vbs daycare problem no more solved..

[disneyjunkie]

dont know if you got the message but I am only charging them for tues and friday since my husband will be watching them till I get back from VBS. My husband is my sub for when I have doctors appts and such.. but I am charging the drop in rates so it will be 30per day. I am not charging them the whole week now.

Wish DIS had an ignore button sometimes..


If they would have had a problem I would have never volunteered.


I think the prorated fee for this week if the fairest thing to do IMHO

In the 7 yrs I have been watching kids. I have never had a complaint against me and all my kids have a blast either here at my house or on outings. Next yr if i do vbs,swimming outing,zoo and others will be listed months in advance and if they choose not to send their child then that will be their choice. I am not gonna change my rules that have been set for that long because of this situation but will be raising my rates a bit as a previous poster mentioned.. I need to stop being such a friend in my fees and keep the professional and private friendships i have with them seperate


you guys have given me many things to think about thanks

The DIS has an ignore feature.

And in regards to those on the DIS who wouldn't want you as their sitter because they think that you are out of line volunteering at the VBS, well, they probably aren't the kind of people that you'd want as your clients anyway.

Would your employer allow you to volunteer at your church during the hours you're scheduled to work?

 

[tasha99]

I can understand daycares closing for holidays and vacations but when they do that they shouldn't expect people to pay for it.

Now If I'm going on vacation or my kids aren't going to be there that is my choice. I still have to pay

That is your choice as a parent, but many daycares have vacations written into their contracts. Choosing to not pay for your provider's vacation would limit your choices a lot--where I did daycare, the people who didn't write vacations and holidays into their contracts were the people who had no contracts and were unlicensed.

It sounds like you've worked out a compromise you can live with. I still think the parents are out of line, but sometimes it's important to take the high road, especially if you are generally happy working with the family.

I think you'd be exactly what I'd be looking for if I needed a sitter...as long as your rules are clearly laid out, I am positive that you will find many like-minded individuals who would be happy to have you look after their children. And in regards to those on the DIS who wouldn't want you as their sitter because they think that you are out of line volunteering at the VBS, well, they probably aren't the kind of people that you'd want as your clients anyway.[/QUOTE]


Wow.

Yes, I suppose the OP wouldn't want me as a client because I would expect the person I hire to watch my children to actually watch them and not pass them off to people who are strangers to me. I don't care if it is VBS or basketweaving, volunteering your time when you are supposed to be doing your job and people are counting on you is wrong.

Choosing a daycare is a two way street. It's perfectly reasonable for a provider to decline service to a client because their philosophies don't match. Frankly, if I were the OP, I would have considered dropping those clients for going back on their agreement. Maybe it's different now with the recession, but I never had an open slot until I decided to run at 3/4 legal capacity (for my sanity).

 

[Erin1700]

I have been reading this for a few days now. I am also an inhome provider. I very rarely take my kids out and if I do, the parents know far in advance (like the OP did) I would not agree to do VBS and lug the kids with me.
As a parent, I may have agreed to let you take my 8 yr old. BUT I would never have agreed to let you take my 2 yr old.

 

[torinsmom]

It sounds like you've worked out a compromise you can live with. I still think the parents are out of line, but sometimes it's important to take the high road, especially if you are generally happy working with the family.

I think you'd be exactly what I'd be looking for if I needed a sitter...as long as your rules are clearly laid out, I am positive that you will find many like-minded individuals who would be happy to have you look after their children. And in regards to those on the DIS who wouldn't want you as their sitter because they think that you are out of line volunteering at the VBS, well, they probably aren't the kind of people that you'd want as your clients anyway.

I almost posted the same thing early, except it's not really about the VBS thing. It's about someone wanting you to sit in your home and not take the kids anywhere. That means not taking YOUR kids anywhere either. It's about them not trusting you to take the child in your car, and not even leaving a car seat in case there is an emergency(yes I had that happen once and that family was gone in 2 days) Basically, it's parents that want to dictate your rules. If they want to do that, they need a personal nanny. Otherwise, you need to find a provider that has rules and policies you agree with.

