Charging on Holidays

[Leigh]

Not like Kmart closing. More like... when you go to a hotel and rent a room you don't complain to your landlord you had to pay for two places to live those days.

When you go to work during the day you don't complain to your cable and internet company that no ones home to use it so you don't want to pay for those hours.

That's exactly the best way to put it. I, along with many other providers, charge a yearly rate. Clients get the choice to pay it weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Most all of mine pay weekly or every other, one does pay quarterly (in advance). When I figure my rates, I figure what I have to have to stay in business per child, per year. That doesn't change because a client has a job where they have to work a holiday. It's on the client to either schedule their own vacation for my days off (which is what I did when I was a parent using daycare) or for the parent to find alternate care. It's absolutely no more unfair for my business to get my yearly rate than it is for a landlord or cable company to get their monthly rate. The only difference is that MY profit margins are MUCH MUCH smaller than Comcast's or your landlord's.

[Unregistered]

Originally Posted by Unregistered
Exactly my thoughts *Interested*
"Sometimes I think parents whine more than children. You are paying for the slot, not for the hour. If you want it spelled out.... you have a yearly flat rate. It is broken down for your convenience. Or would you rather pay by the year?? The only thing to change this is what the policy makes exceptions to. Have you ever heard of salary pay? No matter how many hours you work, it is a flat pay. It is the same principle. Got a problem? Start your own day care and see what we are talking about, then maybe you would understand better. If we catered to everyones whims, we would watch your precious for free 24/7. "

My, you sound like a provider who really doesn't like parents or children... Maybe time to find a new profession? I am a healthcare professional and think it is completely fair to provide my childcare provider for the same paid holidays that most other professionals receive.. These would be Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.. But, we had one who wanted paid time off for every school vacation day, including the 2 weeks off at Christmas paid! This is an extreme hardship on parents who must pay "double" and find someone else to cover those days. Many of these parents aren't lucky enough to be getting ANY paid holidays of their own... Of the ones who are, only parents who happen to be school teachers are getting as many paid holidays as this childcare provider. (We found someone new). If this woman wants so many paid holidays she should go back to college and get a teaching degree.

"Amen"

[Unregistered]

Is it faIr to assume?

I haVe non problem with the daycare being closed on Holidays but it's not fair to charge a parent for a week of daycare of the child is not there aT all that week and it's not fair to assume all parents get holidaY pay! HolidaY pay is not federally mandatory and not all parents get paid for taT time off and some parents are self employed once again not getting extra paY for time off. I worked at a nursing home taT did not give is any holiday pay benefits so why should I have to pay for services I didn't receive. My child was not in daycare for two whole weeks yet in have to pay them. For what? No services were rendered during those two weeks .

[Thriftylady]

I haVe non problem with the daycare being closed on Holidays but it's not fair to charge a parent for a week of daycare of the child is not there aT all that week and it's not fair to assume all parents get holidaY pay! HolidaY pay is not federally mandatory and not all parents get paid for taT time off and some parents are self employed once again not getting extra paY for time off. I worked at a nursing home taT did not give is any holiday pay benefits so why should I have to pay for services I didn't receive. My child was not in daycare for two whole weeks yet in have to pay them. For what? No services were rendered during those two weeks .

I am open this week. One of my families has a parent off work all week and decided not to come. Their choice but my contract state pay is regardless of attendance. They can either pay me and continue on or pay me and give their two weeks notice, but bottom line they signed the contract. I am closed on Christmas, and I do get paid for that day. No holiday pay is not federally mandated, but the feds don't make my policies either.

[Blackcat31]

I haVe non problem with the daycare being closed on Holidays but it's not fair to charge a parent for a week of daycare of the child is not there aT all that week and it's not fair to assume all parents get holidaY pay! HolidaY pay is not federally mandatory and not all parents get paid for taT time off and some parents are self employed once again not getting extra paY for time off. I worked at a nursing home taT did not give is any holiday pay benefits so why should I have to pay for services I didn't receive. My child was not in daycare for two whole weeks yet in have to pay them. For what? No services were rendered during those two weeks .

I don't care if my clients get paid time off or not.
It has nothing to do with me.

My only concern is that those clients that do CHOOSE my program understand that I charge based on enrollment NOT on attendance or time used.

