Originally Posted by Unregistered:
what my questions really is, should I be responsible paying for last minute days off that are not in my providers schedule? Now let me clarify that, I get things come up, however if you need a day off due to sickness, emergency, ect. Shouldn't that come out of their days off they had planned?
You sound like a very understanding person when it comes to days off. Personally, I agree that those unexpected days off really should come out of the 20 paid leave days/holidays and that any additional days off should be unpaid. In my contract, I state that I take holidays paid. All other days including sick time, emergency days off and vacation weeks are unpaid. I set this policy when I first opened my day care because it was the norm for this area at the time and because as a former dc parent, I wanted to treat my dc parents in the same way I would have wanted to be treated. I think my policy is fair so I've continued with it regardless of what may be the norm in my area now, almost 19 years later.
What you or I or anyone else believes, though, is immaterial. It all really does boil down to "What is in her contract?" You can argue that something isn't fair but if
you agreed to it, you need to follow it.
Whether a policy is common practice or not probably depends a lot on the area in which you live. Do you have co-workers who have their children in day cares who could tell you what their experience has been? They might be able to give you a better idea as to what the norm is in your area. You can bring it up to your provider and say, "Hey, I've spoken with 20 co-worker and they all said their providers do......." She may change her policy or develop one that goes along with what everyone else is doing. Or....she may decide she likes her current policy the way it is. If no one else is complaining and she isn't losing a lot of business because of it she isn't likely to change anything. It doesn't hurt to discuss the issue with her, though.
Either way, the bottom line, again, is, "What does her signed contract state?" If her contract states that any additional sick days taken outside the 20 paid days will be unpaid, then she should not be charging you. If there is no policy on those additional days, you may have an argument and she may just hear you out. If I were you, though, I'd be prepared for the possibility that she will just revise her contract to read that all days closed are paid days. Like I said before, she's got a good thing going. She isn't likely to want to change that.
Good luck. I'd love to hear what happens.