Marsha

 

[barkley]

curious-those providers that routinely take their daycare kiddos in their personal vehicals anyplace (errands, field trips, ride alongs while dropping off/picking up their own kiddos from activities, sports...) -do you have buisness vehical insurance for this purpose (and those parents whose providers do this-do you know if your provider does?)?

reason i ask is a friend used to have a lic. family home daycare in and did take the kiddos with her on errands and such. one day she was in a minor car accident with the daycare kiddos in the car-thankfully no major injuries but the kids did need to be checked out and a couple sustained minor injuries. parents as well as provider go to file claims with her car insurance carreir and find there's no coverage because she had a standard personal policy which did'nt provide coverage for using her car as a buisness vehical/engaging in transporting children in the course of her buisness. very nasty situation that cost her a great deal financialy-and lost her a number of clients.

we also ran into this with the private school my kids used to attend-one of the parents who was also employed by it was updating her auto policy and in the course was asked if she ever used her car in the course of her job. she replied "no" but then said that since her child also attended she always volunteered as a field trip driver (school had no bus, used parent volunteers). agent asked if she was on or off the clock when she did that-she explained that since she was a floater the school would just make sure to float her into her child's classroom on filed trip days so "yes" she stayed on the clock for those trips. agent told her that she better check with the school to make sure they had insurance to cover her/occupants/car for those trips because her private policy did'nt (school did'nt, she could'nt afford the rider policy her insurer offered so she no longer drove).

it's something you hope you never have to deal with, but forewarned is forearmed.

 

[happygirl]

curious-those providers that routinely take their daycare kiddos in their personal vehicals anyplace (errands, field trips, ride alongs while dropping off/picking up their own kiddos from activities, sports...) -do you have buisness vehical insurance for this purpose (and those parents whose providers do this-do you know if your provider does?)?

reason i ask is a friend used to have a lic. family home daycare in and did take the kiddos with her on errands and such. one day she was in a minor car accident with the daycare kiddos in the car-thankfully no major injuries but the kids did need to be checked out and a couple sustained minor injuries. parents as well as provider go to file claims with her car insurance carreir and find there's no coverage because she had a standard personal policy which did'nt provide coverage for using her car as a buisness vehical/engaging in transporting children in the course of her buisness. very nasty situation that cost her a great deal financialy-and lost her a number of clients.

we also ran into this with the private school my kids used to attend-one of the parents who was also employed by it was updating her auto policy and in the course was asked if she ever used her car in the course of her job. she replied "no" but then said that since her child also attended she always volunteered as a field trip driver (school had no bus, used parent volunteers). agent asked if she was on or off the clock when she did that-she explained that since she was a floater the school would just make sure to float her into her child's classroom on filed trip days so "yes" she stayed on the clock for those trips. agent told her that she better check with the school to make sure they had insurance to cover her/occupants/car for those trips because her private policy did'nt (school did'nt, she could'nt afford the rider policy her insurer offered so she no longer drove).

it's something you hope you never have to deal with, but forewarned is forearmed.

You made a good point about car insurance

 

[klj27]

I have an add on to my home insurers for in home childcare. I asked my insurance agent about needing extra auto insurance and he said no because I am not driving as part of the business. (taking the kids to their activities, etc.) I am picking up my child from school and the other kids happen to be along.

I was involved in an accident 8 years ago and no problems came out of it. I know the parents of my day care children received a settlement from the other drivers insurance company and I never hid the fact that these were kids I was babysitting.

 

[ehstrojette]

I have insurance for daycare on both home and auto thank god. Thanks for the input

 

[luvmy3]

I almost posted the same thing early, except it's not really about the VBS thing. It's about someone wanting you to sit in your home and not take the kids anywhere. That means not taking YOUR kids anywhere either. It's about them not trusting you to take the child in your car, and not even leaving a car seat in case there is an emergency(yes I had that happen once and that family was gone in 2 days) Basically, it's parents that want to dictate your rules. If they want to do that, they need a personal nanny. Otherwise, you need to find a provider that has rules and policies you agree with.

