Blog by Childminder Leigh Ann Gilmore
One of the biggest challenges childminders face is managing conflicts with parents over how we run our services. Payment and illness policies are often the most common sources of tension. While having a signed contract should make things straightforward, disagreements can still arise as the childminding relationship evolves.
I have been met with surprise when I present a contract – not necessarily an unpleasant one. It seems to be that parents still don’t expect a childminder to offer a professional service, rather they believe it to be more of a cordial agreement once they find someone they like to mind their children.
The “money conversation” is made even more difficult if you develop a friendly relationship with the parents. How do you say, “Your payment is late” or “You forgot to pay for the day your child was sick”, when you’ve just been chatting about the brilliant holiday they have planned or their sister’s newborn baby? Even within personal relationships and friendships, money can be a minefield to negotiate.
So how do we manage these awkward scenarios? If I’m honest, I avoid them like the plague! I sometimes think I’m not suited to the self-employed lifestyle – I do not like talking about money at all. So, for what it’s worth, here are my tips for handling (or hopefully avoiding) the awkward money conversation.
- Have the price clearly laid out in the contract
- Clearly outline the conditions for when payment is and isn’t due. I don’t charge if I have to close for personal reasons, but I do charge if the mindee is ill, has a holiday with the parent (when they would normally be in my service, etc)
- If necessary, detail what payment does and does not include (I provide meals, but don’t provide packed lunch for preschool/school goers)
- Highlight the date/day by which payment should be made and if it should be paid weekly, fortnightly, monthly, etc
- For some of my families who paid monthly, I used to text them the number of days due for that month and then they sent the payment. That worked really well as there was no argument over how many days the child was or wasn’t with me. I keep an Attendance Record spreadsheet and I include any comments about days the child wasn’t with me and why. So, for example, if the child was off because they were sick or having a day out with grandparents, that’s a paid day. This may not work for all situations but it might be an option with some families.
- At the time of handing over the contract, I ask them to pay attention to the conditions of payment and to make sure they are in agreement and hopefully save any difficult conversations in the future. That way, if there is an issue, you can point them back to the contract. It’s still an uncomfortable conversation to have but at least it’s a short one! And, personally, I’d rather have a business-like conversation right at the beginning before closer relationships are established.
- Keep the contract short but long enough to include the salient information.
And if, after all this, the dreaded conversation, comes up, well, we all have to find our own way of how to say what we feel, but one option could be “I’m sorry, this was agreed when you signed the contract.” And repeat. We are self-employed. We set our terms and the parents agree to those terms. It is the hardest thing to do but we have to step out of the very personal nature of our business and truly believe in our value and the value of the service we offer.