Oops!!

[Secondtimearound]

So I was going over my contracts and noticed I have not addressed my vacation days ! I was wondering if I charge for my holidays or do you subtract the time you take off ?

[jodaycare]

I don't get paid vacation days, unless there is a stat day during my vacation. so over the Christmas break, I get paid for the 24th, 25th, 26th and jan 1st.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I don't take paid vacation days...all unpaid. I charge a $10/day discount on stat days and am closed.

[Momof4]

At the end of Dec. I choose my 3 weeks unpaid vacation for the next year, write a letter to the parents so they can book their holidays the same weeks with their employers if they wish. The other 49 weeks of the year full fees are due, no questions, nice and simple, whether they have stats, sick days, whatever the reason.

[Lee-Bee]

I get paid for 3 weeks plus a week at Christmas. I give 4 weeks notice by contract but I aim to give a lot more. I gave 2 and 3 months notice for the 2 weeks (separate weeks) I have taken off for the summer.

It will depend on your area and your families if you can charge for vacation. Mine don't flinch at paying me. I can't imagine working so hard and not being paid for vacation!

[mickyc]

no paid vacation time here. If I don't work, I don't get paid. It is what the majority of providers in my area do. I also started giving my families an incentive to take holidays - I charge them a reduced rate ($5 off) providing I get 1 month's notice of their vacation time. I just found that everyone sent their kids all the time (regardless if they had holidays or days off) or never booked holidays at all. I personally don't take a lot of time off myself (10-12 unpaid days spread out throughout the year) so just having the kids away at random times is a break to me. It has been working pretty good actually. I would love to get paid time off but I don't think it would go over very well in my area

[Busy ECE mommy]

2 weeks paid vacation time and 2 weeks unpaid, plus all stats paid. No reduced fees for kids on their vacation time.

[bright sparks]

I don't get paid vacation days, unless there is a stat day during my vacation. so over the Christmas break, I get paid for the 24th, 25th, 26th and jan 1st.

The same here except the 24th isn't a stat holiday so for me it is an unpaid day. If you were to name the date as a paid day off in your contract then it could be as such. I always take the 24th off because it is my sons birthday and he is in the shadows enough during the season as it is but as I don't get paid vacation, this is an unpaid day off.

[bright sparks]

You really need to see what the norm is in your area in my opinion. To allow yourself paid vacation in an area dominated by unpaid vacation time, may effect your spots from filling if equally good daycare providers will not charge for their time off. I personally have a hard time justifying having a parent pay for a service that is unavailable to them in addition to paying additional daycare costs for alternative care or having to take time off themselves which may be paid or unpaid time off depending on their employer. What self employed person gets paid vacation? I'm sure somebody can come up with an example but it is very rare. If it is the norm for a providers area, then fantastic but otherwise I don't think its okay to charge for time I am away.

[Lee-Bee]

You really need to see what the norm is in your area in my opinion. To allow yourself paid vacation in an area dominated by unpaid vacation time, may effect your spots from filling if equally good daycare providers will not charge for their time off. I personally have a hard time justifying having a parent pay for a service that is unavailable to them in addition to paying additional daycare costs for alternative care or having to take time off themselves which may be paid or unpaid time off depending on their employer. What self employed person gets paid vacation? I'm sure somebody can come up with an example but it is very rare. If it is the norm for a providers area, then fantastic but otherwise I don't think its okay to charge for time I am away.

I've only been doing home daycare for 5 months now (though it had been the long term goal). I find that having the opinion that you don't deserve time off is a HUGE factor is whether you get paid time off. Sure your service is not available but it really should be no different than working for any large company. If I worked for a centre based daycare my service would not be available but I would still get paid vacation. I as the person working have earned that paid time off...that paid time off is partial reward for good service and partial recouping time to come back refreshed and ready to work better.

Just because we are working in our own homes and do not have back up care for families does not mean we do not deserve paid time off. I understand that a lot of providers do not expect paid time off...and I understand that there are a lot of families out there that do not want to pay for time off. But I do not for a second believe we should not be charging for our vacation.

I believe that if we are providing a quality service and giving our all then we deserve to have the same paid vacation as your standard employee at any company.

