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.