If prospective clients don't like my rules/policies regarding paying for certain days, then don't sign on with me and find a provider that doesn't charge that way.

Seems like a pretty simple solution to me.

You had a choice in regards to whether you agreed to your providers terms.

If you signed on with her/him then you agreed to pay those days and don't get to whine about it.

[MissAnn]

I haVe non problem with the daycare being closed on Holidays but it's not fair to charge a parent for a week of daycare of the child is not there aT all that week and it's not fair to assume all parents get holidaY pay! HolidaY pay is not federally mandatory and not all parents get paid for taT time off and some parents are self employed once again not getting extra paY for time off. I worked at a nursing home taT did not give is any holiday pay benefits so why should I have to pay for services I didn't receive. My child was not in daycare for two whole weeks yet in have to pay them. For what? No services were rendered during those two weeks .

I own my own business. I have a degree in early childhood education along with over 20 years experience. I keep my rates low all year long and yes I do get holiday pay as well as vacation pay.

The fact that you do not have holiday pay patient has nothing to do with me or my contract. If paying my vacation or holiday pay is a dealbreaker then it's best that you find another provider.

I hope that eventually you will also had vacation and holiday pay. I worked years without it.

[MissAnn]

One more thing. If I chose not to charge for holidays or vacations you better bet that my weekly fee would go up! Either way we need to make a living just like anybody else. And believe me with all of the experience I have I do not make a killing at this! If you are pleased with your providers care then I think you should let her know that you appreciate her.

[Marianpy1]

Charging for closings

The answer to this question all comes down to business marketing. If you have heavy competition you must have something to be able to offer parents to draw them in. Perhaps it is no payment when daycare is closed. If you can get away with charging because of your highly rated reputation and flood of available fsmilies needing care then do so. In my business area where competition if fierce but i an a highest rated daycare in the state i have opted for no charge. I charge extremely high rates, pay 2 employees but still run a very profitable business. I treat my customers well and make them happy so i have stayed in business with no problem fir over 30 yrs. my waiting list is 2 yrs long. Its all about good business practices!!

[Thriftylady]

The answer to this question all comes down to business marketing. If you have heavy competition you must have something to be able to offer parents to draw them in. Perhaps it is no payment when daycare is closed. If you can get away with charging because of your highly rated reputation and flood of available fsmilies needing care then do so. In my business area where competition if fierce but i an a highest rated daycare in the state i have opted for no charge. I charge extremely high rates, pay 2 employees but still run a very profitable business. I treat my customers well and make them happy so i have stayed in business with no problem fir over 30 yrs. my waiting list is 2 yrs long. Its all about good business practices!!

You hit the nail on the head. We all have to decide what/how we want to do things. The market here isn't that good. So my rates are low. I do still charge regardless. Since I have a nurse in care, and am not against taking others, knowing they do have to work some holidays, I am open on holidays (except Christmas) if and ONLY if the parents are required to work. And they pay an extra fee for that. I got Monday off because nurse wanted to work but when I reminded her of the extra fee, she suddenly didn't need to. And that fee is way to low, only an extra $10 per day per child. I am going to be raising it this fall. But, they have a choice give the the paid day off on their normally slightly above market rate for my area, OR pay extra for holiday care. I will NOT work on Christmas, children should be with family then. My family will not celebrate that and leave the kids high and dry.

[Unregistered]

I've read most posts here, and while an interesting debate, I just want you all to know what my children's daycare situation is.

1 person running their own daycare, they have 6 kids, all are full time (4 or 5 days a week). It's $1500 a month for 5 days, $1200 a month for 4 days.

Now here's the kicker...

These are the days off the daycare takes that we have to PAY for:
MLK - 1 day
Presidents - 1 day
Spring Break - 5 days (1 week)
Memorial Day - 1 day
Independence Day - 1 day
Summer Break - 15 days (3 weeks)
Labor Day - 1 day
Veteran's Day - 1 day
Thanksgiving - 5 days (1 week)
Winter Break - 10 days (2 weeks)

Now if you count that, it totals 41 days. 41 business days. That's OVER 8 WEEKS that daycare is closed during the year that we have to pay for. 2 MONTHS OFF, 1/6th of the year, that we are paying for without getting any service. And the worst part is this is not unusual for our area. My wife and I both work full time, and we have to trade off taking time off work to cover the days daycare is closed to watch out own kids.

