Personal days?

[finsup]

Do you take them? How often? Are the pre-planned or just as needed? Do you charge parents for them?
Basically, I need to take more time off. I'm exhuasted after working a min. of 50 hours a week and hardly taking any time off in the past 3 years at all. I need time with just my own kids! I was thinking of doing one day a month, like every third Friday or something along those lines. Does that sound like too much? To me it doesn't sound like enough but changing to a 4 day week instead of 5 really wouldn't work here...but really that's what I would LOVE to do. Since I can't though, one day a month? I don't want to loose families over it...but...I am seriously getting burned out and need to change something!

In my opinion that is too many to take off when you are running a business.It's easier to do when you work for a large company where people can cover you.In a home daycare you have a lot of clients who rely on you and some may not be able to take that much time off.
Here's what I do instead. I hired an assistant to come in every Friday, best decision EVER!!!
The parents know she is here and the kids look forward to her coming.She takes care of the daycare and cleaning the daycare during nap time.
I clean myhone, run errands, go to appointments and sometimes I've been known to treat myself to lunch out
It gives me my weekends back and makes me soooo less stressed.
Just an idea!

[finsup]

I would love to hire an assistant...problem is, I have a very small group. I def. can't afford to hire anyone and pay them anywhere close to a decent wage

[deliberateliterate]

Originally Posted by finsup

I would love to hire an assistant...problem is, I have a very small group. I def. can't afford to hire anyone and pay them anywhere close to a decent wage

Can you just pay them exactly what you're charging for whomever is there on Fridays? You'd be loosing out on that money if you were to close every Friday anyway. It might be a great opportunity for a SAH mom to earn some extra money if she could bring her own child with her as well.

[TheGoodLife]

I have up to 10 personal days a year and usually take them one to a few days at a time- I like to spread them out over the year. That way I have random off days and can do family things. And since they are paid days in my contravt i don't lose income.

[jenboo]

I don't have personal days, but I take off every commissary and a lot of time around Christmas and new years. There are only a couple months throughout the year where I don't have a day off.

You can afford it! I just changed my mind set to I can't afford NOT to. The stress was killing me over 15 years of working over 55 hours a week, cleaning a daycare, keeping up a home, taking care of my own children. The older I get the less I want to work so I decided to just cut back on other things and hire help.
I could no longer do it alone, it was just too much. Admitting you need help is the first step
There are a lot of ways to cut back so you can afford someone.
Even if you took on another kid just to be able to have Fridays off it is worth it.

[finsup]

Problem is, I can't take more then 2 kids without getting liscesned. I looked into liscensing before but it's just not worth it. The amount the state wants done to the house (we have a woodstove and no fire doors, that's strike one...we live on water, strike two) and honestly, the space just isn't here. It's fine for 4 kids (two of my own, two daycare ones) but for much more it would be tight. So I can't add on anyone else, and I'm not sure if I could allow a SAHM to bring their child and watch the daycare kids for me
But...I need to change something. I most likely can't do one day off a month but I think I am going to take more then I have in the past. Or write in vacations into my contract...one or two weeks with plenty of notice shouldn't be out of the question. Esp. for my families now who both have grandparents in the area who help from time to time and back-up childcare about 10 mins from here (she accepts them as drop-ins).
Thank you everyone!

[TheGoodLife]

What do you contract now for paid days off? If you give yourself 10 a year and paid holidays, that would work out to a day a month if you spread them out. Is that feasible where you're at? In my area, no one even questioned it from my contract. Breaks are very necessary to avoid burnout, hopefully you can figure something out.

[TaylorTots]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

In my opinion that is too many to take off when you are running a business.It's easier to do when you work for a large company where people can cover you.In a home daycare you have a lot of clients who rely on you and some may not be able to take that much time off.
Here's what I do instead. I hired an assistant to come in every Friday, best decision EVER!!!
The parents know she is here and the kids look forward to her coming.She takes care of the daycare and cleaning the daycare during nap time.
I clean myhone, run errands, go to appointments and sometimes I've been known to treat myself to lunch out
It gives me my weekends back and makes me soooo less stressed.
Just an idea!

Uhm, no. I completely disagree. You tell your clients what you are available to work. If it doesn't work with them then they can put in notice.

I know PLENTY of providers that average 1 personal day a month.