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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Vacations?
janderson 02:19 PM 05-21-2010
I was talking to another daycare provider and she takes 3-4 weeks of vacation a year and the days are with pay (it is written up in the contract), she says the parents never have a problem with that.... is this something that can cause aloss of business? Also for full time kids if they take a day off is this still to be a paid day? What about part time? I have a full time weekly fee and part time is by the hour... Thanks for the advice
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Chickenhauler 04:16 PM 05-21-2010
This is how I feel as a parent and as the spouse of a daycare provider-

I don't think it's fair to force the parents to either use their vacation time or pay for alternative care and still pay for child care services they are not receiving, especially if the DC family takes a vacation, and is still required to pay for their contracted spots.

Me, I'd continue shopping for another daycare if this was the way things were.

Maybe in high-demand, low supply daycare areas this might fly, but it would never fly where we are at.

My thoughts-if the daycare is open and the child is scheduled to attend, then the parents pay.

If the daycare is closed, then the parents should not have to pay.
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alyssyn 05:34 PM 05-21-2010
Well said! I agree.
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professionalmom 06:22 PM 05-21-2010
My vacation policy is simply: as long as the party taking the time off gives the other party at least 2 weeks notice, we share the burden (50% discount). If 2 weeks notice is not given, then the party taking the time carries the entire burden.

So, if I take a day w/o notice, I don't get paid; if I take a day w/ 2 week notice, I get 50% = so there's an incentive to give notice so they have time to line up alternate care. On the flip side, if they take a day w/o notice, they pay the full rate; if they take a day w/2 weeks notice, I get 50% = so there's an incentive to give me notice so I can make budgetary adjustments.

I think all of my clients have make comments about how this seems fair and makes sense to all of them.

I don't have limits, but I have never taken more than 2 weeks in any given year (usually 1.5 weeks). Three to four weeks seems like a lot to me, but it may be typical in that area. Here, I could never get away with it.
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nannyde 06:48 PM 05-21-2010
Originally Posted by Chickenhauler:
This is how I feel as a parent and as the spouse of a daycare provider-

I don't think it's fair to force the parents to either use their vacation time or pay for alternative care and still pay for child care services they are not receiving, especially if the DC family takes a vacation, and is still required to pay for their contracted spots.

Me, I'd continue shopping for another daycare if this was the way things were.

Maybe in high-demand, low supply daycare areas this might fly, but it would never fly where we are at.

My thoughts-if the daycare is open and the child is scheduled to attend, then the parents pay.

If the daycare is closed, then the parents should not have to pay.
I agree with you on most things Chicken Man but I don't agree on this. The way I see it my day care parents are buying into a 31 year veteran of child care. I've devoted my whole life to this. Their relationship with me and the services I provide come from THIRTY ONE years of busting my arse to learn how to take care of kids, educate myself for four years, pass my State RN boards, and run a business. I DESERVE paid time off.

I get 18 paid days off a year and that's all I have taken for the past 16 years. I work every day. I've NEVER been late a single day. I am up every day working to be the best Nan I can be. That has to mean something in this business. That something is some benefits.

I earn paid time off at the rate of 1.5 days per month. It's the only "benefit" I have built into my contract.

When I first started doing child care I didn't charge for it. I worked my way bit by bit with incoming clients increasing it to include more time off paid. As I got better at this, moved into a way bigger better home, had more dedicated day care space, hired more staff time so our ratio would be 1 to 4 I was able to ask for more benefits. It's grown into what I have now and frankly... going into my seventeenth year I'm considering increasing it to a few more days.

If you come to Nan's House ya gotta pay. You can't have all of this and not pay into the history, experience, and education.

I don't know for sure but I haven't knowingly lost a client over paid time off. I have offered in the past to build vacation/holiday pay into a less weeks and unpaid time for them. I could charge another 20 dollars a week and offer them to not pay me for my vacations/holidays/ and they could take a week as long as they had been with me for a certain amount of time so I could hold back the extra to put into an account to cover their fees during the off times. I NEVER got a client to take me up on it.

Not only do I get paid time off but when they terminate care they pay off the contract which means paying off any unused vacation I have earned. It's worked out really well so far. I would be happy to do any math calculations they want but in the end I have to make a set amount per year on each slot... regardless of if they pay it upfront weekly or just divide it over 52 weeks per year.

Nan
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HeatherB 07:11 PM 05-21-2010
Well put Nan...,,childcare is also a HIGH HIGH burn out job. We need our tiem off to refresh to be able to provide the best care possible to children.
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originalkat 07:14 PM 05-21-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I agree with you on most things Chicken Man but I don't agree on this. The way I see it my day care parents are buying into a 31 year veteran of child care. I've devoted my whole life to this. Their relationship with me and the services I provide come from THIRTY ONE years of busting my arse to learn how to take care of kids, educate myself for four years, pass my State RN boards, and run a business. I DESERVE paid time off.

I get 18 paid days off a year and that's all I have taken for the past 16 years. I work every day. I've NEVER been late a single day. I am up every day working to be the best Nan I can be. That has to mean something in this business. That something is some benefits.

I earn paid time off at the rate of 1.5 days per month. It's the only "benefit" I have built into my contract.

When I first started doing child care I didn't charge for it. I worked my way bit by bit with incoming clients increasing it to include more time off paid. As I got better at this, moved into a way bigger better home, had more dedicated day care space, hired more staff time so our ratio would be 1 to 4 I was able to ask for more benefits. It's grown into what I have now and frankly... going into my seventeenth year I'm considering increasing it to a few more days.

If you come to Nan's House ya gotta pay. You can't have all of this and not pay into the history, experience, and education.

