Provider's PAID Vacation?

[Unregistered]

Paid Vacation for private daycare

A friend of mine has 3 kids in day care, the provider has 3 weeks paid vacation, 11 paid holidays and like 7 sick/personal days, all paid! I'm a SAHM and honestly I think that is ridiculous!
Plus, her daycare increased the rate 30% (and she got the list of the days the provider will close for summer vacation, july&august, each time 1 week). My friend came to me crying bc she will be broke! That means MDF has to pay daycare and pay somebody else for her 3 kids! So she'll pay almost $500/week(!) for daycare alone.
Btw, not to many people can afford a family vacation, MDF with her 3 girls spends her vaca days at home. I don't see to many families going on vacation in my neighborhood and most of these families do have a pretty good income (that's for the comment: not paying rent or mortgage, if you go on vacation).

[littlemissmuffet]

A friend of mine has 3 kids in day care, the provider has 3 weeks paid vacation, 11 paid holidays and like 7 sick/personal days, all paid! I'm a SAHM and honestly I think that is ridiculous!
Plus, her daycare increased the rate 30% (and she got the list of the days the provider will close for summer vacation, july&august, each time 1 week). My friend came to me crying bc she will be broke! That means MDF has to pay daycare and pay somebody else for her 3 kids! So she'll pay almost $500/week(!) for daycare alone.
Btw, not to many people can afford a family vacation, MDF with her 3 girls spends her vaca days at home. I don't see to many families going on vacation in my neighborhood and most of these families do have a pretty good income (that's for the comment: not paying rent or mortgage, if you go on vacation).

My paid days off average about 25/year. That is the norm for home daycares in my area. And we eran each and every one of those days

If your friend had 3 children enrolled in my daycare, she would be paying close to $500/week as well - that's BEFORE the additional money she would be paying to an alternate during my days off (although, in all my years of doing home daycare, all of my families have taken their vacation time from work, when I choose my days off each January. It's pretty simple, really). So I think her daycare is actually pretty cheap, at least where I live.

You're right that not too many people can afford a family vacation. I know alot of the providers on here can't. I can't. I stay home when I close the daycare for vacation. So what? I deserve a break from my job just like anyone else... perhaps moreso - childcare is very demanding, difficult and often thankless work (albeit, very rewarding) that not too many people are cut out to do... well.



You have to remember that parents aren't paying for TIME, they are paying for a space...

If your friend doesn't like it, she can forfeit all the dvantages of home family care and go for a center, then she doesn't have to worry or cry any more.

[Unregistered]

The difference is that when most small business owners go on vacation, they don't just close down. They hire people to keep it open. They don't expect you to pay for your bread and milk anyway even though you don't get it and have to go buy it somewhere else, too.

[Cat Herder]

The difference is that when most small business owners go on vacation, they don't just close down. They hire people to keep it open. They don't expect you to pay for your bread and milk anyway even though you don't get it and have to go buy it somewhere else, too.

Well...true, but we don't have a store filled with goods to sell.

We offer a service. One with all vacation days and holidays listed PRIOR to enrollment. It is not a surprise.

Private Secondary Schools/Colleges close. Daycares/Pre schools close. Government offices close.

It is a fact of life.

[SandeeAR]

I have 5 paid days I use through out the year, for illness, dr appts etc. I don't use it for vacation. I offer my parents one full week of vacation time. Must have 2 weeks notice and be taken all at one time.

The difference is that when most small business owners go on vacation, they don't just close down. They hire people to keep it open. They don't expect you to pay for your bread and milk anyway even though you don't get it and have to go buy it somewhere else, too.

About this quote, the type of small business owners, such as you are refering to, have a store front, they don't operate from the home. I'm sorry, But I wouldn't want anyone, but my family to have total free access to my home for a week, while I was gone. Also way to much liability of things can happen when kids are involved for such a long period.

[WDW]

The difference is that when most small business owners go on vacation, they don't just close down. They hire people to keep it open. They don't expect you to pay for your bread and milk anyway even though you don't get it and have to go buy it somewhere else, too.

