I Feel Blackmailed

[crazydaycarelady]

My policy is that full time kids get one free absence per month.

So dcm asks me if her 13yo can come with the two younger kids and help me out today (mostly she just wants to come play with the puppies I am fostering.) If she can't come then the two younger ones will just stay home with her (meaning they use their free day and I don't get paid.)

So the 13yo is here but it is just making the day draaaaag on.

[NeedaVaca]

That is a lot of free days! Do you get paid vacation or is that unpaid too? I could not afford to do free days. Especially that many...

[countrymom]

well you should get paid for the 13 yr old too. Makes no sense. Its different if you asked for the child to come over and hang out, but the mother asked you so that is a paid job deal. I will ask dd's bff to come over and hang out, but only after hours because I watch her before and after school.

[Blackcat31]

My policy is that full time kids get one free absence per month.

So dcm asks me if her 13yo can come with the two younger kids and help me out today (mostly she just wants to come play with the puppies I am fostering.) If she can't come then the two younger ones will just stay home with her (meaning they use their free day and I don't get paid.)

So the 13yo is here but it is just making the day draaaaag on.

I'd require ADVANCE notice of use of free days unless it is illness related.

I would not be happy about the way DCM approached this subject if that is how she put it....

[LadyPearl]

So she got the 13 yr old out of her hair as well. Well played, dcm, well played!! Now she knows that she can do that to you!

[dalman]

My policy is that full time kids get one free absence per month.

So dcm asks me if her 13yo can come with the two younger kids and help me out today (mostly she just wants to come play with the puppies I am fostering.) If she can't come then the two younger ones will just stay home with her (meaning they use their free day and I don't get paid.)

So the 13yo is here but it is just making the day draaaaag on.

I guess I am curious, what made you implement this policy? I have not heard of this before.

[CraftyMom]

That does seem like a lot of free days. Maybe you could require a 1 or 2 weeks notice in advance so you know what days you will not be paid. I would not be happy with a last minute "oh my 2 kids aren't coming tomorrow and we're taking it unpaid"

I allow 2 of my scheduled days off per year to be unpaid. The parents get to choose which days, but only from my scheduled days off. I require a 2 weeks written request which I may deny if more than one family requests the same day.

[Katierue]

I guess I am curious, what made you implement this policy? I have not heard of this before.

I used to do that, back in my first year. But it didn't make sense, and I always felt screwed. Maybe change the policy?

If I have a child 3 days a week, and they will miss one of their days, I let them make it up on another day that week if I have the space. Even doing that gets complicated, but I like to give a little here and there- makes it easier to stand my ground on the things I feel more strongly about.

Did you charge for the 13 year old?

[Blackcat31]

I used to do that, back in my first year. But it didn't make sense, and I always felt screwed. Maybe change the policy?

If I have a child 3 days a week, and they will miss one of their days, I let them make it up on another day that week if I have the space. Even doing that gets complicated, but I like to give a little here and there- makes it easier to stand my ground on the things I feel more strongly about.

Did you charge for the 13 year old?

Welcome to the forum!

[TwinKristi]

Yeah for me that would be $150 a month, $1800/yr, just where I'm at now and I'm not even full. If I had 8 kids enrolled that would be more like $300+ a month out of my pocket.
I don't even give 2 free days a year! LOL but in exchange I don't charge for days **I** close like today, for illness, vacation, etc.

I don't like teens so I probably would have let her take her days, the month ends Monday.

[crazydaycarelady]

I used to offer one free week a year of absences (which is kind of customary around here for home daycares.) But one year several families all took their week in December. So I changed the policy to one free day per month, which is actually more free days for them. This way I never lose more than 1 days pay per month. Part-timers don't get ANY free days. The days don't stack up, it's just one per month. A lot of months they don't even use the free day.

I DO like this girl and she is helpful. You guys just know how it is when someone is here that isn't usually here. The kids are different plus I worry about her being bored. I didn't charge for her.

[daycare]

My insurance would have thrown the book at me. NO way... I would tell dcm that DCG age 13 is no longer able to attend due to the fact that she is not covered by your insurance. Thanks for understanding.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I used to offer one free week a year of absences (which is kind of customary around here for home daycares.) But one year several families all took their week in December. So I changed the policy to one free day per month, which is actually more free days for them. This way I never lose more than 1 days pay per month. Part-timers don't get ANY free days. The days don't stack up, it's just one per month. A lot of months they don't even use the free day.

I DO like this girl and she is helpful. You guys just know how it is when someone is here that isn't usually here. The kids are different plus I worry about her being bored. I didn't charge for her.

Why did you not charge???

[TwinKristi]

My insurance would have thrown the book at me. NO way... I would tell dcm that DCG age 13 is no longer able to attend due to the fact that she is not covered by your insurance. Thanks for understanding.

Yeah I mean your daycare or homeowner's insurance would probably be liable if she got hurt. Plus you had to feed her right? In my state children over 12 don't count in your ratio (and are eligible for food program) but they're still daycare kids. Basically she forced you to choose watching 3 kids for the price of 2 or don't get paid at all. I would eliminate that policy personally. I could see 3 per year? But 12?? maybe go back to 5 but say all 5 cannot be used consecutively.

[daycare]

Yeah I mean your daycare or homeowner's insurance would probably be liable if she got hurt. Plus you had to feed her right? In my state children over 12 don't count in your ratio (and are eligible for food program) but they're still daycare kids. Basically she forced you to choose watching 3 kids for the price of 2 or don't get paid at all. I would eliminate that policy personally. I could see 3 per year? But 12?? maybe go back to 5 but say all 5 cannot be used consecutively.

I agree I would give maybe 3 per year that can be used as they need it. I would also require a notice to be given if they want to use it.

I give 5 days off that must be used all at the same time so that I don't have to track it. They must also give me a 30 days notice. They must be FT

I have given families a break on being absent due to illness when it was severe and they were out longer than a week. which has only happened twice.

If I did what you are doing, I would lose $7200 a year...........