I think for certain areas it is the norm and that is great. While it is a deterrent for some, it isn't for others. If there is a tight knit hdcprovider community like when I was operating in Halton, you can set the standard however you like because then it becomes the norm and parents adapt to it if there is no other option. As for where I live now, majority are casual, no contracts, stay at home moms so I'm already competing with low daily rates to begin with regardless of standard, so paid vacation would not help matters at all. I do not charge for a service that is not available. The only days I get paid off are stat days. As for unpaid time off, I do not cap it so if someone doesn't have back up I'm not the provider for them. I learnt within a couple of years of doing this that burn out is inevitable and I have to take care of myself. Until the last couple of years I have always been full, take babies as young as 3 months, provide a rich program and cook like a crazy woman and that takes its toll. So in order for me to be consistent and do my job well while staying healthy, I need to take off as much time as I need, and that varies. I typically take 4-6 weeks a year. Usually at least 2 weeks over the Xmas and New Year, generally a couple of weeks in the summer and then pretty much every long weekend I tag on a day or two to make it extra long. Sometimes I am off March Break and sometimes I work it. I won't be off that much this year as I am closing at the end of July, but if I wasn't I'd be off for 3 weeks for vacation. In 2013 I had 6 weeks off as I had surgery and required 2 weeks bed rest and I'd already taken time off and had plans for my xmas break. It's very much dependent on your areas norms and also how you want to run your business. Just because some providers thinks its a ridiculous notion that we at large should have paid vaction off, it doesn't make it so. Different strokes for different folks!