We all know that if you don't make your car payments, your lender will send someone to repossess your car. Unfortunately, if a parent doesn't pay their child care fees, we can't repossess their child care.
I've always been amazed at parents who prioritize their bills with child care at the bottom of that list. It's kind of tough to hear that, in order of payment priority, your program falls below the parent's cable television service.
We have been struggling for years to be treated like the professionals that we are. Allowing ourselves to be the parent's lowest financial priority is three steps backward in that struggle. The only way that parent can make me their lowest priority is because I allow it to happen.
So....what to do?? We have to have firm financial policies in place. We have to have a Rate Sheet in place that explains very clearly what we charge for what services. We have to have a solid contract in place that spells out what services we are providing for what fees, when those fees are due, and what will happen if those fees are not paid on time. And, of course, we have to enforce those policies, every single time.
I know....we love the child and care about the family. We want to help them out. But we simply cannot allow concerns for one family to endanger the child care arrangements of all of the families in our program. If we can't pay our bills, our program will close and all of our families will have to find other child care.
Because we cannot repossess child care services, we have to insist that all fees that are rightly due to us be paid in advance. If the fee is not paid by the due date, the child cannot attend. It's as simple as that. It's not mean; it's showing financial responsibility for your program.
I've always been amazed at parents who prioritize their bills with child care at the bottom of that list. It's kind of tough to hear that, in order of payment priority, your program falls below the parent's cable television service.
We have been struggling for years to be treated like the professionals that we are. Allowing ourselves to be the parent's lowest financial priority is three steps backward in that struggle. The only way that parent can make me their lowest priority is because I allow it to happen.
So....what to do?? We have to have firm financial policies in place. We have to have a Rate Sheet in place that explains very clearly what we charge for what services. We have to have a solid contract in place that spells out what services we are providing for what fees, when those fees are due, and what will happen if those fees are not paid on time. And, of course, we have to enforce those policies, every single time.
I know....we love the child and care about the family. We want to help them out. But we simply cannot allow concerns for one family to endanger the child care arrangements of all of the families in our program. If we can't pay our bills, our program will close and all of our families will have to find other child care.
Because we cannot repossess child care services, we have to insist that all fees that are rightly due to us be paid in advance. If the fee is not paid by the due date, the child cannot attend. It's as simple as that. It's not mean; it's showing financial responsibility for your program.
Misty
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