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What would you do if a parent just simply couldn’t pay you on time and they give you a heads up? DCM Texted me saying that they wouldn’t be able to pay me until Thursday next week when payment is due on Mondays. She was honest with why and that they literally cant pay me on monday. Ive had their child for a year and they are pretty nice people. They have been late on payment before..
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I would thank her for being up front with communicating their inability to pay ahead of time but I would still not be willing to provide care until they paid in full INCLUDING the applicable late fee.
I’d provide care without payment in an extremely rare circumstance such as a long term family that had a stellar payment history.
”Nice” should never equate to trust in my opinion so you would have to use your own personal judgement here but I’d charge a late fee either way. -
"I am sorry, that does not work for me. You may pay by credit card, though."
Do you really think they would ask their mortgage, cable, water or power company to wait?
Just no.Comment
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Right im having such a hard time with this. Like what if MY life depended on it and MY bills were due. Im too nice and somehow make these people feel like im their friend.Comment
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But why are YOU the bill she feels she can skip on? The one who cares for her child? She could let the cable, internet, gym, phone, hair, nails, spring clothes, etc. go, first.Last edited by Cat Herder; 02-11-2022, 05:06 AM.
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What I would do and what I know I should do are two different things, unfortunately.
For me, a lot would depend on their current excuse as well as how many times they've paid late before and the reason behind those late pays. I do agree with everyone who has commented before me, though. The family really should do everything in their power to pay you on time. If I thought the family was abusing my willingness to give them a break, I would tell them this would be the last time I would accept a late payment.
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This is why I asked how many times they’d be late before. I had a family start the same time they both started new jobs. I let them slide for weeks without late fees. I started charging late fees and they would simply pay them. It was annoying! I finally said I wouldn’t provide care until it was paid on Monday. That straightened them up for a while.Originally posted by e.j. View Post
They asked one day if they could pay a day late, I said sure - but I won’t take DCK into care and it needs to be paid Tuesday by 5:30 or I term. They didn’t bring DCK but paid before the term deadline. About a month later, they missed their first payment, no call no showed for two days and missed the deadline to pay before termination. I termed immediately.
After I termed, I saw photos of the DCP at the local bar damn near every Friday and Saturday.
I regret being understanding and trying to give people a break after a tough year of COVID.Comment
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So she said they are buying their house and all their money is tied up. She would pay by Thursday but try her hardest to pay on time. I dont really know what that means. Is their bank account at 0 because they had to pull it all out for the down payment? Is it that they cant have any withdrawals on their account or they wont get the house? Is their bank account frozen?Comment
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It sounds like they didn’t manage their money. Having just bought a house in 2019, I believe this is not true. We were able to pay our regular bills as we normally would because the bank required us to have our down payment/closing costs, etc. in the bank WEEKS prior to closing.
Now, she wouldn’t be able to use a CC because then her entire loan would need to go to an underwriter again.Last edited by GirlMomma; 02-11-2022, 07:21 AM. -
Oh that would be a hard no then. They didn't just up and buy a house within the last 2 days so she knew darn well that daycare was due. I'd tell her that I would be flexible and hold her space but I won't provide care until they pay IN FULL and the late fee that would be attached.
An emergency (death in the family, ,medical emergency, car accident, house fire, etc... ) is understandable but NOT mis-managing money to buy a house. If they are struggling financially to buy the house, image the issues they will have affording to keep the house.
This is sounding less and less ideal for you. Stick to your policies and require payment before any additional care is provided. If payment isn't made on Thursday or whatever day she said, term. You do NOT need this in your life.
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I am so mad at myself. I had told them that was okay. Im stupid i know. More so because i forgot the infant sibling is starting that week too, so im not getting paid on time for 2 kids.
im beating myself up. Because i should have said “ Hi! For families who pay late there are two options: I wont be able to provide care until I receive payment or If im providing care, the late fees will be attached. So for 2 kids/2 payments..it would be an extra $80 that will need to be added to the check on Thursday. I rely heavily on being paid on time for my bills to be paid on time and late fees will cover any costs associated with me having to pay my bills late because I was paid late. Thank you for understanding!”
