I Can't Seem To Get Around This

[Suzy]

So I get paid for 3 weeks vacation a year. I find that sometimes when a parent leaves it is the week before vacation! I take a deposit of first and last week of care from them so technically they are paid. I just think if a child is here for a few years it kinda stinks I don't get my vacation pay. for example I usually take the last week in August so if a child would be leaving in sept they make their last day the day before my vacation. I guess I'm being ridiculous im just curious if this happens to anyone else

[Cradle2crayons]

So I get paid for 3 weeks vacation a year. I find that sometimes when a parent leaves it is the week before vacation! I take a deposit of first and last week of care from them so technically they are paid. I just think if a child is here for a few years it kinda stinks I don't get my vacation pay. for example I usually take the last week in August so if a child would be leaving in sept they make their last day the day before my vacation. I guess I'm being ridiculous im just curious if this happens to anyone else

I don't allow notices the week before, week of, or week after vacation. Solves the problem.

[itlw8]

raise your rates so the vacation is already paid for... 3 weeks pay divided by 49 and round up then if someone leaves you already have your money You need to bank it AND parents think they get a great deal because they do not have to pay that week even though they know they already paid it.

[Crazy8]

I don't allow notices the week before, week of, or week after vacation. Solves the problem.

This doesn't always work, I rarely have a family give only the required 2 week notice - when children are aging out (as 90% of mine do) they often give more notice and they also already have my vacation dates.

Raising rates may work if your rates are on the lower side, but if they are not parents will only see the rate - not that they will not have to pay vacation week. They don't see it as a bargain, just that they are paying more per week.

[nothingwithoutjoy]

So I get paid for 3 weeks vacation a year. I find that sometimes when a parent leaves it is the week before vacation! I take a deposit of first and last week of care from them so technically they are paid. I just think if a child is here for a few years it kinda stinks I don't get my vacation pay. for example I usually take the last week in August so if a child would be leaving in sept they make their last day the day before my vacation. I guess I'm being ridiculous im just curious if this happens to anyone else

Yes! This happened to me for several years before I realized that I was ripping myself off. To the parents of kids leaving for kindergarten, it makes perfect sense that their last day before my vacation is their last day. To me, it makes perfect sense that they should pay for the vacation I earned during all their time here. I finally changed it so that vacations are paid up front, half Nov. 1st, half May 1st. When the actual vacation rolls around, they don't pay, because they already have. It's crazy complicated for them to understand, and feels like a huge sum to ask for at once, but I don't get ripped off anymore.

I also considered adding the amount to each week's pay, but I want them to know they're paying for vacations. It's a worthy-wage issue to me.

[Unregistered]

My contract has a set end date which is right before school begins. I take the two weeks before school for my vacation so parents pay because they signed the contract. I also have a two week deposit from them so if they refused to pay it would fall two weeks before my vacation and I would have to refuse care. So far it has not happened.

[Rachel]

I also have a contract Sept. 1st through Aug. 31. Parents need to pay every month on the first for the full month. Anyone who leaves has to give a one month paid notice and pay out one extra day for every month the child was in care. So a child leaving in December need to pay me a month plus 4 days (to account for the August vacation which starts on the 11th).

[permanentvacation]

My sister (who did daycare years ago) and I both had that problem. We did basically what itlw8 suggests. When I lived in a financially well off area, I had no problem getting that extra money. However, since I moved to a much lower income area, I haven't been able to do that here.

But I am working on raising my rates this year. So, hopefully I can get my 'vacation' pay this year! Or at least a decent weekly income!

[Blackcat31]

Building your paid vacation into your rates works well for some.

Another option, and one I've used for years is to state that notices of withdrawal from care cannot include provider vacations and/or closed days.

The phrasing in my handbook read like this:

"Notices are accepted on Fridays only and need to be in writing and accompanied by the final payment IN FULL. Notices can NOT include the provider’s vacation week(s)."

[AmyKidsCo]

raise your rates so the vacation is already paid for... 3 weeks pay divided by 49 and round up then if someone leaves you already have your money You need to bank it AND parents think they get a great deal because they do not have to pay that week even though they know they already paid it.

I went through the same thing - ALL of my families who left in the past 2 years gave notice right before a paid vacation. I raised my rates to include paid vacation and eliminated the parents' week of tuition-free vacation. Of course we didn't bank the extra every week, but that's my own fault.

[Sugaree]

As a parent, dividing the total year cost over 49 weeks rather than 52 weeks and having vacation weeks "unpaid" would be better psychologically and fiscally for me. That way I'm able to work that cost into my budget. If I've worked $X a week into my budget and then there are three weeks where I have to come up with $X plus $Y for someone else to watch my kid then it would really screw up my budget. If the vacation weeks are "unpaid" then I have $X to pay an alternate caregiver. Of course, it would be nice if I had three weeks of paid vacation to stay home, but it is what it is. Luckily, I'm at a center, so this isn't something I have to deal with but I just wanted to put that forth from a parents perspective.