So like I said, I've read most of the posts in this thread, and I agree that daycares should take holidays paid cause most others get them too. I'm all for the 10 major holidays a year, including days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (hell, take a whole week off during X-mas, that's fine), but 2 months off is a crazy hardship for parents, and there really should be some kind of law preventing daycares from charging for more then the first 2 weeks they take off.

[Josiegirl]

I've read most posts here, and while an interesting debate, I just want you all to know what my children's daycare situation is.

1 person running their own daycare, they have 6 kids, all are full time (4 or 5 days a week). It's $1500 a month for 5 days, $1200 a month for 4 days.

Now here's the kicker...

These are the days off the daycare takes that we have to PAY for:
MLK - 1 day
Presidents - 1 day
Spring Break - 5 days (1 week)
Memorial Day - 1 day
Independence Day - 1 day
Summer Break - 15 days (3 weeks)
Labor Day - 1 day
Veteran's Day - 1 day
Thanksgiving - 5 days (1 week)
Winter Break - 10 days (2 weeks)

Now if you count that, it totals 41 days. 41 business days. That's OVER 8 WEEKS that daycare is closed during the year that we have to pay for. 2 MONTHS OFF, 1/6th of the year, that we are paying for without getting any service. And the worst part is this is not unusual for our area. My wife and I both work full time, and we have to trade off taking time off work to cover the days daycare is closed to watch out own kids.

So like I said, I've read most of the posts in this thread, and I agree that daycares should take holidays paid cause most others get them too. I'm all for the 10 major holidays a year, including days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (hell, take a whole week off during X-mas, that's fine), but 2 months off is a crazy hardship for parents, and there really should be some kind of law preventing daycares from charging for more then the first 2 weeks they take off.

I agree that much time off seems excessive. But I'll bet if you looked around, not everybody does it. Usually an area offers lots of different options for parents' needs. What about centers?

[Blackcat31]

I've read most posts here, and while an interesting debate, I just want you all to know what my children's daycare situation is.

1 person running their own daycare, they have 6 kids, all are full time (4 or 5 days a week). It's $1500 a month for 5 days, $1200 a month for 4 days.

Now here's the kicker...

These are the days off the daycare takes that we have to PAY for:
MLK - 1 day
Presidents - 1 day
Spring Break - 5 days (1 week)
Memorial Day - 1 day
Independence Day - 1 day
Summer Break - 15 days (3 weeks)
Labor Day - 1 day
Veteran's Day - 1 day
Thanksgiving - 5 days (1 week)
Winter Break - 10 days (2 weeks)

Now if you count that, it totals 41 days. 41 business days. That's OVER 8 WEEKS that daycare is closed during the year that we have to pay for. 2 MONTHS OFF, 1/6th of the year, that we are paying for without getting any service. And the worst part is this is not unusual for our area. My wife and I both work full time, and we have to trade off taking time off work to cover the days daycare is closed to watch out own kids.

So like I said, I've read most of the posts in this thread, and I agree that daycares should take holidays paid cause most others get them too. I'm all for the 10 major holidays a year, including days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (hell, take a whole week off during X-mas, that's fine), but 2 months off is a crazy hardship for parents, and there really should be some kind of law preventing daycares from charging for more then the first 2 weeks they take off.

Wow thats alot of time off that YOU agreed to..

You're provider is a great business women!

If you read the whole thread you probably read the "secret" everyone seems to miss, gloss over or just plain ignore...

No one forces you (general you as a parent) to place your children in child care (in home or center) and no one forces you to sign a contract you do not agree with or cannot abide by.

There is a right fit for everyone and if you choose to enroll in a program and WILLINGLY sign a contract agreeing to the terms set forth by the provider/owner you are forfeiting your right to complain about it.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

I've read most posts here, and while an interesting debate, I just want you all to know what my children's daycare situation is.

1 person running their own daycare, they have 6 kids, all are full time (4 or 5 days a week). It's $1500 a month for 5 days, $1200 a month for 4 days.

Now here's the kicker...

