Why be paid for stats?

[Cookie]

So I have recently read a post from a self employed parent (Chiropractor, I think) upset that she has to pay her DCP for stats when her DCP is closed and not providing her service. Making the comparison to herself that if she doesn't do an adjustment on a patient she isn't paid. I think DCP are different though because we are capped on the # of children we can have and our clientele is therefore capped at 5 (in Ontario anyway), meaning our clientele is extremely small. Is that a good reason? Are there other reasons you have that I could use to explain to her?

Specifically, I'm trying to compare ourselves to other self-employed groups.

This is really bothering me and I'm not sure if it's because I feel guilty for being paid when I'm not open. Although it's in my contract and very common in my area.

TIA!!!:)

[SecondAve]

I actually agree with the Chiropractor. That is why I have never charged it, even though I know it is common place for my area.

If a provider is comfortable charging it and can find clients willing to pay it, then to each their own. It's just I personally don't feel right about it, especially if they have to pay a provider and then pay someone else to care for their child should they still need to work that day.

[madmom]

I don't think it's fair that just because its a holiday, I may not make my bill payments that month. With the limits placed on dc providers there is NO WAY we can ever come close to making a viable living. If a parent is complaining that it isn't a fair business practice then from now on just give a weekly rate. That way it doesn't matter what holidays, sick days or whatever. If your child comes to daycare it is $XX per week. It never fails to upset me when people haggle over daycare, we are raising their children for goodness sakes, ante up!!!

[torontokids]

I charge for stats, it is also common in my area. I feel it is fair because parents always have to pay for stats, even if they have their child in a centre, stats are paid regardless.

However, I do not charge for my holiday time as I feel that is unfair. I think this is part of being self employed and if a parent needs to find alternative care then they would get hit twice. I also think parents would have a harder time accepting my 6 wks vacation if it was also paid.

I do not charge for my sick days which I think would be a hard sell to my clients.

[Gloucestermom]

I was an RMT before this, and was paid on commission only. My older son was in daycare, and I had to pay for stats and did it without complaining. That's just the way it is, IMHO. Most parents get paid for stats themselves, and dcps shouldn't have to make exceptions for the ones who don't.
If there was a stat where my daycare was closed, my DH would either spend the day with DS, or if he had to work if it was something like Easter Monday or Civic Holiday, then I would stay home. If I stayed home, I would make no money and pay for care. I knew the risks when I got into that job and still chose it! Most people thought we were closed on stats anyways!
Now, I charge for stats and Christmas Eve. I take 5 vacation days at half price.

[Rachael]

Reasons why day care providers might charge...

1. We have no other benefits
2. Due to the number caps, after expenses, we barely make min. wage if at full capacity
3. When a less than capacity, we earn less than min wage for long hours with no means of increasing out income.
4. For the sake of $30 ish why can't we have a day off. A chiropractor would charge more than that for a 15 min consultation, we charge that for a full 10 hours - which includes lunch. snacks and activities.
5. I am sure if she wanted to pay her DCP a rate equivalent to what her own rate works out per hour, that DCP would be willing to let her off the stat hol fee.
6. Because it's in the terms and conditions she agreed to when selecting her provider. Just as a chiropractor might charge for a late cancellation of an appointment, that would be the terms and conditions her client base agreed to.

[playfelt]

In this case I would probably work out a half fee for the stat based on the fact the person is not getting paid for the stat. At the same time they are claiming the day on their taxes as a day of business but closed for the stat and are able to claim the costs for the day for the building as it still has to have minimum heat/cool, electricity, etc.

When parents are paid for the stat without working we should be afforded the same privilege hence charging parents for stats.

[Rachael]

The more I think about this, the more I'd like to add..

This Chiropractor is comparing her DCP's business and charging policies to her own. But, that's hardly fair as I imagine there is no comparable elements throughout.

A Chiropractor may take on as many clients as he/she chooses. There is no max cap.
A Chiropractor does not have clients who come all day but instead just for a short appointment.
A Chiropractor does not have the same clients every day.
A Chiropractor has the flexibility to extend their hours to accommodate more clients if they need to increase their income but if we extend our hours, we don't get any more income.
A Chiropractor will often by charging for all the extra they provide, we can not - our supplies are included in our fees and come directly out of pocket. Is he/she willing to pay for each time their child flushes our toilet and increases our water bill, or for each crayon her child uses, or the craft paper, or the cleaning of carpets if her child vomits on them? Is she prepared to pay more when we toilet train her child and have to spent time dealing with their accidents - he/she would charge for an increased appointment time if that time was dedicated to one client?

[Samantha33]

I charge for stats, it is also common in my area. I feel it is fair because parents always have to pay for stats, even if they have their child in a centre, stats are paid regardless.

