Re-Evaluating Handbook Policies, Would Love Input

[Lil_Diddle]

I have almost all teacher's kids the last few years, with the exception of 2 that have two more years with me. My eventual hope is to have all teachers kids after these two years. anyways I always like to go through my handbook this time of year and re-evaluate my policies or add new for the following school year. I'm not 100% positive on the changes and would love some input. I just want to be fair to myself and to my families.

currently my teacher families and other families pay the same rate. However the two-non teacher families get 10 excused absences to use for the year. Teacher families receive none but also get the summer off at no charge. I don't plan on changing the rates but I am considering giving the teacher families three excused absences. My current policy is that I close for Christmas break and do not charge and I also do not charge for snow days that the schools close. This year we had a rough winter and schools closed for a week right after Christmas break. This hurt me financially. I'm thinking if I give them excused absences they can spread them out instead of everyone using them all at once. I'm also considering just doing away with the snow day/no pay rule completely. I originally never had one before until a few years back I had a family that mom and dad didn't go to work but still brought me their two children. Dad got stuck in the ditch outside of my home. It was a nightmare. They figured they paid for daycare they were going to use it, even though they had an option to use their excused absences.
I don't mind being open on snow days because I don't have to leave my house and I do have one family that is always in need of care on snow days. But my concern is that my non-teacher families will see this as unfair, they get excused absences even though they get the entire summer off. Also, it does seem unfair to me as well. Plus they are salaried employees, they are not losing money by not working that day. My only concern is, I don't want them bringing me their children if they are not working. I would love to enjoy a calm snow day as well. And I'm always resentful when these parents bring me their kids when they are not working.

The next policy I'm considering changing is asking for 50% of tuition for the Christmas break. All of my current families have at least one salaried employee and get the time off anyways or are using their PTO. It seems kind of unfair to me that I should not get paid. But is it wrong of me to expect payment when I'm not working? I love my Christmas break off and just being with my family.

I'm also considering adding an additional 5 days of paid leave for myself to use for sick days and vacation days. Again is this horrible of me to expect them to pay me when I'm not even working and they may need to pay someone else to be a back up? Honestly I have one assistant and one sub that have been wonderful I've only had the close three times in the last two years for days that are not in the handbook and I'd continue to try to find a sub when I can. But I have worked on days, I probably shouldn't just because I cannot fit it into the budget to take a day off.

I would love any input on these policy changes and would love some ideas on how to word it so parents are more understanding.

[Lil_Diddle]

I have a feeling these parents think I'm making a killing. Honestly I'm not as I'm sure most of you know. By the time I purchase food and supplies and stuff for activities, pay my assistant there is not a ton leftover. I get by and do ok, I almost feel like I have to justify this to parents or they are just going to think I'm money hungry

[rosieteddy]

I personally never gave paid time off to parents.I had teachers contract which included paying for school vacations and not bringing their child.Other clients paid for holidays and my 3 weeks of vacation.I did not charge the teachers for the summer vacations.I did get 2 weeks tuition non refundable applied to first 2 weeks back at the end of summer. You could do a new contract raising rates to cover paid time off or just take paid days .Why do you feel they should get free days?

[LittleScholars]

My policies are similar to yours now, and I'm also hoping to move toward a teachers-only program (or families willing to adjust to that schedule) next summer.

I plan to give them all lots of advanced notice and inform them summers will now be unpaid time, and all unpaid/vacation days for families are going away. I will continue to take my paid holidays, including a paid week for Christmas.

I do plan on offering some care during the summer, but that will require sign-up and a non-refundable advanced payment. If not enough families sign up, I won't run care and payment will be refunded.

I plan to shorten my work week during school breaks to Tuesday-Thursday care (or some version of that). Parents will receive a credit for the days I'm closed. Right now, they randomly pick which days to send kids over break and use their vacation days to cover days they don't send kiddos. Some days I'll have 1-2 kids, and that isn't worth my time.

Personally, I think this is a GREAT deal for teachers. Most programs offer, at most, the option to reduce care to 2x week during the summer. In my area, many programs charge a flat fee each week. I think you're already being very flexible. Making a shift like that may be harder for families that are already enrolled to accept, but if they choose to seek other options, I imagine they will find you're offering a great option to them.

[proudmommyofthree]

I have several teacher parents. I used to not charge them during school breaks but that hurt me financially. I now charge half of their tuition during school breaks and I tell them it’s to ensure they have a spot when they return. Only one parent had an issue with it. In fact I just did an interview where both parents work for the school and they expected to pay something during their time off. I think it’s only fair. I do not charge for my vacation time, but I do charge do for holidays .

[Lil_Diddle]

Why do you feel they should get free days?

I don’t know, I think I just have worked in childcare so long that I don’t appreciate what I do enough.

I also worry that it’s such a competitive market with people opening Home daycares that I need to keep my parents happy. But I am able to provide much more than many of these pop up daycares. And I do know my current daycare providers appreciate me. I just know I have a few as well that will think why am I paying for a service that I am not receiving

[Lil_Diddle]

I do plan on offering some care during the summer, but that will require sign-up and a non-refundable advanced payment. If not enough families sign up, I won't run care and payment will be refunded.

