Holidays/Vacation/Sick time

[Sweet Peas]

So I'm wondering how others do their holidays and vacations in their contract. I've run into a dilema this year. In my contract it states my holidays and if the holiday is on a weekend I take either Friday or Monday off paid. Well this year Christmas Eve is Friday and Christmas Day is Saturday. So now it seems weird to take the following Monday off since I already have the Friday off for Christmas Eve.
I hope this makes sense.
(In my contract I have 5 paid personal days (sick or vacation) and once those are used the rest of the time I take off is unpaid. When parents take vacation they still pay me.)
My DH says to just not get paid for this Christmas Day, but then I worry about bending my contract. He also gave the suggestion of reducing my rates and say that I can take up to 2 or 3 weeks off and it would all be paid. So there would be no time that the parents don't pay me.
Any advice?? or suggestions?

~ Tina

[Crystal]

I am closed on Thursday and Friday for Xmas this year. My contract states the same as yours re. being closed on Friday or Monday if it falls on a weekend, but my parents all understand why I am closing on Thursday instead....it actually works out better for them than if I closed on Monday.

[legomom922]

I have always enjoyed having time AFTER christmas off, and my contract is written the same as yours, but for this year I am closed fri and mon. I just prefer to have some time off after christmas.

I only take 1 wk vacation, and it is not paid, nor do I take any paid sick or personnal time for myself, and I give parents 3 sick days a yr, however, I also am getting premium pay considering that I am not registred, and my PT parents pay the same as FT, which is $35/day no matter how many hrs they are here and $40 if they want me to supply the food, so thats why.

[Unregistered]

The Holidays I have off PAID are New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve. I have 3 PAID sick days, 3 PAID personal days, I have one UNPAID week vacation a year, and the parents get 1 UNPAID vacation a year. I also close if a Holday falls on a Saturday I close Friday and if the Holiday falls on a Sunday I close on a Monday I did not take Thursday or Monday off because Christmas falls on a Saturday because I have off Friday anyways for Christmas Eve.

[caitlin]

I am closing Friday, and I doubt I have an awful lot of kids on that Thursday. I'll open Monday though, and I'll only have 3 kids that week because dcg is going on vacation

[care-care]

Do a lot of you close for Christmas eve and new years eve? Or close early? What if Christmas eve is Sat and Christmas is Sunday then do you take off Monday? or the friday before. Do dcp have that day off from work?

this year Christmas eve is on Friday and Christmas is on Sat. Im trying to word my contract right now. I have someone coming and didnt ever think about the holidays on weekends. So I am changing it up a bit. I want to put the clause in the about holidays on weekends and also if I should be open on the eves..So I am taking a poll I guess.

[legomom922]

Do a lot of you close for Christmas eve and new years eve? Or close early? What if Christmas eve is Sat and Christmas is Sunday then do you take off Monday? or the friday before. Do dcp have that day off from work?

this year Christmas eve is on Friday and Christmas is on Sat. Im trying to word my contract right now. I have someone coming and didnt ever think about the holidays on weekends. So I am changing it up a bit. I want to put the clause in the about holidays on weekends and also if I should be open on the eves..So I am taking a poll I guess.

I am closed on Christmas Eve and I close early on New years Eve at 3pm.

If Christmas falls on a sunday, I would take Mon off.

Parents may or may not have that day off. It depends on what kind of job they have. But in my contract, I state it is their responsibility to have back up when I am not available, sick or closed.

When a holiday falls on a sat, I take fri off. If a holiday falls on a sun, I would take mon off.

this yr, because of the way christmas eve & day fall, I am taking off fri and mon, because I prefer to have the mon after christmas off. just my personnal preferance. Some providers are taking off thurs & fri. It is totaly up to you on how you run your business.

[Lilbutterflie]

[QUOTE=cvankampen;57268]Do a lot of you close for Christmas eve and new years eve? Or close early? What if Christmas eve is Sat and Christmas is Sunday then do you take off Monday? or the friday before. Do dcp have that day off from work?

