Do You Think This Is Right..

She is playing you. If she has used child care before anyway. She may be one of those that is jumping from center to home to different setting just to get free care.

This is the good part of a directors group. Or Home owners group. They talk. It may be a breach of confidentiality but if the person is committing fraud she needs to be stopped. I would write off the care given and fill the slot as soon as possible. If she shows up tell her since she didn't sign a contract you are not obligated to hold the spot for her child.

Dancer girl....everytime I see your name with a question about a client...I just KNOW it's going to be about some loser not paying you.....for babysitting or voice lessons or last minute cancellations.

You are a magnet for flakes. Something about your radar for this type of user is broken. I realize you need the $$ and the job security so it puts you at a disadvantage from the beginning.

When this women would not sign the contract, or tried to argue with you, I would have sensed something right there that she was looking for a 'weaker' women to conduct business with. It is normal to have a little grace period for traffic...yes, you are not there to be a scrooge....you can be reasonable...but an hour late??? That's time for a late fee.

Tell her straight....absolutely do not bring your child over here for child care services unless you pay in cash on Monday for last week. Period. And you will start charging the week of, not the week after. And it is not your problem if she does not have the money.

You are posed to give her 2 weeks of free childcare with the current plan. And she is probably banking on it too.

I say drop her now while your only out 1 week. She is not gonna pay you!

dancer,
i have replied to your posts before, and as far as i know, you always have problems with clients. i have advised you once, and will do it again: you should change professions. a person who has client problems constantly isn't cut out for that profession because the only common denominator in these situations is you.

I'll make this VERY easy.

No signed contract. No child care. PERIOD.
Your contract(s) need to stipulate the following:
* hours of operation
* fees and when they are due and what will happen in the event of a returned check and those fees
* late fees - when they are considered "late" and when the fees are due
* the client is to provide to you (diapers, wipes, bottles, etc.) and information on the child - allergies, shots, schedule, etc.

Stop allowing people to take advantage of you. This W. wants something for nothing. This is nit-picking over things. It is her responsibility to keep her cell phone charged - not yours. So if she's stuck in traffic - then she needs to call you.

If you are desperate for money - this W. can sense it and is taking advantage. Drop her. Stop listening to her sob stories and drop her. You are a professional - act like one. Be one. You are operating a business, not a charity. Yeah - it may sound cold. But it's true. This is YOUR BUSINESS. YOUR LIVELIHOOD. Do not let people take advantage of you.

I think she's going to be a high needs client. I definitely wouldn't let her leave her child if she's not able to pay for last week. If her money is that tight you can pretty well know that she'll continue to be late. The fact that she left very little food and only $7 tells me she's short on money and has no plan B. And then her questioning the late fee tells me she's likely to continue to challenge that. Then, she was late on Saturday after being told she had to pick her up by 3. Not a good sign!

A dead phone is no excuse. I can think of nothing more important than picking up her daughter on time. Was the friend in the hospital her excuse? If so the only way it would fly with me is if that person did actually die. And if she was at the hospital she had lots of phones available.

I wouldn't continue taking her child. As you said, she sounds like she'll continue to take advantage of you.

Why on earth would you take in somebody when they refuse to sign a contract? That's just basic business.

What I see from all your posts is that you let just about everybody take advantage of you. If you read, I would suggest this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/d...

you can't be a doormat unless you lie down.
quit that.
khairete
S.

Around here, you pay in advance or you don't get service. A lot of places have a grace period, 3 or 4 days. But if she owes you a week, I wouldn't let her drop her kid off until she pays you and she should pay you for the current week as well. As for being late, most places charge $1 per minute, and bring cash because it goes directly to the person who had to stay late. You are giving care for her child, you are not her servant or to be at her beck and call. Parents are also required to provide diapers, change of clothes, etc. Some places will give snacks and meals as part of the fee, some require you to pack something. I'm not sure what a center would do if a child came with no food. They probably wouldn't let that child go hungry, but they sure as heck would send warnings and may add money onto the fee or drop them as clients.

She sounds like she'll be a nightmare. I would cut my losses and find someone else to fill your schedule.

Well, c'mon... of course you know it's not right.

My advice, again, because you ALWAYS seem to have this problem, is to get a more traditional job, with an employer.

If you are going to be your own boss, then maybe take some business classes to learn how to manage better.

Honestly, though, I'm sure you're a nice person, but this doesn't seem to be your forte. You type the same post every other week.

Drop her-she's a mess

Not signing the contract should have been your first very huge red flag.
By her not signing it, she was basically telling you that she wasn't prepared to agree to the terms of the contract. That should have been the end of it right then and there.

