My teachers kid "probably" wont be here the week after Christmas. They come 3 days/ mon thurs, & fri. As of right now, I am closed on monday dec 27, with pay.

My other client is only here tues/wed.

I am thinking it would be nice to have the whole week off. My week runs from fri-thurs and I am already closed fri dec 24, and mon dec 27, so really I am adding closed days of tues, wed, & thurs, reopening fri.

My question is, 1. is it acceptable to send home a newsletter or something saying that I have decided to close those other 3 days for that week? It's not in my contract, as I have just been thinking about now, but it does give them a months notice. I would have to take it as unpaid vacation I assume at this point, since they are already paying me dec 24 & 27.

the other question, 2. is if the teachers kid doesnt come due to the fact that they have off that week, they will still pay me for that thurs dec 30, but if I ask to take it off I wont get paid...so what would you do? Take a chance and hope they dont come or tell them I am closing that week?

I also now plan on adding to my contract that next yr that week I will be closed, and its unpaid.

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Personally, if I really wanted the time off I would go ahead and close, taking it either paid or unpaid, depending on what your policies are. Some parents, even if they are off, might bring their kids to daycare anyway, to "get things done" or other such nonsense. (I guess you can tell how I feel about bringing your kids to daycare if you're not working )

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I'm struggling with that too. As of right now, I've decided to enforce my policy of taking Friday before off when holiday is on a weekend, so my only paid days off in Dec are the 24th (for the 25th) and 31st (for the 1st). I've been going back and forth as to whether to close or stay open the week after Christmas. It would be unpaid if I take it off, but it would be paid if parents decide to take it off. There's a very good chance that my parents will take some/all of that week off anyway, so do I close and not get paid or stay open and hope I have some of the days off? Oh, and my parents aren't the type who will bring them when they are off, so I don't have to worry about that.

So, I wasn't much help . Looking forward to seeing other responses too!

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I wish I could do that, but with the jobs my parents work, they have little to no paid vacation and have a VERY difficult time taking time off around the holidays (several call centers, retail, mover, food service...) so for them, I would never try.

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Join me in the unpaid vacation club!
I am off Dec 18-Jan 3.
Poor but happy

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Me too! And I do feel VERY poor this year unfortunately. Hubby & I sat down and decided our spending limit for our own kids & I was so sad that we came up with such low numbers to spend on our 3 boys. I digress but I am happy to spend time with my boys from December 15 - Jan 3rd even if it is making me poor. My parent that I provide care for doesn't need me b/c she is in school & her school ends on the 15th. I choose not to charge her but she may bring her kids 1-2 days so she can get Christmas things done. I am crossing my fingers she does. I really could use the extra $$$.

Anyway, in answer to your question I would take the time off, a month's notice is plenty of time for them to make arrangements. And I think your teacher's parent should pay anyway, just my opinion, at least 1/2 rate.

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LOL...I'm poor but happy too. For three weeks around Christmas my preschool is closed, but still have one girl coming for part-time childcare. I can't wait- it will be a much needed break. I would vote for OP to close.

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Ok, so I made my decision the other day and I sent home a notice to the parents this week. I decided since I am off on my holidays on Dec 24, & 27, that I wanted to take the rest of the week too, and I also included Dec 31 as my holiday since New years Day falls on sat. So they will have to pay me for dec 24,27 & 31, and I am taking Dec 28,29,30 off as unpaid vaca days. So in essense, I am closed Dec 24-Jan 2, opening on Jan 3. I figured out with the teachers kid, if I do it this way, there is only 1 day dec 30, that I will lose out on pay for, and my other client, I lose out on the 2 days dec 28 & 29. I would really rather be off that week anyway and spend that time with my kids and family. So on the notice I sent home, I put signature lines on it, so they have to read it and return it to me, so there will be no excuses and no confusion as to my holiday policy. I plan on adding this to my contract for next yr as well.

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Parents frustrate me! So one of my clients asked me today at pick up if I can take dcg the week after christmas all week instead of just tues/wed, because her other dcp is closed that week....I was dumb founded..I told her I am closed too and sent you home with a letter last week..obviously she never read it! I even put on teh bottom of the paper to read , sign and return in red letters, and put it in a envelope labled " Important" Daycare closing and tax info on it to her and a copy to her ex husband...Neither one of them read it!! Now what the hek am I supposed to do? Why do I feel guilty?? Now she's upset that she has no one for that week, because both her daycares are closed....

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Lego mom this is not your problem. For goodness sakes doesn't she look in her own childs bag?
But in all fairness I always let parents know face to face if I plan on taking a couple days off as vacation and I always notify months in advance.
Enjoy your nice relaxing winter break.

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So far I've found out that two of my families (brand new one starting next week and one old one) are off for the last week of December. So that's two down! Only three more to go, and two of the three are only here 3 days a week. Maybe if I'm really lucky, I'll get an unplanned paid week off!

(Not gonna happen, but it sure will be an easy week!)

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I always put 2 copies of everything in their bag, in envelopes with their names on them. They share custody, and when mom picks up on wed night, dcg spends that night with her mom, and then dcm drops off dcg at the dcp that is closer to her ex, and then he picks up dcg girl on thurs night and has her until sun morn. So where are my envelopes going? Wed night dcm HAS to go in the bag to restock diapers etc for the next few days. So she has to take out the envelopes. How can she not read them? Why isnt she giving them to dcd or is she leaving them in the bag and dcd is taking them out? But if he is taking them out, what is he doing with them? Somebody is taking this stuff out of the bag! And not only that, my holiday policy is in my handbook, and so I guess neither one of them actually read what was in there either...It also states in my handbook that I will provide at least 2 weeks notice of any vacation time I want to take, and here I thought I was doing good by giving her 4 wks... I am already giving this couple a huge deal by taking their daughter for 12 hrs on tues/wed for $35 w/food! No OT fees, etc, and I let them drop her off at 630 in the morning! I have had a long relationship with this family, since I have had dcg since she was 4 months old, and she will be 3 in March, and these parents have always been on the irresponsible side, but good faithful clients who pay, and just adore me. But...it's not my problem...is it???

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