Families Taking Vacation...Do They Pay??

[nannyde]

No free days. They pay the same amount 52 weeks a year.

[MarinaVanessa]

Anytime that I go on vacation my DC families don't pay, when a DC family is gone for vacation they get 1 week (5 days) of unpaid vacation then they pay. The way I see it is if it's my choice not to work they don't pay, if it's theirs they pay. If it's anything more than 2 weeks and they give me written notice of 4 weeks in advance or more they can pay for half of their weekly rate with the understanding that while they are away I will look for someone to fit their spot until they return.

Oh yes, I guess I should have added that I too require at least a 2 week written notice to qualify for the free week (5 business days). If I don't get at least 2 weeks notice then they have to pay the full price.

[grandmom]

All days are paid. My holidays, 2 weeks vacation, and floating holidays, any time they take off for any reason. It's easier to enforce this when you charge monthly in advance.

I decided to stay open during my vacation last year as I had a new family who needed care. Two other families decided to continue coming that time too - only they had already paid for vacation, THEN they paid for daycare too.

For those considering changing to paid vacations: I charged for one week of vacation the first year, and then the second year I chaged for both. Those two years I did not increase my prices. The third year, I had two weeks vacation paid and increased my prices.

[nannyde]

All days are paid. My holidays, 2 weeks vacation, and floating holidays, any time they take off for any reason. It's easier to enforce this when you charge monthly in advance.

I have them pay on Friday for the upcoming week and they all still pay the same amount 52 weeks a year. I have 18 paid days off and they have 0 unpaid days.

I've done all different kinds of configurations and the one that really works is to take the negotiating for time off unpaid completely off the table. The only exception to my rule is if I call in sick which I haven't for 15 years.

If you take it off the table it takes ANY discussion about not paying off the table. WAY less conflict. As soon as you give ANY leeway into them being able to not pay then EVERY situation that comes up (illness, vacation, parent laid off, notice time etc.) becomes up for grab.

Nan

[Unregistered]

I have been doing daycare for twenty years. I try and look at my job as any other job out there. I get one week paid vacation. Anything over that that I take off for (sickness, funeral, Dr. apt etc.) I do not get paid for.

All other days need to be paid wether the child is in attendence or not.
If you have or are given the courtisy to have the day off, or get off early, I and your child appreciate tthe same courtisy.

As far as wether the family has to pay me when they take a vacation...YES. If their boss were to say .."I'm taking next week (or next month) off, and I want you to stay home and I am not going to pay you. That may not go over to well with many people. The bills still have to be paid. They might be looking for another job that when they are there willing and able to work, they are not given time off with no pay.

[e.j.]

I take my vacation weeks unpaid. Parents usually choose to take their vacations at the same time I take mine so they don't have to pay for their own vacation week. If they choose to take a different week for their own vacation and the day care is open, they pay me for that week.

[Crazy8]

I give 1 free week per year. They can use it the week I take (which otherwise would be paid) or they can take it when they are taking a vacation - I even allow them to break it up and use it as individual days (this benefits me - so I don't lose a whole weeks pay at once). I require 30 days notice if using it all as a vacation week.

I have not had any issue with doing it this way in my 10 years in the business. The only change I had to make was to the wording because of one family - if I have a child contracted for 3 days their "one free week" is for THREE days, not 5.

[2ndFamilyDC]

No free days. They pay the same amount 52 weeks a year.

Same Here.

[Unregistered]

Paying for vacation

I don't understand why a parent has to pay over the entire summer, if they are both teachers. I understand to save a spot, but if that isn't the problem. I am confused. If you work at a outdoor water park, you wouldn't get paid when it got cold, no one shows up and business slowed. If you worked at a ski resort and it didn't snow, you wouldn't keep paying your employees, that is just the nature of the business. I would assume that they might be laid off ?? If the employer chose to pay them then great, but why would you charge me to ski, if there is no snow or when I don't need to. I am paying week to week. Paying for the entire summer for a spot should be criminal from what I can tell. I pay for the employees salary and the food that my kid would get even though they are not there? Why couldn't I just pay a small re-registration fee or a vacation fee to save my spot. I can see 50% or something, but not much more. I don't make that much money. It almost forces you to send your kids to school more often, instead of spending time with them. I don't understand? I realize that this is the wrong forum to mention this, but I am confused? I am not paying for entire year or semester, it is week to week. I understand if I decide to keep them home one day, I will pay for that, but the entire summer vacation? If I lose my spot, then I lose my spot. I can't afford an extra $2400?