Would you REALLY want the provider you screened and worked so hard to find, to hire someone else to watch your kids? These are kids, not bread and milk. Would you even leave your kids with the person we hired? Probably not... you'd probably complain we hired the wrong person and still whine about paying. Maybe talk to your provider about not paying when she is closed. I'm sure she's willing to bump your rate the other 51 weeks a year to make up the difference of one week.

[Unregistered]

No, of course children aren't bread and milk. The point I was trying to make is that all of you like to refer to yourselves as business owners/being self-employed. Yet many self-employed people do not get vacations. Heck, many who are employed by others don't get vacation. Yet daycare providers are entitled to it because they work so much harder than everyone else. Whatever. Same attitude, different day.

[AfterSchoolMom]

No, of course children aren't bread and milk. The point I was trying to make is that all of you like to refer to yourselves as business owners/being self-employed. Yet many self-employed people do not get vacations. Heck, many who are employed by others don't get vacation. Yet daycare providers are entitled to it because they work so much harder than everyone else. Whatever. Same attitude, different day.

They may not necessarily work HARDER, but most do work LONGER.

Most full time daycare providers work a minimum of 50 hours per week, and many work 60 or more. That's not counting paperwork, cleaning, their own housework, shopping, or their own child/family responsibilities. A good many don't get breaks either, due to conflicting nap schedules, drop offs and pickups, etc.

Unregistered poster, how many hours do you work and how many breaks do you get? Do you get a lunch break?

[daycare]

I have 5 paid days I use through out the year, for illness, dr appts etc. I don't use it for vacation. I offer my parents one full week of vacation time. Must have 2 weeks notice and be taken all at one time.




About this quote, the type of small business owners, such as you are refering to, have a store front, they don't operate from the home. I'm sorry, But I wouldn't want anyone, but my family to have total free access to my home for a week, while I was gone. Also way to much liability of things can happen when kids are involved for such a long period.

In my state I could not hire someone and leave my house for more than 20% of the time that I operate.... So this would not even be possible...

Bottom line, unless you have done daycare yourself, you wont understand the importance of a provider having off some family time or time to them self. You may not see us as teachers, but we are. Teachers get 3 months off over the summer to regroup and have time to spend with their families. We don't get this and we know this going into it, so I don't think its too much to ask to take off a few days a year....paid or unpaid.......

[littlemissmuffet]

No, of course children aren't bread and milk. The point I was trying to make is that all of you like to refer to yourselves as business owners/being self-employed. Yet many self-employed people do not get vacations. Heck, many who are employed by others don't get vacation. Yet daycare providers are entitled to it because they work so much harder than everyone else. Whatever. Same attitude, different day.

Ok, maybe many self-employed people don't get vacations, maybe even some who are employed by others don't either - but some of us do, and yeah, I do think we are ENTITLED to it. Get over it. If you don't like it, then don't go to a home daycare - it's so simple.
I work 60 hours a week - I eat breakfast early in the morning before my dck's arrive and I eat supper very late at night after my dck's are gone home and after I have all my paperwork, house keeping and prep done for the next day... I don't get any meal breaks, as a matter of fact I get NO breaks during the day - I am still working when my dck's are napping... would you expect a meal break or coffee break in an 11 hour work day? Of course you would. Many of us forfeit that. I'm not about to give up my days off as well

I charge my clients $600/month - that's about $27.25 a day. If I close an average of 25 days/year that's about $682. The average daycare in my city, home or center charges $700/month. That's $1,000 more than I charge... so actually, my parents are saving $318.00 a year by going with me - and get much higher quality of care
And like I said, my parents don't NEED to pay another provider when I close... they take their vacation days when I take mine. This is all discussed in their interview... and all of my interviews have resulted in enrolments - imagine that!

[Unregistered]

I don't support the paid vacation concept at all

But I do support coming to a totally agreed upon arrangement prior to accepting care.

