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Parents and Guardians Forum>What Is The Standard For Home Daycare Closing?
Unregistered 07:03 PM 05-10-2014
My wonderful home daycare provider blindsided me this Thursday by telling me that she was quitting. She took a job at an energy company in their accounting department, she told me it was an offer she couldn't refuse. And she gave me two weeks notice.

I am devastated. Mostly because she took such great care of my 16 month old for the past year and secondly because this is not enough time to find another quality daycare provided. I am scrambling because the three good daycare centers in my town are full and I don't have enough connections to find another home care.

She did accounting work for many years prior to opening her home last year. She told me that child care was her true calling and I really believed that she loved my child.

I guess my point is, is two weeks the standard time to close a home daycare and give notice to parents? And did I make a mistake by becoming too attached? I am taking this so personally.
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Cradle2crayons 07:11 PM 05-10-2014
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
My wonderful home daycare provider blindsided me this Thursday by telling me that she was quitting. She took a job at an energy company in their accounting department, she told me it was an offer she couldn't refuse. And she gave me two weeks notice.

I am devastated. Mostly because she took such great care of my 16 month old for the past year and secondly because this is not enough time to find another quality daycare provided. I am scrambling because the three good daycare centers in my town are full and I don't have enough connections to find another home care.

She did accounting work for many years prior to opening her home last year. She told me that child care was her true calling and I really believed that she loved my child.

I guess my point is, is two weeks the standard time to close a home daycare and give notice to parents? And did I make a mistake by becoming too attached? I am taking this so personally.
Don't take this personally. She may have really thought it was her calling but maybe things weren't going well for her financially and she had no option but to take a better paying job.

Two weeks notice is what I do to stop care and what I require from parents. It all depends on what your contract says.

I know it still sucks though... Keep asking around because you may find a home provider you didn't know about. Can you ask her for a referal maybe??

It's really hard for providers not to become attached, as well as the daycare kids and families also. We take care of your children up to 50 hours a week. Which is 90% of most kids waking hours!!!!!

Please don't take this personally. Ask around. Ask her for a referral. Call your local daycare licensing agency and ask THEM for a referral.

I hope you find an awesome provider ASAP
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CraftyMom 07:11 PM 05-10-2014
Two weeks is the standard for ending care.

I require the parents to give two weeks notice if they decide to end care. I do the same in return if it isn't working out.

The fact that she is closing doesn't really matter, she only needs to give 2 weeks notice. Unless your contract states otherwise.
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Unregistered 07:32 PM 05-10-2014
Her contract did state two weeks notice of her vacations and two week notice is required if parents decide to leave, it didn't state anything about her closing, but I guess that is implied.

It's just very hard coming to terms with this, she told me she couldn't wait for me to have another baby so she could take care of that one as well and that she would continue watching my 16 month old as long as I would let her. And now this. It's hard to reconcile. I will miss her so much.

Thank you to all of you caring day care providers. Your work is so important.
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akpayne 07:34 PM 05-10-2014
It's lovely that you like her so much, but its not really your business why she is closing. 2 weeks is standard.
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midaycare 08:05 PM 05-10-2014
I'm sorry you are left without daycare right now - I've been there myself. Something will turn up. Start asking everyone you know where the good home daycare's are, if that is what you would like.
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Unregistered 08:28 PM 05-10-2014
I'm sorry this has left you hurt and in a rush to find care.

We experience this from the other side often, when we are in a rush to find new clients after a parent gives 2 weeks notice or less.

Everyone must make choices to meet the needs of their family. Sometimes the parents leave before we wish them to, and sometimes the provider is done before the parents are ready. Two weeks is the standard. Some do one month.