I take Christmas Eve, but not New Year's Eve. I feel as if I NEED Christmas Eve off to get ready for the big day, but I've never been a huge New Year's Eve partier (we usually have family over and play games/poker until midnight and then everyone leaves and goes to bed!). So I don't need New Year's Eve off.

In my contract if it falls on Sat I take Fri off, if it falls on Sunday I take Mon off. So if Christmas Eve was Sat and Christmas on Sun; I take Fri and Mon off. This year is unique, since Christmas Eve is Fri and Christmas Sat; I am going to take Thurs and Fri off.

[DancingQueen]

this past year's contract was specific and only stated Xmas eve and Xmas day. I never even considered HOlidays falling on the weekend. Although I did have the foresight to take July 5th off this year.
Any ways - I took the week after xmas - New years off unpaid this year so it fixed the problem for me. But next year I will word it differently (parents sign a new contract 1/1/11 - with a new handbook). I plan to state that if a holiday falls on a Saturday I take off Friday and if it falls on sunday I take Monday off. If xmas even is sat (and that IS a pd holiday for me) and xmas day is a Sunday I will take Fri & Monday off.

But again - I think I plan to shut down every year between xmas and new years going forward.
it is too hard to run the daycare with my entire family here (even my dh is off). I have 4 kids, a hubby and an english mastiff that are a full time job in themselves LOL

[laundrymom]

I dont word my contracts for it, I give out a holiday schedule each august that outlines the next year, they all have a year to plan for my closing,.. if they dont,.. its not my worry

[SunflowerMama]

I take paid vacation Christmas Eve - New Years

This is what my contract states:

The following days will be observed as paid holidays:

*New Years Eve and New Years Day
*Memorial Day
*Labor Day
*Fourth of July
*Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday)
* Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

* Paid vacation:
December 24th – January 2nd


*If the federal holiday falls on a Saturday I will be closed the Friday prior, if on a Sunday I will be closed the following Monday.

* Sick days of the provider are not paid.

I don't take any other paid vacation/personal/sick days throughout the year so I just use a chunk to take off between Christmas and New Years to travel to spend time with our family in Oregon or Ohio. I give each family a week off unpaid and haven't had any comments from any of my families about my paid vacation.

[SimpleMom]

I have the same thing in my contract. I will be taking Monday off after Christmas or the day before Christmas Eve. If it's in your contractI'd say take it off paid. You've earned it and the parent's agreed to it when they signed up.

[DCMom]

But again - I think I plan to shut down every year between xmas and new years going forward.
it is too hard to run the daycare with my entire family here (even my dh is off). I have 4 kids, a hubby and an english mastiff that are a full time job in themselves LOL

I have always done this; it's always such a weird week anyway, the kids are wild, I am stressed, one of my kids' birthday is 12/27, my dh is off, it's just a good week to be closed

In my contract, if a paid holiday falls on Sat/Sun I don't say Friday or Monday will be taken; I say 'another day the week before or the week following will be designated as the holiday' (or something along those lines). That way I can designate Monday or Thursday or whatever day I want.

[Lianne]

I'm in Canada and Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well as New Years Day are stat holidays. Because they all fall on the weekend I'm taking Mon the 27, Tues the 28th and Fri the 31st as the stat holidays. I'm also closed Wed the 29th and Thurs the 30th without pay. I'm open on Dec 24th but only until 1pm because one of my clients has to work but is done at 1pm. The other clients are off on Christmas Eve and are welcome to send their kids but I doubt they will. They never do.

[legomom922]

You've earned it and the parent's agreed to it when they signed up.

Yes they always agree to things when they sign up, but then they think they can change your policies because deep inside they are not really agreeing, LOL

I have another client who never even took the time to read my handbook where all of my policies and rules are, and I have a contract that states they must read the handbook and agree to all of the policies and it is a part of my contract. she never read it...it's still in her bag, looking unopened and new as ever..she will be sorry one day when I say "well its in my handbook and you agreed to it"