Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Uh, have to disagree there. A mortgage payment for a home that is yours and that will be there when you return is a tad different then paying someone that has not performed a service.
I completely understand that the providers need their time, but this is the line of work they chose, and getting "paid" vacations when you work for a company or state or any other line of work that pays their employees benefits is different from a daycare.
Daycare is expensive as it is, I wouldn't pay a landscape company when they take vacations and don't mow my lawn? I don't pay my paper boy vacations or pay for a newspaper that I wouldn't receive? Do you pay your mechanic if he doesn't fix your car? People work for many places that DO NOT provide benefits, and that is the breaks, I worked for a restaurant they did not pay anything! But I made tips so that was the offset. A daycare is a service of caring for your child, and in my opinion if you are not performing that service than why should you get paid for it?
I can understand the other way around if the parent takes the vacation they must pay. That I get, but if that's the case than why doesn't the parent pay for the daycare providers insurance too?? That's because as a SELF EMPLOYED person you are faced with that. For example you are self employed as a house cleaner, do the homeowners pay for your vacations when you won't be cleaning their home? My very good friend owned her own floral store and so that makes her a self employed individual, I never heard of people having to pay for her vacation?
I understand that the providers need breaks, we all need breaks, of course. But home daycare is a business they chose, concerns of benefits and paid vacations are reasons why self employed people decide to work for someone/company that can afford to provide employees with these benefits. Parents are usually struggling as it is to pay daycare so charging them when you are not performing a service I feel is not so fair. As I said, if we are to pay your vacations then why are we not paying your healthcare or other benefits?
That is why I work for a company that provides these benefits to me. But maybe I should go in to the daycare business.
I COULD raise my rates to reflect my paid time off and then 'not charge' my clients for the days I take off. I just chose to be upfront and keep the rates lower and simplify things. Family child care is a very unique business situation in that we provide services on a daily basis. Most other industries will just raise rates of services to afford them the benefits of working for someone else.
Also, families DO pay for my health insurance. My husband and I are both self employed, and we charge rates high enough to cover operating expenses, insurance, employees, our crazy taxes and our private health insurance policy. All of that comes off the top before we can pay personal bills and expenses.