However, I do not charge for my holiday time as I feel that is unfair. I think this is part of being self employed and if a parent needs to find alternative care then they would get hit twice. I also think parents would have a harder time accepting my 6 wks vacation if it was also paid.

I do not charge for my sick days which I think would be a hard sell to my clients.

This exactly!

[Busy ECE mommy]

I charge for stats if the child regularly attends on that day(example mondays)because the you are holding that childs space open for all mondays, so you don't get to opt out of paying when you feel like it.
My own kids attend the YMCA afterschool program, and the program and school are closed on all stats and I still pay for it, including Xmas break, when the school is closed and my kids are home with me. You pay for your spot to be held -period. I'm in Ontario(Halton) and this is a common practice.

[daycaremom9]

So I have recently read a post from a self employed parent (Chiropractor, I think) upset that she has to pay her DCP for stats when her DCP is closed and not providing her service. Making the comparison to herself that if she doesn't do an adjustment on a patient she isn't paid. I think DCP are different though because we are capped on the # of children we can have and our clientele is therefore capped at 5 (in Ontario anyway), meaning our clientele is extremely small. Is that a good reason? Are there other reasons you have that I could use to explain to her?

Specifically, I'm trying to compare ourselves to other self-employed groups.

This is really bothering me and I'm not sure if it's because I feel guilty for being paid when I'm not open. Although it's in my contract and very common in my area.

TIA!!!:)

I charge my full-timers a reduced rate but I do charge for stats (only for full-timers though). So that's how I explain it when asked.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I charge for STATS because

1. it is common in my area, for both home and centres

2. Most parents are getting paid for STATS as well even though they aren't working

3. I don't take paid sick or vacation days and feel that this is a small perk to me being the boss and making my own rules.

If I found that parents were complaining about having to pay my STAT fee ($10 less a regular day) I would instead charge a higher fee throughout the year and be closed without pay on STATS. I have thankfully never had a parent question this (at least not that I remember! lol)

[mickyc]

I completely agree with 5LM. I charge full rate for my stats though. I also charge all part-time children for stats regardless if they are to attend that day or not as well.

I also have never had a parent complain about paying for stats. I did have a dad mention to me though once that Boxing Day and August long are not "real stat" holidays. I think he was upset because his employer didn't pay for those days while he still paid me. He was also one of those "I am paying you therefore you will have my kids every minute of every day that you are open". I also take very limited holiday days (unpaid) and rarely take sick days.

[Rachael]

I charge full day for stat days but only if it falls on a day the child is registered for care. i.e. if I had a child for Tues-Fri, then I wouldn't charge for a Stat which fell on a Monday as it means the family has to pay 5 days care instead of the 4 they contracted for. I admit that I tend to avoid PT'ers like the plague so that usually means all my clients are FT and so they all pay.

Like Mickyc, I take a couple which aren't officially stat days - Boxing Day and Easter Monday but they are all listed clearly in both my handbook and contracts. It's only been questioned once and when I stated paid or not I would not be working, they decided to go elsewhere. Shrug.

I also have 10 paid personal days a year. These are for vacation and sick. I've had 2 days off sick in the last few years and those were kind of expected since stomach flu had gone around the day care.

As my family is all in England, I also have the ability to take more than 10 days vacation but the additional time would be unpaid. My thoughts behind that were that one day I might want to visit home but as yet, I've never been able to afford to - but I still dream.

This is what my contact states...


Hours and Days of operation
The Daycare will be available Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. To 4.30 p.m unless specific agreement has been reached for your child and if so, those details will be recorded here. Late collection of child will incur a late fee of $1 per minute per child as outlined in the handbook.
The Daycare will be closed on the following holidays: New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Natal Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Should any of these days fall on a weekend, the Provider reserves the right to close the day care on the next business day. We also close at noon on Christmas Eve if it falls during the week. These are paid holidays.
Late collection of children will incur an additional fee of $1.00 per minute per child. Late fees are due on collection of your child, in cash.

Vacation
In the event of the Daycare provider taking a vacation, written notice will be provided to the parents a minimum of 14 days in advance. The Daycare provider is entitled to ten days paid vacation per year. No payment is required for vacation periods which exceed the contracted ten day period.

[Secondtimearound]

I avoided all of that by charging a monthly rate regardless of attendance, and I made sure in my contract to state my dayhome is closed all stats. The only neg feedback is one of my part timers is mon/friday and is always missing a day it seems but since it is all there in my contract .....
My holidays are taken without pay , which seems right to me but I do know a popular provider who took a month each year and always charged and she had a waiting list. She was with an agency so I dont know if that changes things ?
And she was in BC and had 30 yrs as a provider, I think she deserved it lol !!!!

