Teachers Kids/Summer Break

[MizzCheryl]

I used to give breaks to teachers but I quit!
I have found if you give someone special treatment they EXPECT special treatment. The great teachers I have had over the years don't even ask for a breakhappyface They pay and are happy to cause their kids has a very limited space in a great Daycare. The ones I gave cut rates to started being late all the time and taking advantage of me. No more breaks for anyone.

[Meeko]

Not really understanding why teachers get special so much.

For example:

Teacher gets her day care place held over the summer for free or a greatly reduced rate...even though she is still getting paid year round.


Construction dad works a lot less during the winter, AND he doesn't get paid as much..... but he pays full price for his kids care regardless.......

Seems unfair to me. Either everybody gets special or nobody does.

I charge everybody the same regardless of what they do for a living.

[Meeko]

Teachers think that they shouldn't have to pay their day care provider for services they aren't receiving????

I wonder how it would go over if they were told that they weren't getting paid over the summer because they weren't actually teaching?????

[Country Kids]

We actually have some teachers that are having to repay money back for this coming summer because the school district overbudgeted and now needs the money back!

The teachers are threatening a strike because of that.

[Blackcat31]

Teachers think that they shouldn't have to pay their day care provider for services they aren't receiving????

I wonder how it would go over if they were told that they weren't getting paid over the summer because they weren't actually teaching?????

Here our teacher have a choice to receive their yearly salary over 9 months (bigger paychecks) with no pay in the summer or take the same yearly salary and receive it 12 months out of the year (smaller pay checks) .....which is why I do the same.

I take what I would have been paid over a 12 month time period and divide it into the 9 months they are here. Works pretty good so far.

[Sprouts]

Black cat or anyone here, do you charge for vacation that you take?

I personally would like to have teachers only because i miss having my summers off...does anyone here cater to teachers only?

[Meeko]

Here our teacher have a choice to receive their yearly salary over 9 months (bigger paychecks) with no pay in the summer or take the same yearly salary and receive it 12 months out of the year (smaller pay checks) .....which is why I do the same.

I take what I would have been paid over a 12 month time period and divide it into the 9 months they are here. Works pretty good so far.

Now that's fair. They're still paying you the same amount as everyone else in the long run and getting their summers off without having to make a payment. A win/win for all.

But I have heard of those who simply want the same rate as everyone else during the school year and THEN want a spot held for free or a small fee over the summer. That's what rubs me wrong.

If a day care provider is financially well off enough to OFFER that, then awesome......but for a teacher to expect it is actually rude.

I currently don't have a teacher parent. But I do have a dad who works construction and he works less in the winter and his paychecks are less because of it. But sadly...that's life. He pays me anyway.

If I were to lose a bunch of kids and hit hard times financially.....my morgage company isn't going to give a hoot. Not their problem. I owe regardless. That's life.

[Sprouts]

SO what if a teacher decides to go with the lower payments, and take their chances over the summer and not hold their spot?

Since I just opened last August I havent adjusted my vacation dates yet in my contract, but i would def. like to have more teachers here.

[bice99]

I taught elementary school for 11 years before opening my childcare. I like having lighter summers. Here's what I do: letter goes home mid April with my summer contract attached. Due by May 1st. 3 options - continue care as is - hold for the summer - don't hold and take their chances. My hold rate is half of their normal tuition. All due by June 15th (this is new, I used to offer to split it into thirds). So my PT kids pay half of their PT rate. As a courtesy, they may bring their child 1/5 of normal days/hours. I get to pick the day/hours based on what works with my schedule. So a FT kid gets to come for 1 day. A 3 day/9 hr per day kid gets to come 5.5 hrs. I tell parents that way their kid still remembers me and I get to watch them grow over the summer and the fall transition isn't so hard. My PT rate is a minimum of 3 days so I didn't think it was fair to just let them pay for one day and come the whole day. It's worked great. I look at "direct care" time when I schedule. So the 5.5 hr kid comes 10 AM to 3:30 PM, napping at least 1-3. All of my teachers pay me once they understand why I do it this way. And the PITA family I had my first year had an easy out b/c I knew they wouldn't pay it and when they wanted their space in the fall, I simply told them I had filled it (whether I had or not)

[iheartkids]

I made a big mistake when I started with this! My first teacher's kid and I told her not to worry about the summer because I will probably have a school ager coming in the summer to fill her spot anyways. Now that summer is approaching I haven't heard from the school ager's parent yet and the teacher is recommending me to her other teacher friends. So if I were to take on any of her friends my contract with her will have to change...probably resulting in an upset mommy!

