Paid Days Off

[Busy ECE mommy]

I charge per day and they pay me on the 1st and the 15th of the month, in advance for services with post dated cheques.

[BlueRose]

This is what my contract states:

On the first page:
Payment does not vary due to parental vacation, statutory holiday, or illness of the child. If the daycare is open and your child does not attend for whatever reason, or if the daycare is closed for any reason, payment is still expected.


on page 4:

Caregiver's Paid Time OFF:

Caregivers Paid Rest days:
A burned out provider or a sick provider is a dangerous provider. A provider needs time off throughout the year and when sick, (such illnesses such as the flu) to insure she is well rested and well enough to ensure the safety of the children in her care.

The days of Rest: 15-20 days per calendar year. These are paid days. You will get at least 3 weeks’ written notice of this time off. It is the parent’s responsibility to find back up care.

The days of Rest due to illness: These are paid days. I will give as much notice as possible. It is the parent’s responsibility to find back up care. Please note that illness of myself or my children can come on suddenly leaving very little notice; if any. If I or my children have a simple cold the daycare will remain open. You have the right not to bring your child for that day(s).

Caregivers Personal/Emergency days:
These are paid days. I will give as much notice as possible.

Caregivers Professional development time off:
This is paid time off to attend professional development workshops, courses etc.

Other Paid Daycare Closers:
New Years Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic Holiday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Monday, Remembrance Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Years Eve.

XXXXX’s Home Daycare will be closed on the above Holidays.
All of these holidays are paid regardless if your child normally comes on the day the holiday falls on or not. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday I can either take the Friday before or the Monday after off.



So I get unlimited paid sick days, but I don't take advantage. I only take a sick day if I or my kids have a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. In the 2 1/2 yrs I have been doing dc I have only take 3 sick days.

I get unlimited paid personal/emergency days. I am care full not to take to many. If I can arrange an appointment for my kids when my husband is off or in the evening I do. I try and make as many appointments in one day as I can so I don't have to close often. The emergency days are just for that a family emergency or death.

So far I haven't needed to close for a professional development day, but have them there just in case.

basically I get paid the same every week no matter what.

[bright sparks]

This is what my contract states:

On the first page:
Payment does not vary due to parental vacation, statutory holiday, or illness of the child. If the daycare is open and your child does not attend for whatever reason, or if the daycare is closed for any reason, payment is still expected.


on page 4:

Caregiver's Paid Time OFF:

Caregivers Paid Rest days:
A burned out provider or a sick provider is a dangerous provider. A provider needs time off throughout the year and when sick, (such illnesses such as the flu) to insure she is well rested and well enough to ensure the safety of the children in her care.

The days of Rest: 15-20 days per calendar year. These are paid days. You will get at least 3 weeks’ written notice of this time off. It is the parent’s responsibility to find back up care.

The days of Rest due to illness: These are paid days. I will give as much notice as possible. It is the parent’s responsibility to find back up care. Please note that illness of myself or my children can come on suddenly leaving very little notice; if any. If I or my children have a simple cold the daycare will remain open. You have the right not to bring your child for that day(s).

Caregivers Personal/Emergency days:
These are paid days. I will give as much notice as possible.

Caregivers Professional development time off:
This is paid time off to attend professional development workshops, courses etc.

Other Paid Daycare Closers:
New Years Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic Holiday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Monday, Remembrance Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Years Eve.

XXXXX’s Home Daycare will be closed on the above Holidays.
All of these holidays are paid regardless if your child normally comes on the day the holiday falls on or not. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday I can either take the Friday before or the Monday after off.



So I get unlimited paid sick days, but I don't take advantage. I only take a sick day if I or my kids have a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. In the 2 1/2 yrs I have been doing dc I have only take 3 sick days.

I get unlimited paid personal/emergency days. I am care full not to take to many. If I can arrange an appointment for my kids when my husband is off or in the evening I do. I try and make as many appointments in one day as I can so I don't have to close often. The emergency days are just for that a family emergency or death.

