I have new contracts going out soon. Currently I take the following paid time off:

New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving)
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day

I am also closed 1 week in July unpaid.

With my new contracts I planned to add the week between Christmas and New Year's as an unpaid holiday. Leaving me with two unpaid weeks of vacation plus the above paid holidays.

However, I am pregnant. Baby is due the very end of March and will be born via c-section. I plan to take 3 unpaid weeks off. With a c-section I feel I kinda need to. (Has anyone had a c-section and gone back sooner?)

My question is, how should I handle those two weeks of vacation time? I worry that if I take the week between Christmas and New Year's off and then take another 3 weeks in the beginning of April and then another week in July that will be way too much vacation time. My options are:

*Take the week between Christmas and New Year's off then the three weeks for maternity leave. Cancel the week of in July.

*Cancel the week between Christmas and New Year's, take maternity leave and then take the week of in July.

*Take both weeks off, plus maternity leave.

A few things to keep in mind: all of my clients except 1 family are teachers and will be off during winter break and summer. The 1 family who isn't a teacher both mom and dad work from home. I also have to close early for prenatal appointments and eventually baby well-checks. Both OB and pedi are 5 minutes from my house, so with the exception of 1 or 2 tests I should not have to close earlier than 1 - 1.5 hours.

I am looking for a sub, but have had zero luck (if you have any suggestions on where to look, please let me know!)

Phew, that's a long read. I appreciate you helping!

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I think that would depend on your day care families' situations. If they have people to help and it will not be a big hardship on them then I definitely say take all your vacation.
If it is going to be hard on them and you're afraid of losing them you should still take 3 weeks maternity but maybe skip your December or July vacation.
It also depends on the kind of relationship you have with your families as well. Do you think they would be quick to jump ship or are they super attached to you?

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Congrats on your new baby btw 😊😊

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I think you should take off as much time as you need. You are giving the families plenty of notice.

How old are your own children? How old are your daycare kids? I am so impressed with providers that can do their job while pregnant and when they have newborns! All I wanted to do was eat and sleep when I was pregnant. I thought it was a good day when I actually got a shower for the first several weeks, and both of mine were natural births!

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You need to charge for one of your vacation weeks. I would keep your winter vacation week, charge for it, and I would close for your maternity leave (2-3 weeks unpaid). I think I would chose to skip my July vacation.

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I'm in exactly the same boat. I'm due in January, so I've been carefully thinking this all through.

In case this is helpful, I plan on taking two unpaid weeks of maternity leave in January. A sub will cover the remainder of the time I feel I need to take off. My sub could definitely fall through, so I'm prepared to close longer if I'm not ready or just jump right in. I'll make that call in January. I was really clear that families should have flexible back-up planned because I can't anticipate the exact delivery date or exactly how much recovery time I'll need.

I'm also taking my paid holidays, 6 days paid personal days, and up to 5 days unpaid. I don't plan on using the 5 unpaid days, but it could happen.

Based on all of the advice I've received so far, I'd say you should take the time you need for maternity leave and your vacation. I gave my families a list of other providers in the area willing to provide back up care. I wanted to make coverage easier for them and not feel guilty for taking the time I need. I know that could mean some jump ship even easier now, but I feel almost 100% confident that won't happen. My thinking is that if it does happen that is also fine, because I plan on have more little ones and these policies will remain in place.

Congratulations!!

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I know one family has quite a bit of backup, one family works from home and both grandparents live with them, so neither of those *should* be an issue. My last family has family here who can help but mom never seems to happy when family watches the children, so I do think 3 weeks maternity leave will be difficult for them. That is something I am not willing to budge on though. I've been through one c-section and I feel it will be unsafe and unprofessional for me to go back too soon and risk my safety as well as the children's safety. As far as being attached to me? Two families have been here 2 years and 1 family almost 1 year....but we all know that families will do what is best for themselves regardless of how attached they may be to me. As much as that stinks, I get it. I mean I am doing what is best for me...so ya know

I agree, I do need to charge for one week. I would like to charge for Christmas week but am having a hard time making that change.

My own child is 4.5. All of my DCK's are 3 and 4 years. Since they have all been with me for a while, they know the drill, which I think makes things easier. It's also one of the reasons I am not *too* worried about going back after 3 weeks. My biggest concern is healing enough psychically to keep up.

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I just had a baby in May and took a 2 week maternity leave. I usually only take 2 weeks vacation all year so I tried to be a hero and took my maternity leave as my vacation. It was awful! I was NOT ready to have kids back at my house after 2 weeks and on top of it I'm so burnt out from having virtually no time off this year except for holidays. Take your 3 weeks or more maternity leave and take your vacation. Families are replaceable. Time with your baby is not.

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I did this as well. We also moved 4 weeks before the baby came. Between moving with only 1 day off, closing for only 2 weeks and not taking any other time off that year, it was hard! I feel like I handled it ok, but I still have issues with burnout 2 years later .

I would take all that time off and make the Christmas time paid.

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If you are having a c section I would even extend the time off to 4 weeks. Gives you some wiggle room as a just in case.

I would keep your holidays in there. You will need the time off still.

