Maternity Leave Question...From Canada

[AnneCordelia]

I have three families in my daycare and all three will be going onto maternity leave in September or October.

I am in Canada so they all qualify for the one year maternity leave. I need to ask them if they are interested in having their child attend over their leave, and if they want their second to attend after the leave is over in fall 2012.

They are all about 5 months into their pregnancies now and Im wanting to advertise for their spots but I want to know their plans.

I am going to ask but should I place a time limit on their decisions? I am worried I might be left in the dark by families pitting off the decision to attend during leave.

Anyway what have you done in similar circumstances? Thanks!

[Unregistered]

I'm also in Canada and I'd ask them soon and tell them that if their older child isn't attending, you will need to advertise for new kids...I've done the whole" trying to hold on while their off "thing and have been screwed over one too many times ....unless they can commit to at least 3 days a week AND will be bringing their new child (IF I have space) , then I have no choice but to fill their spot.

I have been doing home daycare for 24 years and YOU are the only person who will care and look out for YOU!

They should have already started thinking about what they plan to do in a few short mon ths but there is always the chance that they expect you to be just sitting there waiting until they come back on 50 weeks!

[DBug]

I love all of my dc parents dearly, but the 4 that I've had go on mat leave have been SOOO completely undecided until they reached their 2-week notice mark. And of course, since I didn't know exactly when they were going to stop coming, that 2 weeks was completely up in the air too. One mom continued to bring her older child until the newborn was 4 months old. One gave my 2-weeks notice, 3 weeks before her due date, hemming and hawing about it til then. I know that all of them had the best of intentions, but they aren't thinking about it from my standpoint at all (they're putting their own family first, as it should be ). If I could have had a few months to get replacements, I could have been much more selective about the families I took on and I wouldn't have had to go a few weeks without income for that spot. The moms did follow my contract, so I can't fault them for that at all. However, it would have been SO much easier for me if I had given them a cut-off date.

I would suggest that you give them a date that you need to know by. BUT, keep in mind that they may tell you their older child will be coming say, 2 months past their due date, and then go and give your required 2-week (or whatever your contract says) notice BEFORE their due date, kwim? That way (in their mind), they'll have the spot guaranteed for as long as they need it. Meanwhile you may be left high and dry for several weeks with no income for that spot.

It's kind of a catch-22. I've literally lost thousands on my upcoming mat leaves .

I'm not sure if there's a way around it, but if anyone else has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

[Unregistered]

daycare after mat leave

Hi ladies,
I wonder if you can help me with a question....I am currently half way through my year of maternity leave with my second. The dayhome (I'm in Canada) that my first had went to was great, and I had expressed my desire to bring both children back to her home come March 1st 2012 when I am to go back to work full time. The agency had said, "oh yes, not a problem, your on the list" but looking back now she was very vague. Having spoken to her again yesterday it didn't sound promising at all to have spots at my beloved previous day home, or even promising to have any spots at all on March 1st when I will go back to work full time. Was I wrong in assuming that other children taken on in my children's absence would have been told that it was temporary placement up until March 1st, so that I would have been able to have our spots held for us? I had just assumed that this would happen, but looking back now this assumption was definitely my naive mistake and the agency had been very vague (but positive) about us being able to have our places at our previous dayhome. If this is something you have done for a family, would never even think of doing, etc please let me know! There is a very long wait list where I live and I am starting to feel nervous already about taking my kids to a new dayhome, or worse of course having no dayhome to take them in to.
I appreciate any feedback

[bgmeyers]

I wouldn't hold a spot or assume a spot was held for me unless money were involved and a contract signed.

[DBug]

Hi ladies,
I wonder if you can help me with a question....I am currently half way through my year of maternity leave with my second. The dayhome (I'm in Canada) that my first had went to was great, and I had expressed my desire to bring both children back to her home come March 1st 2012 when I am to go back to work full time. The agency had said, "oh yes, not a problem, your on the list" but looking back now she was very vague. Having spoken to her again yesterday it didn't sound promising at all to have spots at my beloved previous day home, or even promising to have any spots at all on March 1st when I will go back to work full time. Was I wrong in assuming that other children taken on in my children's absence would have been told that it was temporary placement up until March 1st, so that I would have been able to have our spots held for us? I had just assumed that this would happen, but looking back now this assumption was definitely my naive mistake and the agency had been very vague (but positive) about us being able to have our places at our previous dayhome. If this is something you have done for a family, would never even think of doing, etc please let me know! There is a very long wait list where I live and I am starting to feel nervous already about taking my kids to a new dayhome, or worse of course having no dayhome to take them in to.
I appreciate any feedback

As much as I love my dc families, I have to put my own family (and therefore my income) first. I would not advertise for or fill a temporary spot in the hopes that a family would come back after their mat leave. There's just too much that could change within that year.

I would tell a family that if two spots are open at the right time, that they would definitely have first dibs. But I wouldn't term a current family because a previous family wanted to come back.

If I were you I would call the agency or dayhome itself and ask to be put on the waiting list right away. Then if something opens up, take it. In the meantime, start looking around to give yourself lots of time to find an alternative.

Good luck!

[Meyou]

I fill my spots if parents pull an older child to stay home with a baby on mat leave. I just can't afford to hold a spot without full payment. I've had several families want to come back after mat leave and I didn't have the space available so they went elsewhere. I wouldn't let a new family go because an old one wanted to come back.

[MaritimeMummy]

I fill my spots if parents pull an older child to stay home with a baby on mat leave.

Same here.

I actually haven't run into this yet, tough, but this would be how I'd tackle it.

My cousin just approached me, she is one of my DCP's, and told me that she's 15 weeks pregnant, and when she goes off on mat leave, she will keep her son coming to me as often as he does now. He's part time so really, for me, as long as he's still coming 2 days a week that's fine by me.


Actually, the potential is there for an expectant mother to be on leave even longer than the year. It's not uncommon for a doctor to put a mom off early for even minor pregnancy-related medical issues. Both times, I had to go off early myself, at 5 months pregnant, because my job is dangerous to a pregnant woman. So I was on "sick leave" during the rest of my pregnancy, then my year's mat leave kicked in around the due date.