Canadian Providers: 1 yr Mat Leave

[AnneCordelia]

To my fellow Canadian providers,
How do have you, do you plan to or are you dealing with the situation of having clients take a year maternity leave?

I am fairly new to this game. This month all 3 of my DCFs have announced pregnancies. It is still new and nobody has had time to think about what they want as far as maternity leave goes. I want to be prepared with what I'm willing to offer, and so I'm curious about what others have offered their clients when in this position.

Do you keep them parttime? How parttime? Do you make exceptions to your usual rules for families who are particularly awesome?

Thanks! It's weighing on my mind and I want to be prepared for the ensuing conversations.

[countrymom]

well I have kids going to jk just as some moms are coming back from mat leave. 1 year is so far and so many things can happen. I dont hold spots, tell them when they are ready to come back to call you. By then things could have changed. I have one coming back in oct. one next april and one trying to get preg. hey they all keep me in business

[AnneCordelia]

Did your families want to stay on partime or fulltime while on leave?

[Unregistered]

When my families go on maternity leave, if they have been good clients, I have them bring the older child part time (minimum 2 days a week) for the year. Then I take both children back at the end of the maternity leave. Just by chance I have had a spot for the baby because another family has either moved or an older child has gone on to school. However I only do this for one family at a time because there is no way I would have room to take three new babies at the same time.

[Meyou]

I expect them to pay their normal fee to hold their spot for the year. In all cases but one so far they've kept the spot and sent the older child here any where from 1-2 days per week to full time during the mat leave. I let them know when I have an opening for the infant and once it's available they either have to pay for it or wait for the next one I have come up.

I have had one family that decided to take their chances with my availability and keep their older child home during their mat leave. I didn't have space when they returned from mat leave for either child so they put them with someone else and have paid a deposit for my 2 openings in September so they can come back.

I understand it's a year mat leave and they would want to keep their child home but I can't afford to hold spots so I don't.

[Ariana]

I charge a 50% rate for holding a spot. I've never had to do this yet though. Right now I have a mom on mat leave but her oldest child is with me part-time. She hasn't mentioned anything to me about continuing full-time or having me take her baby when mat leave is up!

[DBug]

I used to allow kids to go to part-time when mom was on mat. leave, but I lost SO much money that way. I've changed to full-time or nothing. No more holding spots (chances that I'd have room for both the oldest and the new baby at the same time are pretty slim anyway), or going down to part-time.

It ends up being thousands of dollars that I'm out (I had 3 moms go on mat. leave at once), so as much as I'd love to help my dcf's out, I have to protect my own family's income first.

[littlemissmuffet]

I will not hold space for free or at a discount and I don't hold spaces for longer than 6 weeks.

So my parents have 2 options. They can leave and find a new daycare for both their kiddos or they can pay their usual full-time rate for their already-enrolled child (come as much or as little as they like) and a flat $1200 fee (due immediately, non-refundable, is not applied to future daycare fees) to hold a space for the unborn child.

[Unregistered]

I don't hold a space at all and if they want to send their older child at least 3 days a week, I will go on caring for them BUT, unless I have room by the time the maternity leave is done, (which almost always works out because someone usually leaves for school or otherwise) they will either have to have someone else for both or have a different provider for the younger child..I've been pretty lucky so far in having space for the younger child but there will likely come a time when I will lose the older one if I stay full like I have been for a couple of years now.