Do you have to ask to be paid?

I do and I am really getting tired of it! I have bills just like everyone else only with me I am single and one income house yet I have to ask........ Life shouldnt be this way!! I take care of our most precious resourse yet no pay!

Where do you work that you would have to actually ask to get paid?

I own and operate a Daycare!

I assume that your saying that the parents of the children your doing daycare for aren't paying at the end of the week or month whatever you have set up? Think you might have a little talk to them about payments. Might be unpleasant but if you don't it's only going to get worse. Their paying after the fact and if it keeps up you may to ask for payment in advance. Do you issue receipts?

I ask for pay in advance and yes I give out receipts!
Late fees of 10.00 per day seem not to bother anyone!

Sorry for the vent I just needed to get it out!

If you have any idea about their pay shedule maybe you can get postdated cheques. Is the $10. late fee for the total bill or per day added to the bill? eg: 5 days sitting+ late payment = $50.

$10. per day to deter late payments. Trust me I dont get to "sit" much
I cant pay my bills late without a penality

Sorry didn't mean to make it sound like you "sitting around". I'm not sure what you can do. Seems that if their willing to pay $10. a day more in late charges they have more money than brains!

.

Stevef is correct. I used to have terribly high A/R but when I installed a interac/Visa unit they were reduced incredibly. I pay about 60$ a month in rental and fees, so that may be a bit steep for a daycare situation.

Yeah thats a bit steep for me!
Thanks for letting me vent today! Sometimes ya just gotta get it out to feel better!

I think what the problem is that your dealing with children. (Large and small) If you went and got your hair cut today and didn't pay they sure wouldn't let you get your hair cut there next month when you come. So I think what you have to do is this. If they are to pay you on Friday and no payment is made they have to be told that on Monday they won't be able to leave their child/children in your care till payment is made. When payment is made they are welcome to return. Your running a business and they (and You) have to treat it like one.

A dear friend of mine got out of the daycare business due to the parents' failure to pay on time. She just got so cluttered with all of that and worn down, she gave it up. Her priority was caring for kids, not chasing parents for overdue debts! Sadly.

I think the issue is that anyone who willingly and lovingly cares for little kids has a soft spot in their hearts and is not a barracuda business person. So they give everyone a break until it is THEY THEMSELVES who go broke.

I would ask for post-dated cheques for the month... by the week if they need to. NSF cheques would have a high penalty attached...for the bother.

You are providing a VERY ESSENTIAL service to working people. You should be treated as such..with respect and that includes the realization that there are costs involved in what you do. And that you are not a volunteer organization.
Some people are so used to Early Years etc. not costing anything...that they forget that this is your JOB!

How about the summer programs? You pay IN ADVANCE, by the way...not the day or week after! I think you need to come out with a little booklet...NEW POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. And hand it out to your parents pronto!!
Consequences of non-payment and expectations. Good luck! Put some teeth into it!

I can understand your frustration Leslie. I used to do daycare and have had to chase certain people down and ask for my money. I particularly had a problem with one woman not wanting to pay me. After continuously asking her for my money...the one day she called me and said that she had my money and that she'd be around to pay me. Well..she never showed up and I called her on the phone and asked AGAIN where my money was and she said that she didn't have it any more. She owed her mother money and had given it to her. How stupid can one person be?! She eventually did give me another call to say she had my money. Since she didn't drive and I didn't drive and I KNEW she wasn't about to walk it over to me....I ended up walking to her house (a few blocks away) in a snow storm to pick it up. I figured if I didn't go and get it, she would give it away or spend it again.
I really miss the all the wonderful children I used to babysit, but I sure don't miss the payment turmoils that I went through.

Ya know tho its the ones that CAN afford to pay that I have to chase.
Some the bars are more important then me
I love my job otherwise I would be looking else where.
I am going into my 18th year being a Childcare Provider

Print out letters which state from now on payments must be on time or their childs spot will be taken by another child

When you let one person walk on you they all walk on you, when you let it slide once they feel its alright to let it slide twice, put your foot down is all you have to do.

So just start up that harley and roar into the daycare on payday in your leather suit and get tough

Start by saying you have a waiting list! That will make them sit up and pay up. If there's a chance they might lose their space, perhaps they will take you more seriously!

Do you issue receipts when they pay? Is why not start doing it ONLY once a year. In January start by handing out the receipts to the ones that are paying on time (if you can do this in front of the slackers even better) The slackers get their at the last possible moment that you can legally give them out. I think ckings idea of the waiting list and payment booklets are great. You really have to in right in some peoples faces before they get it!!!

Sorry the grammar was a little off on that last post. Guess I really can't do 2 things at once!! It should read " If so why not start..."

Playing games is never a sound idea. People see through obvious lies (such as suddenly suggesting that there's a waiting list if you don't pay) and petty acts are never good for a business.

Keep it black and white. Deliver a notice to everyone. In a professional tone state something along the lines of ... if they don't pay on the first of the week, the service will no longer be available to them. Whether by cheque or going to the bank and using their debit card, they can get the money. If they are forced to lose time to run to the bank and be late for work because you turn them away, then they will not forget the next time.

Maybe it's a guy thing, but I would have no problems doing that. In fact, I do it all the time with my customers (which include government agencies). I turn down $2000 - $5000 sales frequently because they refuse to pay in advance (actually, I've never actually lost a sale, because they all cave in and do it my way). The point is, you have to have a strong resolve. If any of them don't like it, then you don't need them as client.

cking wrote:

Start by saying you have a waiting list! That will make them sit up and pay up. If there's a chance they might lose their space, perhaps they will take you more seriously!

666

scary stuff

Whatever you choose to do Leslie, I hope it works! Good luck!

I do have a waiting list for Jan. but thats a ways off! I dont lie to people and never would but they have to realize this is a business

I was not asking you to lie. I just took for granted you would have a waiting list. Most every daycare we approached in the past had a waiting list. Just like nursing homes! The old and the young. Waiting for "placement."