Another post about the new dck. She stays home with her grandparents 1-2 days a week. Mom lets me know the night before and I still get paid for the whole week. So I don't know why but it bothers me but it does. She left today with her granddad so I wonder if I'll get a text tonight saying she won't be here tomorrow...

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So you're getting paid whether the child is there or not? I'd be cool with that!

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I would love it if I had paid days off with advance notice!! I get quite a few paid days off, but they call/text AFTER he's supposed to be here, so it's not like I can sleep in or anything.

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See! I knew I was crazy! I don't have the day off though. I have another full timer now. I've started waiting till the morning to do print offs for the pre-school curriculum I do so I don't waist paper b/c sometimes it's like 10:00 that she'll text me.

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I would love that! It would be annoying for trying to plan learning activities and crafts, but if you're getting paid anyway, who cares if you have an extra print off--just turn it over and let the other kiddies make a picture on it!

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Maybe this is why it bothers you? She lets you know ahead of time but waits until late at night to do it.

Also, as much as I love a paid day off, it's not really a day off when you have another kid to watch. Even though it feels good to be getting paid for one kid who isn't there, at the same time, it can feel like it's not worth opening the day care for just one. I go through this on snow days. Usually everyone shows up but once in a while, only one will be here. Although I'm still getting paid for everyone else who didn't show, it feels like a waste of time having to open for the one kid who did.

....or maybe I'm just crazy, too?

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...also, sometimes it's HARDER when it's just you and one child, there is no one else for the one child to play with and it's harder for one to keep busy sometimes. That's what is wouuld be for me

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I think e..j. might be on to something?!? I have a similar situation where the family pays me for 5 days just so they can have the convenience of using which ever 3 days they actually need. They rarely use more than the three but they NEVER tell me until the night before or morning of and I know they are aware each week of what days they need. I think they just like to tell me the night before or morning of because it is when they think about it... I dunno...but it is hard to plan anything sometimes because you feel trapped...I tried to plan on getting out of here early last Tuesday since no one had scheduled past 3 and whattaya know this family calls me Tuesday morning and says ***X will be there at 10 today until after work which is 5:30. Grrrr.
I feel that I cannot ask for advance notice when I know that is why they are perfectly willing to pay for 5 days so they can have the convenience. Thankfully for me this little girl will be done in May.

So I feel for you.....I completely understand how you feel.....

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It's funny that you posted this... I just had this same conversation with my DH last night. One of my dck's dad is in construction and he sometimes will have Monday’s off and sometimes even other days in the week. When he's off he likes to stay home with her. I think I get irritated because it interrupts my preschool program. I only have one other dck that happens to be my own that I do preschool with and it's hard to do it sometimes with just him. Like you, I still get paid regardless for the 5 days!

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I used to have a situation like this, thank god its over..

I dont know too many providers that arent planners and I know that I get frustrated when I cant plan things; either personal or DC.
I was always bothered by it too so you are not alone...

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I think yall got it! I am a planner. I would really like to have everything laid out the night before but I end up doing it while I drink my coffee. I would rather do it later than do it early and have to re-do it. I was planning my curriculum around when she was here so she wouldn't miss things and b/c it meant my DS was the only one doing "school". So I was doing a lot of redoing. Once I had a big project planned for Thursday, she wasn't there so it was pushed to Friday, she wasn't there again so it was pushed to the next week into a different theme...frustrating. I don't think I'm going to do that anymore. Especially since I have another preschooler. That might be part of it..

..sorry for the run-on sentence. Monday's I teach at the dance studio for 3 hours as soon as my daycare closes..I'm tired!

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wow and I thought that i was crazy busy... You have a very busy schedule so it sounds and it looks like it demands planning..
I have 3 kids of my own so planning is the only way for my family.

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i have two families doing this to me right now. they are both laid off, and show up when they feel like it. i too, still get paid. i was aggravated at first, because i couldnt plan curriculum either. (the only other FT i have is an infant right now) but now i figure hey, if they want to pay for a spot and never show up, thats on them. i'm not really planning anything as far as curriculum, and when they do show up, i at least set up centers, do a light generic circle time, and put out art supplies. i'm not going to bother trying to accomplish an actual "theme". its just too hard to do so sporatically.

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does she contact you the night before or the morning of?

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