I wish you all the best in finding great care.
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cheerfuldom 10:25 PM 05-10-2014
2 weeks is standard. I am sorry you are disappointed and I bet your provider is too. We all have to make hard decisions about our family's needs and our income need and the daycare profession is no different. I am glad you and your child became attached to her and I encourage you to be ready to embrace a new caregiver in the same way. Life happens. This will be the first of many challenges with caregivers for your children. Both my daughters lost their teachers mid year at preschool and kindergarten. One moved and one took a different job. It was hard for us but we all have to understand that teachers and daycare providers have their own lives to live. Our daycare children are very important to us but our own families always come first. Just like I bet you would take a promotion, or move if you had to or make whatever decision you have to make without basing it off of what your daycare provider would want. She made the decision she felt was best for her even though it was inconvenient for you....that doesn't make her a bad person or someone who didn't truly care about your child or your family.
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NightOwl 12:42 AM 05-11-2014
Originally Posted by akpayne:
It's lovely that you like her so much, but its not really your business why she is closing. 2 weeks is standard.
She didn't say it was her business or speculate on why the provider was closing. She only asked what the standard notice is.
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cheerfuldom 12:53 AM 05-11-2014
Originally Posted by Wednesday:
She didn't say it was her business or speculate on why the provider was closing. She only asked what the standard notice is.
ummmm....are we reading the same post? LOL The OP said she does know why the provider is closing and yes, she did speculate past it by discussing where the provider had worked previously, how the provider said that child care was her calling and then the OP assumed that meant she would be doing child care permanently as well as other comments. By posting here and opening a discussion not only about the 2 week standard but also about her concerns over it and other comments about the situation, she is implying by her actions that the providers job change is the OP's business.

but that said, I do think OP has a right to some sort of explanation about why her provider is shutting down suddenly. I just didn't agree that the provider did anything wrong.

On the other hand, we don't need to tell our daycare families every dirty detail. A vague response of "I was offered a different opportunity and will be changing jobs" as well as professional behavior like a 2 weeks notice is more than adequate.
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saved4always 12:21 PM 05-11-2014
Originally Posted by Cradle2crayons:
Don't take this personally. She may have really thought it was her calling but maybe things weren't going well for her financially and she had no option but to take a better paying job.

Two weeks notice is what I do to stop care and what I require from parents. It all depends on what your contract says.

I know it still sucks though... Keep asking around because you may find a home provider you didn't know about. Can you ask her for a referal maybe??

It's really hard for providers not to become attached, as well as the daycare kids and families also. We take care of your children up to 50 hours a week. Which is 90% of most kids waking hours!!!!!

Please don't take this personally. Ask around. Ask her for a referral. Call your local daycare licensing agency and ask THEM for a referral.

I hope you find an awesome provider ASAP
This is what I was going to say.
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NightOwl 04:40 PM 05-11-2014
I think 2 weeks is standard, but not enough. I would never close down with only two weeks notice unless it was an emergency of some sort. I think a month is more courteous considering how hard it is to find a good, quality childcare home or center.
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craftymissbeth 06:36 PM 05-11-2014
There's a good possibility this new job needs her to start as soon as possible. I can't imagine them waiting around a month for a new hire to start unless someone retired or gave a months notice. We all know that in this profession that making ends meet can be tough. She needs to do what she needs to do to support herself and her own family and unfortunately that sometimes means that we have to make tough decisions. If leaving someone with only two weeks notice is a sacrifice she had to make in order to support herself then I completely understand that.

OP, I think two weeks is a standard minimum. From what you've written, it sounds like you also feel slighted by her letting you guys go and maybe that's keeping you from simply moving on.
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Annalee 07:33 PM 05-11-2014
Originally Posted by Wednesday:
I think 2 weeks is standard, but not enough. I would never close down with only two weeks notice unless it was an emergency of some sort. I think a month is more courteous considering how hard it is to find a good, quality childcare home or center.
I agree 2 weeks is difficult to deal with, BUT we do not know the circumstances surrounding the provider in question...i.e. possible financial problems, family issues, personal issues.....maybe the job was just too good to pass up. I do love my job, but if an opportunity come up and I was already struggling in some way and the change would offer positive benefits for my family, it is possible I would consider the deal too good to pass up. If you look on the other hand, very few clients are going to put the provider first in their issues....from the view of the provider, I think we have all at some point lost kids that we NEVER thought would leave because of our good relationship with the family. Two weeks is all we get to fill these spots. It is just life and sometimes life just isn't fair.....from our point of view anyway.
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Play Care 03:07 AM 05-12-2014
Originally Posted by Annalee:
I agree 2 weeks is difficult to deal with, BUT we do not know the circumstances surrounding the provider in question...i.e. possible financial problems, family issues, personal issues.....maybe the job was just too good to pass up. I do love my job, but if an opportunity come up and I was already struggling in some way and the change would offer positive benefits for my family, it is possible I would consider the deal too good to pass up. If you look on the other hand, very few clients are going to put the provider first in their issues....from the view of the provider, I think we have all at some point lost kids that we NEVER thought would leave because of our good relationship with the family. Two weeks is all we get to fill these spots. It is just life and sometimes life just isn't fair.....from our point of view anyway.

