Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Parents want discounted rate...WWYD
MamaB'sKidz 06:35 AM 05-14-2015
Ok I have 2 sets of parents wanting special rates for their children.

1st set of parents do not want to bring their son to daycare for the summer and they don't want to pay for his spot when he's not in care. The Grandmother has off in the summer so DCB will go there so the parents can save money. I tried to find a SA to fill that spot just for the summer but have had no luck. So I feel that they should pay the full rate for their sons spot through the summer. Is that reasonable?

2nd set of parents. In September their son will start in a local preschool program. This Preschool program is Tues. Wed. Thurs. & Fri. for 2 1/2 hours each of those days. So DCB will be in my care all day Monday and for 6 hours each day for the rest of the week.

I charge a rate for each full time spot, not by hours in care. I want to be fair and would love to help each family but I can't hurt my family financially in the process. I am a level 1 licensed home daycare and my state only allows me 5 children preschool age and under. One of those spots is filled by my son so I have 4 paying spots. So anyway, I just wanted to talk it out and get some feed back with other providers. :-)
Reply
Blackcat31 06:59 AM 05-14-2015
Originally Posted by MamaB'sKidz:
Ok I have 2 sets of parents wanting special rates for their children.

1st set of parents do not want to bring their son to daycare for the summer and they don't want to pay for his spot when he's not in care. The Grandmother has off in the summer so DCB will go there so the parents can save money. I tried to find a SA to fill that spot just for the summer but have had no luck. So I feel that they should pay the full rate for their sons spot through the summer. Is that reasonable?

2nd set of parents. In September their son will start in a local preschool program. This Preschool program is Tues. Wed. Thurs. & Fri. for 2 1/2 hours each of those days. So DCB will be in my care all day Monday and for 6 hours each day for the rest of the week.

I charge a rate for each full time spot, not by hours in care. I want to be fair and would love to help each family but I can't hurt my family financially in the process. I am a level 1 licensed home daycare and my state only allows me 5 children preschool age and under. One of those spots is filled by my son so I have 4 paying spots. So anyway, I just wanted to talk it out and get some feed back with other providers. :-)
These families want to save money by short changing you.

How is that fair?

I would tell BOTH families that rates are based on enrollment NOT on attendance (just like rent) the rate is for the space to be there not for how much of it they use.

As for the family with the child needing space in the Fall but wanting grandma to watch him, tell them they can withdraw from care but that you will NOT hold spaces and will actively try to fill the vacancy should they leave over the summer.

I refuse to take a financial loss to save someone else money.
Funny (and honestly kind of rude) that parents seem to think we should.
Reply
MamaB'sKidz 07:13 AM 05-14-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
These families want to save money by short changing you.

How is that fair?

I would tell BOTH families that rates are based on enrollment NOT on attendance (just like rent) the rate is for the space to be there not for how much of it they use.

As for the family with the child needing space in the Fall but wanting grandma to watch him, tell them they can withdraw from care but that you will NOT hold spaces and will actively try to fill the vacancy should they leave over the summer.

I refuse to take a financial loss to save someone else money.
Funny (and honestly kind of rude) that parents seem to think we should.
Yes!! Big sigh of relief!!! I feel the same way. Parents should pay full rate for the spot or forfeit that spot. I was reading through other posts related to cheaper rates in the summer for teachers children and was second guessing a little. And I felt it was rude also, especially for the 1st set of parents because the mom tells me quite often she can't wait till her son starts school so she won't have to pay for daycare. Thank you! And thanks for the wording on how to tell the parents.
Reply
mommyneedsadayoff 07:14 AM 05-14-2015
PLEASE don't give them a discount! Just like Blackcat said, how is it fair for you them to ask you to take a pay cut to save them money? You are not being unreasonable whatsoever, so I would let them know they can take their chances this summer and for the other family, they can pay what they normally pay. That is the only way to stay fair to yourself and they can take it or leave it
Reply
finsup 07:21 AM 05-14-2015
I wouldn't discount either of them. I swear parents think we do this for fun and not to make money. Then try and make us feel bad/guilty for making them pay. Sorry dcp this is a business not a charity.
Reply
nannyde 07:27 AM 05-14-2015
Tell them to give notice for the summer and you can't guarantee a spot for the fall. They can't have a slot if they don't pay to hold it. Pay to hold it is full tuition.

