Tweet
I, along with many other daycares, charge yearly. I allow my clients to pay in the manner that works for them (weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly). It's THEIR job to budget to cover for time off. We are all pretty upfront at the beginning about vacations and such. College kids still pay tuition when their schools are closed for holidays, too, as do private schools. Preschool and daycare are no different. Childcare is expensive, no doubt, but it's only a lot of money to those PAYING it, when you're the one MAKING it, it's not much at all, especially considering the high overhead.
-
-
Why is it that the mere thought that a child care provider might actually care about the money that it automatically makes them a bad place/person?
Why can't child care providers (business owners) aim to make a profit?
Why can't child care providers (business owners) care about their incomes and financial stability?
Child care providers are always expected to put their love of children ahead of everything else, especially the money....but parents don't???
Parents RARELY put time with their child or the quality of care their child gets ahead of the money. For parents it's always the same song and dance....
It's all about money and never about making sure your provider is paid well so she can be financially stable and emotionally and mentally stable (which is the point of closed days) verses working 60-70 hour weeks caring for your child.
STOP making it about money and make it about each providers ability to maintain themselves, their business and everything necessary to continue providing safe and quality care to your child.
Of course, child care providers care about the money.
Parents need to stop trying to make the provider feel bad for caring about the money because if anyone should put the child before the money it's the parent not the provider.Comment
-
Besides, a home provider's PROFIT is not AFTER their wage or salary.
It IS their wage or salary.
And THEN they pay taxes.
TWICE what a person with an employer pays, because when you are self-employed you pay the workers side AND the employers side. Would you like to pay TWICE what your taxes are now?
I will not even go into talking about the things that are required by the state, but we are not allowed to deduct as an expense.Comment
-
I have no problems paying for major holidays. And where I'm at, it's not a problem. But, just like bad parents exist, bad providers do too.
When my oldest goddaughter was a baby my BFF was a single mom. She found a home based provider who was near her job and her school. The first six months everything was cool. She was paying holidays and a week vacation in the summer, but since she was in school it wasn't that big of a deal. When January rolled around the new contract stated that the provider now wanted all holidays, two weeks in the summer, her birthday, her husband's birthday and her anniversary. And rates went up like $30 a week. Still not a huge deal. The birthdays and anniversary were both during the school year, but she was able to find coverage for those days. And the rate increase brought her in line with the average in the area at the time.
The next January is where the problem started. The new contract included all holidays, two weeks in the summer, the entire week of her anniversary, her birthday, her husband's birthday and all four of her kid's birthdays (that's a total of 31 days of care for those of you keeping up). And rates went up another $30 a week. The worst part was that the provider sprung this new contract on her on a Monday morning. As in "sign this now or I won't provide care today." I know all this because I got a desparate phone call that morning from my BFF wanting to know if there was any way I could watch my goddaughter for a day or two until she could line up a new provider.
Yes, it was the provider's business to run the way she saw fit. It cost her her business though. This is a small town and people talk. This provider still complains bitterly about all of the parents who "abandonded" her.Comment
-
Wow
Honestly (for me) that was a little much. I hesitate to include my personal 2 weeks paid vacation even though none of my parents have a problem with it. Birthdays, anniversary, etc....I personally couldn't and wouldn't do it. The fact that we are our own boss as self employed business owners make it an option to come up with our own contracts. I guess the provider found out it wasn't worth the extra paid days off the hard way. I see nothing wrong with paid holidays and vacation days for the providers.
KimComment
-
Comment
-
$96,000 hahaha hahaha
I'm allowed 10. Only 6 can be preschool and younger. I've NEVER filled all 4 after school spots.
If you don't want to pay for Holidays then don't sign my contract. I take off the same amount of time I allow my families.Comment
-
Daycare Closed 21 workdays
The daycare my kid is attending has been revising their open-close schedule several times. The result of it is 21 work days that the daycare is clsoed (including 4 days when kids have to be picked up by 12 due to "staff developement day"). Is this a norm?
Thank youComment
-
There are trainings and such that the staff have to do. I think every center does it differently, but they may be having all the staff do it at once. Of the 21 "work" days that the daycare is closed, I am assuming at least ten and maybe 12 or 13 of those are holidays, so I wouldn't call them work days. Bottom line is if you are not happy with it, you can always find someplace that does things differently. It really depends on the situation though. How many staff are there? I know if I took 21 days that would be about what most people get with legal holidays and vacation.Comment
-
In-Home Day Care Midlothian, VA
I beg to differ with you. The provider above in no way sounds like an unhappy employee (semantics?). She simply has several bosses (sort of speak) who feel their money is more important than her time - time she spends with their most precious. You are speaking of your provider you chose. Unless she changed her policies along the way and you agreed- simply find a less greedy and more reasonable provider. You say, "If this woman wants so many paid holidays she should go back to college and get a teaching degree." and I have to believe you are again speaking of your greedy provider and not the lady above!Comment
-
Holiday pay
My question: my daycare provider added holidays to our original contract and now charges a higher amount then what we would normally pay. My child only uses afterschool care and on days when she has a holiday we are charged $10 more then our normal rate. This really upsets me. This is not part of the original contract and I understand things change occur and I have rolled with the punches, but to charge MORE on holidays is ridiculous right? I get paid holidays but I don't get holiday bonuses for not working.Comment
-
Have you asked your provider to explain the change?
If not, I would right away since the holiday season is approaching quickly.
If you have and she explained it clearly then you have two choices at that moment. Resign a new contract agreeing to the change or withdraw and find other care arrangements.
fwiw~ I don't agree with what your provider is doing but since the law says that a self-employed business owner can set their own policies, she is not doing anything illegal so the choice to accept it or to not accept it and move on is strictly up to you.
Comment
-
It just seems really unfair, where I work we OPEN every day except Christmas, then daycare close so not only is the parent working, they pay for the daycare to close AND for additional childcare, how is that fair??? And yes we ALL know you are "business owners" no need to come rushing in to deliver that lecture, folks!!!Comment
-
Life is unfair.
Most adults realize this. It's pretty clear when a baseball or football players make *millions* for tossing a ball around and our military and First Responders make peanuts. Or how CEO's make billions and their employees are on food stamps (I'm looking at you, Walmart) So yeah, life is unfair.
That said, when I was working in a job that was highly family unfriendly, I put in notice and found other employment that worked better for my family. I didn't blame anyone else. I didn't cry about life being unfair. I took personal responsibility for my situation and made the necessary changes.
If you can't find other employment (or don't want to) there must be day care centers that are open most days of the year. Here the centers only take major holidays, which would leave 5 days out of the entire year you would have to make other arrangements.
For those few days you could always split your paid personal days with your spouse, so then you're down to 2 days out of the year you personally need to take off. Or maybe Grandma or Grandpa is retired and would like to spend the day with the grandchild, etc.
Let this be the year we problem SOLVE instead of complaining. happyfacehappyfacehappyfaceComment
Absolutely true. A parent SHOULD put their child before money, and putting their child first includes having a caregiver who isn't burned out.
Comment