[bright sparks]

I charge full day for stat days but only if it falls on a day the child is registered for care. i.e. if I had a child for Tues-Fri, then I wouldn't charge for a Stat which fell on a Monday as it means the family has to pay 5 days care instead of the 4 they contracted for. I admit that I tend to avoid PT'ers like the plague so that usually means all my clients are FT and so they all pay.

Like Mickyc, I take a couple which aren't officially stat days - Boxing Day and Easter Monday but they are all listed clearly in both my handbook and contracts. It's only been questioned once and when I stated paid or not I would not be working, they decided to go elsewhere. Shrug.

I also have 10 paid personal days a year. These are for vacation and sick. I've had 2 days off sick in the last few years and those were kind of expected since stomach flu had gone around the day care.

As my family is all in England, I also have the ability to take more than 10 days vacation but the additional time would be unpaid. My thoughts behind that were that one day I might want to visit home but as yet, I've never been able to afford to - but I still dream.

This is what my contact states...

I had really taken it for granted that Boxing day was a holiday Canada wide. I had no idea it was only in Ontario...that's ridiculous.

To me it isn't a question of why. My contract states each specific paid day off I take so regardless of what everyone else does, employed or otherwise, this is what works for me and my business. Family's who don't like that don't sign up with me. The time for questioning this is prior to signing on. Aside from stats I don't charge for any time daycare services aren't available. I also don't restrict myself to a maximum amount of vacation days per year. They are all unpaid and my average is between 3 and 5 weeks a year. I am upfront about this and anyone who has a problem with it should and do find a different provider who takes much less time off that better meets their needs.

[Rachael]

To me it isn't a question of why. My contract states each specific paid day off I take so regardless of what everyone else does

This. Exactly this.

I define my hours, terms, vacation, curriculum. It's my business. I understand it won't suit everyone who is seeking care but that's okay because I don't want everyone who needs care, as a client.

Just as parents have criteria for their care provider, I have criteria for my clients.

I don't take PT.
I don't extend my hours.
I have 10 days off a year which are paid.
I close on stat days and if that's one of my client's scheduled days, then they pay.
They pay if they are on vacation.
They pay if they are late.
They pay if their payment is late.

Sure, it won't suit those who need extended hours, it won't suit those who want to pay on attendance only, it won't suit those who aren't willing to pay stat days.

They know what they are getting up front and they know what my expectation from them are. If they opt to come here, they will get a quality service from someone who knows what they are doing and who will nurture, care for, encourage and promote their child. But it comes at a price.

If they want a cheaper carer, who doesn't charge stat days, who works longer hours, who is likely less experienced, they are more than welcome to sign up with one.

[5 Little Monkeys]

http://www.statutoryholiday s.com/2014.php

I use this as a reference. I'm in mb and take 11 stats off a year. Some are technically not a stat but I have them in my contract and a parent needs to ask me about them prior to signing. It's a pet peeve of mine when parents sign and than question everything as it comes up later. I had one parent like this and I ended up terminating care.

[Rachael]

I had really taken it for granted that Boxing day was a holiday Canada wide. I had no idea it was only in Ontario...that's ridiculous.

LOL

For Nova Scotia...


"Statutory holidays in Nova Scotia
Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, Boxing Day and Remembrance Day are not statutory holidays. Boxing Day is a public holiday when shops are normally closed.

Remembrance Day, although not a statutory holiday, is defined under the province's Remembrance Day Act as a holiday where employers have the option of giving Remembrance Day or an alternate day off.

Natal Day - First Monday in August is also not a holiday but commonly a day off.

Source : http://www.statutoryholiday s.com/novascotia.php

Officially, this province only has 5 stat dates - will increase to 6 in 2015 as we have a new one coming. This is why my contracts spell out every date I will not be opening and makes it clear it's a paid day.

We get New Year’s Day, Nova Scotia Heritage Day (starting in 2015), Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Christmas Day. And that's it.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Rachael, just curious, do you not get Victoria Day as well in May?

[Rachael]

Rachael, just curious, do you not get Victoria Day as well in May?

Victoria Day is not a Stat holiday in NS but many people are given the day off and are paid for it - and I include it as one of my closure days. But it is not an official stat day here. - I think it is in NB but not here.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Victoria Day is not a Stat holiday in NS but many people are given the day off and are paid for it - and I include it as one of my closure days. But it is not an official stat day here. - I think it is in NB but not here.

Thanks! Guess my link isn't very accurate lol. Whoops!

[Rachael]

NP. Here's one from the NS government...http://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/vacation.asp

EDiT - Actually this page, accessed from above, is clearer..
http://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/holidaychart.asp

[Cookie]

To me it isn't a question of why. My contract states each specific paid day off I take so regardless of what everyone else does, employed or otherwise, this is what works for me

YES!

Thank you all for your replies. Love reading them :)