Anonymous
Post 03/23/2020 19:29     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this thread as I haven’t seen it addressed by prominent outlets or DC govt even though a lot of people in the DMV depend on daycare. I want to continue paying but if my facility isn’t even open, does it seem fair to ask for a reduced price? We have been told the daycare will be closed until the end of April. Our notification of closure/pay came in a group text with little explanation and I haven’t heard from anyone in over a week. There’s no heat/lights on right now so why do I need to pay full price every week? Would it be splitting hairs to ask for more transparency (in a more elegant way than I just put it of course).


Of course it wouldn't! I'm not paying my dry cleaner's bills. I'm not paying the bills for the baristas at the coffee shop I go to that's closed down. Why should we all pay for a service that we're not receiving? I can understand a few weeks, but 2 or 3 months of paying $1,500 bills, or more, for each kid?

We're not made of money. Not happening.
If you are not made of money the people who provide you these services are made of less. Obviously no one can continute to pay indefinitely for services they aren't receiving but this is an unusual time. If you think you will run out of money in a month realize that people who live paycheck to paycheck will be out of money next week. Lobby your government to provide relief where it is truly needed and maybe we can all collectively see our way out of this. Financially, emotionally and intact as decent human beings.


I can’t lobby them - I am trying to work FT (at the same time as DH is, too) and trying to entertain three young kids who haven’t been anywhere but our property for a long time. Plus, MD assembly adjourned early.

I have to decide this week and I think I will withdraw/stop paying. We had a contractual agreement; I paid for one month of nothing already (not even tax benefits of donating even though that’s essentially what it was). This is a weird situation, but that applies to me as well as to them.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2020 19:29     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
My kids daycare expects us to continue paying the full amount. It’s not worth it. We’re going to get a nanny. I’m 14 was pregnant and had been thinking about it before all this started.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2020 18:58     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this thread as I haven’t seen it addressed by prominent outlets or DC govt even though a lot of people in the DMV depend on daycare. I want to continue paying but if my facility isn’t even open, does it seem fair to ask for a reduced price? We have been told the daycare will be closed until the end of April. Our notification of closure/pay came in a group text with little explanation and I haven’t heard from anyone in over a week. There’s no heat/lights on right now so why do I need to pay full price every week? Would it be splitting hairs to ask for more transparency (in a more elegant way than I just put it of course).


Of course it wouldn't! I'm not paying my dry cleaner's bills. I'm not paying the bills for the baristas at the coffee shop I go to that's closed down. Why should we all pay for a service that we're not receiving? I can understand a few weeks, but 2 or 3 months of paying $1,500 bills, or more, for each kid?

We're not made of money. Not happening.
If you are not made of money the people who provide you these services are made of less. Obviously no one can continute to pay indefinitely for services they aren't receiving but this is an unusual time. If you think you will run out of money in a month realize that people who live paycheck to paycheck will be out of money next week. Lobby your government to provide relief where it is truly needed and maybe we can all collectively see our way out of this. Financially, emotionally and intact as decent human beings.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2020 17:49     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this thread as I haven’t seen it addressed by prominent outlets or DC govt even though a lot of people in the DMV depend on daycare. I want to continue paying but if my facility isn’t even open, does it seem fair to ask for a reduced price? We have been told the daycare will be closed until the end of April. Our notification of closure/pay came in a group text with little explanation and I haven’t heard from anyone in over a week. There’s no heat/lights on right now so why do I need to pay full price every week? Would it be splitting hairs to ask for more transparency (in a more elegant way than I just put it of course).


Of course it wouldn't! I'm not paying my dry cleaner's bills. I'm not paying the bills for the baristas at the coffee shop I go to that's closed down. Why should we all pay for a service that we're not receiving? I can understand a few weeks, but 2 or 3 months of paying $1,500 bills, or more, for each kid?

We're not made of money. Not happening.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2020 12:57     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
I’m grateful for this thread as I haven’t seen it addressed by prominent outlets or DC govt even though a lot of people in the DMV depend on daycare. I want to continue paying but if my facility isn’t even open, does it seem fair to ask for a reduced price? We have been told the daycare will be closed until the end of April. Our notification of closure/pay came in a group text with little explanation and I haven’t heard from anyone in over a week. There’s no heat/lights on right now so why do I need to pay full price every week? Would it be splitting hairs to ask for more transparency (in a more elegant way than I just put it of course).
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2020 10:18     Subject: How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Appreciate this insight. Tough to swallow almost $500 a week when our daycare is eligible for DC grants + employees could get unemployment.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2020 12:09     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Staff should be eligible for unemployment when they are laid off. Then get hired back when daycares open again.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 20:16     Subject: How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
My daycare is crediting March’s tuition and not charging again until we get back. And I’m worried they laid off all the teachers!
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 18:48     Subject: How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Anonymous wrote:Question for those who aren't planning on paying - do you expect to keep your child's spot when you want to come back, or are you effectively withdrawing them permanently?


Withdrawing. We were going to withdraw in June for K anyway.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 18:33     Subject: How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Anonymous wrote:Ours is giving us the choice to continue to pay for future credit when we return OR stopping payments as of next week. I think we will continue to pay, as I have more cash flow now that i'm not commuting, driving, buying lunch out, spending money on entertainment, getting clothes dry cleaned...


I think that makes good sense! We told our daycare provider we would pay full tuition through the end of the month. If they are closed beyond that, I will need to arrange different childcare or significantly change my work schedule (possibly go down to 75% versus 100%), so we won’t be paying them beyond that. I understand this does not hold our daughter’s spot, but my husband and I still have to work in order to get paid. Since it’s unclear how long this will go on, I’m comfortable giving up her spot, particularly because we are leaving the area in May/June.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 16:29     Subject: How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Ours is giving us the choice to continue to pay for future credit when we return OR stopping payments as of next week. I think we will continue to pay, as I have more cash flow now that i'm not commuting, driving, buying lunch out, spending money on entertainment, getting clothes dry cleaned...
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 16:22     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
We have to pay regardless. Another reason to hate daycare.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 14:50     Subject: How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Question for those who aren't planning on paying - do you expect to keep your child's spot when you want to come back, or are you effectively withdrawing them permanently?
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 10:24     Subject: Re:How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Our preschool/daycare is closed for the foreseeable future but we still have to pay for the full term. Our school’s explanation is that private elementary and high schools aren’t refunding tuition. We’ll be paying until June.
Anonymous
Post 03/19/2020 08:46     Subject: How Long to Pay Daycare - COVID
Anonymous wrote:We're paying both our children's daycare bills even though they're both out of daycare. If they're out of daycare for more than 2-4 weeks, should we stop paying even if it risks us not being able to get back in these daycares? I understand they need to pay their workers, but we're not going to pay $3,500/month for two kids for 4-6 months, if not longer.

Anyone going through this? Have you been contacted by your daycare provider?


I have a feeling most parents will stop paying, so there will be plenty of spots open when the daycare eventually reopens. Just be polite when you explain to them why you're withdrawing.