[MyAngels]

I don't understand why a parent has to pay over the entire summer, if they are both teachers. I understand to save a spot, but if that isn't the problem. I am confused. If you work at a outdoor water park, you wouldn't get paid when it got cold, no one shows up and business slowed. If you worked at a ski resort and it didn't snow, you wouldn't keep paying your employees, that is just the nature of the business. I would assume that they might be laid off ?? If the employer chose to pay them then great, but why would you charge me to ski, if there is no snow or when I don't need to. I am paying week to week. Paying for the entire summer for a spot should be criminal from what I can tell. I pay for the employees salary and the food that my kid would get even though they are not there? Why couldn't I just pay a small re-registration fee or a vacation fee to save my spot. I can see 50% or something, but not much more. I don't make that much money. It almost forces you to send your kids to school more often, instead of spending time with them. I don't understand? I realize that this is the wrong forum to mention this, but I am confused? I am not paying for entire year or semester, it is week to week. I understand if I decide to keep them home one day, I will pay for that, but the entire summer vacation? If I lose my spot, then I lose my spot. I can't afford an extra $2400?

You realize this is an old thread, right?

I'm not entirely sure I followed your logic, but the answer to one of your questions is: You don't have to pay to hold your child's spot in his/her daycare. That is your choice.

On the other hand, your provider also does not have to hold a spot (and most likely won't) for your child without pay.

See how that works? It's not terribly complicated.

[Cat Herder]

I don't understand why a parent has to pay over the entire summer, if they are both teachers. I understand to save a spot, but if that isn't the problem. I am confused.

Short answer: Because it would not be fair or reasonable to terminate whoever filled your slot for you to come back in the fall.

As soon as your slot is vacated, another family will be enrolled. Weekly rates are generally based on 52 weeks care. Maybe your provider could recalculate your weekly rates based on your childs actual annual attendance weeks?

It isn't personal. We need our income year round. Teachers do not go without pay all summer, either.

[Texasjeepgirl]

No free days. They pay the same amount 52 weeks a year.

what she said

[CheekyChick]

I give one free week per year.

[Blackcat31]

I don't understand why a parent has to pay over the entire summer, if they are both teachers. I understand to save a spot, but if that isn't the problem. I am confused.

I used to take school age kids and they filled the vacancies left by the teachers kids so it worked out great then. But now I don't have school age kids to fill those spaces and if I need to pay my bills ALL 10 of my spaces need to be occupied and paid for.

If you work at a outdoor water park, you wouldn't get paid when it got cold, no one shows up and business slowed. Then you would go off and find a new job to make money. (Filling the teacher's empty space with a new kid is the same thing)
If you worked at a ski resort and it didn't snow, you wouldn't keep paying your employees, that is just the nature of the business. I would assume that they might be laid off ?? If the employer chose to pay them then great, but why would you charge me to ski, if there is no snow or when I don't need to. Ski resorts make snow all winter. Plus, people buy memberships to the ski hill and if they ski once or 1000 times over the course of that membership is up to them.

I am paying week to week. Paying for the entire summer for a spot should be criminal from what I can tell. I pay for the employees salary and the food that my kid would get even though they are not there? Why couldn't I just pay a small re-registration fee or a vacation fee to save my spot. I can see 50% or something, but not much more. I don't make that much money. It almost forces you to send your kids to school more often, instead of spending time with them. I don't understand? I realize that this is the wrong forum to mention this, but I am confused? I am not paying for entire year or semester, it is week to week. I understand if I decide to keep them home one day, I will pay for that, but the entire summer vacation? If I lose my spot, then I lose my spot. I can't afford an extra $2400?
As a previous poster mentioned, if you don't want to pay to hold your space, then you don't HAVE to. But the space will probably be gone when you want it back. I have one teacher who does this. She refuses to pay someone for her summers off so her child has gone to a new daycare every year after summer break. That mom made a choice and that choice was hers to make.
I still have to pay my bills and if you don't want to pay to save the space, then by all means, don't. But please do not be upset when I fill the space with someone else who does attend/pay all year and I have no availability for your child any more.

I answered in bold above.

I also understand how tough it is as a teacher when it comes to this subject, but like daycare providers working loooong hours and getting no breaks during the day and having their homes taken over by a group of tiny little people who are rough on everything, we picked this profession and have to deal with all the pros and cons that come along with it. No one made me be a child care provider so I deal with the cons.

No one made you be a teacher so you have to deal with the cons of that.

I am not trying to be rude or sarcastic...just hoping for you can see it from a different perspective.

[MrsB]

I give the parents 2 weeks of vacation paid at half the weekly rate, with 2 weeks notice. A week is considered whatever their normal contracted week is. So if they come MWF, they have 6 total days for the year. I do calendar year too. So much easier.

I have seen it where some providers have offered the parent an option where they pay a few dollars xtra per week over the year so they can take vacations unpaid. Seems like it might make an accounting nightmare though, but seems to work well for them.