For Those Of You Who Have A Paid Vacation And Give Families A Vacation...

[melilley]

Another thread got me thinking. If you give your families a free vacation week, do you let your them take their vacation the same week as your paid vacation, or must it be a different week than yours? I have it in my policies that families can have one week, 5 consecutive days, of vacation a year after they have been here for 90 days, providing they give me a two week notice. Well one of my families gave me their vacation schedule a couple of weeks ago and it just so happens to be the same week as mine (plus a few random days). The mom said she didn't know if it was my vacation week or not-not sure if I believe it, but if they do take their vacation the same week as mine, it would be the same amount of pay whether it is the same week or not, but then is it like a paid vacation?

What is your policy and/or thoughts on this?

[TheGoodLife]

I didn't care at first, but after 1 family would overlap my paid TO with their unpaid TO I figured I jipped myself out of extra days without DCG. So it added up the same amount of $ "lost" for the family, but I only had 1 week w/o the kid, rather than 2. Just depends on if you want a few more days with less kids or not!

[Blackcat31]

I've done it ALL ways. Just depended on the group I had at that time.

I've allowed and encouraged parents to take vacation the same time as me as well as had policies that allowed NO vacation time be used during my paid vacations.

Now I just charge 52 weeks a year and that's that.

I'm sorry that wasn't much help but how I set and enforced my policies had ALOT to do with my current group of kids AND parents and what things were currently like in the daycare world...kwim?

I never used to close. I never used to take paid vacations, I never used to have paid holidays......

Over the course of 20+ years, things change. I rolled with them...

[mema]

I use to let them take their vacation days when I took mine. They get 5 days, I get 10. Now, they cannot take their days when I take mine or during any part of their 2 week notice. I don't have mine set that they need to take it a week at a time tho. They can use a day here and there as long as I get 2 weeks notice. I prefer they only use 1 or 2 at a time. It gives me a break periodically thru out the year instead of all at once and I would rather adjust my finances to be short a few days then a week.

[jenn]

It would depend on the family. If it is a family that stretches the rules, I wouldn't allow it. If you think they honestly didn't know/forgot that week was your vacation, I would just let it go, but explain that next year it will not work.

I give my family a set amount of free days, but they can only use 2 per week.

[Cat Herder]

I encourage mine to take the same days. If they play their cards right they can get 4 full weeks unpaid (2 mine, 2 theirs).

I do this because I want to encourage parents to TAKE their kids out of daycare and spend a week with them.

It rarely happens, though, even with the financial incentive.

[melilley]

I use to let them take their vacation days when I took mine. They get 5 days, I get 10. Now, they cannot take their days when I take mine or during any part of their 2 week notice. I don't have mine set that they need to take it a week at a time tho. They can use a day here and there as long as I get 2 weeks notice. I prefer they only use 1 or 2 at a time. It gives me a break periodically thru out the year instead of all at once and I would rather adjust my finances to be short a few days then a week.

Oh no, I didn't even think to put it in my policy that they can't use their vacation days for any part of their 2 week notice! Thanks! I guess what everyone says is true-you are never fully done writing up policies!

[melilley]

Thanks everyone for the input! Now I just have to decide what to do!

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

They can take it at any time after 6 months of enrollment. Doesn't matter to me. Only 2 families have ever used it period which surprises me.

[earlystart]

My contract says any of my paid holidays or personal vacation days are paid regardless of any other term in the contract (as in, they can't apply one of their vacation days on those days). As someone else mentioned, it's nice to have the kids gone on vacation when I AM there and open, instead of when I'm not there anyway.

[SunnyDay]

They can take it at any time after 6 months of enrollment. Doesn't matter to me. Only 2 families have ever used it period which surprises me.

I have been shocked by this, as well. I used to think I was the only one who didn't take vacations!

[Crazy8]

either way is fine by me - I figure in the course of the year I am getting the same amount of money, but as someone said above, you are kind of getting jipped out of a week without the child but that doesn't bother me any.

[Play Care]

I have been shocked by this, as well. I used to think I was the only one who didn't take vacations!

I had parents still take vacations, while bringing their kids to dc every day of it I don't care, but I always felt bad for the kids.

[AmyKidsCo]

I let parents take their vacation the same week as mine - I figure that they're paying for 51 weeks of care in a year regardless so it doesn't matter when they take it.

However I'm considering changing my policies so their week always falls during one of my vacation weeks. That way I know when their vacation will be so I can plan ahead for it, and I'm guaranteed not to have their children here then.

(I had 2 parents "misunderstand" the meaning of "free vacation" and bring their children for care during their "vacation" this year. I let it go, thinking it would even out eventually but they ended up giving notice shortly after. Lesson learned!)

[christine19720]

My vacations and any random day I may have to close are unpaid.
Everything thing else is paid, federal holidays included.

I tried to keep it simple.