I run a home daycare and closed one day last week for because of snow because the police department was asking that if you don't have to get out please don't because the roads were very bad and many of the businesses ie malls, schools, plants, churches and other daycare were closing as well. My question comes from a mom who believes that she should be refunded for that day(she has 2 children) because if her job would have been open she would have gone to work(her job closed) and her husband went to work and made it "just fine" I also have taken my last two day for the year during the week of Christmas and she has a problem with that because I didn't give her a full 4wk notice like my contract states (contract says 4wks notice will be give does not say whether or not it will be give written or verbal--verbal notice was given at Thanksgiving) so she is refusing to pay those two days as well. Just a little back ground the contract also states she will pay before services are rendered and she pays 2 wks after the fact and always has she stated in the beginning that was how her other daycare provider let her do it and it would be hard to turn that around with 2 kids, so I told her that as soon as she could turn that around the better one yr later no change (and I havn't bugged her about it either) I also have an assistant that would have had to get out in the horrible weather if I would have been open too! What do you think? Any advice?
If it were me this is what I'd do:
1. Give her what she wants
2. Then drop her and say it's not working out.
3. Amend my policy and guidelines
After that, I'd chalk it up as a learning experience and move on. At least she helped you see what you need to implement : )
Life is too short to deal with a pain in the butt. She sounds like an opportunist.
I personally do not think you are out of line and if she wants to push the button on the "contract says 4 weeks" etc then I would push back and remind her that she is in breech of contract with still not paying in advance. I don't think there is anything wrong with requesting pay for those 2 days or for you being closed. I may give her a break with not charging her for the closed day, knowing she too probably lost pay with the company being closed. However as for the christmas and such she should be paying. It sounds as though you are being very reasonable. Good luck and thank you for taking time to share love with kids.
It sounds like this woman has no regard for the contract. I would refuse her children if she did not pay in advance. My kids go to a daycare center. We pay a full month in advance. There are policies for snow and weather related closings and they are written in advance in a handbook. The snow closings are based on the school district and cold closings are as they deem necessary. We do not get a refund for a snow closing.
In the future, I would state the snow or cold closings in your contract...for example, my in home daycare will be closed whenever...(closest school district) is closed. Also, any notices you give her or others I would write a letter (or email with return receipt) so that if questions come up you have proof.
Our daycare has only closed onced because of weather and I can't remember if we still had to pay. Their policy is that we do not have to pay if they are closed for a holiday (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc) and we have notice of which holidays they are closed. They also have a large sign up right now that says "all accounts must be paid in full by Dec 31st". Not sure what you should do about the winter-closing refund. With the new year coming, this may be a good time to send a letter to all your parents about the pay policy. If she continues to pay late, make sure she knows that it is no longer acceptable.
Ditch her...and I can't believe she doesn't pay in advance - that's completely unacceptable!
Our child care closed last week due to the snow (we are in the Twin Cities and driving certainly wasn't treacherous...but that is their call not mine) and we did NOT get a refund and never ever thought for a second that we should. However, if your planned response to "Act of God" type emergencies isn't spelled out in the contract...Make that amendment ASAP. And be sure to outline other emergencies as well. For example, what happens when you or your children are too sick to stay open? What happens if a family emergency causes you to close early? Your families should clearly understand what the monetary repercussions will be.
Onto other issues: You are gracious to give 4 weeks lead time. I would change it starting 1/1/20210 to 2 weeks. And every provider my family has ever used requires payment BEFORE services...Not after. Remind your client of her contractual obligations. After all, I don't get to go to Target and pay for my purchases a week later.
Start putting subtle feelers out there that you may have openings and if you can get them filled, I would fire your client in good conscience.
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I send my 2 year old to an inhome daycare and she gets 2 weeks paid vacation every year and gives us plenty of notice when she takes days off. I think this woman is just looking for a way to get out of paying you but at the same time i kinda see her point with the snow. My daycare does not close due to snow so if we keep the kids home we still pay and if she closes due to being sick we still pay her, but if she closed due to the snow and i suddenly had to call in when i needed to be at work then i think i would say something to not pay for that day. I have no problem paying for sick days and vacation days but if my work is open and i need to go and she closes because of the snow i wouldnt be happy. I think you should re write your contract and state in there payments must be made on time or it is grounds for termination and if you want to close for snow days you need to include that to other wise i say she should get refunded for that day. Good luck that is a tough situation and she sounds like a parent that is looking to get out of paying for anything she can.
Wow, she sounds like trouble, holding you to the letter of the contract but not holding up her end of the contract.
Regarding the 3 points, here's what I'd expect as a mom with a kid in daycare:
- When you closed last week, I would expect to not have to pay (even if schools are closed, work is often not canceled, so we still need daycare). I would especially expect an in-home daycare to stay open, since you didn't have to travel to get there.
- You did give her a verbal notice at Thanksgiving, so just remind her of that and let her know she will need to pay for those days, in advance, just like any other pre-announced vacation day.
- Remind her of the contract's requirement to pay in advance and ask her to choose a date to start paying in advance, you could even put that date into a new contract.
- You may want to revise your contract to assess late fees, or interest, to handle cases like this. You could also ask for a 2 week deposit in exchange for paying 2 weeks post, if she'd prefer that.
