I have a contract with my parents that states "Please provide me with a 2 weeks notice for any vacation you will be taking so I can plan accordingly. Payment will still be due in full in order to hold your child's spot." With that being said, I had a parent inform me that they will be taking 2 week's vacation around Xmas (over a month's notice) and since it's unpaid vacation, they will not be able to pay for daycare those 2 weeks. However.. my contract clearly states that payment is due regardless. She has 2 children in my daycare, and i only have 4 children total... therefore she would be cutting my paycheck in half by not paying.

What's your opinion? Should I stand my ground and tell her payment is required regardless? Or should I give her a deal since she's giving so much notice? Maybe discount the rates? Or completely give her 2 weeks without pay? She's been with me for a year and I love her kids... I'd hate to cause issues... help!

Reply

Why are you willing to take a loss in income so she can save money?

Why do you have a policy about paying for vacation days if you are going to allow the parents to decide if they want to pay or not?

You love the kids enough to consider taking a pay loss but the family doesn't love you enough to pay you according to the policies and contract they signed AND agreed upon at enrollment?

I think you are asking the wrong questions and need to answer the ones above before deciding what to do.

Reply

Demand payment! ...what's the purpose of having a policy if you're willing to give her a deal? ...and what else she or some other parent will ask you to reconsider?

Reply

Stick with your policies. Once you bend one they'll want you to bend more of them.

Besides, with this much notice they can start saving up to pay you.

Reply

.....or the provider can work on replacing them

Reply

They can afford a 2 week vacation, but can't afford two weeks of daycare to keep their spot?



You know what the right answer is!

Reply

She works for a power plant that shuts down for 2 weeks out of the year, so I guess she doesn't get paid for those 2 weeks. I misworded my post by saying vacation, lol. Thank you everyone for the advice. Does anyone else follow this policy, or do you guys allow for unpaid absences with enough notice?

Reply

It's not your fault that she is not being paid during this time. If you let her not pay then you are basically saying my policys don't mater, it may lead to other things that she dose not want to follow and she will think she dose not half to. YES it sucks for her to be without pay for this time but it would sick for you to. if the plant where she works shuts like this every year she sshould have planed her budget better or when signing up for childcare spoken to you about this and at that time see if there was some arrangement that the two of you could come up with. I hope you are able to have this parent relize that you are a business. IF you can't make her see reson you may have to look for a new client.

Reply

My families pay their same weekly rate 52 weeks a year regardless of the number of days I am closed or they have off or their child misses.

Reply

My families pay in full or they lose the spot; same for layoffs & strikes. I only keep kids for 12-15 months because all I do is babies up to 18 months... I don't give discounts in any fashion when a parent is not here but I am open and available.

Explain they are paying by the spot not for time used... they don't like it start looking to replace them (I can only take 4 at a time also , but am down 2 spots due to age outs & no incoming)

Reply

I allow for unpaid absences with or without notice but it comes with the understanding that their day care spot may no longer be available when they try to come back.

In all seriousness... Stand your ground. I don't charge for my own 2 weeks of vacation but when parents take their vacation time at another time, they pay their regular rate. Your dcm knew - or should have known - what your policies were when she signed on with you. If you offer her a discount or other deal now, she will expect you to cut additional deals in the future. If your other dc parents find out you gave her a deal but didn't offer the same to them, how will you explain it to them? It's not worth the potential problems giving her a deal now could cause you later.

Reply

My policy states and I go over at the initial interview, full tuition payment is due regardless of absences due to family vacations, sick days, natural disasters, holidays/breaks, personal days. I have had no problems with my families because the ones that did have a problem with it or questioned it during the interview I did not enroll in my program

Reply

My daycare gives one week vacation per calendar year for each child. Aside from that we pay a flat fee for 52 weeks a year, the daycare is closed certain holidays, we pay for those or any sick days or other days we are not able to attend.

My kids probably miss 20-30 days a year for different reasons, which are paid of course. I am very appreciative for the freebie week that we can choose to take or not to take.

If you are feeling guilty for making this family pay for 2 weeks when her kids are not there, maybe change your contract to meet in the middle somewhere.

Reply

I don't charge anything if I know ahead of time...dr app. I have to know the week before and 2 weeks notice for vacations

Reply

She's had all year to budget for this shut down. It's HER issue, not yours. I agree with the others...tell her that you base your rate on being paid weekly, and that payment is due regardless of attendance. How can a power plant shut down for 2 weeks?

Reply

"Thanks for letting me know you'll be gone those two weeks. Or I'd have called you that Monday morning when you didn't show up. Just make sure to pay for that time by pickup on your last day. Have a great day. "

Reply

I'd add, "so you can avoid late fees."

Reply

How do you not laugh in her face?! Honestly some parents are ridiculous!!

"As per our signed agreement, payment for vacation is due in full on XY date in order to not accrue late payment fees. As per the contract late fees are applied as follows.....blah blah. Enjoy your vacation and see you on XY date"

Stand your ground you will be better off for it. She is a bully. She knows what she signed up for, she is just trying to take advantage of you. 99.9% of providers charge per enrollment so she is not going to get lucky by going elsewhere.

Reply

I do it weird. My families pay for 52 weeks of care, whether the child is in care or not.

Families who pay monthly pay a flat rate no matter how many weeks are in that month.

Families who pay weekly pay the base rate PLUS extra to cover my 3 weeks of paid vacation - about 106% of the base rate. They don't give me a check the weeks I'm on vacation so it seems like they're not paying me but it's already pre-paid.

Reply

You aren't causing any issues, these parents are. They not only know the rules, they also signed saying they agree to them.

Would you ever go into a business that has a 7 day return policy and ask for a full refund a month later?! And if they said no, would you accuse them of "causing and issue"?

It blows my mind that parents even ask this kind of stuff!! I say stand your ground. You shouldn't lose out because they've changed their minds!

Reply

After 6 month of enrollment I allow for ONE unpaid vacation week, however it cannot overlap with my paid vacation days. I want to directly benefit from a lighter work load when they're not paying me for the 1 week they're on vacation.

What does your handbook say? Do you have a free week written in there or are you to be paid year round? That's what you reference to when talking to Mom. Like others said, she does have a lot of time to start saving up OR you have some time to look to replace.

Reply

My daughter's preschool is closed for 2 weeks at Christmas. I still paid for the month's tuition! Don't sell yourself short.

Reply