one day late is one thing, but if im not being paid until Thursday, that means it wont be in my bank until friday. Basically a week late. Im done being nice. What is wrong with me. Why do i think if i stick to my policies, they will up and leave.Comment
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Don't worry.... You can still fix it.... just text her and say "Hey Joan, I know I said it was okay but after trying to juggle my bills around I am finding it isn't possible without being charged some late fees so unfortunately I am going to have to charge those fees to you since your late payment is impacting my finances so please add $80 to the payment you make on Thursday. If you can't manage the late fee along with payment, the only other option is finding alternate care for the week for the kids until you can afford to pay. I am willing to hold the spaces for you for this week only but if payment and late fee are not paid by Thursday I will need to fill them. Thank you!"
Oh and if they did up and leave, it would be a blessing as it sounds like they are needing you more than you need them plus who wants clients that feel its acceptable to short change you? -
Buying the house isn’t the reason they can’t pay you, it’s because they can’t afford child care for two kids.
Do what BC said and tell them no. Enforce your policies. If they can’t pay you, they won’t be able to pay someone else for childcare either. If they do leave, you can fill their spots someone who appreciates you. -
First of all, you're not stupid and there is nothing wrong with you! It can be hard to say "no" when someone asks a favor of us. I agree with BC...you can always tell the dc parent that after giving it more thought, you realize you can't accept late payment because it will impact your ability to pay your own bills.
Some parents WILL up and leave when a provider sticks to her policies so it makes sense to take that into consideration when you're making your decision to allow a late payment or not. If they do up and leave, though, you really aren't losing much since they can't be depended upon to pay you. Why try to hang on to a parent who can't afford to pay you when you can replace them with a family who will respect you and make it their priority to pay you on time?
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i would text what BC said. They Can use their credit cards because credit companies don’t typically report balances until the end of the month, so the credit report should already be good to go.Originally posted by Momboss View Post
be honest with yourself / what do you lose if they leave? You can say income, but at this point you’re not getting paid for your work
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Momboss What did you end up doing? Did you allow them to just pay later? Keep us updated as to whether or not they did/didn't pay you in full.
I hate when families want to put us in this position at all. Like CH said earlier... what makes them thing we are the ONE financial obligation they can make such requests to?Comment
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I never corrected my mistake, so Im expecting it thursday like she said. She had said shes trying to have it before Thursday, but tomorrow is Wednesday and still nothing. If its not here Thursday ill have to tell her I need it Friday otherwise all the late fees will be applied. This will never happen again! -
Momboss It's hard for sure to be in that position but good that you aren't willing to put your neck out any further if she doesn't follow through. Hopefully they value you enough that they do pay. Stand your ground and don't let their bad financial management impact yours any more than it already has! You got this! Keep us updated...
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I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I find it so odd that people think daycare should not be at least their #2 priority behind a roof over their head. You can't work w/o daycare! But you know they still buy extras like cable, internet, 5 different movie subscriptions, the newest cell phones and video games and sometimes fancy cars. It just astounds me that we even get asked this question.
It's only ever happened to me once. I told her that I don't front the costs to feed and educate your child without payment upfront. I uphold my end of the contract by making sure these expenses are paid and available before your child walks in the door on Monday morning. If you can't uphold your end, then the contract is void.
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It can be a hard place to be! I have made those mistakes before. One family I had to take to court because of it. Another left owing about $200... Definitely learned from my mistakes!! However, I had another family that I trusted and allowed her to pay late occasionally. They were with me for 6 years with no problems. She would get paid weird times and sometimes she had extra when we were struggling and paid for two pay periods at a time. Definitely a rare find though! Over 13 years I've had TWO parents I felt I could trust enough to do something like this. I've had more than I can count that I had to not give even an inch or they would run with it!Comment
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They paid today! For 2 weeks.Comment
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I cut a family for this. They were super nice and their child was delightful. Well, they were super nice until I notified them of termination of care. Then I saw behavior I have never seen from a grown adult before. I notified my licensing person so that if somebody threw a rock through my window or accused me of running a sweatshop out of my home, they would have it on file.
A safe, trustworthy daycare is a basic need for the children of working parents. When providing for their children's basic needs is optional to the parents, you are in for a ride.Last edited by Pestle; 02-17-2022, 10:20 AM.Comment
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