I did daycare in my home for many kids for many years and I wasn't shy about telling some parents that they needed to find somewhere else for their child. Many times it was because either the child or the parents were too high maintenance and it wasn't worth the trouble to me. For the most part, I had great kids and great parents, but when situations arose where it messed up the flow for me and for everybody else, I didn't tolerate it for long at all. Someone not being able to pay me, someone dropping their kids off a couple of hours early or picking them up a couple of hours late without notice.....it was a "one strike, you're out" kind of thing. Of course emergencies happen, but my established families never would have done those things to me.

I would cut her loose while you're only out the hours you already watched her daughter. You have every right to refuse her as she hadn't paid you OR signed the contract.

It may sound harsh, but I think it's the only realistic solution.

Just my opinion.

Just take this as a learning experience (once you have fixed the mess this client has made, which to a degree, you let her make. But you can fix this!).

The big, waving red flag was when she refused to sign a contract but you took her as a client. None of your clients should be without a contract and payment up front; that is how most child care operates and you should not make any exceptions.

So first: You tell her today both by e-mail and by phone -- so she doesn't turn up with her kid tomorrow -- that if she does not sign the contract AND pay what is already owed as well as a certain amount (two weeks? A month? What do you do with other clients?) in advance at the same time, you and she are no longer doing business. Don't let her wheedle or plead you into "Please please just take my child this one day tomorrow, or just this one week...." Tell her you have done a firm and final review of your business practices and are instituting this policy and be clear it's not just for her but for all your clients. ALL of them.

Then make it so. Give current clients a short time, maybe two weeks, before you fully implement this with good notification to them but after that: Only written contracts, signed before any child walks through your door. Statements on late pickup fees that are set in stone and specify that traffic problems, dead phones, flat tires will still mean they incur the late fee, no exceptions. Does the current contract include statements of your fee structure and due dates of payment (first of the month sounds typical for most types of business, or last of the month)? A firm fee on overdue payments and termination of your services if a payment is X days or weeks overdue? Include in the contract your rules regarding food provision for children (do parents bring it, do you provide, etc.) and issues like diapers (for each child, the parents must provide you with X number diapers minimum per day etc. if that would work for you....) And do this for all clients including ones you already have. Some may bail on you if you are now letting them come late or put off payment but tell them you are firming up all your contracting and payments because this is a business. (If you already have all that in the contract you now use, great, and please forgive me, I'm just brainstorming!)

If the particular client in question here says, as you noted in your post, that she "doesn't agree with" something in your contract, then you invite her to find a different day care provider. Again, don't let her plead her way into stayiing on with you.

I'm assuming you are trained and/or state-licensed--? Have you sought out any online forums for professional day care providers where they can give you better advice than we can here? There may be some form of association or professional group online where child care providers can trade tips and advice and that would be excellent for you to seek out when these kinds of things occur!

Hi, Dancer:

Do you have a problem saying "No?"

If you do, then take some skills training.

First of all, you have your contract typed up and everything
is explained, right?

Secondly, You read her the contract and ask her if she agrees
with what you expect, right?

Thirdly, She doesn't agree with the contract.

Fourthyly, Tell her that you can give her a name of a day care and
telephone number if she would like.

Fifthly, Have a name and number of a day care near her and let her go.

Good luck.
D.

Drop her, Drop her, Drop her-There are red flags everywhere! She'll find out in a big hurry that a daycare will be MUCH harder on her than you. Daycare's do expect payment in advance and you're charged $1 per MINUTE that you are late (traffic or not) and I'm sure if she were that late at a daycare without calling she would be turned into CP. She owes you $60 ;) Your time is just as important as hers and if she doesn't realize or understand that It's time to cut your losses-RUN!

Honestly, unless you're hurting for work, I would drop her. It sounds like she will be hard to work with and you're likely to get stiffed in the future even if you don't now. A fee for late parents is not uncommon (although my provider has a 15-minute "bad traffic" clause built in, which is nice - anything after that is a dollar per minute. I understand why - it's better than paying $20 for being 5 minutes late, but it's also obnoxious to be told you owe $3 or something like that.)

Paypal..cash..money order. Don't take a check from someone who tells you they don't have money & doesn't provide decent meals or sufficient diapers for their child.

Meet the parent away from your home while you run errands today to get payment (no check!!!!) and signed contract. Don't take the child on Monday if no payment received by this evening. Then get on Craigslist..ask local businesses if you can leave ads..Use this upcoming week to not only advertise your business but also offer drop in childcare for those needing last minute care (Cash or Money Order at drop off @ the latest). Also use this week to figure out what you'll do if parents are late besides asking for late fee. I've used daycares requiring pick up at a local police station if late and the parents can't be reached. Can you use some cloth diapers for emergencies if disposables are too pricey right now?

You mentioned taking your puppy to the vet. Have you considered pet sitting to bring in money? Obviously you can't watch kids and pets at the same time so I'm talking about when don't have a reliable childcare family.