Wednesday, November 10, 2010

What would you do?: A reimbursement question

This morning, Hen's teacher asked me if we could switch days because when Hen and this new kid are together it's toddler mayhem. I don't want Henry to be a bad influence nor do I want him to be influenced by someone acting bad so I'm happy I have the flexibility to make the change. However, the change will essentially mean that for the next five weeks, Hen will only be in daycare one day a week. I had previously signed him up for a Parks and Rec class (Dinosaur Delight - woot!) and we had rearranged his school schedule at that time to accommodate the class. My question is, is it okay for me to ask for a refund for the days he'll miss at school? This seems super confusing to me when I read it so here's a breakdown:

  • Sept. - request a schedule change from Nov. 17 to Dec. 15 to accommodate P&R class - this will change the schedule from Tues/Wed to Tues/Thurs the week the class starts and for the duration of the class; teacher says ok
  • Oct. - new kid joins class
  • mid-Nov. - teacher asks to switch Hen's schedule to one of the days I had previously requested off for P&R class - this will change the schedule from Tues/Thurs to Wed/Thurs; I say ok but this will mean Hen's in daycare one day a week (and I'm paying for two, gosh darn it!)
What would you do? Five days doesn't seem like much but we're talking about $325. 

On another note, I so don't want to be the parent that never sees their child's bad deeds. I know Henry can be troublesome. Heck, no one spends more time with that kid than me. I am fully aware how much of a pain in the arse he can be. And after our trip to Seattle, I see that Henry can be the alpha (as Megan so kindly put it). But I also know that we never heard any complaints about his behavior until this new kid was introduced into the mix. The two instances Darr or myself saw of the two boys together had this other kid initiating the bad behavior. Just sayin'.

8 comments:

Rachele said...

You could ask for a refund of those days, but my first desire would be to have the 5 days in your credit as future make-up days. It'd probably be useful to have during the March Mexico trip, for example. (If Darr is planning to take off work, that doesn't disprove my point nonetheless that makeup days in the bank can be useful.)

Svetla said...

Why do you have to switch schedules? It looks like you were there first ... Have they switched the schedule of the other boy too? If you are paying for two days, Henry should be there for 2 days or 1 1/2 days (if it fits better with your schedule) or they should come up with a special day fee for Henry :).

Amber said...

I take it those are the only two days that the other kid's not there? My first reaction would be that both kids should be asked to change their schedules (and maybe that was the case... I dunno) and then you should ABSOLUTELY ask for a refund or credit for those days missed. If they're asking you to switch after plans have been made (and especially since you already asked about switching and were told it was okay), seems to me the "burden" is on them to make it work for your schedule as much as possible. Either that or they can have some toddler mayhem for a couple more months... which, if you ask me, is kind of what they're asking for as a child care establishment that seeks out toddlers. Call me crazy.

Snickollet said...

You are very kind to make the change. I think it's somewhat unreasonable that you were even asked to do so. In any case, I'd *definitely* ask for five days of credit or for a refund.

Dr. A said...

I'm in agreement: ask for the refund, or credit for the Mexico trip (great idea!). It's you who is doing the favor here, you're the one accommodating/rearranging your schedule.

Megan said...

You absolutely are entitled to either a refund or a credit for the days not used.

Abcdpdx said...

yep, these ladies are right. you're doing the place a favor. From what I can tell, Henry's a typical pre-schooler,which can include being an "alpha" and "pain in the arse." Anneke is sometimes a "diva." I can't imagine where she gets it. and it's actually the job of the preschool to reasonably accomodate that and facilitate learning social skills (for both kids). Since you're going above and beyond, they need to work with you here. sheesh.

Abcdpdx said...

p.s. just to clarify, I have not witnessed said "alpha,"/"P.I.T.A." behavior--just taking mama's word for it. why am I still up and commenting on blogs? shouldn't I at least be in a hot bath?