I don't know for sure but I haven't knowingly lost a client over paid time off. I have offered in the past to build vacation/holiday pay into a less weeks and unpaid time for them. I could charge another 20 dollars a week and offer them to not pay me for my vacations/holidays/ and they could take a week as long as they had been with me for a certain amount of time so I could hold back the extra to put into an account to cover their fees during the off times. I NEVER got a client to take me up on it.

Not only do I get paid time off but when they terminate care they pay off the contract which means paying off any unused vacation I have earned. It's worked out really well so far. I would be happy to do any math calculations they want but in the end I have to make a set amount per year on each slot... regardless of if they pay it upfront weekly or just divide it over 52 weeks per year.

Nan
I agree. I think providers with more experience, space, quality materials, education should build in more benefits over time. Nan--do you have a website? Your program sounds great and I love to see what other providers set-ups look like!
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Former Teacher 08:09 PM 05-21-2010
At my former center the parents paid regardless if the center was opened or closed. Parents weren't never happy around Thanksgiving week since we were closed Thursday and Friday. After one year the child was able to take a week off without pay.

After 17 years of BS at my former center I now work as a nanny for a private family. We talked about illnesses and vacations etc. They wanted to know if I expected to be paid if I was sick. I told them no, since I would be calling in. I assured them that I had to be on my death bed before I called in haha. They asked me if I expected to be paid if the boy was sick. I told them that we could work out some arrangement since I do have bills to pay and I do depend on my job etc.

Well within a month (July) boy was sick with the flu. I was at work for 2 hours before mom sent me home (I work an hour away). Then he was sick for the following 2 days. Since I get paid every 2 weeks, I was waiting to see how it would work. They paid me.

Within a few weeks after that, mom's grandmother passed away (Aug). Mom was going to be out of town for a week. I was paid. Then in Oct I had 2 weeks PAID vacation because they were going out of town. Along came Christmas and I had another 2 weeks off paid. Right before the start of that vacation, I had gotten sick with vomiting etc..I told them I would come in the next day. They said no since they were leaving and they wanted to be healthy lol When mom handed me my check I handed it back to her and asked her to please deduct the 2 days I missed. She said no because she can handle me calling in once in 6 months!

In Feb I got ANOTHER week off because they wanted family time. Now it is the end of May and I will be getting yet 2 more paid vacations (July and Aug)

Long story short: At times I feel like I am taking advantage of them because they are SO good to me. They treat me with the utmost respect. I can walk in, take off my shoes, (if the father isn't there my bra ) and I feel so much part of another family. Yet I agree with Nan...I think I deserve this too. After all the YEARS and YEARS of stress I went through of being underpaid, underappreciated, overworked etc..this is MY time
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QualiTcare 08:32 PM 05-21-2010
i agree with you chicken, but everyone does things differently. a lot of people who get vacation days charge half price if the kid doesn't come. i don't. i think if i did - they'd always try to get grandma or someone to babysit - and i'd have no regular income. i don't care if they come or not, i get paid the same. they have no problems with that cus they can depend on me, and i really don't care to keep kids on memorial day and a lot of other days some people wouldn't. they know that's hard to find. i was supposed to start keeping a kid on june 1st and the mom called and asked if i could start may 31st because the daycare the kid goes to now is closed that day. if she had to take off work, she'd lose just about as much money as she'll pay me for the whole week! i also make it clear to parents off the bat that if grandma keeps them or dad is off work, etc. i still get paid THE SAME!

i tell them they can have one week unpaid, and the one week i take is unpaid. fortunately, i know which week i'll be taking off as early as january, so the parents are taking their vacation at the same time i am. that works out well because my unpaid week and there unpaid week is in the same week! their choice, of course - but it benefits me.

but i agree - if they couldn't bring their kid because i decided not to be open - they shouldn't have to pay me.
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misol 09:16 PM 05-23-2010
Originally Posted by Former Teacher:
At my former center the parents paid regardless if the center was opened or closed. Parents weren't never happy around Thanksgiving week since we were closed Thursday and Friday. After one year the child was able to take a week off without pay.

After 17 years of BS at my former center I now work as a nanny for a private family. We talked about illnesses and vacations etc. They wanted to know if I expected to be paid if I was sick. I told them no, since I would be calling in. I assured them that I had to be on my death bed before I called in haha. They asked me if I expected to be paid if the boy was sick. I told them that we could work out some arrangement since I do have bills to pay and I do depend on my job etc.

Well within a month (July) boy was sick with the flu. I was at work for 2 hours before mom sent me home (I work an hour away). Then he was sick for the following 2 days. Since I get paid every 2 weeks, I was waiting to see how it would work. They paid me.

Within a few weeks after that, mom's grandmother passed away (Aug). Mom was going to be out of town for a week. I was paid. Then in Oct I had 2 weeks PAID vacation because they were going out of town. Along came Christmas and I had another 2 weeks off paid. Right before the start of that vacation, I had gotten sick with vomiting etc..I told them I would come in the next day. They said no since they were leaving and they wanted to be healthy lol When mom handed me my check I handed it back to her and asked her to please deduct the 2 days I missed. She said no because she can handle me calling in once in 6 months!

In Feb I got ANOTHER week off because they wanted family time. Now it is the end of May and I will be getting yet 2 more paid vacations (July and Aug)

Long story short: At times I feel like I am taking advantage of them because they are SO good to me. They treat me with the utmost respect. I can walk in, take off my shoes, (if the father isn't there my bra ) and I feel so much part of another family. Yet I agree with Nan...I think I deserve this too. After all the YEARS and YEARS of stress I went through of being underpaid, underappreciated, overworked etc..this is MY time
WOW! Sounds like this family takes really good care of you. I'm jealous
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