Does anyone have NON FEE DAYS???

[zen39]

There is no "parents are entitled to non fee day" if their child is sick or visiting with a relative. If you are open, they pay. I had one family once try to not pay for 3 days that their grandma was visiting and watching their child. I said point blank. You missed three days in your cheque and you need to write me a new one. I tell them, if I'm open they must pay. And don't give them free sick days either. This is too much money you are losing. You are a business first.

If you let things like this happen and not have the confidence to say things to parents, you will eventually down the road find yourself resenting the parents and your daycare business.

Good luck.

[playfelt]

I give my parents two weeks in the summer (July/August) and 5 days Sept to June that are non-fee days. Doesn't matter to me if the child is sick, doctor appointment, grandma in town the number is the same. At the same time I get the same amount of paid days so if I close because I am sick the first 5 days I take off are paid. Anything else is paid by daycare families and for me an unpaid day.

[Sarah A]

I have started all these families knowing that there will be no fees for sick days so I don't think it would be best to take them out right now HOWEVER any new children I take on I will revise my contract to if I am open they will have to pay, if I am closed, no pay. It's just a lot easier to keep track of.

Playfelt- Why did you choose to offer these non-fee days, which are 15 days in total?? Do you take the same days off in the summer? Do you find that this is a lot of income lost?

[sunnydays]

I have no unpaid days for any reason and I have never had a parent try to deduct fees from my pay! Maybe because you are giving them some, they think they can squeeze a few more out of you...give an inch and they take a mile! My parents know that they pay the same amount every week...they mostly pay monthly and give post-dated cheques. Zero issues!

[Inspired by Reggio]

I am another you pay for the SPACE you are occupying regardless of the use - our income is limited to the # of children we are legally allowed to have and being self employed is challenging enough to keep a 'steady' income - I choose to have fee payment policies in place that help keep my income as steady as possible as well as much notice as possible if it is going to 'dip' due to someone terminating care until I can secure a replacement client!

Seriously if people buy a 'gym membership' to the gym the gym is open 7 days a week and your membership contract indicates you are able to attend 7 days a week - if you only attend THREE days you do not go into the gym and say I want a credit for the 4 days I did not use this week, if you rent your apartment based on a months rent and go on vacation for two weeks and are not 'using' your apartment you do not go to the landlord and say 'I am only paying HALF my rent this month cause I was on vacation' ... why is it so hard for society to see childcare the SAME way you committed to the SPACE in the program regardless of its use your FEES were determined based on this same model .... if your provider has given your FIVE days off throughout the year 'unpaid' she factored that INTO your fees as well do not get greedy or you will find yourself with NO UNPAID DAYS like the rest of us who have decided it is just 'easier' than trying to be nickle and dimes by people who do not GET IT

[gcj]

No, I have no no-fee days. They have reserved a spot, doesn't matter if they're here or not. Just like daycare centres and preschools. My vacation days, however they are never charged for. I take a lot, which the parents know up front. They accept to live with my vacations and I accept that I dont' get paid for any of it.

[SummerLuvin]

I always emphasise right from the initial e-mail, the fee is for the SPOT, not for the days the child is present. The fee is payable whether the child is here or not, regardless of the reason. If I choose to close the daycare either for sickness, personal day or vacation, THEN the fee can be deducted. I'm so happy that my parents understand this. My dcb missed 2 days this week with a cold and they paid the full amount. Being the pessimist that I am, I was fully expecting them to short pay 2 days, but they didn't!! Yay!

[Momof4]

You are being waaaaay too nice! I started out doing that but cut it out after the first year. Now I even have 3 paid personal days per year in my contract in case I get sick so I can get paid. After all, it's the little ones in my daycare who bring in the germs. My only unpaid days are my closed for vacation days. Otherwise full week fees are due all year.

[Sarah]

Here it is really simple: The daycare is opened, you pay. It's closed, you don't be!

[playfelt]

I had three teachers in care and all had one year olds when I started here in Ottawa. That gave them the choice of paying only for part of Christmas or March break or using the days since at the time it was hard to get kids and teachers especially as they expected to not have to pay. My version was like a compromise to them and they agreed to care.

Since then I have kept it in. Some families don't use the 5 days at all. Some use them at Christmas which is the most common and I don't really care since it gives me free days. I also found that parents did keep kids home when sick and use a day and one day of lost income meant no fighting with parents over bringing sick kids and less got sick so it worked all around.
5 days for 10 months works out to half a day a month and that is not a lot of lost income. Parents get a sense of not being nickle and dimed either and compared to when I didn't do it I really think it has helped our relationship - yes we are a business first but we are in a service industry and I'm sure we all remember which restaurants treated us better than the others and are more loyal to them etc.