Is It Too Early.......

[mrsp'slilpeeps]

To hand out my holiday schedual for the spring and summer???

My husband finally jumped the gun and booked his already, cause every year we have to have our holidays on days that are left over from everyone else pre- booking them!! happyface

How many months in advance do you let parents know?

[Blackcat31]

I handed out my schedule for days off in 2013 on Jan 02, 2013.

I put it on a blank calendar using Word, and highlight ALL days I am closed.

Red = closed/no charge and Green = closed/Paid.

My parents appreciate the advance notice.

[mema]

I handed mine out last Monday, well for what I know anyway. There will probably be an addition to it for August, but I will know in May and tell them exactly when then. Right now they just know it will be 2 days at sometime during that month.

[BumbleBee]

I'm handing mine out today. It's for all of 2013

So no, I don't think it's to early to hand it out

[WDW]

To hand out my holiday schedual for the spring and summer???

My husband finally jumped the gun and booked his already, cause every year we have to have our holidays on days that are left over from everyone else pre- booking them!! happyface

How many months in advance do you let parents know?

I hand mine out as soon as I know. I never know for the whole year but for example, last year we went to Disney, and I knew the dates we were going about 8 months ahead. I went ahead and posted it on my website, and sent home a newsletter with a heads up providing the dates. I then put reminders up on my board at a month, and on my door at two weeks. Everyone appreciated the advanced notice I think because some of them took vacation at that time too (yes, they have back ups, but they WANTED to spend the time with their kids and by knowing so early, they could). So yeah, let them know now, and then just remind them.

[Zoe]

I make a sheet for the year as well, with a reminder of how my days off work and when they pay and when they don't. I do know that I want to take off two days in May so I can go on a couple of field trips but I don't have the specific days yet, so I just made a note that 2 days in that month I will be closed and they'll know as soon as possible.

Granted there are parents who just throw it away and rely on my 2 week reminder and that's fine, but I know I'd appreciate a yearly schedule so I do it for those like-minded parents.

[itlw8]

It is never too early. As soon as you know the dates is when to let them know. My parents will plan their vacation or the kids trips to grandmas during that time.

[crazydaycarelady]

I handed out my closure calendar on the last day before Christmas vacation. It has all my days off clear through January 1st, 2014. I will give them reminders too but with this much advance notice there is NO reason for them to not find back-up care and NO reason for me to feel amny guilt about taking time off.

[WDW]

How do you all know ALL the time you're taking off a whole year in advance? I mean, it's a great service to your families, and like I said above, I let mine know as soon as I do, but there are things that come up all the time.. dr. appts, field trips, family coming to town, just plain "I need a day off" - I could never know a whole year ahead of time...

[Lucy]

I hand mine out by the 15th of January every year! That's when people are signing up for their vacations at work, so I feel like I need to let them know my schedule so they can coordinate their vacations if they need to.

I print out a list of holidays and vacation days, and I rarely ever change it. Only if some emergency were to come up and I need to take an additional day off. I never subtract days off from that schedule I gave them in January, but I may need to add one. (But really, that almost never happens.) I'm able to plan our weekend trips throughout the year, and know when we'll need a Friday or Monday off, etc. I feel good about the fact that I'm able to tell the parents in January what is going to happen for the whole year, and stick to it.
I send reminders as it gets closer, and I put notes on my front door too.

[daycarediva]

Mine were handed out Jan 2 for all of 2013.

[spud912]

How do you all know ALL the time you're taking off a whole year in advance? I mean, it's a great service to your families, and like I said above, I let mine know as soon as I do, but there are things that come up all the time.. dr. appts, field trips, family coming to town, just plain "I need a day off" - I could never know a whole year ahead of time...

I don't know per se exactly, but I do hand out the pre-planned time off for the entire year and let them know that if there are any changes (like a vacation was cancelled and I'm available or I need an extra day off), I will let them know 2 weeks in advance.

*Vacations: I plan these at least by January 1st for the entire year, if not well before that time. This allows me to set aside money throughout the year so I can afford to take them!
*Doctor appointments: I schedule these when my back-up is available so there are no interruptions in my services.
*Family coming to town: Rarely happens, but when it does, I make due. Either I visit with them after I'm closed or on weekends or I schedule an additional day off 2 weeks in advance.
*Needing a day off: I try to pre-plan sporadic days off throughout the year so I never feel like I'm lacking. I feel too guilty to take additional days off.

It ends up being 10 paid holidays and up to 10 unpaid vacation days. In addition, I may end up taking 1 or 2 sick days if absolutely necessary, but I've only done that twice. I usually inform the parents when I am ill asap and let them make the choice whether or not to bring their child. If I really feel too ill to function, then I will close.

[crazydaycarelady]

For me it is pretty easy since my hubby gets his vacation roster at work in December for the following year. Plus we take the same 3 weeks off for vacation every year - 4th of July week and Christmas week plus a week in Feb. I also take every Friday off all summer. For doctor visits etc I get a fill-in - my hubby, mom, assistant, friend.

[littlemissmuffet]

I also hand out a schedule for the entire year every January. It makes my life and the lives of my daycare parents just that much easier.

[Lucy]

How do you all know ALL the time you're taking off a whole year in advance? I mean, it's a great service to your families, and like I said above, I let mine know as soon as I do, but there are things that come up all the time..

dr. appts, When possible (which is almost always) I make mine in the evenings or on Saturday. My dentist, eye doctor, and primary doctor all take either 6:00 - 6:30 pm appointments one evening a week, or they work one Saturday half day a month. Rarely ever have I had to leave early for an appointment, but if I do, I make it the VERY latest they will take me, which is usually 4:30, so I make pick up time 4:00.

field trips, Do you need to take a day off for field trips? Or am I missing something?

family coming to town, Look at it this way -- most people who work in an office have to sign up for their vacations in Dec or Jan. That's how I look at what I'm doing. By giving the parents my list in early January, I'm deciding what vacation days I'm taking for the year - just like I would if I worked in an office. If family calls and says they want to visit, I say "ok, I have the last week in April and the 2nd week in July" (or whatever ... I actually rarely take FULL weeks, so for me it would be more like saying "I have a 4-day weekend for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. They can visit longer, but I'll have kids here.)

just plain "I need a day off" I want those ALL the time, believe me! But I stick to my scheduled 8 holidays and 8 vacation days. It's just how I roll.

- I could never know a whole year ahead of time...

Answered in red above.