Good luck.
Hi C.,
I have two kids in daycare. I pay whether they are there or not, as well as for my daycare lady's two weeks vacation plus holiday vacation. Daycare providers provide a wonderful service and are WAY under-appreciated to begin with. I do have my moments when I think about how much I am paying and wish I didn't have that bill, or could find something cheaper, but a babysitter is MUCH more, and my kids are very happy where they are. She also is willing to work with me when I am not working and lets me "catch up" when I am working -- which I have done. :)
I would tell her that if she would like, the two of you can revisit the contract that you have and either renegotiate it and create a new one, or state that she has broken the contract and she needs to find another provider.
I wish you luck, and I hope you know you ARE appreciated, even if we as parents don't always tell you.
~T.
I did daycare for 5 years. Main thing I learned (the HARD way....) That is part of the reason I am no longer doing daycare-because of a family like that!
GIVE HER A (2 week or whatever yoru policy is) NOTICE NOW!!!!!! Get RID OF HER~
She's not paying you when she signed a contract that states she would. Call your licensor. I believe that would actually give you cause for IMMEDIATE TERMINATION! If your licensor agreest that it does give you ground for immediate termination, call her THE SAME DAY and do it. You will be out the money for now, but if she needs your info for taxes, you will hopefully get paid by April. (I had a lady do that to me too..... I gave her the 2-week notice and she just never came back so I was out my pay till she needed my tax id #.... So, in the end, I did get the last laugh!
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I've never heard of anyone paying 2 weeks AFTER daycare. My contract was the Monday of that week. (Although, after I had a family for a few months I switched their payments to the Friday of the week I worked....so I worked the 5 days first and then got paid...)
I have never closed daycare because of weather. I figure if they want to brave it to work, let them. We had a really bad storm once where I only had 1 kid show up the first day and 3 the second day. By the 3rd, they were all back.
This is your job whether you work for yourself or someone else. Most good jobs will pay for snow day. I understand how you feel because this is what I am struggle with too. If they rental an apartment, they still have to pay for rent for the whole month. It does matter if they are on vacations or stay there for a month. Rent is still due. Well, they are rental daycare space for their children. They are paying for a spot.
It's your daycare,I'd drop her as a customer she seems like a pain in the butt who's going to push an issue with everything.
I work in a daycare and we deal with the same thing. Our policy is if the l0cal school closes so will we cause it is then too dangerous to be on te road. We very rarely close but the few times we have I have had a parent storm my office angry as sin. She told us that we had no right to close even if it was for the safety of our staff. She also said I don't care about your staffs safety you are a buisness and you should be open no matter what. We noticed this is also a parent who pays late and then bucks the late fees. We still close and told her that we care for our staff as well as the safety of her children. We told her this was our policy and if she wasn't happy then this wasn't the right center for her. Guess what she didn't leave. No we don't offer refunds either for the center closing. Stick to your guns it's your buisness and you can make any policy. I don't know any center who doesn't bill ahead. We do. I would give her a date and tell her by this date she needs to start paying like everyone else or you will have to terminate the contract.
Sorry, but I would not be watching her child/children anymore. She is taking advantage of you.
C.,
I am also a childcare provider. If I were you, I would begin interviewing parents and as soon as I have people that are ready to begin, I would give a two-week notice to this family.
About your contract; you need to rewrite your contract and include paragraphs dealing with inclement weather, sickness within your family, etc. so that you can go back and refer to it when a client has issues with closings. Personally, I have written into my contract 5 personal days which can be taken at any given time with notice given to the parents by 6am of that day.
PAID PERSONAL DAYS: I will take up to five personal days per contract year. These days include necessary personal appointments, unforeseen circumstances such as illness or funerals and/or continuing education but may be used for any reason. I will give you as much notice as possible but understandably, advance notice for illness or funerals is minimal.
The reason that I don't include weather related issues is because I am a "teacher's only" childcare and if school is closed, so am I. If I were you, I would state that in my contract about weather related closings.
If you want to see a copy of my contract, contact me and I will forward it to you. I have been at this for 20+ years and have ironed out MOST of the issues!
Good luck!
C.
I just have to say that I've taken my dd to 2 in home daycares and both have told be that they will not close for snow. (An exception would be no power) Since they don't have to travel anywhere. That way if I don't bring my child it is my choice and I still owe them. But I own a business and have to go in so I do count on them being open.
As for the other things if she knew you had time off coming and you told her at Thanksgiving then she owes you. And you need to insist that she gets to paying in advance at the first of the year. Or she could end up leaving you two weeks short if she bolts.
My first thought was no a daycare should not close because of snow. You don't have to go anywhere. Reading on, I see this person is a problem. I have a great daycare that gets paid the monday of every week. Rules are simple you don't pay, you don't bring your child. Now there have been maybe 2 occasions in the past 3 years where I needed to pay late, she has been understanding. This person should not be allowed to pay late all the time and if she was notified at thanksgiving that you would use your days around Christmas than you should be paid for them.
Talk with her, you have more of an issue here than just closing on a snow day.
I still don't feel daycares should close, let others decide if they want to drive as you don't need to go out.
Good Luck with this person
