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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Do You Allow Vacation Discounts During Paid Holidays Off?
daycare 02:46 PM 10-15-2012
I have a few families that are looking to take off the week of Thanksgiving.

I am already closed Thursday and Friday as paid holidays off.

I also give a discount of 1/2 your weekly rate for vacations when you are absent for 5 consecutive days. In this case, we are already closed for 2 of them paid off, thus not offering a full week of care.


Two of my families want to take off the whole week and use my two closed holidays as part of their vacation days so that they will only have to pay 1/2 of their normal rate.

Would you allow for this? Do you think that it would be fair if I said no??
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Cat Herder 02:53 PM 10-15-2012
It is fair to do whatever your contract says. Don't feel bad about it, they signed and agreed to it.

Personally I don't (as long as they have not maxed out their 2 weeks already ), and sort of hope they will all take it off... Typically, it is only one family, per year, who takes Thanksgiving week.

One or two will choose Christmas week, same for 4th of July, and so on.

Rarely does it occur that a family takes a week off without a holiday closure already posted during that time.

You may want to consider putting a cap on the number of weeks per year they can take, though. That can get out of hand, otherwise, IMHO.
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daycare 02:54 PM 10-15-2012
Originally Posted by Cat Herder:
It is fair to do whatever your contract says. Don't feel bad about it, they signed and agreed to it.

Personally I don't (as long as they have not maxed out their 2 weeks already ), and sort of hope they will all take it off... Typically, it is only one family, per year, who takes Thanksgiving week.

One or two will choose Christmas week, same for 4th of July, and so on.

Rarely does it occur that a family takes a week off without a holiday closure already posted during that time.

You may want to consider putting a cap on the number of weeks per year they can take, though. That can get out of hand, otherwise, IMHO.
so would you give them the Holiday off for free even during their vacation time??
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littlemissmuffet 02:56 PM 10-15-2012
No, I definitely would not allow parents to use discounted vacation time during my paid days off (holidays or vacation).
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Country Kids 02:58 PM 10-15-2012
I wouldn't. I don't give discounts though, if I'm open and your scheduled your charged whether in attendance or not.

Now, I don't charge if I take vacation or days off.
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daycare 03:03 PM 10-15-2012
Originally Posted by littlemissmuffet:
No, I definitely would not allow parents to use discounted vacation time during my paid days off (holidays or vacation).
thanks, I am finding it hard to get the parents to understand this. I also like CK do not take any paid days off for when I close due to vacation or other. I only take off holiday paid.
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Cat Herder 03:03 PM 10-15-2012
Originally Posted by daycare:
so would you give them the Holiday off for free even during their vacation time??
Well, mine works a bit different. They get two weeks off "free" every year. When they use it is up to them. If they attended at all that week, they pay full price.

I am a flat fee program. The other 50 weeks per year are full price. My tuition is based on 50 weeks in care.

Their holidays are "free" IF they fall during one of their two chosen weeks per year. I have the potential of earning an extra two weeks fees per year if they don't take vacations. I'd prefer they take them with their kids, so the incentive works to that goal.

I also do not charge for my vacations, only federal holidays that I close.
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bgmeyers 03:04 PM 10-15-2012
I do not allow vacation time during paid holidays. My clients only get 5 days max anyway for their unpaid vacation. My policy book lists all the paid holidays and they may not use vacation time for those days.
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Blackcat31 03:06 PM 10-15-2012
My handbook states:


"Full time children will receive a specific number of absents days per year based on enrollment status. There will be no charge for these days, provided I am notified of absence prior to scheduled drop off. Unused absent days have no cash value and do not roll over into the next year. Absent days cannot be used during provider vacation/holidays or in lieu of final two-weeks notice."

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JenNJ 03:47 PM 10-15-2012
Sure! They can take a vacation, but I am still getting paid for my vacation days. My PAID holidays are non-negotiable. Plus, I charge 52 weeks a year.
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Nickel 03:50 PM 10-15-2012
My dck are allowed 2 weeks free per year. Must be taken consecutively in 5 day increments. So they can take 1 week off twice or 2 full weeks. For me, I don't care when they take them. If it's over a vacation, fine, if not, that's fine too. If they took thanksgiving week off, then that would be no tuition due, same with christmas, and honeslty I'd rather they take these 2 weeks off because I would get a break during the time I really want to spend with my family.

But it's your contract and your business. To me, if they are taking 5 days off when they would normally pay it doensn't matter if it's a week in May or a week over a holliday. The value is still the same.

