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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Feeling Guilt When Talking To Prospective Clients?
Indoorvoice 08:52 AM 04-20-2017
I'm having so many people contact me lately wanting 12 hours of care. When I say i have a 10 hr cap, they usually get angry and insinuate I'm being greedy and don't work with parents. I'm feeling guilty. I don't want to give off the impression I won't work with parents needs, but 10 hours is a lot, let alone 12. How can I explain this differently to them when I ask their hours and then they want more than I offer? Most of contact comes from the state website and not my Facebook page, so it doesn't help that I have my hours posted there.
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Controlled Chaos 09:03 AM 04-20-2017
Originally Posted by Indoorvoice:
I'm having so many people contact me lately wanting 12 hours of care. When I say i have a 10 hr cap, they usually get angry and insinuate I'm being greedy and don't work with parents. I'm feeling guilty. I don't want to give off the impression I won't work with parents needs, but 10 hours is a lot, let alone 12. How can I explain this differently to them when I ask their hours and then they want more than I offer? Most of contact comes from the state website and not my Facebook page, so it doesn't help that I have my hours posted there.
Don't feel bad! Your business your choice. Their daycare needs are not your problem. And truly they are most likely frustrated and angry for many reasons beyond your availability. Don't take t personally and be glad they aren't your clients.
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AmyKidsCo 09:04 AM 04-20-2017
First, your hours are your hours. Period. If they don't like it they can look elsewhere.

Second, by not working 12 hour days you're taking care of yourself so you don't burn out and have to close, which is actually the opposite of selfish.

Third, I'll bet they're not working 11 hour days and NEED 12 hour care, they just WANT it so they can do "whatever" without their children. I'm not about to give up time with MY family just because they don't want to be with theirs.

Don't let them make you feel guilty. This is YOUR business, YOU make the rules. If they don't like them they can go elsewhere.
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finsup 09:04 AM 04-20-2017
I get those responses too I just reply now "I'm sorry, my hours are as follows, and cannot accommodate anything outside of those." Then when I get back the "you don't work with parents!!" I simply say, "I hear you, it must be so hard to find childcare that meets your needs. If I ever change my hours, I'll let you know! Good luck in your search! And ignore after that
So not what I really want to say lol but saying anything more just isn't worth the drama.
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Snowmom 09:12 AM 04-20-2017
Originally Posted by Indoorvoice:
I'm having so many people contact me lately wanting 12 hours of care. When I say i have a 10 hr cap, they usually get angry and insinuate I'm being greedy and don't work with parents. I'm feeling guilty. I don't want to give off the impression I won't work with parents needs, but 10 hours is a lot, let alone 12. How can I explain this differently to them when I ask their hours and then they want more than I offer? Most of contact comes from the state website and not my Facebook page, so it doesn't help that I have my hours posted there.
Don't feel guilty. Can you imagine yelling at Chick-fil-A because they don't offer burgers on their menu?

Most providers here don't offer more than 9-10 hours/day, so I see your hours as pretty typical.

If it were me (and I get calls for outside my hours too), I'd state: "My business doesn't offer those hours. If you can make 7:30-5:00pm work, then I'd be happy to set up an interview for you. If not, I can suggest searching on X, X or X for your particular needs". If they get snotty, I wouldn't even listen. I'd just hang up. Not worth my time nor would I want to work with anyone willing to speak to me that way.
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Blackcat31 09:17 AM 04-20-2017
I am only open 10 hours a day.

Clients can use all 10 hours or just a portion of them.
Rates are based off the schedule they choose.

Being open only 10 hours eliminates those clients that want to dump, I mean use more time than that.

What are your normal hours of operation?
If you have a cap on # of hours a family can use, have you just considered only being open 10 hours?
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childcaremom 09:21 AM 04-20-2017
I restrict my hours, too. I find 9 hours to be a long enough day for the children in my care. I prefer 8. I do contracted hours so pick families for interviews who need hours that work for me.

When I get requests for long hours, early drop offs, late pick ups, etc, I will refer families to centres which may be able to accomodate their needs.