The second family: Dealing with preschool is an arse pain. Tell them it is harder for you to have the kid gone to preschool than just having him at your house. You won't charge more to manage preschool but you definitely won't charge less.
Reply
Unregistered 07:49 AM 05-14-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
These families want to save money by short changing you.

How is that fair?

I would tell BOTH families that rates are based on enrollment NOT on attendance (just like rent) the rate is for the space to be there not for how much of it they use.

As for the family with the child needing space in the Fall but wanting grandma to watch him, tell them they can withdraw from care but that you will NOT hold spaces and will actively try to fill the vacancy should they leave over the summer.

I refuse to take a financial loss to save someone else money.
Funny (and honestly kind of rude) that parents seem to think we should.
Totally agree with this! Don't let then guilt you into doing what is best for them because they are only thinking about themselves.
Reply
Leigh 08:09 AM 05-14-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
These families want to save money by short changing you.

How is that fair?

I would tell BOTH families that rates are based on enrollment NOT on attendance (just like rent) the rate is for the space to be there not for how much of it they use.

As for the family with the child needing space in the Fall but wanting grandma to watch him, tell them they can withdraw from care but that you will NOT hold spaces and will actively try to fill the vacancy should they leave over the summer.

I refuse to take a financial loss to save someone else money.
Funny (and honestly kind of rude) that parents seem to think we should.
There's no other response if you want to stay in business. You simply must say no. Let them know that if they want to use the spot (whether their child attends or not, they are taking up the spot), they need to pay for it.

I don't know about everywhere else, but no one I know will discount for a child attending preschool. That request, I think, is one they don't expect a yes to, but are just running it past you hoping you'll say yes.
Reply
VTMom 08:18 AM 05-14-2015
I agree with all of the above.

As far as the preschool deal...he's still in your care 6 hours a day. When I offered part-day care (I no longer do), part day was under 4 hours. 4 hours and more is considered full day.
Reply
KIDZRMYBIZ 08:46 AM 05-14-2015
I agree with the other posters, too.

The preschool kid would still be ft in my book (and preschool coming and goings is a MAJOR pain). I would word it just like NannyDe said to that family about not charging more even though it is more work and a disruption, but certainly not charging less!

I don't watch SA kids anymore, so now I prorate 12 weeks of pay into the rest of the year's weekly payments, and allow my teacher family 10 weeks in summer, one week in spring, and one week in winter unpaid. It works great. It's a little late for that now for you with your situation. If I were in your shoes, I would let DCM now that from a business standpoint you cannot hold the spot unpaid. She can take her chances, but that you will try to fill the spot ASAP to meet your own financial obligations to your own family. And what if things go well with Grandma, and they don't even come back after summer? Think how unhappy you would be if you had held it open and that happened.

It isn't personal, it's business. Every $ I save a DCF to be nice is a $ I take away from my own family. Repeat.
Reply
AmyKidsCo 09:30 AM 05-14-2015
Agreed. Definitely don't give in to the preschool family - you can't fill the empty space, and what about days when there's no school?

The summer one is up to you. If it's a really good family and child you don't want to lose you could offer PT care, especially if you don't think you'll fill the spot. But if you can easily fill the spot and/or it's a difficult family or child I'd tell them to pay FT or leave and hope there's a spot to come back to in the fall.
Reply
MamaB'sKidz 09:39 AM 05-14-2015
Thank you to all the posters! Great advice and glad I'm thinking the same way as most of you.
As for the first family, I've pretty much prepared myself that I'm losing them once I let them know they have to pay full rate through the summer. Our local school district offers child care just through the school year. It's just a matter of if there's an available spot for them. And that's fine if that's what they choose. I have a couple families on my waiting list so hopefully they still need care.
The second family, except for the fact they asked for a special rate they are a great family and hopefully they will stay and pay full rate. I do think they will. they have told me on many occasions they are happy here. Their son receives speech therapy which this preschool programs offers. I am concerned about the transition from preschool back to daycare but I'm praying I can find a way to make it work. We will see.
Reply
KidGrind 12:08 PM 05-14-2015
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Tell them to give notice for the summer and you can't guarantee a spot for the fall. They can't have a slot if they don't pay to hold it. Pay to hold it is full tuition.

