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can a daycare legally charge you for their vacation when you have to find dayceare somewhere else for that time, plus child care assistance won't cover that extra charge.
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If a provider gave you a handbook, was her vacation listed in the handbood as..Provider gets PAID for her vacation, and if so and you signed a contract, then yes you are required to pay your provider.
In my handbook it states that Provider will take 2 weeks vacation and 1 week is a PAID vacation. So all my parents sign my handbook and are aware BEFORE they sign that I do take a 1 week vacation and it is paid. -
Absolutely.
Assistance is just that...it was never intended to pay the full load....
Sorry, it should have been in your handbook with plenty of notice to save money in advance though.
If not, you may have a chance of getting the provider to work with you a bit. If not, it falls on you.
Good luck and I hope everything else about your child's care is going well?- Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.
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It's absolutely legal and as others have said, if you signed a contract that states you have to pay when provider is on vacations, then you have to pay.
That is why reading your contract before you sign is SOOOO IMPORTANT!
Some providers charge for their vacation time, some do not. I honestly, cannot imagine asking parents to pay for my vacation time when they still have to pay for someone else to watch their children during that time. But, that's just me.Comment
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I think if it is in the handbook and you signed (agreed to it) then yes, they can charge for it. Providers charge/bill in many different ways to accommodate their business. It is your responsibility as a parent to ask and agree or not agree with it.
Also, assistance is also only intended to assist you in your costs of daycare NOT foot the bill. It is suppose to be in addition to your payments. If they don't cover vacations then you have to do it. I have several childcare families who get assistance and whenever the assistance doesn't cover a total bill for whatever reason, it is the parents responsibility to pay. This includes vacations, late fees, costs outside the covered hours etc.
So, ultimately, if you signed a contract saying vacations are to be paid, then you have to pay it.Last edited by Blackcat31; 06-16-2011, 12:47 PM.Comment
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Oh yes I have 12 days plus my holidays that are paid per year. I need to recharge as much as anyone else does and I look forward to it and nobody says anything to me about it. I let them know at the interview and most say I understand you need your days to.
Maybe you need a center them you wouldn't ever have to worry about daycare closing or being off for vacations.Comment
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some do, some don't
Some providers charge and others don't. If it's in the contract you signed and in the handbook, you have to pay. If you don't like paying when they're off, you should try to find another provider that doesn't charge when closed. I understand your frustration, because in my area, you have to pay a registration fee, supply fee plus the tuition and fill out all state required paperwork. I interviewed a number of home providers and this issue is the #1 reason I chose center care instead - I don't have enough vacation time to cover my area's home daycare provider's closings each year and cannot afford to pay 2 providers at one time. I recommend that you try a center instead. You may actually get vacation days where you don't have to pay when you don't have your child in care.Comment
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Of course!!Comment
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Yes, providers can legally have paid time off
Being a licensed provider and self-employed business owner, if I do not charge for days off each year....then the monies paid during that time would have to be offset by higher tuition. Providers are very limited in numbers as to how much their business can take in, because state's dictate how many children we can care for and what ages.
Think about it, though. You get paid time off through your employer..why shouldn't a self-employed person have the same benefit? Providers need time to recharge. I choose all of my days off (paid and unpaid) a year ahead of time...so my families have plenty of time to plan.
On the flip side, I also allow my families up to 10 days of family vacation time in which they must give notice...but do not have to pay tuition. Works great for the annual family vacation in the summer, or Christmas break. funny, though....not many of my families ever use more than 3 or 4 days.
You can't please everyone. You just have to pay the bills and keep your sanity in the end.Comment
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Also think about if you took a weeks vacation and stayed in a hotel with your family. Would you call your landlord/bank and ask to not pay that weeks rent/mortgage since you weren't there and had to pay someone else?Comment
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ccmom,
That's the first I've heard of a provider giving the family vacation time--I think that's a great reciprocal policy!Comment
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I think it is pretty common, actually.
I personally am closed two seperate weeks a year, posted 12 months in advance, unpaid. (yes, I am that organized
) I take full-time kids, only.
I also offer two weeks, per family, per year unpaid. I do require a 30 day minimum notice so I can adjust expenses. Vacation must be taken a full week at a time to minimize disruption for the other infants and toddlers.
Simple math; they could have a month out unpaid if they planned it right or they could plan their vacations with mine to minimize time off work/with alternate care.
I do expect payment for all other absences including weather and sick days. If I am open, payment is due. I am dependable and I expect them to be as well.
Sadly, even with this I have parents show up at the door when I am closed, calling me on vacation and who try to find loopholes.
It is not possible to please everyone.
- Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.Comment
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I also take paid vacation of my own, but give the families unpaid vacation days. I get 14 days off, paid, in addition to normal holidays, also paid. The daycare families get 14 days off, unpaid.Hee hee! Look, I have a signature!Comment
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