If families start to take out their frustrations on me, I'm done and they will not get any more assistance from me.
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Josiegirl 09:31 AM 04-20-2017
I work with parents ALL the time...on how to raise their children into knowledgeable, respectable, independent, and self motivated beings; part of that is parents doing their absolute best to spend honest-to-goodness valuable time with that child. But unless they have a super long commute to work OR work 3 or 4 longer days, there should be no need for constant 12 hour days. That means they get to spend, what, maybe 2 hours a day with their child? And I'm sure none of that would be considered quality time. I am not a babysitter for them, if they want to dump their child/ren off for the most hours they can get, then I am definitely the wrong place for that.
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daycare 09:43 AM 04-20-2017
I am only open 9 hours. I don't feel bad about it at all.

that's like saying target should apologize to me for not being open 24 hours.

it's not a fit.

the first question I ask anyone is what time will you need care? I then tell them our program runs 8am to5pm. If they tell me they need 5:05, sorry we close at 5, let me get you the number to ABC daycare down town, they are open until 6.

YOu will find the ones that fit...I promise. and as BC said. the kids that stay the longest, are often the ones that parents dump on us and when I say dump, I don't mean just physically.

I promise you that if someone really wanted to come to your program they would find a way to make it work.

I have a mom that works 12 hours days plus a 3 hours daily commute. She drops off every day and dad picks up every day. In fact, most of my families split the drop off and pick up like this.

Don't feel bad.
This is what I say:
Here are the hours we operate, if it doesn't work for you, I completely understand. Let me get you the number for ABC Daycare who is open until 6......
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Ariana 09:59 AM 04-20-2017
I tell parents flat out that it is not developmentally appropriate for children to be in care for more than 9 hours a day. I don't really care what they think because I am not going to be a part of their insane parenting practices. I understand that some people work 12 hours but I don't want to take their kids for that long.
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daycarediva 10:20 AM 04-20-2017
Originally Posted by daycare:
I am only open 9 hours. I don't feel bad about it at all.

that's like saying target should apologize to me for not being open 24 hours.

it's not a fit.

the first question I ask anyone is what time will you need care? I then tell them our program runs 8am to5pm. If they tell me they need 5:05, sorry we close at 5, let me get you the number to ABC daycare down town, they are open until 6.

YOu will find the ones that fit...I promise. and as BC said. the kids that stay the longest, are often the ones that parents dump on us and when I say dump, I don't mean just physically.

I promise you that if someone really wanted to come to your program they would find a way to make it work.

I have a mom that works 12 hours days plus a 3 hours daily commute. She drops off every day and dad picks up every day. In fact, most of my families split the drop off and pick up like this.

Don't feel bad.
This is what I say:
Here are the hours we operate, if it doesn't work for you, I completely understand. Let me get you the number for ABC Daycare who is open until 6......
All of this, but especially the bolded.

Originally Posted by Ariana:
I tell parents flat out that it is not developmentally appropriate for children to be in care for more than 9 hours a day. I don't really care what they think because I am not going to be a part of their insane parenting practices. I understand that some people work 12 hours but I don't want to take their kids for that long.

Yup. I am NOT the dump your kids daycare. Right now I have mostly teacher families. The non teacher parent drops off, and the teacher parent picks up. More than 1/2 my crew is gone by 4, so they are at daycare from 8:30-3:30 or 9-4

By 4, the kids (and me, honestly) are DONE.
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284878 11:46 AM 04-20-2017
I had a mom ask me to do 12 during the interview after I explained how the contract hours worked.
I was so tired that day/week I almost agreed to it, but then I realized what she was asking.
She was not happy when I told her I max my hours at 10 per family. She then tells me that she meeting with my neighboring dc, which I used for my foster kids. The following dc she's on FB saying that there is no good dc out there.
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Pestle 01:23 PM 04-20-2017
Yeah, I'm open 10.5 hours. Average work day is 9 hours (8 hours belonging to the boss and one hour federally-required lunch break), plus 30 minutes x2 to commute, plus another half-hour for people who have to be at work before 8am. So 7am-5:30pm, no exceptions.
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Miss A 11:05 AM 04-21-2017
Originally Posted by Pestle:
Yeah, I'm open 10.5 hours. Average work day is 9 hours (8 hours belonging to the boss and one hour federally-required lunch break), plus 30 minutes x2 to commute, plus another half-hour for people who have to be at work before 8am. So 7am-5:30pm, no exceptions.
This is how I based my hours as well. On Tuesday/Thursday I take 1 toddler at 6:45 because mom is a surgical nurse and the hospital schedule's early surgeries those days. They are the only family offered that option, and they usually pick up early those days too unless emergency surgery is required.
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knoxmomof2 11:10 AM 04-21-2017
I'm small, so not a lot of experience with this, but you shouldn't feel guilty for the hours you choose! You're just not a good match for what they are looking for, and that's okay.

Just say "I'm sorry, but it doesn't sound like the services I provide are what you're looking for. Thank you for your call!" If they aren't gracious enough to end the call, I would say goodbye and hang up.
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