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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>What Do You Do When Your Own Child is Sick? Do You Close or Stay Open? Credit Back?
DaycareProvider 03:02 PM 05-31-2012
So I have a mom who has a problem when it comes to my fees, even though she signed the contract. She always comes back to say something, with just about every situation. I've tried accomidating her a couple of times only to be taken advantage of. I don't think she is intentionally trying to, but it is very annoying.

She has an all day screamer for a baby, I've given her a break as far as fees go, and even though her fees are probably lower than anywhere around here I let her make payments on top of that. She pays very little for what I offer, and on top of that still complains.

She does'nt want her baby crawling on my hardwood floor in fear that he will hurt himself, shes called/text me a few different times almost questioning bruises/scrapes that she finds HOURS after she picks him up in an almost accusing kind of way which then usually ends up being offensive. If she doesnt trust me, why in the world does she bring her kid to me? she allows him to eat snacks all day and drink juice at home instead of eating at mealtimes so he expects that all day long. She's always late dropping him off in wee hours of the morning. She is always asking for a discounted rate on top of her already discounted rate. Oh and she is a 3 day a week part timer.

Ok so the latest drama with her is that after a long relaxing weekend of not having any kids, I have all of the kids yesterday. My daughter all of a sudden comes down with a high fever in the middle of the day. I let the parents know when they pick their children up and let them know I will keep them updated later that night. Well it never goes down so I then let them know that Im aware that they don't have a backup so for their convenience, I'm going to go ahead and open up and they are more than welcome to bring their child as scheduled. While the other parents were understanding, they apologized that they didn't have any back up so that they would in fact bring their children, I was fine with that. I then get a response from problematic mother, and she has a problem bringing her baby and risking the exposure. She says that dad will have to take the time off to watch him, and that this is the second time this has happened, and then asks if I could credit her back for the missed days. I tell her no I"m sorry I cant afford to close, thats why I'm staying open for everyones convenience, she sends me a 3 page text basically stating the exact same thing, how she doesnt think its right that she has to pay for a day that she is not bringing her child. Mind you, she got an entire week FREE this month because she claims she didnt know the difference between bi-weekly and twice a month so I gave her a one time break. I'll see her tomorrow, and I'm dreading it because I'm tired of her always an issue with something every single freakin week. She went from being the best daycare parent, to a pain in my ass.

Any suggestions on what I can tell this lady who always seems to stop me dead in my tracks with her off the wall requests?
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AmyLeigh 03:47 PM 05-31-2012
Ummm....off the top of my head....

(to quote another poster) "My situation has changed and I no longer have room for Gracie. This will be your 2 weeks notice. Care for your precious LO will end on June 15th. Per our contract as you can see here (show hard copy: pay for 2 weeks up front, can leave within said 2 weeks, whatever you have within your termination clause)"

The situation that has changed is you are no longer willing to put up with her and her drama.
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Breezy 03:56 PM 05-31-2012
Also quoting another poster "You give them special and its no longer special. its the norm for them"

If I am open, they pay. Regardless of the reason. If I am open andmy child is sick that means he is not sick enough to where I think hes a risk or my DH is home with him. If I close due to illness they dont pay.
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MarinaVanessa 04:04 PM 05-31-2012
"You know Jan, it seems to me that you are unhappy with many of my policies and so I wanted to address that with you. I know that finding a daycare that's a good fit for a family is difficult however I highly encourage every parent to find a daycare that they really feel comfortable with. I'd like to give you a copy of your contract and a another copy of my policies and suggest that you go through them and highlight everything that you are not comfotable with. Then you can decide whether or not you feel like you may need to find alternative childcare."

As a side note, this approach is not really meant to open up dialogue it's only a way for you to address the fact that a) she has problems following your policies b) you're not going to allow that and c) she needs to decide whether she's going to put her big girl panties on and follow the rules that she agreed to or find another daycare.

You're pretty much telling her "Live with it and follow the rules or get out" but in much, much kinder and more proffesional words. If she becomes defensive and difficult then I think that a response along the lines of "Jan, this is a great example of what I just discussed with you. It's apparent that you are not happy with my daycare. I think it may be time for you to find alternative childcare" is in order. Again you are telling her to either stop arguing and follow the rules, or find another daycare. You have to make it clear that those are now her only two options but there is always a diplomatic way of doing this.
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DaycareProvider 08:28 PM 05-31-2012
I really love all of your suggestions, in fact I'm going to use them. I've asked her if she needed a copy of my contract and she always tells me she already has one and no she does not need a copy. I've told her the reason I go over the contract with new parents is to make sure we're on the same page, and that there are no hidden surprises down the road. She obviously didnt read it. So I think I'll use your idea and hand her a contract and have her highlight anything she might have a problem with. Thanks you guys!
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saved4always 05:49 AM 06-01-2012
Personally, if a parent was constantly asking me in an accusing way about bruises, did not seem to trust me, did not pay on time or the right amount, and was always demanding more and more special for less and less money, I would term. Especially for a part timer whose baby is a screamer. What you are describing just would not be worth it for me.

If you do not want to term, I would make a copy of the signed contract and highlight all of the things in it that she is not following or is complaining about. Let her know that these are not negotiable. She signed the contract and she needs to follow it (without complaint!) if she wants to continue care with you.
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littlemissmuffet 10:24 PM 06-01-2012
I skimmed the first three paragraphs... TERMINATE. Who has time for princesses like this? I sure don't!
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Rachel 03:07 AM 06-03-2012
As far as the parent, I woudl term, but when my kids are sick enough they would be excluded, either dh stays with them (I have 2 floors so no cross contamination), or I close.
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Tags:close, closed from sckness, credit back, own child, parents - changing things, parents - don't cooperate, sick, sick provider children
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