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I'm a registered provider. I do not get paid for my vacations or sick days but the families pay for theirs since I am open. During one of my training classes the instructor did say that we can charge differently for each family - for those families that are our "troubled" families, it is a way of getting rid of the family without terminating. I have never done this but from the sounds of it there was more then 1 provider in the class that had. We also can not raise our rates without giving notice, they suggest a 2 week notice but there really is nothing in writing. From the sounds of it your provider is not registered or licensed & figured that 1 week notice is good enough. Sounds like you should be looking for another provider- one with a written contract that covers everything.
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I have been a home daycare provider for 6 years. I do think that as providers,we have to take care of the financial end of the business, BUT, we have to also be considerate of the parents we serve. If we wish to be paid for sick time (surgery, funerals, appointments, whatever) we should have that in our contract and it should be signed by all involved upon registration. That way, there are no misunderstandings down the road. Two summers ago, I got a case of pneumonia and had to close my daycare. (I do not have a backup person to provide care in my absence.) I offered to pro-rate the following week's tuition for the parents. To my surprize, not one of them took me up on the offer. When I had my son, I took two weeks of "maternity leave" unpaid. Other than our agreed upon scheduled holidays and vacation, I don't expect them to pay me for a time that I am not available to provide service.
As far as having varying fees for clients, that (to me) gets kind of touchy. I feel that the fee should be the same across the board. When there is an increase for one, there is an increase for all. Will there be a time that someone is struggling? Sure. You can work out arrangements for payment then. Personally, I'd rather waive late fees (which I note the waiver, in writing) than to have different amounts due from different clients.
To the original poster, my parents and I do not always see eye-to-eye, BUT, I would never disrespect any of them like in your case. I agree that as providers we are sometimes overly sensitive with our payments because that's our bread-and-butter. However, you cannot expect to be paid for time off if it is not in your contract to begin with.Comment
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As someone who is in the business of childcare, you have already mentioned the main source of the problem: the lack of a signed contract. Some providers are very reluctant to discuss the business side of childcare, but it leads to the problems you are having.
I would insist on terms of service so that you will not have this issue again.Comment
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Unreasonable
I am a daycare provider in Iowa & from my experience, any provider without a contract or policies is not a provider I would want my own children with. This demonstrates a lack of communication & clarification between provider & families, which is exactly what you are experiencing. I have stated in my policies that families are responsible for back-up daycare BUT I give parents a months notice when possible. I also schedule appointments after hours or on weekends so never do my parents have to pick up early or drop off late. If that is the case then I would take a half day or full day & coordinate it with my contract fees of my time off. Your provider did not set herself up for success by not having a contract. Yes, surgery/illnesses/accidents cannot be avoided but if a provider cannot carry out the duties of daycare it needs to be docked as a day off & as stated in a contract predetermined how payment is handled for that time off. NO matter how "established" or how many years this provider has been in business, if I were you I'd start looking for a provider with a contract. It leaves all the guesswork & awkard situations at bay. Good luck & god bless you & your family & the struggling provider.Comment
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