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Parents and Guardians Forum>Question About Daycare Providers Days Off
Unregistered 04:49 PM 04-12-2011
My wife and one of her friends both had babies a month apart. My wife went back to work two weeks ago and our friend decided to stay home and start a daycare service. Since we knew her we decided to go with her. We normaly only need someone to watch her 3-6 hours a day 2-4 days a week. She is charging $20 for days less then 5 hours and $30 for anything over 5 hours. I was just wondering what is to be expected for days of that she takes. We did not make a contrat due to she's a friend. She gets every weekend off. She's only been watching her for two weeks now and just told us her husband has her birthday off in three weeks so she is gonna take it off too. We have no back up and I am hoping this does not happen often. What is expected for days off? Sorry I am new to this
KEG123 04:59 PM 04-12-2011
I'd expect her to take of all major holidays (but obviously she may or may not- it's something you need to discuss with her), and somewhere between 2-3 weeks of vacation time per year. Some providers use a day here and a day there to add up to their vacation time, but 2 weeks notice is a must! Some providers take all 2-3 weeks at once. Again, it's something you need to speak with her about. And 3 weeks is ample time to let you know to find backup care. What if she was sick? Would you expect her to watch your child then, or do you have a backup? Really, a backup is a must!
Unregistered 05:08 PM 04-12-2011
I would strongly suggest that you sit down and talk with her about it and come up with a contract. It can be awkward, but it's going to be wayyy more awkward if you and her have different expectations. Some providers don't expect to be paid anything for days that they have off and others expect to be paid for every day that they have off. And, yes you will need a back-up if you don't have a job where either you or your wife could take days off easily. When you go with an at-home provider, you generally just have the one person, so if she gets sick, has an emergency, her child is ill, etc, she will have to close and you will need a back-up.
GG~DAYCARE 05:27 PM 04-12-2011
Anyone who has a child in a home day care MUST have a reliable backup!!! I have had a few times in my 25+ years of day care where I have been sick enough to be hospitalized. The last thing I wanted to hear was a Mom calling me at the hospital to see when I would be able to return to day care!!!! I had no clue but she had NO backup!
I know this woman is your friend but please ask for a contract so you are both on the same page as far as care and days off are concerned. It may save your friendship in the future!!! Good luck!!!
I know this woman is your friend but please ask for a contract so you are both on the same page as far as care and days off are concerned. It may save your friendship in the future!!! Good luck!!!
snbauser 05:30 PM 04-12-2011
Friends or not you need a contract. The contract will answer these types of questions up front instead of you wondering about them. It is the only way you will have any chance of keeping your business relationship separate from your friendship.
missnikki 08:16 PM 04-12-2011
The person you should be asking is her. (Now that we helped you to understand what is reasonable.)
What would you have done for care if she weren't running a home daycare? You might want to consider the options in your area, as it never hurts to be knowledgable of the 'local talent'.
What would you have done for care if she weren't running a home daycare? You might want to consider the options in your area, as it never hurts to be knowledgable of the 'local talent'.
youretooloud 09:39 PM 04-12-2011
I charge for major Holidays, and days the parents take off. But, if I take a day off for personal reasons, I don't charge.
Many providers do have paid personal days though, and really $20-$30 is worth it. If you value your provider, and let her know you do, she will value you as a daycare parent. She won't take BETTER care of your baby... she's already doing that. But, if she's happy, it's worth a little extra money. I'm not saying you should volunteer to pay her if she doesn't require it.. just saying if she does require it, don't sweat it.
You should always have a good backup provider. I'm a backup provider for several people. It's always a good idea to have someone just in case something happens to your provider, or her kids, or her husband.
Oh.. and every once in a while, stop at Starbucks and get her a coffee or tea.
We like that kind of stuff.
last week, I had a dad walk in with a watermelon because he knows I love watermelon.
Many providers do have paid personal days though, and really $20-$30 is worth it. If you value your provider, and let her know you do, she will value you as a daycare parent. She won't take BETTER care of your baby... she's already doing that. But, if she's happy, it's worth a little extra money. I'm not saying you should volunteer to pay her if she doesn't require it.. just saying if she does require it, don't sweat it.
You should always have a good backup provider. I'm a backup provider for several people. It's always a good idea to have someone just in case something happens to your provider, or her kids, or her husband.
Oh.. and every once in a while, stop at Starbucks and get her a coffee or tea.
We like that kind of stuff. last week, I had a dad walk in with a watermelon because he knows I love watermelon.
SilverSabre25 04:38 AM 04-13-2011
Originally Posted by snbauser:
Friends or not you need a contract. The contract will answer these types of questions up front instead of you wondering about them. It is the only way you will have any chance of keeping your business relationship separate from your friendship.
This, exactly this. Having a contract shouldn't affect the friendship negatively; it should preserve the friendship. What the others said about "reasonable" days off is exactly right. I feel sad for your friend, for your child's caregiver, about your comment "I hope this doesn't happen often". She deserves time off, just like you do! Maybe your back-up could be to take the day off yourself and get some extra quality time with your sweet baby.Friends or not you need a contract. The contract will answer these types of questions up front instead of you wondering about them. It is the only way you will have any chance of keeping your business relationship separate from your friendship.
Lilbutterflie 05:42 AM 04-13-2011
I definitely agree that you and your wife should discuss drawing up a contract together. Just let her know that you still trust her but want a contract to lay out all of her policies so that you both are on the same page.
I don't really recommend doing business with family or friends. I have done both, I watched my nephew and nieces which ended BADLY and they still owe me money. I have done business with a close friend, but I discontinued services very quickly; explaining that it was starting to cause friction between us and I didn't want to lose her friendship.
As far as taking days off, I'm sure she's taking it off as a treat to herself because it's her birthday. I doubt this will be a normal thing for her. This is why a contract is a MUST, so that you know how many days off she expects to take, and whether or not you are required to pay on those days or not. And definitely work hard to get a backup provider, for days your child is sick or days that she takes off- you really do need one!
I don't really recommend doing business with family or friends. I have done both, I watched my nephew and nieces which ended BADLY and they still owe me money. I have done business with a close friend, but I discontinued services very quickly; explaining that it was starting to cause friction between us and I didn't want to lose her friendship.
As far as taking days off, I'm sure she's taking it off as a treat to herself because it's her birthday. I doubt this will be a normal thing for her. This is why a contract is a MUST, so that you know how many days off she expects to take, and whether or not you are required to pay on those days or not. And definitely work hard to get a backup provider, for days your child is sick or days that she takes off- you really do need one!
jen 06:22 AM 04-13-2011
I would assume that she would have weekends off, all major holidays and that she would take 2 to 3 weeks off per year for vacation or personal time. You really must have reliable backup. She will get sick, your child will get sick, etc.
I agree that a contract would be in everyones best interest.
I agree that a contract would be in everyones best interest.
SandeeAR 07:58 AM 04-13-2011
You might want to send her here, to Daycare.com, for help with the contract. It really would be in BOTH your best interest. I just started a 18 months ago, doing daycare. I was friends with all my clients before I started, but I still did a simple contract that first year. After finding this sight, I redid my contract after the first of the year and added a LOT of detail. It takes out all the questions on both ends.