Sickness at Daycare.. You and them

[Brooke91]

Just wonder how being paid works when you or a chikd gets sick.

Just this last Monday I had to shut down cause I was sick.. So come paid day I was paid but the parent minused that day I wasn't open from my pay.

Was that fair, I'm new to this and I just want to know how being sick works for everyone else, cause financially I can't afford to be sick again and neither can her kids
if I'm not going to be paid when they're not here.. To me that doesn't seem fair.

I'd love all your opions and ideas in this/ what I could do in the future..

I also had a mom her two girls I watch were sick all thus week, she asked to drop them off, but I asked her to play it safe and keep them home for the last two days just cause I don't want anyone getting sick.. She pays in advance, do I have to give her her money back since she didn't use me cause her kids were sick??

Very confused about all this??

[SecondAve]

It really all depends on what your Contract or Agreement with them says. Some providers are paid for a certain number of sick days, usually the parents are aware of them when signing on. I do not charge when I am closed, but that was my choice.

I also often don't charge when I tell parents it might not be a good idea to bring a child on a certain day. Also, just my choice. But, I do know that some providers do charge.

You have to figure out what you are comfortable with and be upfront with the parents. If you didn't have anything agreed to with the parents, I might let them have these "free" days. Then send a letter advising of your new policy in the event this happens in the future. That way everyone is on the same page. Be prepared for some backlash, some parents might get upset and others might be fine with it all.

[SecondAve]

I should clarify, if the dck are in fact sick (what I determine sick based on my Contract) and I tell them they cannot attend that day, the parents still have to pay.

If I am sick and give the parents a choice, then I charge if they attend and do not charge if they keep dck home. Since I did after all give them a choice. It wouldn't really be a choice if I still charged them. In my opinion. Once again everyone has different opinions and you have to do what you feel comfortable with.

[monkeys]

If I am open then the parents still pay for that spot. I have written into my contract that I have up to 8 personal days a year. So, if I have to close because my youngest is throwing up, one of my kids has a doctors/dentist/eye exam (try to get on the same day), or if I have an important meeting at the school I can still attend. I don't usually use all the 8 days, but they are there if I need them. If I happen to go over the set number of days, then I would not charge them if I am closed.

[Crayola kiddies]

If a child is sick according to the standards set in my illness policy they may not attend and they still pay.... If I am sick and I close then the parents don't pay and it is deducted from the next pay period as I get paid in advance. I have 5 personal days written into my contract but they are not to be used for sick days as I book them in advance.
In short all days are paid unless I close due to sickness.

[treeholm]

I have it in my contract that if I'm open, they pay. If I'm sick, I'll get back-up if possible. If I have to close, they won't pay because they will need to find other care. What does your contract say? They can't deduct a day if they signed a contract agreeing to pay if you close due to your own illness.

[sunnydays]

As the other ladies have said, it all depends on what you put in your contract. I am sensing that you do not have anything about this in your contract...which really makes thing smurky for everyone. I have 7 paid personal days for myself in my contract, so if I am sick and have to close, I am paid for 7 days in the year. If a dck is away due to illness, vacation, etc, they still have to pay (this is pretty standard) as I have no control over that and the space is still open for them (I cannot fill it while they are gone). I know many providers do not charge if they close the daycare for any reason, but most of us charge if a child is away. If you do not have anything in your contract, you will need to make an amendment so that this is clear to parents. Personally, if I had nothing in my contract, I would not feel comfortable charging for my own sick days as parents were not aware of that when they signed on. However, I would make it clear that they have to pay for their own child's absences.