Daycare Provider Paid Time Off

[kgravino]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the daycare scene and would like to know what is within the legal guidelines for charging for time off. My daycare provider charges me for 14 holidays, 10 vacation days (hers), sick days (hers), emergency days (hers). She charges $32 a day. My child is there part-time. She provides no back up but, she does give advance notice for vacation time. I am having a problem with her paid vacation and sick time. How many of employers pay their employees vacation time and then pay someone else to do the work their employee who is on vacation does? The same goes for sick time. I'm confused. Who works for who?

frustrated in ny

[A Mama]

I feel your pain

As you may notice, I comment on these type of questions frequently as I too am learning as I go Legally, I believe the providers can charge you for anything they like as long as you agree to pay. Many people have suggested asking for a contract (which I did not do with my provider) so that you know what you are signing on for in advance. In my experience of calling around to several daycares to ask their policies, it's a mixed bag...some charge for time off, some don't. My child goes part-time, but my provider does not do a part-time rate, so I pay for full-time care (which I agreed to). I also pay for her holidays and within the past year I have paid for 3 weeks sick leave (I did not agree with this, but did not have a contract to refer to and thus ended up in an argument and losing). You may want to refer to some of the other posts if you haven't already for more information. To answer your question of "who works for who?", I am of the opinion that if I am paying someone for a service and they are not providing it the way I prefer, I have the right to discontinue this service. So, in a sense the provider works for me. However, you will likely find (as I have) that the providers tell you how it works and you either agree or don't...

[DCMom]

I don't believe that there are any laws governing holidays/vacation time. I think the rates and policies are as varied as they types of providers. You just have to find the one that suits you and your child best. Good Luck!

[Unregistered]

Hi everyone!

How many of employers pay their employees vacation time and then pay someone else to do the work their employee who is on vacation does? The same goes for sick time.

Many, many companies pay for someone else to do a job that needs to be done when someone is on vacation or off of work sick.

In fact, I can't think of many companies that don't.

Do you have a paid vacation? Do you have paid sick days at work?
Why shouldn't a provider have those same benefits?

[Unregistered]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the daycare scene and would like to know what is within the legal guidelines for charging for time off. My dacare provider charges me for 14 holidays, 10 vacation days (hers), sick days (hers), emergency days (hers). She charges $32 a day. My child is there part-time. She provides no back up but, she does give advance notice for vacation time. I am having a problem with her paid vacation and sick time. How many of employers pay their employees vacation time and then pay someone else to do the work their employee who is on vacation does? The same goes for sick time. I'm confused. Who works for who?

frustrated in ny

As a daycare provider, why can't we take paid vacation? You do.

[tymaboy]

When I worked outside the home I got paid holidays, sick days plus so many personal days a year. My employer also had someone else fill in on my job when I was not there.

[Unregistered]

Hi,
In regards to the post from:

frustrated in ny
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It doesn't seem confusing to me, every business that pays their employees vacation or sick leave and every business that doesn't pay for it, every one of the businesses have to get someone to replace each employee while they are gone (sick or on vacation) and pay the replacements salary from the businesses own money (not from their employee that is gone), or they have to split up the work between other workers, who then can't do all of their own work, while taking on extra work from the employee who is gone.

Providers do not work for parents, we are not employed by parents. Our daycare is our own business, we make our own policies, we make our own contract, we decide what we want to charge. There is no legal guideline as to what we charge, because we can charge whatever we want. In my state, daycare and cost of living is expensive. Infant rates range from as low as $500 (stay at home moms) to as high as $1200 (and even higher). There are providers (private-stay at home moms) that even charge more and they get it, I think that is crazy, but parents do pay that and if they want to pay that, it is their choice. Licensed (and unlicensed-stay at home moms) providers can charge any amount (I'm pretty sure in every state), we can take off as many days as we want. I can take off

The thing parents forget is when a parent takes vacation, sick days, etc... we can't just fill that spot so we don't lose money. If a parent takes 2 weeks, that will be about $250-$300 (depending on what state you live in), a provider can just add $25 a month and get paid for the vacation time after all. At home daycares and centers, they charge a flat rate (in my state and most or all others), to keep your childs spot reserved for you, most do not give you your money back (for full time flat rates) and keep your spot vacant, while losing money.

