{Video} What To Do When Daycare Parents Take Advantage Of You

Katie sent in a heartbreaking question about daycare parents that have clearly overstepped and taken advantage of her caring nature.  They’re expecting her to watch their children during the day, in the evenings, on weekends, and even overnight!

Katie has four kids of her own, and is at the end of her rope.  Watch the video for my solution to her dilemma.

What advice would you give Katie?  Leave it in the comment section below!

4 Comments

  1. February 9, 2016
    First of all, I think any provider who has been around for awhile can certainly relate. I too was a push-over! I remember thinking why would any one take advantage of me when I am caring for their child. Well, after 10+ years I can tell you it has happened several times. In fact it has happened enough times that I think I was just about forced to come up with some strategies to insure that it doesn’t happen anymore (at least not often).

    I have found that you, the provider, need to set the tone from the start. When you first meet with the parents let them know what your hours of care are. I have found it helpful to explain to parents that just like other state agency, I am only licensed to be open for the hours on my license and would be subject to fines and penalty should care extend before or after those set times. BTW When I realized this years ago, it was a little easier for me to enforce stricter times with parents.

    I would suggest asking parents what hours they actually need and putting those specific drop-off and pick-up times in your contract. Also, think about including language that explains what happens if they go beyond those hours. Like …

    I would set in place hefty extended day fee policy. Most larger preschools have a policy of something like a $1 a minute when a parent goes over their pickup time. I have a similar policy and I can tell you it usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice nowadays. No one likes paying fees!

    Finally, think about sending out policy reminders to parents throughout the year. It can be an honest thing to forget some rule or policy details from months ago. I find it helpful to send out random reminders about different policies or child care issues to try to avoid issues in the first place.

    One more thing; parents will sometimes still tease me with questions like “how much do you charge again to keep him overnight?” (especially on Fridays). I laugh and tell them “You couldn’t afford it!”

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  2. February 10, 2016
    Being firm with boundaries can be tough, but you have to do it or you will burn out quickly! I thought your advice was spot on.

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  3. February 10, 2016
    So many great points! While not quite as extreme, I have had similar issues with different families, and saying “no” gets so much easier over time! I also always remind parents that it is a business and they wouldn’t want their boss to keep them from family time, they way they are keeping me from mine (but that’s always for someone who might be more insistent on the extra hours, most families understand as soon as the boundary is reset). Best of luck!

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  4. February 23, 2016
    I have parents think their kids need to be here 3 hours after they get off work because they want to go home take a nap and a shower. That’s fine with me because I make more money so they know I charge extra for this it is in my contract and they don’t seen to care about paying extra.

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