And I do charge for holidays and absentses, but they get 2 weeks free vacation for them, and I get two weeks unpaid vacation for me, and I don't charge for provider illness either. Hope I explained that correctly
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spud912 03:58 PM 10-15-2012
I don't because I rely on that income.
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lovemykidstoo 06:12 PM 10-15-2012
Originally Posted by Nickel:
My dck are allowed 2 weeks free per year. Must be taken consecutively in 5 day increments. So they can take 1 week off twice or 2 full weeks. For me, I don't care when they take them. If it's over a vacation, fine, if not, that's fine too. If they took thanksgiving week off, then that would be no tuition due, same with christmas, and honeslty I'd rather they take these 2 weeks off because I would get a break during the time I really want to spend with my family.

But it's your contract and your business. To me, if they are taking 5 days off when they would normally pay it doensn't matter if it's a week in May or a week over a holliday. The value is still the same.
And I do charge for holidays and absentses, but they get 2 weeks free vacation for them, and I get two weeks unpaid vacation for me, and I don't charge for provider illness either. Hope I explained that correctly
This is always what I don't understand. What difference does it make if it's a holiday or just a regular day, the value is the same isn't it? A week in December or a week in June, same amount of money.
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cheerfuldom 06:44 PM 10-15-2012
I get paid holiday and vacation from my full timers with no discounts for any days they are gone. so it is not an issue here.
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lovemykidstoo 06:50 PM 10-15-2012
Originally Posted by cheerfuldom:
I get paid holiday and vacation from my full timers with no discounts for any days they are gone. so it is not an issue here.
They have to pay you when you take vacation? Don't they then have to pay someone else to care for their children when you're on vaca, thereby paying double? I always wondered how that worked with people.
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spud912 06:59 PM 10-15-2012
Originally Posted by lovemykidstoo:
This is always what I don't understand. What difference does it make if it's a holiday or just a regular day, the value is the same isn't it? A week in December or a week in June, same amount of money.
I thought the same thing, but I found that the holiday times are when I am most struggling for the income (namely around Christmas), so putting in my contract that the paid holidays can't coincide with unpaid parent vacations really helps. Plus, I often take some of the surrounding days off as unpaid vacation time. As a parent, I would think, "well let's put the 'vacation time' for her paid holidays," which would result in 0 pay for that time.
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daycare 09:48 PM 10-15-2012
Originally Posted by spud912:
I thought the same thing, but I found that the holiday times are when I am most struggling for the income (namely around Christmas), so putting in my contract that the paid holidays can't coincide with unpaid parent vacations really helps. Plus, I often take some of the surrounding days off as unpaid vacation time. As a parent, I would think, "well let's put the 'vacation time' for her paid holidays," which would result in 0 pay for that time.
This exactly. And I look forward to having a paid holiday off.
I do t get any paid time off bit holidays, yet I'm willing to give them 5 days for free plus I give a free PNO monthly for 4 hours on a Friday night.

I work my tail end off for these families and feel offended that they want to take away from my paid day off.
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Rachel 12:53 AM 10-16-2012
Originally Posted by lovemykidstoo:
This is always what I don't understand. What difference does it make if it's a holiday or just a regular day, the value is the same isn't it? A week in December or a week in June, same amount of money.
That's what I don't get.

The parents are not paying extra for Thanksgiving, correct? They pay the same amount 52 weeks a year, but the week of Thanksgiving they only get 3 days of child care, therefore you get off 2 days paid.

If they use their vacation, they are still using 5 days, just 2 of those days you are closed anyway. You are not losing out money.

I am closed certain days (I work for an organization taht gives a schedule). The parents pay the same 52 weeks a year. The only exception is the August vacation (at the end of the year) is proportional to the other months; a family that started with me in April would not pay the same amount as a family that started with me in September (beginning of the year here).
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AnneCordelia 02:08 AM 10-16-2012
My families have always used their discounted holiday time during regular work days for me.

My contract says no to families using discounted vacay during a paid stat holiday. Yes, the monetary value is the same but the emotional value is more. My days off paid are what keep me going and are my only perk in an otherwise thankless job. They are already worth more figuratively speaking than a regular day off simply because I never planned to open anyway. However I don't require my families to use their 10 1/2 price days consecutively. If they wanted to take off M-Th at half price they could provided they paid full price for the stat holiday Friday.
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Meeko 06:25 AM 10-16-2012
NOPE! My paid days are set in stone.
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mema 10:55 AM 10-16-2012
Nope. I did it one year and everyone used their time then, so I didn't get paid at all for my vacation and then they took vacation from work, but never kept their kids home. All of them. All year. Vacation time can not be used during my vacation or during the 2 week notice at the end of care.
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