I know a lot of providers charge every week of the year and close, but usually they do make this very clear up front. In a lot of states right now, any family seeking assistance is required to place their children in care - one in four American children are in this situation. The additional charges come out of the small amount of assistance those families receive, including overages - or charges that are more than the state average charge. I could not afford to have my child in a home daycare on childcare assistance. I think that option is for large families who have a provider who needs the money but would be caring for their children anyway and for rich families who want socialization or are home days and want their kids to have a place to go. I think it is pretty clear that a lot of providers here do do this job as a way of being able to provide care for their own children. It is also true that this is a pretty small, tightly knit group and does not represent a vast majority of providers.

If the vacation charge is not discussed and you do not have a signed contract that spells it out, you do not have to pay - but - be prepared to find a new provider if you balk at any charge.

[littlemissmuffet]

But I do support coming to a totally agreed upon arrangement prior to accepting care.

I know a lot of providers charge every week of the year and close, but usually they do make this very clear up front. In a lot of states right now, any family seeking assistance is required to place their children in care - one in four American children are in this situation. The additional charges come out of the small amount of assistance those families receive, including overages - or charges that are more than the state average charge. I could not afford to have my child in a home daycare on childcare assistance. I think that option is for large families who have a provider who needs the money but would be caring for their children anyway and for rich families who want socialization or are home days and want their kids to have a place to go. I think it is pretty clear that a lot of providers here do do this job as a way of being able to provide care for their own children. It is also true that this is a pretty small, tightly knit group and does not represent a vast majority of providers.

If the vacation charge is not discussed and you do not have a signed contract that spells it out, you do not have to pay - but - be prepared to find a new provider if you balk at any charge.

Most centers close on stat holidays... even when alot of parents (retail!) work on stats, and the parents still pay. You are paying for a space - not time!

You say you couldn't afford to have your child in a home daycare on childcare assistnace. Fine, go to a center then. It's unfair for providers to have to drop their prices or go without pay during hard earned days off because of a portion of people who can't afford the care. I'm not trying to be rude, but that's not my problem. MY bills, MY rent, MY income is MY problem - I chose childcare as a way to make an income - and I love my job, but I'm certainly not giving my valuable services away, nor am I giving away my right to run my business how I choose. Again, their are countless centers from people like you to choose from that don't think in home providers deserve paid time off.

For the record, I don't have any children of my own. Yet, I still own and operate a home daycare. I don't "do this" so I can stay home/stay home with my own kids (though I don't think there is anything wrong with those who do), and none of my parents are rich. They're all middle class folk who all work hard for their cash, just like me.


We'll just have to agree to disagree.

[Unregistered]

omg

I have heard this every-time summer comes or Christmas
PAY your childcare providers for vacation!!!!
THEY take care of your precious kids!
People care more about their cars, houses,lawns, tattoos, and jewelry more than the person that's shaping your child's future!!
We are not just babysitters!
If you want a babysitter to push around, just go get a teenager pay them $2 an hour and they will sit them in front of the tv , talk on their phone and little johnny will learn all about the world that way!!
"preschools" have more closed days than a lot of family day cares and you still have to pay when they close!
I wouldn't want someone to take care of my kid that didn't get a break once in a while,
we are not robots, we are people with families too.

[dc assistant]

If this is something that really bothers you, then maybe you should look around for another option. You could probably find a large dc center that will fit your needs. They are out there... you just have to do a little research. For example, with the exception of the usual holidays, our center is open all year and we give parents 2 tuition-free weeks for vacation. As a dc employee, I also get 2 weeks, but without pay. And not all dcs close more than schools. This past winter, we received a historic amount of snow and although we had a few delayed openings (to plow our lot), we only closed once - when a state of emergency was declared. In my area, the elementary schools had so many snow days that the kids will be starting summer vacation a week later than usual.

That being said, if your contract states that your caregiver gets 2 weeks pd vacation, then you must abide by that. And the law will back her up all the way. Your provider doesn't have to justify her conditions or argue her case... it was all in the contract which you agreed to when you signed.

[Unregistered]

For the record, I don't have any children of my own.

Judging from your posts here, I think that's pretty obvious.