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With my first I had a complicated natural birth, ran my daycare all of Friday and then went into labor that night, gave birth Saturday afternoon and stayed in the hospital until Monday (memorial day and daycare was already closed for that day) closed that Tuesday and was open again Wednesday. I had my husband do most the daycare work for that week and was back at it alone the following week. I had only been open for just under a year, so felt like I couldn't close any longer than a day... It was hell.

I had a c-section with my second and closed for 2 weeks. Unpaid. My husband was on paternity leave for 8 and ran things for all 8 weeks. Within the first 2 days of being home from the hospital I had torn some internal stitches from pushing myself to hard (lost all feeling in my lower stomach due to the damage, still can't feel anything there 25 months later).... At 8 weeks after my c-section I still had lifting restrictions but DH had to go back to work... So I changed kids on the floor with all the proper barriers and all was fine. Until the "oh he's not really violent! He just misses me" 4 year old punched me in my c-section scar. It was terrible. That mom (who had begged me to not close for longer than 2 weeks and she was going to pull if I did) when told that I had to close due to the pain I was in and having to go to the doctor, then blew up at telling me "I should have stayed closed longer to heal properly! I wouldn't have gotten hurt from her son punching me if I had closed longer" And how "she wasn't going to pay for me being closed!"

The daycare income pays 2/3 our bills, loosing anyone hurt. But She got termed the next time she showed to drop off. And Good riddance. I've been open for 5 years and dealing with terrible burn out because of because of not putting myself and my family first, from worrying about other people's families and letting people walk on me just to make them happy only to find out that there WAS no making them happy.

Moral of the story: don't be afraid to close for however long you need to. You tell them when you are going to be closed and what will be paid and what won't be. It's their job to figure it out from there. Don't worried about what they are doing for care, not your problem. You are worth it. Even if your dcf's don't see it. The good ones you want to keep around will.

Ps. Funny enough, Just got a call from that mom about my resent openings, she told me she was so sorry for how rude she had been and wanted to bring her son back for after school care. We could really use the money from the pt slot, but I still told her no. It felt so good.

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You providers who have gone back right away - or moved in the process, you are much braver then I!

I have been sitting on this (clients don't even know yet) but would like to get contracts out by September so everyone has ample notice.

Upon consideration now, I think I am going to take the week between Christmas and New Year, 3 weeks maternity leave and then a week in August.

I host a large Christmas dinner. It's my thing. The house is decorated to the nines....and DD's birthday is January 6th. Between making and cleaning up from Christmas dinner, taking Christmas decorations down, and prepping for DD's birthday, the end of December / beginning of January is always nuts. Add being pregnant into the mix and I am going to need that week off.

DD starts Kindergarten August 2017, I know I will want to be there for drop off and pick up the first few days. The plan as of now is for DH to drop off and pick up as he works from home and can leave. But, that first week I will want to be there. With DD starting K and a 5 month old baby - I think taking that first week of K off (will likely be the second week in August) will be necessary.

All of this planning and I may not even go back. I want to go back. I feel like I need and want to see this through. DH does not want me to go back and was very surprised when I told him my plans. However, I question if I will continue when DD enters K. I am just not sure how I can run our house, run a daycare, care for DD and new K stuff and for a new baby.

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Yes for sure. I would most definitely not budge on your maternity leave. (I hope that was clear in my response. I re read it and it may not have been ☺️)
You just do what's best for you! I'm sure your parents will work something out.

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I did have a c-section and came back within one week....it was not a scheduled c but ended up that way. Ironically on my second, a c-section was scheduled but I had him naturally 2 weeks early I told my clients both times that when I had my child I would be closed for a week. I charge 52 weeks so there was no question whether they would pay me or not. My mom did help out alot. However, I found with a c-section it is better to keep moving to get rid of the soreness...at that time, my clients called me the "pioneer woman".... Like I have stated in many earlier posts, we didn't think we could have kids, so when we got 2, there was no way I was being negative with anything.... thankful for the morning sickness and even the occasional unpleasantness. Whatever you decide is right for you is what I would do.... Congratulations on the pregnancy!

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My own child is 4.5. All of my DCK's are 3 and 4 years. Since they have all been with me for a while, they know the drill, which I think makes things easier. It's also one of the reasons I am not *too* worried about going back after 3 weeks. My biggest concern is healing enough psychically to keep up.[/quote]

I had an emergency c-section almost 5yrs ago & I took 6wks off. I needed every last bit of that time off to heal. My husband had gone back to work & it was a bit overwhelming with my newborn (because of the pain). Congratulations!

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I'm sorry you had an emergency c-section. My first was also an emergency s-section (after 2 days of being in labor) and it was awful. Where you doing DC when you took 6 weeks off? Did your DCF's mind?

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Yes! It was clear When thinking things over I was willing to forego a vacation week for the happiness and retention of my clients. But I was not willing to budge on maternity leave. I know myself, and just don't think it will be possible.

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Firstly, congratulations. I had this very issue in my daycare. Luckily most of my dck are teacher's children and my son was due at the end of the school year. (School got out on Fruday and he was born the following monday" my other two families had plenty of time to make arrangements so I was able to take 8 weeks off, unpaid. Knowing he was coming I was able to budget and save every penny I could to prepare for that time off.

Your physical and mental health is most important. You are better for everyone if you are properly healed and emotionally not ready to be back. I get that we feel we need to be reliable to these families but you and your family are the most important. Do whatever it is you feel you need to do and if your daycare families are worth having they will understand

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