We as home daycare providers are seen as 'babysitters' and people that just want to be home with our kids or just couldn't work elsewhere. For some home daycare maybe that is the only reason they are doing it...but I do believe that the large majority of us are in it for better reasons...whether it be a strong love and passion for working with children, a strong background (education and/or experience) and just plain talent and stamina.

Until we expect respect and acknowledgment of all we put into our work then the rest of the population will not give it.

I don't feel the argument that other self employed people don't get paid vacation fits this scenario. We are working with precious, live little children that will grow up to become an integral part of society. We are not working with tax returns, doing landscaping or cleaning peoples homes. I would think it is safe to say that the large majority of other self employed people have he ability to get up and go to the bathroom anytime they please, they can randomly take time off without having to coordinate with 5 families, they can have days where they slack off and put in half the effort. We don't have many of the luxuries that other self employed people have and we do deserve paid vacation as reward for the hard jobs we have.

Off to pee while I have the chance before my 5 kiddos wake from morning nap...I may or may not get to pee again before closing time ;-)

[5 Little Monkeys]

Lee bee, if you can find parents who agree to pay your holidays that is great! I would love paid holidays but I chose to open my hdc with the understanding that I was getting into the service industry and being self employed. I can't think of any self employed people who get paid holidays actually. IMO it doesn't matter what the service is, if it's not available than it shouldn't be charged for. I certainly wouldn't be paying for a service that was not available to me.

It has nothing at all with thinking I don't deserve it. I feel that every working person would love/deserve paid holidays but the reality is that many jobs don't offer this. There are benefits to every job though and I appreciate all the benefits I receive from owning a business that others who don't own a business don't get. If I wanted the benefits from working in a centre I would still be there. Working for someone else vs working for yourself will never be the same IMO.

All the power to you but please don't assume that those of us who don't charge for our holidays feel we aren't worth it. We just have different opinions on what being a business owner means.

[mickyc]

I totally agree with 5LM! I am a business owner and therefore don't get paid when I close. I think we are lucky enough to be able to get stat holidays paid. We set our own contracts and if you can find parents willing to pay for your holiday time then great. I would love to do the same but I know it is not something that would work in my area. I want my spots filled so have to be competitive with those around me. As it is there are those who charge less or even offer the pay as you need care.

Just because we are looking after children doesn't mean our jobs are any more important than a lot of jobs out there. I agree we all deserve time off but when a family has to take time off (not everyone gets paid holidays) or pay for alternate care then why are we charging for our holiday time. It is just something I don't really think is fair (not that I wouldn't love paid time off and think I deserve it).

[Secondtimearound]

Thank you for the advice !!! Hmmm , so I better get saving $$ for my holidays then ! I have no idea what the dayhomes in my area do, but I'm thinking since I didn't address vacation pay in my contract it isn't fair to make up things as I go !!

[5 Little Monkeys]

Secondtimearound, I think that is a fair decision. If you do decide you want to ask for paid vacation, I would state that in your contract for future clients. You could tell your current parents it's changing but I would be worried that some would leave, especially if it's not common in your area. I think it's fine to change your rules and policies as you go and experience issues but I don't feel it's fair to be changing fee's and such after a family has signed on as one of the reasons many parents pick a specific dc is because the fee's fit into their budget. Of course this is just my opinion though!

This year I chose to take 2 one week periods off. It is a bit easier on the wallet whereas last year I took 2 weeks off and received no money for those 2 weeks. If I were to take 2 weeks off together again, I'd plan it so it was in between pay periods. I better start putting some money away as well....July and August will be here soon! Hard to believe!

[sandylynn]

I cannot imagine ANYONE paying me for ANY vacation...I charge them if they take any time off but no way that they would pay me while I am on vacation....though we do work for them and maybe deserve paid vacation...daycare centers do give 2 weeks vacation where parents don't pay

[mickyc]

sandylynn--- NO NO NO NO NO !!! LOL we do not work for our families, we work for ourselves. LOL

It would be nice to get paid vacation but as business owner it isn't a possibility for me. I don't know any other provider's in my area who charge so to remain competitive it would not be a good idea.

[Secondtimearound]

It gets confusing sandylynn !! I get that way too !! But then remember and correct myself ! Don't feel bad !!

[sandylynn]

Hmmm....you are right mickyc...we work for OURSELVES...I STAND CORRECTED....lol....