A Florida single mother couldn’t believe her ears when her daughter’s daycare allegedly informed her that she would suddenly have to start paying a “mandatory $500 facility development fee, even though it wasn’t in the signed contract. Her daughter had been attending the daycare for 8 months, and the mom felt that whatever sort of shady fee this was, it wasn’t lawful. Under the username Halo31_Cinder, she took her complaint to r/legaladvice to figure out what could be done.
Needless to say, $500 is a large chunk of money for anyone, and Halo31_Cinder claims she’s already stretched thin as a single mother. After learning about this Florida daycare’s new “development fee,” she tried to talk to the director about it, only to be told to find another daycare if she can’t pay. This would be a problem, though, as the director hinted that other daycares in town have a “six-month waiting list.”
“It feels like she is holding my childcare situation hostage because she knows I have no other options,” the mother said worriedly, likely frustrated but panicking over the situation. Unfortunately, since the daycare is private, Halo31_Cinder’s options are rather limited, according to the comments in her post.
Redditors Implore the Mother to Find Another Daycare
“Find a new daycare like yesterday because any way that you look at it, your daycare is hustling you for the money,” recommended a Redditor. “This screams ‘let’s pump the parents for money before we peace out so we aren’t broke when we leave’ or ‘we need an influx of money to recover from current financial strain’,” remarked another.
Not everyone had sound advice, as the subreddit’s moderator had to delete multiple comments, but the general consensus was the same: the mom should find a new daycare fast. While many in the comments believe this fee is unacceptable and likely going to hurt the daycare’s business, the owner can do as she pleases, as long as no laws are broken.
While it might be inconvenient to find another place for her daughter, Halo31_Cinder might have no other choice. It’s as one commenter says: “You can’t stiff the babysitter and expect them to take care of your kids, regardless of who’s right.”
