When do late fees start accruing for your daycare?

[DisneyLovingMama]

At our school, tuition is due on Monday by 6:30. If you don't have it there, you get a $10 late charge for every day you are late. The school doesn't accept checks or credit cards, so you have to pay cash. You forget to stop at the ATM, you're done.

I don't have a problem with this. I always stop at the ATM on Sunday night and put the money with my DD's things for Monday. But, a lot of parents are starting to grumble saying that other daycares let you have at least until Tuesday or Wednesday until late fees start accruing. Just wondering how true that statement is...

 

[Christine]

At our school, tuition is due on Monday by 6:30. If you don't have it there, you get a $10 late charge for every day you are late. The school doesn't accept checks or credit cards, so you have to pay cash. You forgot to stop at the ATM, your done.

I don't have a problem with this. I always stop at the ATM on Sunday night and put the money with my DD's things for Monday. But, a lot of parents are starting to grumble saying that other daycares let you have at least until Tuesday or Wednesday until late fees start accruing. Just wondering how true that statement is...

Mine always gave a day or two grace period. But I understand them being strict--people will take it all the way until the end of the grace period if they can.

 

[Bob Slydell]

I think ours begins on the day after it's due, but I'm not positive. I've never heard of a daycare that doesn't accept at least checks, though?

 

[Christine]

I think that it wouldn't hurt to give everyone a grace period through closing hours on that Monday.

 

[DisneyLovingMama]

They used to, but there was a group of parents that repeatedly bounced checks. So, noone can write checks now.

 

[Bob Slydell]

They used to, but there was a group of parents that repeatedly bounced checks. So, noone can write checks now.

In that case, I can understand their strictness with having no grace period as well. If they had one, many people would take full advantage of it.

 

[Christine]

They used to, but there was a group of parents that repeatedly bounced checks. So, noone can write checks now.

Wow, I would just have a problem with forking over that amount of cash and sending it in with my child's "stuff" (considering that the adminstrative staff is never normally there when the daycare opens). Nothing like punishing everyone for a few bad apples, huh?

 

[cardaway]

We only have late fees for picking up late. Since we have never had a problem in people bouncing checks or not paying, we don't charge extra because they forgot to pay on a certian day.

 

[CEDmom]

When my DD was in daycare payment was due at dropoff on Monday but wasn't considered late until after noon on Tuesday. The cash thing seems a little odd. I can understand credit cards because those would cost the school $ to process but why not a check ?

 

[barkley]

the daycares my kids attended never permitted weekly payments-they were always monthly and due no later than the 5th of the month (and we paid a month in advance because they had experienced problems wherein someone would get behind in payments and then pull the kid out leaving a huge balance on the books). we were charged a late fee if the payment was'nt received by the end of closing on the 5th, and if the tuition was'nt paid by (i think) the 10th it was interpreted as giving your 2 weeks notice for withdrawl (in which case the kid could no longer attend after the 2 weeks following the due date and the remainder of the monies-maybe 1- 1/2 weeks tuition was refunded following the date the child stopped attending). i know they tried to work with some parents with indivdual pressing circumstances but they got burned so many times they had to take a strong stance. they did offer some alternate payment plans so a parent could pay extra monies on the books and build up a credit towards future tuition (some knew that winter was slow months financialy so they paid extra each month during spring, summer and fall to cover the winter months, some paid a big chunk with tax refunds and it covered months of care).

 

[dcgrumpy]

Ours was due Monday morning, it had to be paid by Wednesday to avoid late fees.

 

[BabyTigger99]

Ours is due by the close of business on Friday. They empty the payment box when they close. Anything after that is a late fee.

 

[mrsltg]

Ours is due on Friday. The posted sign says late fees accrue immediately though there have been a few times in nearly 5 years that we simply forgot the check. They never penalized us. I think it's more protection in case someone decides to abuse the system. I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my kids somewhere where only cash was accepted. Too much temptation for someone to rob the daycare, not to mention unscrupulous employees and lack of receipt for proof.

Erin

 

[DisneyLovingMama]

Sorry I was unclear in my OP -- I never let my DD take it in, I just put it with her stuff so I remember. I actually hand it to the director and get a receipt. I didn't think about the theft potential (from outside the daycare), though.

I think if I'm going to advocate for a change of rules, it'll be that everyone can write checks, but have a one bounced check and you're out rule. Meaning that after a bounced check, you have to pay cash. That would probably alleviate a lot of issues.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Wow, you are supposed to trust them with your child, but they can't trust you not to bounce a check?

I think that they should allow parents to write checks and if they bounce a check then require them to pay cash, at least for a period of time, if not forever.

I have had a home daycare for years and have always had payment due on Monday, but I've never been real strict on that. BUT, I've never been burned badly, either. I've been burned in other ways and have become strict, so I can undertand their policies. And a daycare home like I have is different because I'm not dealing with the large number of people.

But I do not think that they should require cash from everyone because of a few bad apples.

 

[lemondog]

Ours is a little different in that we pay once per month. It's due the 1st of the month, but we have until the 10th before a late fee of 10% is applied.

 

[Kimberle]

The Accountant in me sniff's a "rotten apple". It is way to easy for all the money not to "make it" into the account books. Besides, cash only businesses attract the IRS like "flies on dead meat".....

 

[pajamommy]

I am head teacher at a daycare center.....payment is due by noon on Monday....after that it is $10 a day.....the cash thing is odd to me.....we take checks, no problem.

 

[Blondy876]

My dd's tuition is due by the end of the first full week of the month. For example: March starts tomorrow but her March tution is not considered late until Friday of next week (March 10).

 

[Servants of Evan]

We pay monthy. It's due on the first of the month (provided it's a weekday). Otherwise we pay on the first Monday. If payment isn't made my Tuesday at noon, $10 per day is added. If it's not paid that week, you are not eligible for the monthy discount. We can pay by cash, check or credit card. My debit mastercard is racking up points just from Daycare!