I've gotten a bit of interest lately & have an interview tomorrow for what could be my 2nd family. I've also answered an email from a lady wanting to use me as backup care when her nanny was on vacation or if her backup was sick, etc. All well & good. She wanted to meet me, etc.. as I would expect & would do myself. However I just got a phone call from a woman wanting to know if I do drop in care. I said yes, but on a recurring basis, not just a one-off. I asked when she would need me. She says this Friday. I kind of sputtered out that I didn't think that would give me time to prepare & get to know each other. I'm kind of regretting it. We could use the $. I didn't even discuss rates or the age of the child. For all I know, her child is older than I watch. Should I call her back & find out more or did I dodge a bullet? Is 2-3 days a reasonable amount of time to know if you want to leave your kid with someone? I'd think she'd call in advance if she was really looking for occasional care, rather than being in a pinch & desperate. I was a bit taken off guard when she called though, b/c my ad says Please, no calls. (They can text & email.) What would you do?

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I think it all depends on you and the vibe you get.

I accept.drop ins and just did a last minute drop-in yesterday for a 3 yo little girl. Mom was out of town for the day for an appointment and dad is a DR and got called in for an emergency (he wasn't on call but was called anyway) and I emailed him necessary forms. He filled everything out and brought me the immunization card and medical insurance card that I needed for licensing forms. We talked for 10 minutes and he left.

I don't usually do something like this but he was back afterwards and his wife met him here. Apparently they both got off almost at the same time, we were able to then talk more. Turns out they are moving from a neighboring city into my part of my city and mom is looking for work. They will need daycare and since their daughter had a lot of fun and didn't want to leave they felt really good about it. They will bring her when mom has interviews and if I have room for her once mom starts work they want to bring her here FT.

I had a good experience from this so why not give it a chance and see how it goes.

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Proceed with extreme caution! When I was just starting out I had a lady say she was interested in enrolling her child but wanted to "try it out" for a couple of hours to see how things went. Long story short, after the one afternoon I never heard from her again. I was totally used.

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I've had parents not meet me at all, just talk to me on the phone and start their kids right away full time! Glad they have complete trust in the system, but that seemed odd to me!

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I hope you got paid first!

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When I have had the space, I have taken drop ins before.

Sometimes, a mom just wants to get her hair done or go on a lunch date.
Most drop in's I have had though don't have issues with leaving their child with someone they don't know as they usually get my name/number from someone they DO know who either attends my care already or has in the past.

I guess the way I look at it is, if you need the money and they pay up front, then why not? It's a great way to get experience and to get your name out there.

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as long as they get all the forms done, including the dr form AND pay at drop off ( cash) then I am fine with 3 days. I can't get to know the child before they start anyway.

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My drop-in client that I got on Monday called me last night. They have appointments to see homes today with their Realtor and their daughter has been asking when she can come back here to play . They asked if I had room today, which I did ... drop-in of course. I invoiced them and they paid through ChildCarePay last night . They decided it would be better for their daughter to come here instead of being bored while they looked for a house. For me even if they don't end up enrolling regularly (FT or PT) I'm fine making a little bit of extra money vs not. In my case it worked out this time. Doesn't work out well all of the time but you never know unless you try right!

In any case I'd never accept a child without all forms and a contract filled out AND being paid in advance by drop-off the latest.

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like a previous poster, some of my parents had never met me before dropping their kids.. one lady found me on craigslist and needed care for the whole WEEKEND.. i was trying to raise money for my oldest to go to italy so although i was skeptical i took them.. she paid and had all her documents and LATER called me when she wanted to take her son out of the center.. she has been one of my best parents, always keeping her son when he is sick and notifying me of any late pickups or changes..

i have another drop in and she uses me as well as any other provider on hand whenever she has appts, last minute events, date nights..she is new in town and doesnt have any family so she has to pay for lil things like that sadly.. first time she called and dropped her son off few hrs later.. she is also a lovely parent..

dont be afraid..just always get paid up front as someone else said

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SWEET!!!!

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OP....go for it, call her back! Tell her after have time to further consider her request that you'd be happy to give it a shot. Have her come by a.s.a.p. to meet you, fill out paperwork and PAY for friday's care. You never know, it could become something permanent, and if not, she may just refer other people to you!

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thanks all! if it comes up again, i'll go for it. i have the day off tho.

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