So far I haven't needed to close for a professional development day, but have them there just in case.

basically I get paid the same every week no matter what.

WOW, that is crazy...but if it works for you then good on ya.

In the nearly 10 years I have done this, no way would the majority of parents go for paying me if I am sick, let alone sign a contract that leaves it so open ended to basically pay me for any length of time, no restrictions, for any reason that I was closed. Personally, I think that is too much to ask. I understand you haven't taken advantage of that policy, but for a family coming to an interview, this could be very off putting. I don't know anyone who is employed with this kind of benefit. My husband works for a corporate company out of Quebec which is trade unionized and he gets 15 weeks short term sickness benefit paid at 100% which I believe is outside the norm, but I don't know anyone else who gets more than a week of paid sick and I know a tremendous amount who get none. That's the benefit of being a business owner I suppose, we can set our own terms.

To the OP, in my mind it makes no sense to charge a flat rate if it doesn't actually pay you for every day you work. Why are you working for free? That is not the norm either for this industry. Some providers do charge a flat rate, but its for the week not the month where business days vary. Majority of providers I know, and I know a lot, charge a daily rate.

[MsBell]

I only charge for the days the child is in care, and stat holidays if it falls on the childs regular day. I do not charge for sick days mine, or theirs, nor do i charge for vacation days. In the nine years I have been doing daycare, I have not had issues. I do state in my contract that extended time off (more than a week) will be subject to review.

[mattsmom]

I too only charge for days that I am open and available. I wish it was normal in my area to have paid vacation time and sick days off, but unfortunately that's not the case and parents would definitely not go for it.

[mickyc]

I get paid stat days (11 per year) and that is it. I charge by the day, they pay 2 weeks in advance. Any closures due to my sickness or holidays are unpaid. I usually only take 10 days off scattered throughout the year.

One thing I will be including in my new contract effective in December is I want a paid day off yearly to take my CPR course.

I don't think I would get too many families if I charged for holidays or sick days. Just not normal in my area.

[Tania]

Thanks everyone I appreciate all the great feedback!!
I'm going to amend my contract for April and Im thinking rather then taking a week vacation paid I'm just going to scrap the monthly rate and start charging by the day.
I have had the same family's for 3 years now, hopefully they will see and understand why I'm doing this. It's not fair for anyone to work days for free...

[bright sparks]

Thanks everyone I appreciate all the great feedback!!
I'm going to amend my contract for April and Im thinking rather then taking a week vacation paid I'm just going to scrap the monthly rate and start charging by the day.
I have had the same family's for 3 years now, hopefully they will see and understand why I'm doing this. It's not fair for anyone to work days for free...

If your current families have all been with you for 3 years it sounds like it might be the perfect time to make this change. I assume you will be needing to fill their spots soon if they will be going to Kindergarten in September so you can also start a fresh with this new pay schedule when interviewing new families.

[sandylynn]

BlueRose....HOLY COW....SERIOUSLY! LUCKY YOU...AS I MENTIONED IN ANOTHER POST....PARENTS DOCKED ME FOR THE TWO DAYS I TOOK OFF WHEN MY MOTHER DIED...GET EVEN 1 SICK DAY FROM THEM....YA RIGHT...NO

[Suzie_Homemaker]

For the last 5 years I have just charged a flat full time rate $750/month that's $37.50 per day and that's based on 20 days per month. It's kinda the norm in the area to charge that for full time, but I feel ripped off when most months have more then 20 working days.
Do you guys charge per day meaning it's different every month? Or do you have a flat monthly rate?

I charge per day and then get paid bi-weekly in advance.

Some provider charge monthly but that based on a daily rate.

So daily rate x number days per week child registered = weekly rate
Weekly rate x 52 weeks a year = Annual fees
Annual Fees / 12 months = Monthly Fees (if you want same income every month)

This result in you getting paid for every day you work and also any days leave you take. :-)

If I had to charge Monthly and parent not want flat rate calculated like above, then I would charge different rate every month. Don't care if it's a hassle to figure out. The hassle is better than working 2-3 days each month for free.