Marsha

Actually you missed exactly the problem that some of us DISers have with what the OP is doing. It really has nothig to do with anything you mentioned. Its about a daycare provider agreeing to volunteer her time to another seperate PERSONAL OBLIGATION during the time she is supposed to be doing her primary obligation, caring for her daycare kids. This is nothing like a field trip, or gettig the kids out of the house. And yes when it comes to the care of my children, and I'm paying someone based on the fact that they SHOULD be caring for my children I do expect them to not volunteer to do any job at the same time. If she wants to take them to the museum, park, out to McDonalds, fishing etc there would be absolutely no problem, but during her posted *daycare* hours I would expect her to do daycare to the children she is being paid to care for (at her home or on a fieldtrip), not volunteer to teach at another place adding more kids to her responsibilities and sending one of her kids to a seperate class that she isn't even going to supervise.

 

[happygirl]

Wish DIS had an ignore button sometimes..


If they would have had a problem I would have never volunteered.


I think the prorated fee for this week if the fairest thing to do IMHO

In the 7 yrs I have been watching kids. I have never had a complaint against me and all my kids have a blast either here at my house or on outings. Next yr if i do vbs,swimming outing,zoo and others will be listed months in advance and if they choose not to send their child then that will be their choice. I am not gonna change my rules that have been set for that long because of this situation but will be raising my rates a bit as a previous poster mentioned.. I need to stop being such a friend in my fees and keep the professional and private friendships i have with them seperate



you guys have given me many things to think about thanks

I have never understood why people want to ignore those who have a different opininon. If you put something on a message you have to take the good with the bad

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

Wow.

Yes, I suppose the OP wouldn't want me as a client because I would expect the person I hire to watch my children to actually watch them and not pass them off to people who are strangers to me. I don't care if it is VBS or basketweaving, volunteering your time when you are supposed to be doing your job and people are counting on you is wrong.

I didn't mean my comment as a slur against those who don't agree with the OPs' daycare philosophy - I just meant that there are people who DO feel that it is okay for their sitters to do things like VBS (or basketweaving or volunteering) even when they are watching their kids. Not everyone feels the same way as many of you do about their care providers, and that's okay. We all want what's best for our kids, and what's important is that we find the right match between our kids' needs, our needs, and our sitters' needs.

As a parent, I've volunteered at programmes that my kids attended, and my kids have gone into nurseries when they are smaller. They really enjoyed it. My sitter took my kids to various lessons and left them there while they had them, just like I would have. I expected her to treat my kids as if they were her own.

My sitter had to take my kids to and from school (there weren't any school busses where we were living), so I had to trust her with them in the car. If I can trust her to drive them to school, why shouldn't I be able to trust her to take them to the grocery store, or the mall?

I never really saw my sitter as a 'service provider', but as someone who would not only care for but care about my kids. I wanted my kids to have as close to the experience of a "stay-at-home" mom as they could when I couldn't be there. I realize that not everyone wants that, but I wanted my kids to experience "everyday life". I didn't want them to be at a centre in a school-like environment - I felt that they have enough years of that ahead of them!

 

[happygirl]

I actually said I thought it was great she was doing VBS. I don't think she should charge during that time.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

Would your employer allow you to volunteer at your church during the hours you're scheduled to work?

I guess that's one of the differences. I never really saw myself as an "employer" to my babysitter. My kids became members of her family when she looked after them. This is the arrangement I chose, and I would have been happy for her to volunteer as long as I was comfortable with the arrangements she had made for them to be looked after (which, given that I trusted her judgement absolutely, I am sure there wouldn't have been a problem).

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I guess that's one of the differences. I never really saw myself as an "employer" to my babysitter. My kids became members of her family when she looked after them. This is the arrangement I chose, and I would have been happy for her to volunteer as long as I was comfortable with the arrangements she had made for them to be looked after (which, given that I trusted her judgement absolutely, I am sure there wouldn't have been a problem).

