VENT I'm just so mad!!!!!

[wendow]

I absolutely think she owed you a 2 week notice, as well as her employer deserves a notice. I'm sorry this is happening to you and at such an awful time. You sound like a wonderful caregiver to her children

 

[bumbershoot]

She REALLY needs to work her husband has 3 other children to support and he is a teacher in a low paying school district.

Then maybe she isn't taking her kids out, or out forever. If she has to work, she has to work, and she'll still need you.

 

[mrsklamc]

Maybe her husband makes enough for her to be a stay at home mom if she really wants to. And she might be divided about the whole "have my kids in daycare" thing to start with. So when work isn't great, the "full time Mom" thing looks good.

Yes, that's why I was asking the question of whether she would need another job.

 

[sharbear]

Maybe you dodged a bullet. It sounds like she was a bit of a flake. Even if she gets another job, this is your chance to regroup and find other kids to watch. Hopefully with parents who are more stable. Craigslist sounds like a great idea and I would draw up a contract.

I would be ticked also. She owed you and her employer more notice. And I understand your first post. Even if she had given you notice, you still needed to find other employment and loss of income. Stress you don't need right now.

Good luck and I hope you find a great family to watch. Who respects you.

 

[Allison]

Your right! I was just upset by the timing and no notice

I can understand that.

 

[RitaE]

You really need to come up with a standard contract for your next clients so you can expect things like two weeks notice. It is also a great way to handle items such as paying on time, drop off and pick up policies, penalties for not following the policies and all the other details.

It is hard to demand your clients treat you professionally unless you run your business professionally.

 

[M2B]

A contract may have made sure you were given notice. Some people will walk regardless though, forcing you to go through court.

Another option, and a popular one here, is to have clients pay in advance. Then you institute a "no pay no stay" policy.

Hopefully things turn around soon.

 

[DebMcDonald]

I'm sorry for your frusteration and I was someone who did home daycare for a long time and there was multiple times that someone walked in the door and just gave notice, for whatever reason they had at the moment and it hit hard because that was my salary that I depended on. I did start requiring a two week payment upfront before they started to at least have two more weeks of salary is someone would not give notice. In the end I gave up my job because my husband got laid off and we needed health insurance so I needed to go back to the working world outside of my house and alot of my parents were very angry at me for the decision I made, I think it works both ways and that sometimes people need to make a decision that the feel is best for them at the moment, but I'm sorry for what you are going through, but don't say anything that you will regret later.

 

[TheShea's]

You really need to come up with a standard contract for your next clients so you can expect things like two weeks notice. It is also a great way to handle items such as paying on time, drop off and pick up policies, penalties for not following the policies and all the other details.

It is hard to demand your clients treat you professionally unless you run your business professionally.

Good point regarding the contract. But there may be a reason why there is no contract. Is the OP a licensed day care provider?

 

[javaj]

I think that even without a contract, she should've had the courtesy to provide a week's notice (or an extra week of pay).

If you're looking to continue caring for children, I'd highly recommend care.com!

 

[bopper]

Things my last babysitter had written into her contract:

Two weeks paid notice before leaving
A week of paid vacation and a number of holidays, also paid
Strict closing times and high fines for being late
Pay for the space regardless of whether we used it. Sick? Going out of town? She still got paid to hold the space.


You need a contract and a clear mutual understanding. She does NOT owe it to you to stay in a bad job for your benefit but she absolutely owes you some reliability.

I had the best babysitter in the world. You only paid for when you were there. She didn't want their to be incentive to bring sick kids in.

 

[ssawka]

Good point regarding the contract. But there may be a reason why there is no contract. Is the OP a licensed day care provider?

I was going to make this point. If the OP is not licensed, she would likely have a hard time getting a judge to rule in her favor for breach of contract. Besides that, would it be worth the legal fees if she did not win the case?