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I am new to this forum and I was wondering... for private dayhome providers from Alberta. When a family takes vacations, do they still have to pay for the spot in your dayhome?
I don't charge for my vacations or anyday that my dayhome is not opened but I required that they pay for their spot when my dayhome is opened whatever their reason is not to show up.
What are your rules concerning this question?
Everyone has a different policy, it is whatever works for you and your business :) Me personally, I allow 2 "free" weeks of vacation each year, anything exceeding that is paid at 50%.
For me is 3 weeks vacation, but they have to tell me 2 months in advance or they will have to pay 100% of the fee. Anything more than 3 weeks they have to pay 100% too.
My policy is the exact same as your kiddos.
They pay me if I am open. Families know my vacation (2 wks in August) and book their vacations at that time. They don't pay me when I am on vac. Any extra vac they take, they pay me.
In my contract it states that I have 1 week unpaid vacation. They may book their vaction at the same time as me. If they take additional vacation days, and I am open, they pay regardless. If I am open, they pay.
I take 2 weeks unpaid vacation each year. My families are allotted 7 unpaid days to use for vacation/illness etc. Anything beyond that is full payment
I give my clients about 4 months notice of my vacation so they can take the same if they want. I used to give 1 week "no pay" vacation but found this days were abused. The clients would whine that they might not have a vacation this year (of course they did) so could they use "their days" for sick days instead?
My parents pay 52 weeks a year. They pay for their spot no matter how little or how much they use it. So in a sense I receive a salary. I take three weeks of vacation and have 2 personal days per year. I am closed for all stat holidays and if I am sick I take a sick day
(I don't have a limit on my sick days) But in my almost two years open I have only taken 2. I feel that if they trust me to care for their children then they have to trust me that when I say I am sick, then I am really sick. I have been sick more then twice but usually my husband stays home and runs the daycare while I am sick. But for those odd times when he can't I call in sick.
I am 38 years old. They all have salaried carriers.......why shouldn't I.
I haven't had one complaint :-)
This way I know how to plan my own finances and am not inconvenienced when they take vacation or are sick or their children are sick. I think you have to do what you feel is fair and what works for your finances and family. And if you are in a high demand area then I think you can ask for a little more.
I am in Ontario, not Alberta, but I take 2 weeks of paid vacation myself, plus 7 paid personal days and all stats paid...parents all pay for any vacations they take outside of my vacation days...or sick days or any other days they take the child out of care when I am open.
that is a nice setup! I remember being a new day care parent--- and I complained that I had to pay for a sick day. Oh my- the daycare provider was kind (even though she surely had given the speech 100x) that it was like tuition. Once I looked at it like that it made sense and I never complained again. I really really loved her.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trace of Angels
I'm in Ontario, but my dc clients pay 49 weeks of the year full fees, no matter if they have stats, sick days or vacation days. They do not pay for the 3 weeks per year that I'm closed for vacation.
I have a system where I choose my vacation weeks in Dec. for the next year and give the families a letter so they can book the same weeks as I'm closed. I have one family going to Florida in Aug. so they have an extra week of vacation but they know they have to pay for their space.
I'm in Ontario and I'm paid for 52 weeks a year also .... I take three weeks holiday and up to 5 personal days and the only time I'm not paid is if I close the daycare due to my illness.
I take 3 weeks unpaid vacation, and I'm off all stats paid. In my contract I say sick days are unpaid, but I haven't taken one yet. This seems fair to me, as parents will have to pay for backup care when I'm off, I didn't want to tell them that they'd have to pay twice. But I am new, and might get a little less "generous" as time goes on.
When my first was at his dayhome we paid a lot ($800 a month, went down to $650 when he turned 2), and we paid full price for all her holidays; she didn't have a sick day while we were there. At the time my husband was working shift, so between me taking days off and him already being home we generally worked it out. If parents are happy with what you're providing, they'll be willing to pay just to keep you!
I have found it easiest to just work their vacation time and mine into the rates. So I take what I want as a base rate then times it by four (2 for them, 2 for myself) and divide it by 50 weeks (makes rounder numbers than 52 lol), then tack that onto my weekly rate! That way vacations are dealt with ahead of time, without them feeling like they are paying mine or their vacations! :)
My contract states that if my daycare is open then the fees are due. I use the analogy with my parents that if they have a mortgage they would not consider phoning the bank to let them know that they will be away for 2 weeks so they will deduct this 2 weeks from their mortgage payment. I charge the parents as if there are 4 weeks in a month, there are actually 4.35 weeks, so the days of the 4 weeks of care I bank for my holidays, so the monthly fee is always the same and they pay for my holidays as the days they owe me for.