here is a good one

Have you ever had something that happened in your life where you really just had to stop and think about it?  Well, this is one for us down here in Latta.

The kids attend the Latta day care center just down the street from us.  Well, all the day care centers in Ada have been jacking their costs up over the past few months. But for some reason, Latta never did.  So we just kind of thought we were lucky.  That is, until Randi picked up the kids the other night and was handed a parent letter the day care fixed up.  Here is one for the record books of "dumb way to do things".

Here is just a snippet for you:

"At this time, we have decided NOT to increase our daily rate for care.  We understand that each of your budgets are stretched just as tightly as ours, and fortunately, we have been able to participate in various grants as well as renew our existing contracts, resulting in tuition staying the same at this time."

"We will be making one adjustment for private pay parents, as well as parents receiving Tribal assistance.  Effective immediatly, we WILL charge for holidays and days that the center is closed.  Normally, this will results in 10-12 days per year, depending on the winter weather.  We are adding Good Friday as a holiday as well."

So, if you have to pay out of your own pocket, well, you are going to give us more money.  That is "make Jonathan mad" #1.  But then to tell me that we are going to pay for a service that isn't even being rendered?!?!  Um yea, bring me your care to fix...  I will charge you $200 and you can pick it up as-is tomorrow.  This is just the dumbest thing I have read in a long time!

Now how should this have been worded kids?  Well, how about, take the "10-12" days pay they would receive from us, break it down over a year, and raise my day care rate $2-$3 per week.  Everybody else in Ada has jacked theirs up like $25 or more.  If you tell me you are raising my rates from $100 to $105 a week, I would be cool with that.  Tell me I am going to pay for you to go to the lake and get drunk, well, that's just stupid.

I guess this is what my old boss used to mean when she kept telling me to re-read any report I write up and try to read it from an outsider's perspective!!