Taking Mat Leave

[DMof2]

Hello fellow providers!

I am 30 weeks pregnant and will be taking some time off when baby comes. My boyfriend will be taking the 35 weeks parental leave so he will be helping me with the daycare and caring for baby. I am planning on closing the daycare for 2 weeks but im unsure of what to ask of the daycare parents for payment. Do home providers charge full rate when closed? Or half? Or nothing at all? I do charge for all holidays but not vacation pay. Im a little uncomfortable asking them to pay full rate but it will be really tight losing 2 weeks pay and then my boyfriend only making a portion of what we are used to. Anyways what do providers normally do? Thanks!

[5 Little Monkeys]

IMO, it was your choice to have a baby and take time off (which is natural, I'm not judging lol) so it's you that should take the loss not the dc families. It would be no different than if a dcm went on mat leave and wanted her spot held for her. It was her choice to have another child so she takes the loss not you.

Personally, aside from stats, if I'm not open and service isn't available, I'm not paid.

[MommaL]

Many daycare providers have it in their contact that their are allowed a certain numbers of paid days off each year for vacation, sick time, emergency or family leave, etc. I have known daycare providers who use these paid vacation or personal days for their mat leaves. However, it sounds like your vacation time or other personal time is unpaid, so unfortunately I don't think there's any easy way to continue to charge your families while you take the time off.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

Depend on contract. If you have 10 day personal paid in your contract, you could use those for your mat leave. If you not have paid leave in your contract, then that not part of your agreement and you cannot charge parent. What does your contact have for time off?

EDIT - Just reread and see you don't charge when you are off. In that case, this same situation. You are taking time off, it not matter if that for vacation, sick, or mat leave. Your contract is you not available, they not pay. You not able to charge them. That not your contacted agreement.

[Lee-Bee]

I personally don't think you should be charging families (and this comes from someone that does charge for my own vacation time).

You are putting the family out by not being available. I think you greatly risk losing families by charging them for the weeks you are off with your baby. That said, you are 30 weeks along and haven't lost the families which is pretty good as I think families often jump ship when they find out you are expecting!

[babydom]

I have two wks paid vacation. One wk in July and one wk in sept. If I got pregnant I would take those two wks and use it for my mat leave paid. But then when July and sept came if I still wanted time off it be unpaid because the wks were used. In your case u don't charge for vacation so u wouldn't be able to charge ur families. U would have to take a two wk pay lost

[Van]

it sounds like you can take the 2 weeks at a loss and just look on the bright side you did not lose any families as they were loyal to you all during your preg.

[mickyc]

Do you have a contract?

[DMof2]

I do have a contract but since its a new year I am currently putting together a new one. It will be ready by the end of the week and the parents are aware of coming changes. I was thinking of adding something about Mat leave but I wanted to find out what other providers did in a similar situation.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I do have a contract but since its a new year I am currently putting together a new one. It will be ready by the end of the week and the parents are aware of coming changes. I was thinking of adding something about Mat leave but I wanted to find out what other providers did in a similar situation.

Most providers do something which reflect their contract. i.e. if they have 2 weeks paid leave, then they use that toward time off and try not take any more for rest year. If they not normally paid for leave, they have unpaid leave.

Any time new contact issued with changes, be mindful that YOU are changing the agreement in place not the client. Client not have to accept new terms and can walk away when the contract they agreed to ending. i.e. If you have new contract with new terms which cost client more than before, and if it start say 1st Feb., they can walk away on 31st Jan with no notice because you ended the agreement and there is no agreement for new terms until they sign and agree.

I think lot of carer lose client when on mat leave because parent concerned that more time might be needed than discussed, that new born child might take most carer's time, that they need pay for care elsewhere while carer off and that short term place hard to find.

Even if they have lot time entitlement off work for self, they not expecting to pay for mat leave unless you discussed with them. At 30 week, they likely already know you having baby, and if not warned you be charging them esp if that not your contract, might be enough for some leave.

It careful balance between your need and not ticking off client who maybe not expecting to pay for your leave. You know client best. I think if I was client who never had pay for leave before, who was expecting to have use my own leave to cover unavailability of carer, I might be insult to get new annual contract where I'd be paying for mat leave if not previously mentioned.

Do client have approx date and time you will be off already?
Do client have any idea you think charging them in new contract?
Is there any advantage to client in signing new contact vs refusing and demanding old contract enforced?