Help me write a letter to DS' daycare?

[Melonious]

Unfortunately, we are going to take my 16-month old sone out of his current daycare place and put him in another. It's nothing about the care or the atmosphere, it's that the place is in serious financial difficulty and I just don't have faith in their management abilities.

The wife takes care of the care side, and she's great: she really knows each kid, and looks in on each class daily, to see how it's going, which kids should be moved to the next class, staffing, etc. The husband is in charge of financial/business decisions, and things are in a mess. Two years ago, they built a new center from the ground up, and had huge cost overruns. They have a very high monthly payment and a large tax burden.

They filed bankruptcy six months ago, unbeknownst to the parents, and earlier this month the court's trustee said they were not seeing any prospects for improvement in their financial situations, and recommended that the building be reposessed at the end of the month (Jan 31). I googled their corporate name and found out they were over $1.5 million in the hole!

Well, "somehow" a white knight investor came in and bought the building at the foreclosure price, and now the husband and wife are optimistic that things are all going to be back to normal. Meanwhile, I know of a few families that have left the school. I don't know how they are going to make their monthly nut, when their break-even point is with 110 kids, and at their peak they had 93. My fear is that the quality of care will decline, and that staff will not be replaced (if I worked there, I'd be pretty scared my job would disappear, and be looking for something asap).

So, I found another daycare that I like, that is $100 less expensive, is more conveniently located, has webcam access and its toddler room is bigger, brighter, with 4 caregivers instead of two, for almost the same number of children. But I agonize over making the switch. I love Harry's current "teacher", and he loves her. True, he's only 16 months, was going to be transitioned up to the next class soon anyway, and will adjust, but he's so happy there... DH says that in 6-8 months, if this daycare has straightened things out, and if I and/or DS is not happy with the new place, we should leave the door open for us to go back.

I have to pull him out in writing, and tomorrow will be his last day. What do I say? Any suggestions?

Thanks so much,
Mel

[LBW]

I'd make it short and sweet. Thank them for the excellent care your son has received, and state that you will no longer be using them for daycare, effective immediately. If you especially liked his teacher, and it sounds like you did, make a special note of her abilities. That's it.