I do like the idea of doing sign ups and a separate contract for summers. Our school district offers summer school for the month of June. So last year I was only going to have two kids for June, so I found another daycare provider to take them in and closed. I loved it. But alli hear upon their return in July is that they were not happy (the other daycare person was not me) this year when I said I’d stay open but prices would be high. They absolutely balked. I just can’t seem to win.
The rest of last summer I kept schoolage kids and Little’s and it was such a pain.

[BrynleeJean]

my policies
Closed days: I'm closed all major holidays PAID, and if it falls on a weekend i may close the monday after of friday before PAID. i close when my local ISD closes for weather days ,which is never but it keeps that situation from happening where the parent is off cuz of ice and i get stuck with one baby all day because mom just wants to take advantage of my care.. :roll eyes: . i get two weeks (10 days) paid the daycare will be closed, i let them know of ASAP when those days will be, at least two weeks, i try to set vacation up in the beginning of the year and give it to my parents on a calendar for convenience but i don't have to. the way i see it I'm a paid professional and should be paid as such. I've never had any issues the parents have back up care, as its written in policies that they need to have, and i think they respect that i need a break with my family like anyone else. if they don't then i don't want those kinds of families honestly, they can go somewhere else i also get paid for my closed days if i close for sick days, now i just don't, if i do its like once a year but i don't debate each weeks payment and run a charity.

Parent payments:
i give them one week (five days) vacation after they attend my daycare for 3 months. and 3 sick days after that time as well. they usually choose to use that week for one of my weeks off so it works out well. my teacher families i didnt have any exceptions for. I find it a noble profession but i don't accommodate for them . they have the same as the other families. use your days as you want, they have another parent in the mix that can bring the kid or watch the kid or that back up provider in my policies i mentioned so its not my concern. if i have a spot for them come august then great, if not then well I'm so sorry. however i do not make them like repay registration. the only way id hold that spot for them is to have have them pay for that spot unless i had a kid that was only summer and leaving the day before teacher kid was coming back. then id require a deposit of a weeks tuition maybe.
again the parents seem to understand that I'm doing this well one because i love it but if I'm not making money, I'm losing money, and working 10 hours a day for FUN ? :confused: if they didnt respect that and wanted to find another provider then so be it.
i only find the families that work with me and my family and schedule and needs, i work for them all day long.

[LittleScholars]

I do like the idea of doing sign ups and a separate contract for summers. Our school district offers summer school for the month of June. So last year I was only going to have two kids for June, so I found another daycare provider to take them in and closed. I loved it. But alli hear upon their return in July is that they were not happy (the other daycare person was not me) this year when I said I’d stay open but prices would be high. They absolutely balked. I just can’t seem to win.
The rest of last summer I kept schoolage kids and Little’s and it was such a pain.

You should totally close for June!

In case this is helpful, when school closes (end of June for us), I plan to largely run half day "mommy's day out" days and charge a bit more than I normally do. I'll still be far cheaper than a sitter, and I'm hoping this will appeal to SAHM/teachers.

[CityGarden]

For next year I would suggest you switch your program calendar to match the local school district calendar and charge the same amount all school year - no free days to parents for vacations/illness, etc. Billing wise it is a pain for me to invoice different amounts and I cannot budget with that so I charge the same all school year.

If you can financial afford to I would offer a summer program separate and they pay separately so the teachers who do not want summer care can not pay and those who do (with a minimum attending) can pay.... also if you decide to shorter your summer hours or number of days in summer, etc. you have more flexibility.


I have what I describe above however it's year round and I offered them two vacations weeks with one month notice and not to be used at the same time - this was intended to offset their childcare cost because I closed for three weeks in August while still charging full tuition.

I am happy with what I have but parents do not like the August closure while tuition is still due in August (because they chose to use their two weeks another time of year) so I am switching to an annual tuition based on the weeks I am open and then dividing that into monthly payments with no free weeks for them - this way actually pays me more but parents "feel" they are not paying for my vacation time.

[LittleExplorers]

Are there summer only programs the non-teacher families can use or highschool/college nannies?

I run on the school calendar. I have a flat rate tuition, meaning they pay regardless. I have families who are not teachers but still use my daycare. They have family to help or the above mentioned options. They pay the same as teacher families. I am open snow days as long as they can safely get to me for the non-teacher families but any are welcome to attend. Most do not as we are in the country and one of the last sections to be plowed. I also add three paid sick days but have yet to use one. I would make the switch sooner than later if you can. My husband teaches and we would not change the lower income for the time off.

[amberrose3dg]

Are there summer only programs the non-teacher families can use or highschool/college nannies?

I run on the school calendar. I have a flat rate tuition, meaning they pay regardless. I have families who are not teachers but still use my daycare. They have family to help or the above mentioned options. They pay the same as teacher families. I am open snow days as long as they can safely get to me for the non-teacher families but any are welcome to attend. Most do not as we are in the country and one of the last sections to be plowed. I also add three paid sick days but have yet to use one. I would make the switch sooner than later if you can. My husband teaches and we would not change the lower income for the time off.

I do not give any time off not paid. I could not operate like that. I would not offer your families time off that is not paid. I also take 2 paid weeks of vacation. 5 sick/ 5 personal days and 3 paid training days.(I do most of my training on my own time but sometimes I have to do it during daycare hours) I am also paid for all major holidays.
I have some teacher families and they all pay for their spring and winter breaks. I do not charge them over summer but I have school age kids that attend during that time. Honestly I would like to eventually be closed for during the summer.