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Josiegirl 03:19 AM 05-12-2014
Two weeks is never enough for either party. But 2 weeks is the standard, when you're quitting a job to go to another one. I'd be very hard pressed to pick up another dcfamily within 2 weeks. Heck, it's been over a year for me.

Ask all your friends, family, co-workers, for referrals. To be honest, there are never any guarantees from either side. I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you had hoped.
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Blackcat31 08:53 AM 05-12-2014
Two weeks might not have been ideal for the family termed but we all know had the provider told parents she was considering taking a job and closing child care, they all would have left immediately.

Maybe she couldn't handle the financial insecurity this job brings. Maybe she is burned out. Maybe the job offers perks that being self-employed doesn't.

Either way, if I planned on closing I would NEVER give my families more than 2 weeks notice. Losing more than two week's income could be financial disaster for some. Plus any new job delays your first paycheck so in my honest opinion, the provider did what she needed to do.

End of story.

I am sorry OP that you were attached...it makes the termination/notice that much harder but bottom line is that no matter how much the provider may have loved your children/family, that love doesn't pay the bills or put food on her table so try to see it from her point of view....even just a little. (I have no doubt, she is torn up about this too...especially if she really was attached to your children/family too).
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Unregistered 01:07 PM 05-12-2014
I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.
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KatieG 01:09 PM 05-12-2014
I agree with everyone else, two weeks is standard. I've been a provider for 11 years next month. I am planning to close my doors and look for another job later this summer, but I don't plan to tell my families that I am looking (as stated above, they would likely leave before I am ready to give up that income - as I would do if things were reversed). I will, however, give them 2 weeks notice, just as I would if I were leaving any other job.
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Play Care 01:31 PM 05-12-2014
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.
It sounds as if your situation is much different from the OP. I have never held a position where I would have felt comfortable telling my employer that I was interviewing for other jobs (unless I was looking to get a raise and using another offer as leverage) and I would never do it as a provider. I *would* hold to my contract though, which is two weeks. Most companies understand and expect that it will be two weeks before a new hire starts but a month would be a stretch.
That said, I don't know if the provider was necessarily lying when she told you she had long term plans to provide care. Things change and life often has other plans. If the provider can't make ends meet with the clients she has, gets divorced, etc. there are so many reasons people have to make changes. It stinks but it doesn't mean they weren't genuine when they said it initially.
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Blackcat31 01:47 PM 05-12-2014
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.
There is a big difference between being given a two week notice and being termed immediately via text message.

What your provider did was not the norm. I am sorry that happened to you. I can't speak for that provider so I don't know what, if anything she was thinking but it sounds to me like you may have suspected something before it happened.

If that was the case, did you bring your concerns to your provider? NOT saying that you did anything wrong. Just saying it's a two way street and usually when a relationship (whether work related or personal) goes sour, something stinks before-hand...kwim?
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Unregistered 01:49 PM 05-13-2014
I'm the OP and thank you all for your thoughtful replies. I have had some time for this to sink in and have been able to talk to my DC provider and she took another job that offered her more stability and more importantly, benefits. I cannot fault her for that. She provided wonderful care and I will always appreciate that. I am also thinking positive that we will find another DC solution that works for us. Very luckily, I have my cousin home from college who will be watching my child for the next 10 weeks, so I have time to do some research.
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cheerfuldom 06:28 AM 05-15-2014
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I WAS this parent the other day. The provider was not very honest with me and while it may not be 'my business' she 1. should not have lied about it. just say you can't do it anymore and don't make up a story. 2. she should have given me notice.

