Anonymous wrote:I made a mistake and paid $125 for the waitlist at St. Albans Early Childhood Center. Before applying, I called and asked about the waitlist and was told it could be a few weeks to a few months. Once we got the number which is 50+ feels more like years or never until we are offered a spot. And our waitlist number increased by a few spots (preferences to alumni, siblings, etc).

Why such secrecy about the number of people on the waitlist?

Because some places don’t take kids strictly in order. They balance the ages and genders of infants to move up through their programs in a cohort.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We paid to be on a waitlist for a daycare that said the average wait was 12mo-18mo. 5 years later, still no spot, I asked for a refund citing the false promise. I received it.

this, we spent years on waitlists. Once Pre-K rolled around and they were no longer relevant, we asked for refunds and got one from every center (one required threatening small claims court)

Wow! You’re a winner. I just wish one would have had you sign a document saying it was non refundable. Or better yet called you on your bluff and went to court. The judge would have reprimanded you for bringing a case for $100.00 of waitlist.

Small claims court is there for things like a business screwing you out of a $100. Whether they were actually screwing you over would depend on what the contract said and what you were told about the waitlist, but a small claims court isn't going to be annoyed at you for bringing a small claim.

True. They will be annoyed because you’re a jerk.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We paid to be on a waitlist for a daycare that said the average wait was 12mo-18mo. 5 years later, still no spot, I asked for a refund citing the false promise. I received it.

this, we spent years on waitlists. Once Pre-K rolled around and they were no longer relevant, we asked for refunds and got one from every center (one required threatening small claims court)

Wow! You’re a winner. I just wish one would have had you sign a document saying it was non refundable. Or better yet called you on your bluff and went to court. The judge would have reprimanded you for bringing a case for $100.00 of waitlist.

Small claims court is there for things like a business screwing you out of a $100. Whether they were actually screwing you over would depend on what the contract said and what you were told about the waitlist, but a small claims court isn't going to be annoyed at you for bringing a small claim.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We paid to be on a waitlist for a daycare that said the average wait was 12mo-18mo. 5 years later, still no spot, I asked for a refund citing the false promise. I received it.

this, we spent years on waitlists. Once Pre-K rolled around and they were no longer relevant, we asked for refunds and got one from every center (one required threatening small claims court)

Wow! You’re a winner. I just wish one would have had you sign a document saying it was non refundable. Or better yet called you on your bluff and went to court. The judge would have reprimanded you for bringing a case for $100.00 of waitlist.

Anonymous wrote:I made a mistake and paid $125 for the waitlist at St. Albans Early Childhood Center. Before applying, I called and asked about the waitlist and was told it could be a few weeks to a few months. Once we got the number which is 50+ feels more like years or never until we are offered a spot. And our waitlist number increased by a few spots (preferences to alumni, siblings, etc).

Why such secrecy about the number of people on the waitlist?

You wouldn't have given them the 125 if you knew the true number would make you wait 1+ years. They were dishonest telling you a few WEEKS or Months. Shame on a religious organization.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having people pay a not-insignificant waitlist fee serves the legitimate purpose of disuading them from just signing up to every waitlist in town, instead of the ones they are really interested in, causing a huge administrative burden on the people managing those waitlists. Charging more than once, or yearly, is just wrong.

This was definitely true 25 years ago when I worked at a center. But today wailist sign up, offers and registrations can all be automated with no need for manual intervention.

If you have thousands of people on a waitlist, because it's free to sign up, you still have to go down the list one by one and offer the spot to dozens of people who are not interested in it and signed up just to be on the safe side. It's not a workable system.

Children in the Shoe tells prospective parents to call once a month to express their continued interest. They have a spreadsheet to track calls. No waitlist fee, no massive list of parents no longer interested.

That is exactly how I got an infant spot as a new family at an excellent center downtown. The center supposedly had an 18 month waiting list. I called the center every couple of months or so, to let them know that I was still pregnant and that they were still my top choice center. BAM! Got a spot with no trouble.

Think about it. Daycare owners have an incentive to fill up their centers with families who seem like they are sane and will pay on time. By the time I got my spot, the owners already knew me.

Unless it is a federal center, that's how it works. lol

Contact your credit card company and do a charge back on the initial deposit. May not work but worth the try.

Anonymous wrote:We paid to be on a waitlist for a daycare that said the average wait was 12mo-18mo. 5 years later, still no spot, I asked for a refund citing the false promise. I received it.

this, we spent years on waitlists. Once Pre-K rolled around and they were no longer relevant, we asked for refunds and got one from every center (one required threatening small claims court)

I'm ok paying a waitlist fee if it then goes towards my first month of tuition or is refunded if I'm on the list for more the X months. Why can't that be an option?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having people pay a not-insignificant waitlist fee serves the legitimate purpose of disuading them from just signing up to every waitlist in town, instead of the ones they are really interested in, causing a huge administrative burden on the people managing those waitlists. Charging more than once, or yearly, is just wrong.

This was definitely true 25 years ago when I worked at a center. But today wailist sign up, offers and registrations can all be automated with no need for manual intervention.

If you have thousands of people on a waitlist, because it's free to sign up, you still have to go down the list one by one and offer the spot to dozens of people who are not interested in it and signed up just to be on the safe side. It's not a workable system.

Children in the Shoe tells prospective parents to call once a month to express their continued interest. They have a spreadsheet to track calls. No waitlist fee, no massive list of parents no longer interested.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having people pay a not-insignificant waitlist fee serves the legitimate purpose of disuading them from just signing up to every waitlist in town, instead of the ones they are really interested in, causing a huge administrative burden on the people managing those waitlists. Charging more than once, or yearly, is just wrong.

This was definitely true 25 years ago when I worked at a center. But today wailist sign up, offers and registrations can all be automated with no need for manual intervention.

If you have thousands of people on a waitlist, because it's free to sign up, you still have to go down the list one by one and offer the spot to dozens of people who are not interested in it and signed up just to be on the safe side. It's not a workable system.

Anonymous wrote:Having people pay a not-insignificant waitlist fee serves the legitimate purpose of disuading them from just signing up to every waitlist in town, instead of the ones they are really interested in, causing a huge administrative burden on the people managing those waitlists. Charging more than once, or yearly, is just wrong.

This was definitely true 25 years ago when I worked at a center. But today wailist sign up, offers and registrations can all be automated with no need for manual intervention.

Like the Alanis Morrisette song I got offered an infant spot at just us kids and turned it down. We are teleworking and I got into a cheaper popular home daycare near home. Hopefully I made the right call.

We paid to be on a waitlist for a daycare that said the average wait was 12mo-18mo. 5 years later, still no spot, I asked for a refund citing the false promise. I received it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is anyone paying to be on a waitlist? That is crazy! I would question where the money is going and if you get refunded if you never make it off the list

Where don't you have to pay to be on one?

Children in the Shoe.

Kidsco Jr
Bright Eyes Early Learning
Montgomery Child Care Association (MCCA)

Our center in MoCo had no waitlist fee.