I have an in home daycare and the parents haven't paid in over a month

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

She pays, or she is taking advantage of you. You stop providing unpaid childcare, period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

It would already be so much cheaper for her to bail, find a new daycare, and never pay you what she already owes. IF you can get her to pay her outstanding balance, insist on payment in advance. Always. You are a small business owner not a payday lender, don’t let yourself be sucked into the loan servicing business by people like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

It would already be so much cheaper for her to bail, find a new daycare, and never pay you what she already owes. IF you can get her to pay her outstanding balance, insist on payment in advance. Always. You are a small business owner not a payday lender, don’t let yourself be sucked into the loan servicing business by people like this.

I understand that but I don't think she's going to bail. I am very close to her daughter. She finally adjusted without crying in the mornings/ evenings. Why would her mom want to do that to the poor child? That would be so sad.

[Anonymous]

THink of it this way, OP. When she doesn’t pay you and you work for free, or work in advance of payment, you are effectively lending YOUR FAMILY’S money to this lady. Would you lend this lady a few hundred dollars? OF course not! Payment in full, prepay for future care, or find a new client. Not your problem who babysits her kid on Monday, you need to get paid. Go to the daycare.com forums and ask for advise there. Those ladies will set you straight.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had 3 kids in home daycare. One provider required weekly payments, due the Friday before for the upcoming week. That was the policy. No exceptions. If you didn’t bring the check on Friday she didn’t watch your kid the next week. I had no problem with that policy as a parent.

My other provider got paid monthly, at the beginning of the month. Late payment meant no care until she got the money. Again, I think it was a totally fair way to ensure she got paid for her time.

Going forward, insist on being paid before services are rendered. No pay, no care. Then you won’t be in this uncomfortable position. Enforce the policy strictly and without exception. I say this as a parent who greatly respects the care that daycare providers give me and my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

It would already be so much cheaper for her to bail, find a new daycare, and never pay you what she already owes. IF you can get her to pay her outstanding balance, insist on payment in advance. Always. You are a small business owner not a payday lender, don’t let yourself be sucked into the loan servicing business by people like this.

I understand that but I don't think she's going to bail. I am very close to her daughter. She finally adjusted without crying in the mornings/ evenings. Why would her mom want to do that to the poor child? That would be so sad.

She would do it because she’s a scammer. I’m sure you take amazing care of her daughter and her daughter probably cares a great deal for you. That doesn’t change the fact that this woman is using you and could very likely bail as soon as she realizes the gravy train has stopped.

She’s like the people that go from apartment to apartment never paying rent and just squatting until they are evicted. They never have any intention of paying rent, they just want a free place to live for as long as they can get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

I think you aren't being honest with yourself.

[Anonymous]

OP, when my kids were little, I had a small home daycare. I kept five kids in addition to my own. It was perfect because it allowed me to stay at home with my children and still have an income. Overall, it was a really great experience. When you take care of children in your home, you tend to form close relationships with the families. At least I did. It's really important to maintain a friendly business relationship with your clients. It can be difficult to hold that boundary, but it's critical. You are not doing this woman a favor. You are providing a service.

Before you do anything else, demand payment. Tell her that you cannot provide childcare for free. Once she pays you the full amount, send her an email letting her know that you are changing the way you accept payments. Payments must be made weekly, in advance. In other words, you'll need payment Monday morning before accepting a child for the week. If there is no payment, you cannot provide care. Provide a receipt each week for payment.

I would allow her to catch up this time. Give her the opportunity to pay on time now that you've clearly communicated the expectation. BUT, if it ever happens again, you drop her child. You asked earlier, what she would do for child care. That's not your problem. You upheld your end of the agreement by being available to care for her child. She did not uphold her end of the agreement. You can feel compassion for her without allowing her to take advantage of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

I think you aren't being honest with yourself.

And I think you're jumping to conclusions. I don't immediately think the worst of people. I have known this woman for many months. I was never paid in advance when I worked as a nanny. I will change my payment schedule now.

[Anonymous]

I think one problem is that you are treating this like a nanny arrangement. Nannies usually get paid after they’ve provided services. If they work additional hours, it gets added to the total. Day care providers generally get paid before they provide the service. If they do additional babysitting for a client, they get paid for that immediately after the parents return home/for pick up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think one problem is that you are treating this like a nanny arrangement. Nannies usually get paid after they’ve provided services. If they work additional hours, it gets added to the total. Day care providers generally get paid before they provide the service. If they do additional babysitting for a client, they get paid for that immediately after the parents return home/for pick up.

Op here: You're absolutely right. I've always been paid after providing childcare so I felt weird about asking for money upfront. I need to change my policy. I have a very small daycare. It's only 3 children and 1 child is my son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

I think you aren't being honest with yourself.

And I think you're jumping to conclusions. I don't immediately think the worst of people. I have known this woman for many months. I was never paid in advance when I worked as a nanny. I will change my payment schedule now.

You haven't known her very long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you don’t shut this down soon, she’s going to owe you so much money that SHE will have leverage over YOU. She’ll pay you small amounts, not enough to catch up but enough to keep you giving her more time while she uses up more of your services. Then she’ll owe you so much, you’re not going to want to push your luck for fear of never getting paid.

Remember, if you owe the bank $100, you have a problem. You owe the bank a million dollars, they have a problem. She’s treating you like a lender and running up her tab as much as she can before you stop her.

This.

I would insist on payment in full and a deposit.

Send the reminder email. On Monday, if she doesn’t pay, she can’t leave her child.

Op here: I sent her a reminder email and said we need to switch to weekly or biweekly payments. I think I am going to ask to be paid in advance. This lady has already caused a lot of stress with other things. I have been thinking about letting her go.

She isn't going to pay you, so fill that spot with another family.

Then what is she going to do next week for childcare? I have a key to her house. I have been doing a lot of babysitting on the weekends for her. My child is also best friends with her daughter. I don't think she's going to bail out.

I think you aren't being honest with yourself.

And I think you're jumping to conclusions. I don't immediately think the worst of people. I have known this woman for many months. I was never paid in advance when I worked as a nanny. I will change my payment schedule now.

I just hope you get your money.
Pls let us know...

[Anonymous]

So, do you want to be a childcare provider or not?
Right now you're just letting yourself be used.

I have done childcare as a business.

- As stated in the contract, payment is due on X schedule.

- Non payment means no care, ESPECIALLY for a new client. Payment due in full via transfer or cash before care could resume.

Clients arrived on payment day with payment in hand because my approach didn't allow for anything different. I did care for friend's kids, real friends who didn't and don't take advantage of me.

If you want to be paid, demand it and follow through. If you want to provide free babysitting then carry on.

[Anonymous]

Did you tell her yet, OP??