your provider must 've applied for the job and went to interviews. She didn't magically just get it. She could have told the parents after the first interview, that it was looking good and that parents may need to find care, and she may not be able to give notice, but she DID at least give you the 2 weeks. I got 24 hours notice before my kids were to be dropped off and we also had a contract that stated 1 month. I would have appreciated at least 2 weeks and some more time to act (luckily my intuition took over and I just sort of knew she would bail, I just didn't think it'd be like she did it). 2 weeks is a pretty standard period of time and I would have VERY MUCH appreciated any notice but the text notice I received from my kids old DCP.

Parents: Give your providers notice and Providers: give your parents notice.

It goes BOTH ways. No reason unless you're termed for something bad, that notice isn't given.
24 hours is unacceptable to me unless there was some sort of major catastrophe. 2 weeks is standard. If and when I look for a job outside of childcare, I would not tell parents until the job is offered to me and I accept and have a start date. I am not going to tell parents I am interviewing at all and you know why? because every one of them will leave immediately when they get wind that I am looking for another job. They aren't going to wait around while I do the job search process (which could be months and months long!). Parents do what is best for them so it should be no surprise providers do it too. Even still, 2 weeks is the professional norm for either party ending an agreement
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nannyde 06:14 AM 05-16-2014
You were able to make arrangements very easily. You have your child covered for three months. She did the right thing because most likely her experience tells her that parents make arrangements very quickly. If she would have told you she was considering a job the arrangements you made would have most likely happened whether she landed the job or not. She would have been a fool to tell you before the offer.

Here's the real truth. Parents don't like their provider to break up with them. They want to break up with the provider. When providers shut down parents most often find daycare in days not weeks. The only time they don't is when the provider is cheap and does terrible hours or their kid has behavioral or medical issues. That is hard to replicate quickly. If you pay a great rate, normal kid, and have good hours you will easily make arrangements in days in most parts of the country.

The number of parents who quit childcare with two weeks notice compared to providers who quit child care with two weeks notice is probably a gazillion to one. Parents have it really good in the relationship as a whole. They do the vast majority of the breaking up.

One other thought is that when a provider shuts down compared to just terming an individual family the very normal recourse of turning the provider in to the State is fruitless. The fact that the ONLY thing a parent can do is to quit before the two weeks is up is often the primary aggravation to the parents. Often parents want the upper hand they have had thru the entire relationship to exact to the end. When given notice with no recourse they are left with nothing to do that puts them back in the one up. That is often harder to take than switching child care UNLESS you have a monster child with long hours and cheap fees. Giving that up is harder than giving up the one up.
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Crystal 08:03 PM 05-16-2014
Originally Posted by nannyde:
You were able to make arrangements very easily. You have your child covered for three months. She did the right thing because most likely her experience tells her that parents make arrangements very quickly. If she would have told you she was considering a job the arrangements you made would have most likely happened whether she landed the job or not. She would have been a fool to tell you before the offer.

Here's the real truth. Parents don't like their provider to break up with them. They want to break up with the provider. When providers shut down parents most often find daycare in days not weeks. The only time they don't is when the provider is cheap and does terrible hours or their kid has behavioral or medical issues. That is hard to replicate quickly. If you pay a great rate, normal kid, and have good hours you will easily make arrangements in days in most parts of the country.

The number of parents who quit childcare with two weeks notice compared to providers who quit child care with two weeks notice is probably a gazillion to one. Parents have it really good in the relationship as a whole. They do the vast majority of the breaking up.

One other thought is that when a provider shuts down compared to just terming an individual family the very normal recourse of turning the provider in to the State is fruitless. The fact that the ONLY thing a parent can do is to quit before the two weeks is up is often the primary aggravation to the parents. Often parents want the upper hand they have had thru the entire relationship to exact to the end. When given notice with no recourse they are left with nothing to do that puts them back in the one up. That is often harder to take than switching child care UNLESS you have a monster child with long hours and cheap fees. Giving that up is harder than giving up the one up.
Yup. What she said.
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