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Ariana 09:01 AM 03-21-2019
How much time do you all take off? Is it paid or unpaid?

I am going to be revamping my contract soon to include more time off. I currently have 4 weeks vacation unpaid, 5 paid personal day, 5 paid sick days and Stat holidays.

One provider in my area takes 6 weeks with unlimited sick days. She is always full and charges a lot!!

The families I have right now, never take vacation days with their kids unless it is my vacation. They take vacation days and bring their kids to me. I am starting to think I need to start taking more time off for my mental health.
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Annalee 09:14 AM 03-21-2019
*All school holidays excluding Summer (Presidents, MLK, Veterans, etc.)
*Am off today and tomorrow as I take Th and Fr of Spring and Fall Break
*Two days around Memorial Day and July 4th
*Wed-Tues around Labor Day
*7-10 days at Christmas depending on how it falls
*4 Professional Training Days
*Unlimited emergency days
*Th and Fr end of July or first August for family decoration trip to Georgia
*I list all days but also say "these are the days ms. xxx will be closed but not limited to".

I get paid 52 weeks a year

Yep, many don't enroll after interview but I just want 12 who want to be in my program and do what I ask as I also will do for them.

I am known as the daycare who is "adamant" about her contract

My sons are older now but I have left all my days the same as I use these days to get my own errands run, dr appt, dentist, etc. or nothing as I am doing today....still in my pjs.
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Ac114 09:30 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by Ariana:
How much time do you all take off? Is it paid or unpaid?

I am going to be revamping my contract soon to include more time off. I currently have 4 weeks vacation unpaid, 5 paid personal day, 5 paid sick days and Stat holidays.

One provider in my area takes 6 weeks with unlimited sick days. She is always full and charges a lot!!

The families I have right now, never take vacation days with their kids unless it is my vacation. They take vacation days and bring their kids to me. I am starting to think I need to start taking more time off for my mental health.
I am in the same boat with parents taking PTO but still bringing their kids to me. I only have 9 paid holidays and 10 unpaid days but rarely take them off. Our area is saturated with providers who charge bottom dollar, don’t charge holidays, only pay when you bring them etc. so I feel I have to meet somewhere in the middle. I’m on the fast track to burn out! I’m taking a day off in May and that will be my first unpaid day off in over a year!
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Jupadia 10:24 AM 03-21-2019
I take all stat days paid, plus easter Monday and the August long weekend. Close early on Christmas eve at noon and at 5pm (instead of 6) on Halloween. I also take up to 3 weeks unpaid per year. Famklys pay for when they take vacation.
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DaveA 11:29 AM 03-21-2019
Paid- major holidays including day after Thanksgiving and day after Christmas. I also made my birthday and anniversary paid holidays.

Unpaid- 2 five day breaks. 1 winter 1 summer. I either do them as a full week or break it up into a couple long weekends.

There are a few other days during the year I end up closing for appointments or such.
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coloradoprovider 01:16 PM 03-21-2019
I take paid national holidays; Jan. 1, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday).
I usually take a week and a half off at Christmas - unpaid. I take a spring break unpaid, at least a summer week unpaid, a fall week unpaid. Any other days, are unpaid. If I want to take a longer trip - I have no problem letting my clients know well ahead of time - I took 3 weeks off a few years ago to go to Europe. I took 2 and 1/2 weeks last year for an anniversary trip to Hawaii. Several years ago, I took the month of July off. When I interview I let parents know that I typically will take about a total of 6 weeks vacation throughout the year. If they have little to no vacation time or can't have family visit to cover the gap, then they need to keep looking for a provider who takes less time off. My husband gets 6 weeks a year, we like to travel and it keeps us sane!
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Snowmom 02:26 PM 03-21-2019
Most all federal holidays including Veteran's Day, President's Day and Good Friday. In those days, some are 2 day holidays breaks (Thanksgiving, 4th of July). All paid. I think it's 11 days now which doesn't include "Christmas Break" (below).

I take Christmas Eve-New Years Day off, paid.

I factor in an extra week of summer vacation and a couple long weekends in my rates, but they are "unpaid".

I also take off a handful of professional & personal days, "unpaid".

I think part of the draw to my services is that people think they're not paying for my time off other than Christmas.
They don't question that it's worked into my rates.
One thing I will say, is that if you put paid vacation in your contract, it helps to have a clause that states they still have to pay for it if they leave/give notice before the vacation takes place. So many families try to time their notice to get out of paying for time off.
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Ariana 03:48 PM 03-21-2019
Thank you everyone!

I think making my vacations unpaid makes it easier for parents to not care! My husband is getting his 6th week of vacation next year and I would really like to have a similar amount of time off. I also like to be off when my kids are off which means 2 weeks at Christmas and then March break. That eats up 3 weeks and its not even counting a summer holiday!

Ideally I would like 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week for March break, 2-3 weeks for summer vacation/long weekends for camping.

For those of you that take the time off unpaid do you charge for Christmas day and new years day because they are stat holidays? Here we get Christmas day, boxing day and new years day as stat holidays. If I take my vacation should I charge for those days or not?
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Annalee 04:07 PM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by Ariana:
Thank you everyone!

I think making my vacations unpaid makes it easier for parents to not care! My husband is getting his 6th week of vacation next year and I would really like to have a similar amount of time off. I also like to be off when my kids are off which means 2 weeks at Christmas and then March break. That eats up 3 weeks and its not even counting a summer holiday!

Ideally I would like 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week for March break, 2-3 weeks for summer vacation/long weekends for camping.

For those of you that take the time off unpaid do you charge for Christmas day and new years day because they are stat holidays? Here we get Christmas day, boxing day and new years day as stat holidays. If I take my vacation should I charge for those days or not?
I choose to get paid 52 weeks a year because that's just how I like being paid. But I have a provider friend that charges much more than I do per week but doesn't charge when closed. She makes the same as I do annually but her parents can't do the math and only notice the no charge when closed.
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Ariana 04:47 AM 03-22-2019
Originally Posted by Annalee:
I choose to get paid 52 weeks a year because that's just how I like being paid. But I have a provider friend that charges much more than I do per week but doesn't charge when closed. She makes the same as I do annually but her parents can't do the math and only notice the no charge when closed.
I think this is what I am currently doing!! My husband and I worked it out last night. I am losing some on my part time kids but they will be gone soon
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