These are the days off the daycare takes that we have to PAY for:
MLK - 1 day
Presidents - 1 day
Spring Break - 5 days (1 week)
Memorial Day - 1 day
Independence Day - 1 day
Summer Break - 15 days (3 weeks)
Labor Day - 1 day
Veteran's Day - 1 day
Thanksgiving - 5 days (1 week)
Winter Break - 10 days (2 weeks)

Now if you count that, it totals 41 days. 41 business days. That's OVER 8 WEEKS that daycare is closed during the year that we have to pay for. 2 MONTHS OFF, 1/6th of the year, that we are paying for without getting any service. And the worst part is this is not unusual for our area. My wife and I both work full time, and we have to trade off taking time off work to cover the days daycare is closed to watch out own kids.

So like I said, I've read most of the posts in this thread, and I agree that daycares should take holidays paid cause most others get them too. I'm all for the 10 major holidays a year, including days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (hell, take a whole week off during X-mas, that's fine), but 2 months off is a crazy hardship for parents, and there really should be some kind of law preventing daycares from charging for more then the first 2 weeks they take off.

Wow, thanks for your permission

If you want a law to limit time off, it would have to also include all business/jobs (including yours), not just the businesses that affect you. My husband gets 4 weeks off, so he should be capped right? My sister has been with her company over 15 years and has 10 weeks, so I guess she should give that time off back to the company she has worked her booty off for because YOU want a law. As Black cat said, YOU had a choice. Sign the contract or don't. Maybe their should be a law that parents who don't read the contract or who break the contract, should face criminal charges and jail time. I mean, when they bail on us and don't pay what they said they would pay, they are in essence, stealing from us, right? Obviously, I am kidding, but you would be amazed at the number of parents who sign contracts and the break them DAILY. Daycare is a privilege, not a right. Just because you don't like yours (even after you agreed to the terms), does not mean you have the right to make all of us change (through threat of law) to make YOU happy.

[Thriftylady]

I've read most posts here, and while an interesting debate, I just want you all to know what my children's daycare situation is.

1 person running their own daycare, they have 6 kids, all are full time (4 or 5 days a week). It's $1500 a month for 5 days, $1200 a month for 4 days.

Now here's the kicker...

These are the days off the daycare takes that we have to PAY for:
MLK - 1 day
Presidents - 1 day
Spring Break - 5 days (1 week)
Memorial Day - 1 day
Independence Day - 1 day
Summer Break - 15 days (3 weeks)
Labor Day - 1 day
Veteran's Day - 1 day
Thanksgiving - 5 days (1 week)
Winter Break - 10 days (2 weeks)

Now if you count that, it totals 41 days. 41 business days. That's OVER 8 WEEKS that daycare is closed during the year that we have to pay for. 2 MONTHS OFF, 1/6th of the year, that we are paying for without getting any service. And the worst part is this is not unusual for our area. My wife and I both work full time, and we have to trade off taking time off work to cover the days daycare is closed to watch out own kids.

So like I said, I've read most of the posts in this thread, and I agree that daycares should take holidays paid cause most others get them too. I'm all for the 10 major holidays a year, including days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (hell, take a whole week off during X-mas, that's fine), but 2 months off is a crazy hardship for parents, and there really should be some kind of law preventing daycares from charging for more then the first 2 weeks they take off.

I agree with the others. I don't take that much time off, in my area parents don't have jobs to get that much time off. It sounds like your provider may have lot of teacher parents, who get that time off. If that is the case, then she has set her hours and days off to match what most of her clients need. But you DID sign the contract. And complaining about it after you agreed to and signed it, well that isn't fair. You had one option, which was not to sign that contract. Now you have another option which is to give the notice your contract requires, and find a new provider with less days off. So see, at the end of the day you did and still do have choices.

[Annalee]

Wow thats alot of time off that YOU agreed to..

You're provider is a great business women!

If you read the whole thread you probably read the "secret" everyone seems to miss, gloss over or just plain ignore...

No one forces you (general you as a parent) to place your children in child care (in home or center) and no one forces you to sign a contract you do not agree with or cannot abide by.

There is a right fit for everyone and if you choose to enroll in a program and WILLINGLY sign a contract agreeing to the terms set forth by the provider/owner you are forfeiting your right to complain about it.