Fill In or Sub

[hope]

I was thinking about hiring someone as a fill in for hours I am unavailable. Currently I take off paid to me all legal holidays and the week between Christmas and New Years. I usually make any doctors well visits on legal holidays to avoid taking any additional days off.
I would really like to hire someone to come to my home to watch all the daycare children if my children need to see the doctor when sick. My DD is special needs and has many meetings at school that I can only attend during school hours to manage her care at school. I would also like to attend my DD's end of the year party at school since it is the one party that parents are allowed to attend. I feel horrible every time I need to ask daycare parents for a day off. I take these extra days unpaid.
DH is afraid that it will end up costing us more bc babbysitters in our area get paid between $10-$15 an hour. I only plan on using this fill in for a few hours at a time very occasionaly. I am legal unlicensed and care for a small group. I thought parents would prefer this option verses taking a day off of work themselves and it would cost me less than missing out on a days pay from each child. Most of all it would give me great peace to no longer have to juggle these days off. What do you guys think? I would like some feedback before I talk to the parents about this.

[hope]

Another issue DH brought up is that besides legal holidays I would never be able to request a full day off bc people would still be in and out of our home. I would still have to greet fill in in the am, go over things with them and do the same at the end of the day. All day long I would have daycare on my mind and still be checking in.

[Evansmom]

I want to do this but I can't imagine finding someone I trust with my home, my business and (don't laugh) my aging dog. I've worked so hard to build my business and I'm afraid of leaving it to someone I barely know.

Do you have someone in mind or will you begin interviewing? I honestly think it's a great idea if you have the right person. It will give you some freedom.

[hope]

I don't have anyone in mind. I was thinking of using care.com. I would interview and run background checks. Once I select I would have the person spend a day with me and meet the parents. I do have my worries. I would probably schedule things around lunch and nap time. My son and two others are talkers so I would get a good idea of what's going on.

[AmyKidsCo]

I have my mom as a sub when I have doctor appointments, but otherwise I close. She doesn't want to sub longer than a couple of hours at a time and I don't trust anyone else in my home. But I do know some family providers who use subs regularly... they may have more of a separate child care space than I have.

[DaisyMamma]

Another issue DH brought up is that besides legal holidays I would never be able to request a full day off bc people would still be in and out of our home. I would still have to greet fill in in the am, go over things with them and do the same at the end of the day. All day long I would have daycare on my mind and still be checking in.

I have a sub I use regularly and this is true.
Plus they are in your home, so you can't "go home" until they are gone, if it is peace and quiet that you are after. It's just the way it is when you have a home daycare and in some respects own your own business.
It's annoying, the sub will text me about really dumb things that she should know the answer to, or could find the answer to in the "green instruction folder" if she would have just READ it!
Then you have to deal with them not doing the things you ask, texting, etc. etc. etc.
HOWEVER, sometimes you really just need someone to fill in and make sure the kids are well cared for while you go to the dentist or doctor, visit your kid's school for a play or take your own kids out for a field trip without dragging along the DCKs. So, it's totally worth it.
Just make sure you have a good long list of holidays that you are actually CLOSED too