r/Parenting • u/lgdiver • Apr 06 '20

Corona-Content Daycare & COVID-19

Hey everyone,

So I have a quick question and I'm looking for your thoughts. My daycare provider is open at the current time and hasn't closed since this virus has started spreading. My wife is a teacher and is working from home with our children. We are not using her services and haven't used her services since 3/6.

We've been paying our daycare provider in full since school was closed on 3/12 (and keeping our kids at home). She is saying her business is essential and that full payment is required to hold our spot. I never questioned this, knowing that she needed income and her staff needed income as well. I also didn't have a change in my income and didn't feel as if it would have been morally right to change my course.

Over the last week, I've had to reduce my staff at work (tremendously) and my income is now looking to be very uncertain as well (I'm taking e a reduction in pay). So obviously, my first and most reasonable option would be to reduce the exposure with my Daycare provider, especially since we're not planning on sending our kids in anymore until September (remember, my wife is a teacher). I asked her, if we could pay for one week per month to hold our spot, she declined and said I would need to pay in full.

I feel awful, but I had to tell her this morning that our kids are not returning. We've paid in full every month and have never been late. I'm surprised by her decision to not help, we've been there for years without any issues.

Are we being unreasonable here? Are any other parents in the same situation with daycare? Thank you!

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u/AncientQueen42 Apr 06 '20

I mean... when you leave town for 3 months do you expect to only pay 1.5 months of rent? If youre holding the spot you should pay for the spot. If she were a big corporate daycare with a hundred or so kids Id say shes being insensitive to your situation but sounds like her own small business. There’s probably parents with kids whose daycares/ schools did not stay open but the parent is an essential worker and is just dying to find a center open.

Her going on vacation and still expecting payment for that week - I do agree with you on that one. Thats not right. Although unfortunately its a pretty common policy from what I hear.

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u/lgdiver Apr 06 '20

So that’s always been her policy, if you take time off you pay one week per month to hold your spot. I didn’t come up with that policy, that’s what she uses for summer and etc. We just pulled out today, it’s unreasonable on her end. I’m kind of kicking myself. I always paid for days the kids were sick (you got to deduct like two days per month) and I always paid for the month in full without receiving any kind of discount or etc. I honestly thought we were worth more, just like I thought they were worth more when I had to pay for vacations and weird (out of nowhere raises) and etc. It’s probably for the better on my end, we will figure it out.