The second family: Dealing with preschool is an arse pain. Tell them it is harder for you to have the kid gone to preschool than just having him at your house. You won't charge more to manage preschool but you definitely won't charge less.
Listen to Tori! I am dealing with this now. The bus is a major pain in my !@#! Also getting the child to switch gears is a chore too. And why should I lose income because DCD wants to send her to preschool. I can’t put another child in her slot.

No discounts gets my vote!
Reply
Laurel 03:15 PM 05-14-2015
Originally Posted by MamaB'sKidz:
Ok I have 2 sets of parents wanting special rates for their children.

1st set of parents do not want to bring their son to daycare for the summer and they don't want to pay for his spot when he's not in care. The Grandmother has off in the summer so DCB will go there so the parents can save money. I tried to find a SA to fill that spot just for the summer but have had no luck. So I feel that they should pay the full rate for their sons spot through the summer. Is that reasonable?

2nd set of parents. In September their son will start in a local preschool program. This Preschool program is Tues. Wed. Thurs. & Fri. for 2 1/2 hours each of those days. So DCB will be in my care all day Monday and for 6 hours each day for the rest of the week.

I charge a rate for each full time spot, not by hours in care. I want to be fair and would love to help each family but I can't hurt my family financially in the process. I am a level 1 licensed home daycare and my state only allows me 5 children preschool age and under. One of those spots is filled by my son so I have 4 paying spots. So anyway, I just wanted to talk it out and get some feed back with other providers. :-)
I agree with the others but I'd offer a sort of explanation to the parents to maybe jog them as to what they are asking. I am retired now but I always liked to do that. Give them a wake up call of sorts. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

To #1 I'd say. "I understand your situation but I'm sure you can understand that it wouldn't be fair to me to lose 3 months of income so I'm sorry I can't help you out." (I'd want them to KNOW, although they should anyway, that they are asking me to give up 3 months of income. Would they do that at their job?). I might even add "Just as you probably wouldn't give up 3 months of income to help someone out, I can't either." Smile sweetly.

To #2 I'd say: "I have never discounted for time away at preschool because I cannot fill that time with someone else. I have a limit on how many spots I can have." If they act clueless (and I've had some that do) you could add. "Just like if your boss cut your hours and paid you less. You'd probably be looking for another job. So you can see how I couldn't do that." Smile sweetly.

I love to use the word "fair" in these scenarios. It's a little guilt trip for them. (as well it should be)

Laurel
Reply
Meeko 06:20 AM 05-15-2015
I wonder how many of the parents who ask for places to be held open for them at no charge...also ask their landlord to half the rent because they are going on two weeks vacation and won't actually be in the house........

Chances are , none of them. So it boggles my mind that they expect it from their daycare provider.

I don't do discounts. I find it offensive that parents even ask. I could never ask someone else to lose income to make life easier for me.
Reply
Unregistered 08:31 AM 05-15-2015
Who deserves the money? Their family or yours?
Reply
sahm1225 11:38 AM 05-15-2015
I would definitely not discount for the prek one. I do drop off & pick ups at our local prek (few blocks alway). Our school district started charging and it can be up to $400/month for prek. I was talking to the prek teacher about how I'm going to have to deal with parents wanting a discount and she interrupts me and says 'you dont charge EXTRA for bringing them to school?!!!' Then she tells me to discount my rate and then add an annual fee for school transportation that is more than what they are currently paying!
Reply
Reply Up