[Blackcat31]

Black cat or anyone here, do you charge for vacation that you take?

I personally would like to have teachers only because i miss having my summers off...does anyone here cater to teachers only?

I take 2 weeks off per year. I charge ALL families 1/2 pay for these vacations. The one vacation is in the summer so the half rate is built in to the teachers rate already since they aren't actually in attendance during the summer. I also charge for 4 federal holidays that I am closed. Teachers also get No School days with no charge as there are only a few during the year and I look at those days as a bonus since the load is light on those days. Any other time I close, I do not charge anyone.

SO what if a teacher decides to go with the lower payments, and take their chances over the summer and not hold their spot?

Since I just opened last August I havent adjusted my vacation dates yet in my contract, but i would def. like to have more teachers here.

If a teacher decides to go with the lower rate (which I don't have as an option anymore as I now divide their payments up into 9 months vs 12) they would "risk" losing their space as I cannot afford to simply let an empty space sit and wait.....I USED to fill them with SA kids but no longer take SA'ers so that is the reason I changed up my teacher rate.

I made a big mistake when I started with this! My first teacher's kid and I told her not to worry about the summer because I will probably have a school ager coming in the summer to fill her spot anyways. Now that summer is approaching I haven't heard from the school ager's parent yet and the teacher is recommending me to her other teacher friends. So if I were to take on any of her friends my contract with her will have to change...probably resulting in an upset mommy!

I would tell this teacher mom that you were able to accommodate her child's "absence" in the past however, you are no longer financially able to do so and she will need to either pay to hold her space (using whatever method you choose) or she will risk losing her space over the summer.

I have always made a point of telling my DCP's that I will accommodate any long term absences IF and onl IF I am able to but in the event that I am unable to do so, it is THEIR responsibility to pay to hold the space or lose it. Just because something works out great one year doesn't mean it always will. kwim?

[bice99]

I forgot to add that last year I change my handbook so that families may not use their 1/2 rate vacation weeks during my own paid vacations, maternity leave or summer hold time. They are already getting a deal during that time. And when I go on vacation for 2 weeks in the summer, my summer holds still have to pay me their 1/2 rate even though their child isn't able to attend on those weeks. It took a bit to get my returning parents to understand the change. I told them I'm losing out on FT $ for holding their spots. They are paying to hold a FUTURE spot. If they want to come for up to 9 hrs, one day per week all summer (guaranteed), then they can pay my 3 days/week minimum. BTW my teachers are all only PT anyway, so that's their normal rate. LOL.

[wahmof3]

Figures

So the thread about Summer/Teachers has me thinking.

What all goes into your fees?

I started 6 years ago and set my fees according to what a couple of daycare friends pretty much told me I should charge. I really never put a great deal of thought into it. Never have raised my rates either.

I started out with a daily rate, that has ended up biting me in the tush. This year I changed to a flat rate, but still leaves me losing money through the summer. I really really like having mostly teachers kids I would love to be able to put money into my savings during the school year to help offset the loss during the summer, but we currently live paycheck to paycheck. Making that extremely difficult.

I am just trying to toss some numbers around. Get some fresh ideas.

[bice99]

I know some people who charge teachers more during the school year and then they don't pay in the summer. Stock it away in a savings account until the summer comes.

[mac60]

I recently interviewed a teacher family. Just received a msg that they picked someone else that was more flexible with the summers and other time off throughout the school year. What they meant is they found someone who will give them "free". If I was to give this family "free" for weeks they took off, it would translate into approximately 4 months off "free" when you add up summer weeks, Spring break week, Christmas weeks, Thanksgiving week, all the Monday holidays/school closing days, etc. They don't get it at all, and they are college educated, which really means nothing to me. I think she called me a "sitter" about 3 times in the msg, and that I am not.

I offered them $90 per week, pay whether you are here or not, and 1/2 rate during summers. They wanted "free". :confused: