How Do You Handle Vacation For Yourselves?

[Flexmama]

A problem I am finding with home day care is time off. Planning doctors appointments etc. trying to take vacation. How do you all handle it?

When I first started I only had 1 kid. I was going out of town for my sisters college graduation. I let the mom know a month in advance. Even had back up to watch the kid. The mom told me "oh no problem Ill have it covered while you're gone". Then while I'm out of out town, she TEXTS me she found a new day care. Saying "it's nothing against you I just need a day care that's going to be open all the time".

Ever since then I've been afraid to go anywhere in fear of losing all my kids. I have 1 full time and 4 part time kids (plus my own daughter).

[JoseyJo]

I think you NEED to take time off. Some parents will leave- those parents need a center that is open 365 w/ multiple providers, not a home daycare. Most parents wont leave though. The ones that do you don't want anyway- they are usually the ones who leave their child at daycare as much as possible (including while they are on vacation and while they shop), don't spend any time with them, don't discipline them, then blame YOU for all their child's problems!

We take 2 weeks of vacation a year (planned in advance) and have since the first year we opened. I explain it during our interviews so if it is a problem they can choose someone different. I haven't ever had a take a sick day (knock on wood!) my hubby and I run our daycare together so we have always been able to cover for each other, but I let the parents know up front if we are both sick, or if there is a funeral or something we WILL close the daycare for the day. We also tell the parents that they MUST have backup (or be able to take off work) for child and provider illnesses. I think it helps the parents to be more accepting of it to not to charge them for time you take off (just my opinion!). We charge for anytime their child does not attend when we are open (child sickness, family vacation, etc) and for standard holidays (as they are most likely getting the day paid off work). We do not charge for our vacations or sick days.

[Familycare71]

I have three weeks vacation total plus most federal holidays. I get full pay for federal holidays I am closed and half pay for my three vacation weeks. I am always closed spring break, Christmas break and then one week in the summer. I let families know the days I am closed at the interview and give 30 days notice for the week in the summer.
I don't charge any other days I close. I don't provide back up care. I make it clear the one draw back to family care is they need back up of the ability to stay home with their kids when I'm closed.
In 14 years I have had one family leave due to my closings.

[crunchymama]

I take 2 weeks per year, unpaid, & only a few holidays--Christmas, Thanksgiving. New Year's. I tell each family at interview that I yake vacation and it's in my policiea. I give 1 month notice when I'll be using vacation time, then I give reminders 2 weeks before. 1 week before, and day before.
As for dr appts, illness, emergency situations, I don't charge ( if i cant grt my backup), & I notify families as soon as possible. I try to get my backup person in here but if that's not possible I close. I've never lost a family over having to close unexpectedly. I also think its important to have the kids and parents meet and get to know your backup person in advance. Its less nerve-wracking for everyone if everyone is already familiar with each other.

[Maria2013]

A problem I am finding with home day care is time off. Planning doctors appointments etc. trying to take vacation. How do you all handle it?

When I first started I only had 1 kid. I was going out of town for my sisters college graduation. I let the mom know a month in advance. Even had back up to watch the kid. The mom told me "oh no problem Ill have it covered while you're gone". Then while I'm out of out town, she TEXTS me she found a new day care. Saying "it's nothing against you I just need a day care that's going to be open all the time".

Ever since then I've been afraid to go anywhere in fear of losing all my kids. I have 1 full time and 4 part time kids (plus my own daughter).

Vacation? what's that?::

I have it in my contract that I might take two weeks off in the summer and 1 week off during the holidays and notify parents 4 weeks in advance.... but it hasn't happen yet

[originalkat]

All my families know when they sign up that I close for 2 weeks of vacation per year (unpaid) and most Federal holidays paid. I also take up to 5 paid personal days per year. I have never had someone not sign up or quit due to being closed. But, I think a big key to this is that I give them a calendar for the upcoming year with all planned closures so there are no surprises. Also, in the last 5 years of being in business I think I have only closed unexpectedly without notice twice. Once because I had a fever and once due to a power outage/tree down in the yard. As far as appointments go, I have a back-up (my hubby) that can be here at naptime if I have an appointment or errand I need to run. I have not ever needed to close for an appointment. I have closed an hour early on a couple of occasions when needed (wedding to attend, Girl Scout Event etc...)So you want to be sure you take all the days you want, but you don't want to make them up as you go along. Just plan in advance so YOU can look forward to it and THEY know what to expect.
Here are the PAID Holidays I take:
New Years
MLK Jr
Presidents
Good Friday
Memorial Day
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving and Day After
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

[Crazy8]

Its in my contract that I get 1 week paid vacation per year and I always take it but I have yet to go a year where I don't have at least one family that tries to pull a guilt trip on me.

I do not close for things like dr. appts, and have missed way too many of my own kids daytime school activities but usually my DH can go. I feel to be competitive I need to be reliable and that means not taking days off here and there for things that can be done in the evenings, etc.

[Maria2013]

I feel to be competitive I need to be reliable

That's my thinking too

[Cradle2crayons]

I only take three holidays each year::::

Thanksgiving day
Christmas Day
New Year's Day

My reason is because my parents all work as waitresses. They don't get benefits or vacations.

As a mother who has family but whose family isn't at all the typical grandparents and who has NEVER watched my kids, even in emergency. I understand what my parents go through.

And as someone who is extremely picky where my kids go, I would not want my kids to have multiple providers.

When my daughter was small, we tried a private sitter a few times with disaster. They wanted me to have a back up too. I had no family I could use as backup and I knew nobody else I trusted with my kids.

So I get it.

As far as dr. Appointments etc.... I do afternoon shift for the most part, so I make all of my dr. Appointments in the early morning.

[LK5kids]

I have only been open about 9 mo. I take Christmas and day after, Thanksgining and day after, New Year's day, 4 th of July, labor and memorial days, my birthday, and a few other random days during the tear. All unpaid as of now.

Jan 2014. I will add in being paid for 4 holidays and one week pd. vacation.

[Moppetland]

When I first opened my child care, I use to feel the same way some of you felt. In order to be reliable and competitive, I didn't take a lot of days off. I use to feel overworked, worked while ill and missed out on a lot of family events.

Then I went to a professional development class for this business, and the instructor told us some stories about home child care providers dropping dead from heart attacks and strokes right in the middle of doing business.

This instructor was also an inspector. She said that sometimes a child would be old enough in the home to call 911 when they noticed something was wrong with their provider. In other instances, the provider wasn't discovered until their children came home from school with their own keys, or when the husband got home.

She said these providers rarely closed and were opened 24/7.

In saying all this, she was telling us, that we need that mental and physical break and that it's not worth becoming ill over. She said these providers weren't even 50-years-old yet. She told us that if we established from the beginning the days we will be taking off with parents, then don't feel horrible if a parent decides to leave. We tell them at the beginning, they signed the contract that said they understood, and we explained about back up care or alternate care.

So, I don't feel bad anymore. I never lost any of my families over this except one. That family was leaving in another 3-weeks before that anyway, so they just took advantage when I was on 1-week vacation. They called me apologetically and said that it was drop-in care while I was on vacation, and they didn't want to pull her back out to come to me for the last 3-weeks and then bring her back. She had a hard time for the first 3 days. I understood.
This family moved far away from me anyway, so they just left a little earlier. They were paid up.

So, ladies/gentlemen, please take some time for yourself. Everyone closes for a break, even centers. Your health is so important. Without good health, or if you're dead, you wouldn't be able to run your business, PERIOD. They still have to go and find another provider.

[Play Care]

I hired a substitute. Legal requirements vary by state, mine must be fingerprinted, background checked and have current First Aid/CPR on file. This has been a LIFESAVER for me! This allows me to make appointments without waiting months for those hard to get after 5's/Saturday ones. It allows me to volunteer in my kids classrooms, or heck, just go out to pick up milk by myself Otherwise I take 3 weeks of vacation per year (unpaid though my rates are slightly higher to make up for that) many of the Federal Holidays (paid) and 5 paid sick/personal days per year.

I make it very clear in the contract and during the interview that I do take time off and the parent is responsible for back up care (I think it's mentioned three times in the contract...)I also make it clear that my use of a sub is nonnegotiable and if that's something they are not comfortable with then I'm not the provider for them. My goal is to get parents to honestly think about their needs before they sign on. I'd rather someone realize I won't work for them and go elsewhere then to sign on hoping it will work out.

In almost 10 years I've never had a family leave over my time off, for which plenty of notice is given. I make every effort to be reliable, but I refuse to be a martyr.

[Familycare71]

I hired a substitute. Legal requirements vary by state, mine must be fingerprinted, background checked and have current First Aid/CPR on file. This has been a LIFESAVER for me! This allows me to make appointments without waiting months for those hard to get after 5's/Saturday ones. It allows me to volunteer in my kids classrooms, or heck, just go out to pick up milk by myself Otherwise I take 3 weeks of vacation per year (unpaid though my rates are slightly higher to make up for that) many of the Federal Holidays (paid) and 5 paid sick/personal days per year.

I make it very clear in the contract and during the interview that I do take time off and the parent is responsible for back up care (I think it's mentioned three times in the contract...)I also make it clear that my use of a sub is nonnegotiable and if that's something they are not comfortable with then I'm not the provider for them. My goal is to get parents to honestly think about their needs before they sign on. I'd rather someone realize I won't work for them and go elsewhere then to sign on hoping it will work out.

In almost 10 years I've never had a family leave over my time off, for which plenty of notice is given. I make every effort to be reliable, but I refuse to be a martyr.

Be careful with the sub use... In a class we were shown a sub section of the regs- it specifies specifically how often you can use the sub. I didn't even know about these added definitions until that class!
Here is the link to the info: http://ocfs.ny.gov/main/childcare/po...20Training.pdf

[Play Care]

Be careful with the sub use... In a class we were shown a sub section of the regs- it specifies specifically how often you can use the sub. I didn't even know about these added definitions until that class!
Here is the link to the info: http://ocfs.ny.gov/main/childcare/po...20Training.pdf

I know, and always stay within the reg. Eventually I may have my one sub take the additional classes to be considered my alternate but I don't have the hours to justify it.