Originally Posted by RGrift:
Since she is unlicensed I cannot reap the benefits of a tax write-off for the expenses.
Not all states need to be licenesed but you should still claim the money you paid at tax time. Some people agree to pay a much lower rate so the provider does not claim the money as income at end of yr (which is illegal)
Originally Posted by :
My concerns are that I DO pay her at Christmas when my work place is closed for a week and the children do not go to day care. That is fine. However, during the summer when my children take vacation she expects to be paid for the time they are not there. In addition, there are many times when I have already paid her at the beginning of the week only to have her want a day off by the end of the week. Over the course of a year she is definitely paid many times for the days she is closed. This can add up to as much as 4 - 5 weeks that she is paid each year and is not watching my children. Should I be addressing this issue or should I consider myself lucky?
Did you sign any type of a contract with her? If so read the contract to see what it say about paid days off if any. If it says nothing about paid days off then mention it to her. If you have no contract then you need to get one. Each provider is different when it comes to paid days off, some have so many sick days, some have paid holidays, some do not charge at all for time when the child is not in care. Maybe you should call around to see what the going rate for child care is in you area & find out if the charge for days the child is not in care. Bottom line is you need a contract with all of this outlined in it.
Originally Posted by :
Unlicensed day cares do not have restrictions on the amount of children and ages they can have so it is not as if I am paying her to "hold my 2 spots" at her home.
In my state it does not matter if I am licensed or not, all providers have a restriction on the amount of children they can have.