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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Families Who Drive Out Of Their Way To Get To You?
originalkat 02:06 PM 09-17-2013
I have a little girl who lives in a small town about 40 minutes from me. she has been with me for a little over a year. She was referred to me by another current family. When she first started, she drove out of her way to get to me. Then she switched jobs and now works 10 minutes from me. However, she is interviewing for a new job only 10 minutes from her house. I cant help but wonder if she will continue to drive 30 more minutes out of her way each way every day to get to me. Have you had clients willing to drive long distances for childcare?
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MyAngels 02:14 PM 09-17-2013
I don't have any parents who've done it but when my dd was small I did it for a couple of months. I really loved her provider but in the end the drive and the time spent commuting made me decide to find someone closer to home.
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nanglgrl 02:19 PM 09-17-2013
I had a parent drive about 40 miles round trip to come to me. They stayed until the child started school but that was a while back and gas was A LOT cheaper.
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lovemylife 02:38 PM 09-17-2013
I do! They started their 2 boys here 3 years ago in January. At that time they lived about 20 blocks away. Then a year later the parents divorced. The mom lives about 15 minutes away and the dad 25 minutes away. The older brother started school a few weeks ago. Dad works 20 minutes away from me and the mom 15 minutes. The school is right by mom. So essentially they are driving all around the whole metro! It's a lot of driving! But the parents have told me they don't care how much driving or gas money they spend bringing their youngest to me because that's how much they love me and my daycare. They are my favorite family!
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blandino 02:44 PM 09-17-2013
I do. Right now I have one client who lives about 25 minutes away from me, and works 25 minutes from her home in the opposite direction. It is a long way, but she was 4 months when they started and we were referred - so I think the level of comfort they felt was worth it to them.
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kelsey's kids 02:52 PM 09-17-2013
I had a mom drive from the next town over about 30 minutes aways to bring her kids here and she worked in the town she was driving from. So she ended up driving 1 hour each way to work 30 min here and there min there. She stayed for about a year and then swirched jobs so her mom now watches the kids
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sharlan 03:08 PM 09-17-2013
I had a family drive over an hour each way for about 6 years. Mom worked 1/2 way in between their house and mine. It took her over a 1 1/2 hrs in the morning and evening, depending on traffic.
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e.j. 03:14 PM 09-17-2013
I currently have 2 families who are driving relatively long distances to get to me and have had several in the past that were here long term. By the same token, I did have one family who grew tired of their long commute shortly after signing on with me. They left me for a provider who was closer to the town they live in and who charges a lower rate. Do you feel comfortable asking the dc parents what their plans are? It could set your mind at ease or allow you to start looking for a replacement family.
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LoraJenkins 03:21 PM 09-17-2013
Originally Posted by originalkat:
I have a little girl who lives in a small town about 40 minutes from me. she has been with me for a little over a year. She was referred to me by another current family. When she first started, she drove out of her way to get to me. Then she switched jobs and now works 10 minutes from me. However, she is interviewing for a new job only 10 minutes from her house. I cant help but wonder if she will continue to drive 30 more minutes out of her way each way every day to get to me. Have you had clients willing to drive long distances for childcare?
I have had clients drive 45 miles to my home, and back the same direction they came from to work daily. These were one of my BEST clients and we are still close friends 13 years later.
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Cradle2crayons 04:10 PM 09-17-2013
I have a mom who lives not quite an hour from me. She drives here to drop off her 2 kids. Then drives 40 minutes or so back towards her home to get to work.

The other mom has 3 kids here and she lives about 15 minutes from me the oer direction. Then she drives 45 minutes away from here and home to get to work.
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MamaBear 04:13 PM 09-17-2013
I have a mom that lives an hour from me... she drives here and then drives another hour to work past me. I cant imagine how much she spends on gas. But she says its worth it. I guess its quite a compliment when someones willing to go thru all that to come to your daycare
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lovemylife 04:18 PM 09-17-2013
Originally Posted by MamaBear:
I have a mom that lives an hour from me... she drives here and then drives another hour to work past me. I cant imagine how much she spends on gas. But she says its worth it. I guess its quite a compliment when someones willing to go thru all that to come to your daycare

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Cradle2crayons 04:19 PM 09-17-2013
Originally Posted by MamaBear:
I have a mom that lives an hour from me... she drives here and then drives another hour to work past me. I cant imagine how much she spends on gas. But she says its worth it. I guess its quite a compliment when someones willing to go thru all that to come to your daycare

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MrsSteinel'sHouse 04:46 AM 09-18-2013
I have a mom that drives 30 minutes to my house and then turns around and drives the same road 20 minutes back in to work.
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LK5kids 05:21 AM 09-18-2013
Wow, wow, wow.....shows what awesome providers you all are! Wow again. When I did FCC years ago I lived just across state lines on the opposite side of the Mississippi River. I had lots of parents drive that distance, which was only about six miles round trip and I thought that was good! Ha ha!
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originalkat 05:42 AM 09-18-2013
Good to hear that from everyone! I really do not think they would leave because their good friends who referred them are here and they had a bad experience with dcg's first provider so they are pretty settled. But it did get me thinking. Yay for DC parents willing to go the distance...LITERALLY!
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MotherNature 10:47 AM 09-18-2013
I have a family that drives about 30 mins each way, and I'm a good 15 minutes north of mom's work, and dad speaks at various schools around the city. They own a farm that they co-op shares on & use it as an educational tool for kids. One family lives about 8 mins from me, and the other lives about 15 mins away.
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KIDZRMYBIZ 11:01 AM 09-18-2013
Don't worry! They will fall in love with you, and the drive will not be an issue!

I have families both current and past that drive quite a distance. Only 1 was because they moved farther away, and the others all enrolled despite the drive. There are LOTS of in-homes in my city to choose from, but I think they are first attracted by my fairly low rates and everything I offer when first calling around. I am always nervous enrolling a new family that doesn't live close by, but all my families tell me how great my program is, and that makes it worth it.
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daycarediva 11:02 AM 09-18-2013
I have two current clients drive a ways to get here.
#1-One lives 45 minutes away, drives to me, and then back 20 minutes to get to work.

#2-The other lives, and works, 30 minutes away and drives here and then right back to go to work.


One of the BEST compliments I have ever received was from the mother of dcm #2 "There is nobody else she would trust him with but you and me." Seriously, my dcb has never been alone with ANYONE but myself and his maternal grandmother. (dcd is not in the picture).
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Tags:clients - far away, family - travel far
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