Yes but the bottom line is that they are not your family. You pay them for a service. Running errands and going on regular fieldtrips is one thing. Having your sitter volunteer to teach other people's kids and then send yours to someone else for them to watch while you pay her is wrong. Sorry, but that is not right. As a parent you get to decide who you want to watch your children. The sitter doesn't get to decide. You might meet the person at the nursery and be fine with it or you may meet them and say no way! Either way I don't want my child in someone else's care when I specifically chose who I want to take care of them. That is my problem with this scenario. It is not a fieldtrip. It is something the OP wants to do- not the kids or parents that pay her.

 

[robinb]

Yes but the bottom line is that they are not your family. You pay them for a service. Running errands and going on regular fieldtrips is one thing. Having your sitter volunteer to teach other people's kids and then send yours to someone else for them to watch while you pay her is wrong. Sorry, but that is not right. As a parent you get to decide who you want to watch your children. The sitter doesn't get to decide. You might meet the person at the nursery and be fine with it or you may meet them and say no way! Either way I don't want my child in someone else's care when I specifically chose who I want to take care of them. That is my problem with this scenario. It is not a fieldtrip. It is something the OP wants to do- not the kids or parents that pay her.

But ... but ... but ... the parents of the 2-year old DID decide for themselves. The OP told them about the options and they decided to make other arrangements (grandparents) when the OP's back-up couldn't stay home with their daughter. The OP is also not charging them for the time the 2-year old will be with her grandparents.

I think it's a big stretch to say that she is doing this only for herself. Out of the 4 kids she sits for, 3 of them will be going to VBS including the 2-year old's 5-year old sibling *and* 12-year old sibling who she doesn't sit for. The two 5-year olds will be with her in her class while the 10 and 12 year old go to their own age appropriate classes. I am sure that all of them will have a blast.

 

[wvjules]

I'm so glad some of you summarized what the OP was trying to say. I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

I agree with the posters that say she shouldn't charge for the 2 year old.

 

[luvmy3]

But ... but ... but ... the parents of the 2-year old DID decide for themselves. The OP told them about the options and they decided to make other arrangements (grandparents) when the OP's back-up couldn't stay home with their daughter. The OP is also not charging them for the time the 2-year old will be with her grandparents.

I think it's a big stretch to say that she is doing this only for herself. Out of the 4 kids she sits for, 3 of them will be going to VBS including the 2-year old's 5-year old sibling *and* 12-year old sibling who she doesn't sit for. The two 5-year olds will be with her in her class while the 10 and 12 year old go to their own age appropriate classes. I am sure that all of them will have a blast.

I totally disagree with the bolded.

Two questions for the OP to answer- Would she volunteer to teach VBS even if she wasn't running a daycare (like on her own time, maybe for her own child)? and Did the parents specifically ask her to teach a VBS class so their kids who are in their care could have an opportunity to go? If she answers *no* to either than she is doing it for herself, even though it may benefit the kids in her care.

 

[robinb]

I totally disagree with the bolded.

Two questions for the OP to answer- Would she volunteer to teach VBS even if she wasn't running a daycare (like on her own time, maybe for her own child)? and Did the parents specifically ask her to teach a VBS class so their kids who are in their care could have an opportunity to go? If she answers *no* to either than she is doing it for herself, even though it may benefit the kids in her care.

And I totally disagree with you. I don't think the answers to those questions have any relevance. I think you are simply grasping at straws in order to paint the OP as a selfish and incompetent caregiver.

 

[daughtersrus]

Would your employer allow you to volunteer at your church during the hours you're scheduled to work?

Daycare is not an employer/employee arrangement. If it were, the parents would be responsible to pay the "nanny tax" for the provider just as your employer is responsible to pay a portion for your FICA taxes. Most home providers that I know, are self-employed and therefore, they are their own boss.

 

[luvmy3]

And I totally disagree with you. I don't think the answers to those questions have any relevance. I think you are simply grasping at straws in order to paint the OP as a selfish and incompetent caregiver.

Excuse me, I never said she was selfish or incompetent. I've already stated that I don't believe she should have agreed to teach that class during the time she is supposed to be providing daycare to her kids but I don't think it makes her selfish because she did. It also doesn't make her incompetent so I think you are the one grasping at straws here to paint your own picture of what you want me to mean