In a viral TikTok series, a working mom explained why her daughters were terminated from daycare. Viewers are taking sides—while some stand with the mother of two, others think the daycare owner had every reason to kick them out.
Daycare is an essential need for many families with young children who rely on it so parents can go to work or fulfill other responsibilities. But it’s hard to find one that meets parents’ needs.
While daycare centers usually have trained staff and more reliable hours, they also often come with lengthy wait lists and less personalized care. Home care offers children more one-on-one attention and can be more flexible about pick-up and drop-off, but can be less reliable and more unstructured.
And any option is notoriously expensive, with average prices ranging from $5,357 to $17,171 per child in 2022, according to U.S. Department of Labor data from the Women’s Bureau. That cost represents 8% to about 19% of the median family’s income (per child).
Given all this, once you find a childcare provider that fits your family’s needs and budget, you want to stick with them—unless they kick you out like this provider did.
In the viral video series that has more than 1.5 million views and thousands of comments, Candice Concepcion (@candiceconcepcion) shared her story.
Concepcion explains that she’s a mother of two toddlers with one more on the way. She and her husband both work outside of the house so they need a childcare arrangement that isn’t solely dependent on her mom, the girls’ grandmother.
While they were originally looking for a daycare, Concepcion found a home daycare, which is run out of the childcare provider’s home instead of a formal center, that seemed like a good fit.
Things were great at first, Concepcion says in the clip. The space was clean and felt “cozy and intimate and familiar” and the girls were engaged in detailed learning curriculums.
But then the issues started. They largely stemmed from a lack of communication on the care provider’s part, Concepcion claims.
First, the care provider’s husband was home during care hours when she’d said he wouldn’t be. But Concepcion let that go. Then it was that the educational curriculum was veering almost completely toward religion. But Concepcion let that go too since it wasn’t a big issue for her. Then came miscommunication around whether Concepcion was supposed to pay even on days her kids weren’t in the person’s care. She paid and let that go, too.
“Obviously we had issues, but we were overlooking them. That’s just how life works. We don’t leave at every single issue. We don’t quit things at every single adversity,” Concepcion says.
But the final issue came when the woman’s family member passed away and she had to take an unexpected day off.
Concepcion took the unexpected day without childcare in stride and took a day off of work since she had no other options. But, given that the childcare provider was the one who requested the day off, Concepcion assumed she didn’t have to pay for that day of service.
“I just thought that it was logical that there would be a pro-rated rate,” Concepcion said.
“This is not a personal day. I’m not getting my nails or hair done,” the care provider responded.
Given the situation, Concepcion decided to take it in stride and just pay the remaining tuition amount.
The moment the payment hit, the woman sent Concepcion an email terminating her kids’ enrollment in her home daycare. The letter stated that the termination had nothing to do with the kids, it was because of a “lack of compassion and respect” in the conversation they had over the amount due.
“Her saying that it is for grieving is, I’m empathetic to that. But at the same time, I just think things need to be done in a more professional way,” Concepcion says, clarifying that she and her family never missed a payment. “…She’s literally so quick to just terminate us just like that. It’s very manipulative, her knowing that she’s our primary care provider.”
@candiceconcepcion #storytime #momtok #toddlermom #millenialmom #fy #childcare ♬ original sound – candiceconcepcion
@candiceconcepcion part 2 has arrived!!! #storytime #momtok #childcare #toddlermom #fy #fyp #millenialmom ♬ original sound – candiceconcepcion
Viewers in the comments section had mixed reactions to the whole ordeal.
Multiple childcare workers said that prorated rates aren’t really a thing in their industry.
“PRORATED DATES DO NOT EXIST IN DAYCARE. If you find one that does offer it, never leave,” a person said.
“Common practice, you pay for the spot not attendance. This includes unexpected closings (home and centers),” another added.
Others agreed with Concepcion.
“Paying when you don’t bring your kids, sure. Paying when they close? No lol,” a commenter wrote.
“I’m with you on this, but also wouldn’t want to send them back in fear she’d treat them poorly,” another chimed in.
The Daily Dot reached out to Concepcion for comment via email.
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