With Winter Weather Coming

[legomom922]

I dont know of any business'es that actually close because of bad weather! Schools close but generally staff still have to report. It would have to be one huge hek of a storm where people are really "trapped' in their homes, and even then, employeers expect you to get to work. So if her school closes and the parent still has to go to work, why should she waive the fee? If she puts that she follows the school closings, she will lose alot of money, because schools generally close while most business are still open.

[AfterSchoolMom]

My policy says that I'll stay open unless travel becomes impossible or the power is out - and then I charge half rate for the day. I've never had to close due to weather, but it doesn't snow more than a couple of feet at any given time here.
I'm sure that if I did, I'd still have parents fighting me over being paid half even though it's in there. I can't control the weather though, and still need to eat!

[QualiTcare]

I dont know of any business'es that actually close because of bad weather! Schools close but generally staff still have to report. It would have to be one huge hek of a storm where people are really "trapped' in their homes, and even then, employeers expect you to get to work. So if her school closes and the parent still has to go to work, why should she waive the fee? If she puts that she follows the school closings, she will lose alot of money, because schools generally close while most business are still open.

she wouldn't be closed because she's at home anyway - no reason to close. anyone that had to work and could make it to work could still bring their child and pay. if school was open and they couldn't make it - too bad, they'd still have to pay. if school was closed and they said they couldn't get out of their driveway - chances are, they're not lying - so she'd waive the fee IF schools were closed AND the kid didn't come.

[legomom922]

if school was closed and they said they couldn't get out of their driveway - chances are, they're not lying - so she'd waive the fee IF schools were closed AND the kid didn't come.

Couldn't get out of their driveway, and NOT yet having plowed or shovled the driveway are 2 different things. I would lose pay because someone didn't want to get up early to shovel the driveway, kwim? My husband gets up 1 hr earlier all winter just to do the driveway, no matter how bad it is, because even when the schools are closed, he is still expected to go to work, like most people are. Shovel your driveway and bring your kid to daycare and get your butt to work and if you don't you pay me anyway!

My point is if you go by the school closing schedule, you will get burned, because some people will use that as an excuse not to pay.

[Blackcat31]

well, i think it does matter where you live. in MN it's expected to snow, freeze, etc. therefore, the city/county has the equipment and employees to make the roads driveable. plus, people there are experienced driving in those conditions and probably have equipment to clean up their own driveways pretty quickly.

when it snows here, like really snows, it could be a day or 2 before a truck comes to clear the road. there are a lot of country roads that don't get cleared for several days. it's not something the county has a lot of money set aside before because it rarely happens. the last house i lived in had a driveway and you had JUST enough room on a good day to back out and get onto the road without falling down a 10 foot embankment. it snowed a lot (wouldn't be a lot to you, but a lot for here) and there's no way on earth i would've tried to leave - NOBODY on my street did bc of that mini cliff. the snow started when i was on my way home and it was scary - i couldn't see ANYTHING and there were cars all over the road, in ditches, etc. people here have no experience driving in that weather.

the general rule here is: if the bus drivers can't safely transport the kids to school, then the schools close. it's a pretty rare occassion. there's really no reason for a provider who stays at home to close bc they'll be there anyway, but i wouldn't think it would be unreasonable to not charge in the rare event of a snow storm where people are trapped at home.

You are absolutely right! We are better equipped for snow because of where we are located. Our schools RARELY close like daysofelijah said in a previous post. I can see how snow where you live can be crippling for a city/town. My DH and I went to a NASCAR race in Daytona, Florida a few years back. The weather was "winter-like" and I was amazed at how differently people responded because obviously they were not used to cold. It was February and like 50 degrees out. My kids were swimming in the outdoor pool and there were people near us with down coats and mittens on! Anyways, point is, you are correct, snow and storms have completely different effects and outcomes for people dependant on your location.

[QualiTcare]

Couldn't get out of their driveway, and NOT yet having plowed or shovled the driveway are 2 different things. I would lose pay because someone didn't want to get up early to shovel the driveway, kwim? My husband gets up 1 hr earlier all winter just to do the driveway, no matter how bad it is, because even when the schools are closed, he is still expected to go to work, like most people are. Shovel your driveway and bring your kid to daycare and get your butt to work and if you don't you pay me anyway!

