust for the temporary loss of income? Is there a high demand for infants; do you have room for an infant? That's my fallback thought right now, if I lost any dcks I could switch to taking just 3 infant-2 yos and make almost as much. Very high demand in our area.
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ZB4 06:34 AM 10-23-2018
Originally Posted by DaveA:
To me it's a trade off- It takes me longer to fill openings because I'm picky. But because I'm picky I don't have to fill openings as often. This job is crazy enough without dealing with every nutjob out there
This is how I feel. I'm so picky! Is it too much to ask to just want NORMAL! After doing this for so many years I swear I can detect crazy a mile away.
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ZB4 06:39 AM 10-23-2018
Originally Posted by Gemma:
I don't enroll for less than 4 days, I absolutely do not enroll outside of my hours of operation or age group, it doesn't end well!
Good luck!
I was thinking the same thing. If I enrolled outside of my hours it may start getting on my nerves if I gave in. It would be my own fault. I don't want to set myself up to regret it later.
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ZB4 06:47 AM 10-23-2018
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
I tell potential dcfs that I only have so many spots to fill and to make it financially feasible I have to charge FT rates. Basically, I have to do what works for me now. Used to be years ago, I'd be flexible, take PT, whatever I could to appease parents and keep clients. I had a very demanding group of parents. Now I have wonderful dcfs who I feel closer to, who appreciate what I do, respect my needs as well as finding what works for them.

I guess it all depends on how badly you need that PT income at the moment. Can you hold off while you actively seek other dcfs? Can you cut back somewhere else to adjust for the temporary loss of income? Is there a high demand for infants; do you have room for an infant? That's my fallback thought right now, if I lost any dcks I could switch to taking just 3 infant-2 yos and make almost as much. Very high demand in our area.

I'm trying to hold out, but heating bills are climbing and the holidays are right around the corner😥! In 30 years I've never had such a dry spell. I can take 3 under 2 w/ one walking and I do love having infants but haven't gotten any calls yet, but that's a good idea. It definitely would be the best income wise.
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LittleExplorers 06:49 AM 10-23-2018
I am picky but when you have bills to pay, I have done a trial period. I did this once and they turned out to be my best family. I also take part-time and charge a bit more for the daily spots. I tend to have luck with M/W & T/Th which makes for an easy Friday with basically the same pay as one full timer. One thing I do not do is work outside my ideal hours. I started daycare for more family time. 15 minutes later seems a lot longer when they are the only kiddo left. Also, if they are asking for 15 min later of a pick up, I can only image what that turns into during the snow or harvest season when all the tractors are on the road. Good luck!
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ZB4 07:06 AM 10-23-2018
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I understand needing income but I also understand the importance of good clients.

My advice would be take the temp income when you can but make sure the client understands that it’s only until you fill the space with a full timer or client that is more income steady for you.

This is business and for me full time always trumps part time if it nets more income/money.
I've been sitting here thinking about this. It never occurred to me to offer to help the parent out (and earn some $$!) until they found something permanent. I'd feel bad if I filled the spots before they found someone though . But I guess some help would be better than none!
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Josiegirl 09:30 AM 10-23-2018
Something else you could think about temporarily, is take dcks on Saturdays. I did it for maybe 2 months. It was a rough family and that's why it ended so abruptly but if you had a good family, it might work out, at least to gain a bit more $$ to pay bills? My dcf consisted of 3 dcbs, ages, 5, 7, and 9. The middle child was a great kid. Other 2 were more than challenging plus it was like pulling teeth to get proper paperwork, etc., from dcm. But to get me through some leaner times money-wise, it brought in about 125 extra week; they were state paid. But also, it was just me here so no family time to disrupt.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!! And don't settle, unless you have to. Some can be difficult situations to get out of.
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