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Hi,
In my contract, I do not get anything paid. No stats, no vacation.
Reading you all, I am starting to think that I would love to get paid...
But I don't want to put my daycare in a risky situation
Will I lose my actual customers? Should I wait until their contract ends or just do te change "as of july 1st! for exemple (their contracts all have different end dates)
Anybody know if it is "the norm" in Toronto to get stats or vacation paid?
Hi Sarah! Paid vacation is up to you....some people get it, some do not, but you for sure must change your contract to get paid for stat days!!!!!! Personally, I take the week between Christmas and New year plus two random weeks unpaid. Parents pay me half fees for any reasonable length vacation they take off. I get paid for all stat days.
I started about a year ago and did not put stat days paid or vacation in my contract. However, now that I'm more confident and stable, I add it into my new contracts. So I don't raise or change the rates of my existing, but as I get new clients I add that in for sure!
That is exactly what I was going to say .... Keep your current families the way they are and change your contract for any new families that you bring on. That way you don't lose what you have and as they grow up and head off to school and you replace them you'll start to get paid for stats and holidays ..... I get paid for all stats and three weeks holiday and up to five personal days .... I only don't get paid for my sick days
Sarah, stats are TOTALLY the norm in Toronto. Every daycare provider I know (and I know many) gets paid stats AND two weeks paid holidays. I just changed my contract to state that I get paid full fees 52 weeks per year, regardless of attendance. Of course, that does not count my own sick days, or when I voluntarily take time off after my allotted two weeks paid holidays.
Change it! Nobody is going to leave. I check kijiji and craigslist regularly, and there are plenty of people where you are that are actively looking for care. We are in a pretty good situation here in the city in the way that the market is not overpopulated with GOOD dayhomes.
Thank you all for your answers!
I have great families, not perfect (hahaha) but still so great! I do not want to lose them. And it scares me a bit because I have 2 brothers, and a sister+brother. So if I lose, I lose big time! I love having siblings but financially, it is a bit more scary. Although I know they are really satisfied, they keep telling me, or emailing me, etc...
I still get calls from ... I have no clue where they get my information. Maybe an old ad that I didn't erase on Kijiji... I have to turn them down as I am full. I even have neighboors waiting for a spot for their 2 yo girl.
I am also going to ask Flex Fun Care, as she is close to me!
What I was thinking was to get paid 2 weeks vacation out of my 3 weeks, and all stats days (so 9 total). Ususally, I ask them to pay their own vacation, as I am opened, but I am giving them my own vacation dates like this month, and my vacation will be in august, so more than 3 months prior. That gives them the chance to take their vacation at the same time as I do!
Alpha, do they pay you during THEIR vacation?
The easiest way to explain this to clients is that you are contracting the SPACE!
So for example I tell clients that I determined how much my projected expenses would be to offer the program I desired and what revenue I needed to cover said expenses while ensuring a viable income to make this worth while and divided that number by the FIVE clients we are legally allowed to have on any given day to determine my annual fees per SPACE and than divided that fee by the number of WEEKS I planned to be open ... and this is why you pay the same fee for that week regardless of Stat holidays where the program is closed, regardless if your child is sick and does not attend, regardless if you are on vacation ... this is the EASIEST way to determine fees otherwise I have to ''guess' how many days you might not be paying me and increase my rates accordingly and that could end up with 'inflated' fees for some people who rarely take time off and so forth ... this is just the FAIREST way to keep fees consistent for everyone!
I have been open for 5 years and I am now paid for all STATS plus I have added in 10 paid vacation days and 10 paid 'personal days' into my contracts rather than 'raising fees' however if clients have a hard time 'budgeting for that' I did the math and they can choose to pay me $13 a week more and NOT pay me when I am closed for vacation or take a personal day ... but at the end of the year either way both clients are paying the SAME FEE ;)
I do not charge for vacations when I am closed which means 3 weeks per year are unpaid. Otherwise, full weekly payments are due for the other 49 weeks of the year, no matter what, stats, sick or missed days by the family for any reason. Simple. No questions. No confusion.
Yes, Sarah, they pay for 52 weeks per year. The only time I am not paid is if I take a sick day, or a personal day outside my allotted two weeks (10 care days) per year.