My point is if you go by the school closing schedule, you will get burned, because some people will use that as an excuse not to pay.

it's not going to do much good to shovel the driveway if you get to the bottom and meet a snow/ice covered road. i disagree you'll get burned going by the school schedule. how often do schools close? rarely ever.

i actually have worked for businesses that closed early and sent us all home because of the snow. my parents missed my college graduation because of the snow. there were students who missed their own graduation! they actually ended up having a 2nd ceremony. there's more involved than waking up and shoveling the driveway. like i said, it depends on where you live.

[SilverSabre25]

it's not going to do much good to shovel the driveway if you get to the bottom and meet a snow/ice covered road. i disagree you'll get burned going by the school schedule. how often do schools close? rarely ever.

i actually have worked for businesses that closed early and sent us all home because of the snow. my parents missed my college graduation because of the snow. there were students who missed their own graduation! they actually ended up having a 2nd ceremony. there's more involved than waking up and shoveling the driveway. like i said, it depends on where you live.

Actually, how often schools close depends entirely on your area. Around here (central OH) there's usually one or two snow days a year, and it's not unusual for some/most districts to meet or exceed their quota of calamity days (most often, 5 or 6). Our county rarely shuts down (level 3 snow emergency)--maybe every couple of years we'll get a lvl3 for all or part of a day. When we have bad snow, it's often accompanied by ice, too, and that's what closes things even more than the snow. That, or the timing of the snowstorm might cause schools to close for the day, if the worst of the storm falls during rush hour or something.

[legomom922]

I'm in the country, and our schools close alot at the drop of a hot which personaly is ridiculas! they closed one day last yr and and me and my husband sais "why" just because a little snow fell? Then later that day the sun was out and it had all melted...it was so silly! But I guess out here where some buses are driving 20 miles to reach school, they are more concerned about the safety of the bus drivers. So I can only speak for MY area, and we do get alot of snow here in upstate NY, but it is never bad enough where I would want to lose pay over it, so I would never put that in MY contract.

[melissa ann]

I am open during any inclement weather. It's up to the parent/guardian to bring their child. Payment is expected. If the governor declares a state of emergency and shuts down the roads then I will not charge.
Living in Pa, we get N'orEasters and can get slammed by snow.

[misol]

I am open during any inclement weather. It's up to the parent/guardian to bring their child. Payment is expected. If the governor declares a state of emergency and shuts down the roads then I will not charge.
Living in Pa, we get N'orEasters and can get slammed by snow.

Same here. I am open during bad weather and parents are told to use their discretion. I will not charge if there is an official state of emergency.

[AfterSchoolMom]

Continuing with this discussion:

We're weather wimps in my area of the country. It only takes a couple of feet of snow to shut down everything, and we're not equipped to handle plowing and such if it snows for a lenghty period of time. Here's my question - I remember several years ago we had an ice storm and the whole area was without power for nearly a week. Roads were impassable b/c we were not equipped to deal with the situation.

If this happend, it would indeed be a state of emergency (and it was then). Based on what several of you have said, you wouldn't charge for that. Would you not charge even if you had to shut down for a whole week, or even 3 or 4 days in a row? My contract states that they'll be charged half rate b/c I can't control the weather...but it seems I'm the minority there. However, I don't think it's fair for me not to be able to pay my bills because of a circumstance that is beyond my control.

[QualiTcare]

i think it would depend on if the parents went to work and if they got paid.

well, first of all, i would remain open for the parents who COULD make it to work, so if they could make it to work then obviously they'd bring the child and pay.

if there were parents who couldn't make it to work, but they were paid salary and were still getting paid - i would charge them.

if the parent was a waitress or worked at wal mart and couldn't get to work and obviously didn't get paid - i personally couldn't charge them. it would **** not to get paid, but obviously they know that bc they didn't get paid either.

[AfterSchoolMom]

You're right about that, definitely. I'm talking strictly about days when you MUST close, like when the power is out. As I said, our power has been known to stay out for a week or more. What then?

[DancingQueen]

I'm open regardless of weather conditions - and if they can't get out - they don't have to come but they still pay me.

[QualiTcare]

yeah, that's hard. i know it would **** not being paid when it's out of your control, but it would **** as a parent having to pay when it wasn't their fault either.

this is where i like to remember how everyone says "this is a business so treat it like a business."

if i booked a hotel at the beach for a week and there was a hurricane that flooded it - it would **** for them not getting paid, but i wouldn't pay when i didn't get to stay. if you booked a party venue and their power went out...you wouldn't pay if there was no party. if your mom (or dad, or child) had a home health nurse and she couldn't make it because of a disaster, would you want to pay her for caring for your mom that week?