Our First Daycare Parent Voicemail, And What She Noticed That Parents Never Say Out Loud

Leave us a voicemail at 651-300-2277. Your question could help thousands of providers.Our first voicemail from a daycare parent, plus three provider questions we did not sugarcoat. A new provider two months in with a child who is cussing, breaking things, and throwing her cat. A provider with 10 kids whose parents keep saying they will come early and then do not. And a parent asking whether kids really did get sicker after COVID, or whether it was just her family.If you run a home daycare or family child care program, this one covers documentation, behavior plans, licensor conversations, playroom resets, contract trial periods, and how to stop opening your door early for free.KEY TAKEAWAYS- Document destructive behavior in a dedicated notebook with dates, times, and what happened. Have parents sign written notices and keep a copy.- Reset the physical space before you reset the child. Crayons up high, hard toys away, soft toys out, one activity at a time.- Ask your licensor for advice before you terminate. If the family reports you afterward, your licensor already knows the history.- Write a behavior plan with a set timeline, have both parents sign it, then follow it exactly so termination is documented, not emotional.- A trial period clause in your contract gives you an exit before you are stuck.- Provider Appreciation Day is the Friday before Mother's Day. A card or a kid drawn picture is enough.- Leave before close, not at close. A minute or two late every day adds up to real unpaid hours.- Set fixed hours and stop opening early for free. If a family wants an early drop off, charge for it and take payment before you set the alarm.- A doorbell camera and individual garage codes solve random arrivals during nap time.- Both sisters saw the same post COVID illness surge, and both say it has been tapering off since 2024 into 2025 and 2026.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE- Provider Appreciation Day - the Friday before Mother's Day- A doorbell camera for driveway alerts- Individual garage entry codes per family- A small one person trampoline or rebounder for active kids- Washable window markers as a redirect- Next week: Minnesota's new daycare lawsWATCH NEXTFull episodes playlist: NEEDED - playlist URLCONNECTWebsite: https://thedaycaresisters.comEmail: [email protected]: 651-300-2277ABOUTBrandee and Erin are sisters, business owners, and moms of nine with over 30 years of combined home daycare experience. Home daycare is a job where you are never alone but always lonely, and this is the conversation nobody else is having out loud.Subscribe for honest home daycare conversations, provider advice, and real talk about family child care.#daycareprovider #daycarelife #homedaycare #momlife #childcareproviders