I have someone contact me, I told them that I was going to have an opening in June after school gets out and dcm delivers the baby but... (then I found out that the child is a non-napper and I just termed a non-napper) She knows that she would be replacing another family so how does this sound...

Thank you for your patience, I just got word back from my current client. It looks like their last day has been pushed back and it will not be until late August. Sorry about any inconvenience this may have caused you. If something changes, I will be sure to let you know.

Thank you for understanding.

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I would not say anything about the other family b/c what if this lady responds & says she's willing to wait until late August? I would just say "I've had a change in availability & unfortunately I won't be able to accommodate your family at this time." Keep it short & sweet. No need to give details or a reason. It's really not their business if they're not already enrolled with fees paid.

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Thank you, I need a ghostwriter sometimes. I should have just cut it off when I found out about the napping issues. But instead, I tried to discourage her by recommending other providers. As you can see that did not work.

So this leads me to wonder if you are having an initial phone call with a parent and you find something out that you do not want to deal with, like non-napper, how do you politely say not going to happen?

Because I always try to change the subject by recommending/referring them to the state list of providers but that, I am finding, does not work. Then I just do not know what to do when they call back.

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There's always the straight forward "It was a pleasure talking to you but unfortunately I don't feel my program would be a good fit for your family at this time."
I don't ever commit on a first conversation & I make sure they know that. The truth is you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Just present it like you are interviewing multiple families for one spot & you will get back with them once you've made a final decision to offer the spot. Then you have a day or two to consider any red flags. If they call back & you don't want to take them, "I'm sorry the spot is no longer available."

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@OP, I used to have the same problem, until I decided to write a contract stating ALL my expectations, that way I'm covered.
I hand a copy to parents right at interview and as far as nap goes, it says right there "When a child outgrows the need for a nap, he/she has outgrown my program".
I have not have had an issue of say: non nappers, potty training, late pay, late pick ups etc
They break the contract at any point, they get a reminder and then they're out.
... enrollments expire yearly, that way, I'm no longer stuck with a family that refuses to realize that their child should move on to a more suited program

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[quote=Joyfulnoise;727058] When a family calls me to inquire about childcare, I always ask about how/if their child takes a nap. I let the parnet know over the phone that with the way our play space is set up that we nap in the playroom and that there is not a space for non-nappers to play during nap time.

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A non-napper and a child that resists nap are two different things to me so when a parent says their child is a non-napper, I usually ask what they mean.

If they don't nap at home, I let parents know ALL children in care are required to participate in rest time.

Whether they can/can't do that quietly depends on the child. This is where the trial period comes in to play for me.
I've encountered many children over the years that didn't take a single nap at home but rested here quietly without issue.

Infants are required by licensing rules to have a rest time and I've only had one infant over the years that simply did not sleep all day long.

Now, that's not to say I will ever consider a child that requires certain routines to be performed before they'll sleep as I am group care and am not equipped or able to rock, wear, hold or sing Yankee Doodle just so Jr can nap during the day.

When enrolling infants, I always send parents a letter stating exactly what my expectations are for infant sleep in child care PRIOR to enrolling. I am okay with an infant that needs a bit of adjustment during the trial period but if there is no progress or the whole situation causes issues for everyone else, I let them go. It just is what it is.

Older kids (over 12 months) must lay quietly (sleep not required) for rest period. If not, the same applies...they are termed.

What they do/don't do at home has no bearing on my decision to enroll unless that behavior impacts MY day.

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

A parent that requests that their child not participate in rest time doesn't make it past the first phone call. ~Bye!

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