Hi all, I was hoping I could get some advice on how to word a notice for parents, without stepping on any toes.

Here's the background story. While I've been in group care for 15 years, I've only just started the process of being a home care provider. I'm an ECE and I've had to quit working because the group care situation became a huge issue for my family. The longer hours required was just no longer do-able with my husbands work making him near absent, and my daycare being inflexible about less hours. So I spent last year at home with my son (who was in half day Early Entry Kindergarten) while my daughter was in grade 1. As someone who's always worked in group care, I found this pretty boring, and since child care is very expensive here, and difficult to find, I waited and waited until I saw a parent posting about care needed that fit our situation perfectly.

The boy is one year younger than my son, and will be going to school in the afternoons for the exact same hours. What appealed to me was that this child's mother works out at plant site so that includes long hours, but many Fridays off which they said they'd keep him home for. Dad works for the school board. This means teachers holidays will be off, and most importantly the child will only come until 12:45 most days, when I will be dropping him off at his class and my son off at his Kindergarten class.

The problem is we agreed on a very reasonable rate of 60$ per day. Here that is a GOOD price, especially since just transportation costs would be 100$ a week on top of daycare were he to go somewhere else, which is why his parents pulled him from his last centre. I agreed to a no attend, no pay policy, since I don't WANT long hours. Almost nobody in town would do that, but I want the days off. My son is tapped out on social interaction by 3, 4 at the latest, I would never decide to stay open past 4. I wanted part days. Mom and dad made it clear that dad would be picking the child up from school every day. So they told me that schedule which worked out to be 7-12:45 Mon-Thurs, and 7 until dads regular time off on Friday. Since dad was planning on picking child up at school at 3:15 that works out to roughly 8 hours. When they came to meet me they asked what I would charge for that. I flat rated it to 60$ a day, knowing I would get a top up in the next month or two, after I've completed the steps to being a registered, accredited day home. My rates are reasonable for here. A huge savings for them. unfortunately I didn't explain my reason for my rates (my bad) in the interview.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday this week were agreed to be the childs first half days to get used to us, but dad got surprised with some training courses, and I agreed to full days, again expecting them to be 7-8 hours long as we'd discussed in our interview at the beginning of summer. So I sent them an email about what I'd need for the week, mom said she'd phone tonight to discuss pick up and drop off. Cool. But at the end of the conversation, I confirmed to mom, "Child will be coming 7:00 until 3?" She says "No drop off will be 7:30 because he's in a training course." I replied "Oh so 3:30 or more like 4 for pick up?" She says "No depending on traffic it'll be 4:30 or hopefully 5:00." Oh and some how 7:00- 3:00 on Friday got added in, because he's so excited to be coming so we might just leave him instead of picking him up at 12:00! Where it was previously half days all this week. And I remember a previous text where mom is excited that her child will be getting out of school later, which means its at the exact same time as my son, which will "Help when husband needs you to pick him up from school too." My picking him up was never discussed. They said Dad would be picking him up and I said in an emergency I'll be there. EMERGENCY, I said. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. I'm now expecting parents to start dictating longer hours, and worried they'll start throwing in days that I was told he'd be staying home. I need to curb this before it starts.


I thought I was really clear in the interview that I was responding because their schedule was a light one. I want to have time off too. But here we are with the first two days of care adding up to 19 hours! for 60$ a day, not cool. Especially since there will be a total of 2 hours between he is picked up and when I put my son to bed, AND my husband is gone for a week. I'm totally to blame for being blind sided, but I really didn't expect them to be changing the game this early on. So I need to address it fast.

So I will put out a policy now, that I'll attribute to the accreditation process. I just don't know how to phrase it in a way that keeps it firm but polite. I need to make it clear that while I'm willing to throw them a freebie for my lapse in making my hours totally clear. I'll need to explain that It's 60$ per day, based on a 6 hour day and transportation to school, or an 8 hour day without school. That above that will be 10$ per hour as well as if I have to pick him up and bring him home, these are all extras that I don't want to be taken for granted. Also that school stats will be holiday for my family too, so they don't start surprising me with days they need to "run errands." It's not that I won't agree to some, I need them to ASK me if I'm free to do longer hours or stats not tell me that I'm doing them.

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Mistakes happen! Luckily you discovered yours early on! Definitely take charge of the situation and let the parents know there was a misunderstanding. Outline how you expect things to be as far as pay and hours, etc. Be clear that any additional will be for extra money and needs to be approved in advance.

As you know from reading on here parents will quickly take advantage of a situation. "Half days" quickly become full days, "Part week" quickly becomes full week. Make sure you are getting paid for their extras

Be sure to have them sign a contract with the hours you expect stated directly on the contract so there is no further confusion.

Good luck with your new daycare!

Reply

Dear DCP,

After reviewing your recent request for schedule changes, I believe that we have a misunderstanding and need to talk with you to clear things up.

When you have a chance, please be sure to call me as soon as possible.

Thanks so much

DCP

I would talk with them about this in person or on the phone. I would not try to email back and forth. It just sounds really confusing.

ONce you talk with them, come to an agreement, you need to write out a contract and have her sign it.

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