It’s DC normal. Nobody else in the us does things like dc.

Anonymous wrote:I don't keep the spot open for 6 mos. In 6 mos some of the the infants in that room will age up to the next room. So I know that there is an opening on x date and your registration fee reserved that spot. We have lots of families who want spots so if things change for the first family then we can offer the spot to the next family. It is not necessary to charge tons of money to parents up front to run the business successfully.

this would be my thought. If you know you want the spot in March in a infant room, the daycare should know if they have babies aging up in Feb/March or not til July and be able to tell you that. I can see them asking for the first month as a deposit to then hold that spot that’s guaranteed to you. But to pay for several months is absurd.

I don't keep the spot open for 6 mos. In 6 mos some of the the infants in that room will age up to the next room. So I know that there is an opening on x date and your registration fee reserved that spot. We have lots of families who want spots so if things change for the first family then we can offer the spot to the next family. It is not necessary to charge tons of money to parents up front to run the business successfully.

Anonymous wrote:i own a center and we do not operate this way. You hold your spot for $150 that is it. We are in Tysons so not sure if there is a different practice in DC.

If a customer wants to hold a spot for six months you’re willing to lose all of that income? For infant spot that seems like you would be losing a lot of money. I wouldn’t charge the $150 but I wouldn’t charge for a waitlist.

Did you communicate with the people before sending them your money? Did you hand it to them in person and have a discussion about it? If not then lesson learned.

i own a center and we do not operate this way. You hold your spot for $150 that is it. We are in Tysons so not sure if there is a different practice in DC.

Anonymous wrote:OP here: The paper work I filled out says:

There is no guarantee of a spot until I have
been notified of an opening and have paid a deposit equal to one month’s tuition. There is a waitlist
fee of $150.00 that is non-refundable that must be submitted.

So to me this means I would have to pay 1 month tuition, not 6 to hold my spot.

If a spot opens up in November 2022 and you are #1 on the waitlist, they will offer you the spot. If you want the spot, it means you start paying for the spot no matter when you start sending your baby. If you decline the spot, they will keep you on the waitlist, but move to the next person. But if no one else leaves by March 2023, they can not guarantee you a spot.

Otherwise the daycare is losing money holding an open spot for you.

It expensive, yes. But it's just how it is. We had to pay for a few extra months to hold spots for our infants at our daycare. It was worth the peace of mind for me honestly, to know I had it there when I was ready to go back to work.

right- like you shouldn't call it a wait list then lol
I paid $150 for you to cash my check.

Yes, OP, that's how it works. If you choose to pass on the current spot, someone further down on the waitlist will take it (either they need care now or will pay until they do). If another spot opens up between now and March 2023, you can take that spot and pay less, but you're gambling that another spot will open up. The daycare can't afford to be one tuition short for six months when they have parents who want to start now.

Yes, it’s normal. If there is a spot open and you want it then you need to pay for it even if you are not using it. But I think the $150 waitlist fee is excessive.

Yes, it works this way.

OP here: The paper work I filled out says:

There is no guarantee of a spot until I have
been notified of an opening and have paid a deposit equal to one month’s tuition. There is a waitlist
fee of $150.00 that is non-refundable that must be submitted.

So to me this means I would have to pay 1 month tuition, not 6 to hold my spot.

This is how it works.

Where I live $50 is a more typical fee, but, yes, it's normal. It's basically an administrative fee (someone has to process the applications, communicate with people, etc.). I'm sure it also cuts down on the number of applications from people who are not serious.

Infant rooms are tricky. We ended up getting a nanny at first, but when my child transitioned to a center they were able to let us know about a vacancy a few months in advance. We had to pay in full for that month to hold the spot but we did not have to pay in the interim because the other child was still there. Most places can't afford to hold a spot for you for free.

I sent in a wait list application and fee of $150 a few months ago and never heard anything so I sent an email asking if they received my information (the cashed the check) and if they would have availability in March when I requested it.

This is the response I got:

As of right now, we have open slots in the infant room, I can not guarantee a spot for March 2023, Our waitlist does not guarantee a spot. Our enrollment is based on a first-come basis. The only way to guarantee a spot is to pay for the months leading up to March. What I can do is update you each month leading up to March,

I dont understand- why did I pay $150 or get on a "waitlist" and now they are saying I would have to pay for 6 months to guarantee I have a spot. Is this how it normally works? I really liked this place bc it is walking distance from my house but this seems a little crazy.