I've only used one sick day in 5 years but several years ago I wrote 3 paid personal days for myself in case I do get sick. The reason I get sick is because the children brought it to my house so that's how I justify this in my contract. However, I've worked sick a lot! We want to be very reliable for the parents in order to gain a good reputation. I take 3 unpaid vacation weeks every year, but otherwise, I'm paid.