Vacation pay?

[daisy]

mickyc, wow - I don't know how you do it! I know I certainly couldn't! Why should you take a pay cut because someone else is on vacation?? Seems a bit off balance to me.

[mickyc]

I just recently started giving a $5 a day discount for the families holidays ONLY if they give me one month's notice. I use it as an incentive for parents to: 1. actually tell me when their holidays are booked for - if I have a few kids I like to go on outings or possibly close myself - and 2. encourage people to actually take holidays and spend it with their children. I have had too many "I am paying you therefore I will send my child no matter what" families. If they don't give one month's notice then no discount. I think of it as I am still getting paid for my time but not getting the money to cover for the food they would eat and seeing that they aren't here I don't have that expense to feed their child.

[daisy]

mickyc, it sounds like you have a good grasp on what works for you! And, THAT is one of the biggest advantages any home daycare provider can have!

[daycaremum]

I am not actually holding a spot for them - their before school care does not impact my numbers in the upcoming school year due to various drop-off times with the other families and their early bus pick-up time.

I guess I am just feeling a bit jilted because they have known for some time that she wouldn't be staying, but only informed me because I asked.

I run my business with five full time spots for the entire year and count on that income. I have been blessed in this way, but I have also been very careful about what families I take and will work with.

Anyway, like I said, I was just curious if any of you who DO charge for your holiday time expect compensation for it if a family leaves just before you are about to use it. Maybe I worded it wrong.

And for those of you who don't expect pay for your holidays, why not? Although that question probably deserves it's own thread.

If they wanted to still have me provide care for their child in any capacity, they would have been required to pay something over the two months of summer whether or not their new needs had an effect on my numbers. They aren't actually leaving your services, they are taking a break and then coming back and using your services in a different capacity. That was my point.
I don't think you worded anything wrong, I just saw a different issue in the whole scenario that would have been an issue for me.
In answer to your original question, if a family was leaving my care I would not charge them for vacation time that they weren't around for. You can't charge them for vacation that takes place when they are no longer enrolled. BUT, in your case, I don't know what I would do because it seems as though they left to take a break for the summer, free of any fees, and then are coming back. It's not a situation that I would have agreed to in the first place.
I don't charge for my holidays. It is not done in my area, and I personally don't feel comfortable charging when my services are not available knowing that at least half my families have to find alternative care, the other half take their vacation the same time as me.