It is up to each provider to choose what they want to charge and take off. I have had my daycare for 10 years (with manylong term parents). My daughters run it with me (one goes to full time college-luckily a few miles away and the other will go sometime soon). So, our daycare has an advantage of 3 family members, for more one on one attention. We provide more than just about any other daycare or center.
In the last 10 years, we have provided or done the following:

We have never called in sick (even though it's in our covtract).
We have never taken or charged for any vacation (and 2 weeks paid is in our covtract).
We have rarely sent a sick child home, maybe 12 times (even though it's in our covtract).
We used to be open for many years, 365 days a year with 0 time off, many, many times for more than 300, 400 and even 500 hours a month (even though it's in our covtract).
We used to let low income parents keep their co-payment up to $70, provide free over time, free nights out, paid for b-day parties for low income parents, given many rides (due to no car, break downs, etc...), many times we provided long term care (for parents out of state vacations-aslong as 2 full weeks, hospitalizations for surgeries and accidents, c-sectons, broken neck, etc...), we have bought countless thousands of $ for clothes, coats, shoes, etc..., paid rent, toys, bikes and more. We used to spend $50-$100 on each child for every b-day and Christmas, as well as for my own children and then like many providers, their dad skipped out. We still do all the other non financial things and all the free nights out, overtime, late fees...........until a parent abuses me, then I charge.

This is our business and we decide what we charge, what hours we work, what we let slide and when we have had enough abuse.

We fix so many problem children (enotionally, physically, biying, eating and anger problems, etc..), children that are 3 1/2-5. Now we have a 4 1/2 yr old that was wetting and pooping in pull ups, literal drooling (flowing constantly, all day long, every day), walking like a much younger child (like a special need child on his toes, with hands dangling) couldn't say more than a couple understandable words. It took TWO days to teach him how to keep swallowing, it took 1 statement of no more going in your pants at my house and he never did again, but he did for 6 more months at home (parents even acknowledged he did it intentionally). Some parents won't try or help us out. We get so many children like that, it's unbelievable, it is extremely hard, so time consuming, tedious, frustrating that these parents let this go, don't know better, but don't get help or are lazy. I can't not take these children, I don't want them to slip through the cracks. I have THREE of these children (delayed due to parents) in my care. I get many parents that won't accept there is something wrong with their child/ren (it is extremely obvious) and they fight me or the system or the steps needed and we have to fix them ourselves.We have gone through so many children with problems, I want to start insisting on getting special needs pay (I never have). Sorry, just venting. I'm serious, it happens a lot.
I used to do a daycare network, hooking up parents and providers, helping parents feel comfortable and at ease. I don't do it anymore (very time consuming), I had tons of parents wanting to use my daycare. Sometimes I want to quit and take the easy kids, I used to hear how hard it was to find daycare.

Thanks for reading, have a great Christmas

[Unregistered]

Same Concerns

Home daycare providers are self employed. Self employed people usually don't get paid vacation. My provider asks for paid vacation and I do not agree with it. When we go on vacation, I will still pay for the week that my child is not there. That I agree with. I also do not have a problem paying for holidays should it fall on a weekday, but paid vacations? So basically, I have to pay for her for not watching my child and pay for someone else to watch him. Doesn't make sense. This is why I am changing providers. Good luck.

[mac60]

Home daycare providers are self employed. Self employed people usually don't get paid vacation. My provider asks for paid vacation and I do not agree with it. When we go on vacation, I will still pay for the week that my child is not there. That I agree with. I also do not have a problem paying for holidays should it fall on a weekday, but paid vacations? So basically, I have to pay for her for not watching my child and pay for someone else to watch him. Doesn't make sense. This is why I am changing providers. Good luck.

Most self employed people make much more than a daycare provider. My plumber charges $75 per hour, my handyman over $35 per hour, me a dc provider.....I get less than $1.75 per hour to care for your child, and I supply care, love, food, activities, etc. If you have a good daycare provider, be thankful and treat her nice, we deserve it, just like you think you deserve paid vacations, paid sick days, paid time off for a family death, etc. The person you leave your child with should be very important to you.

[Chickenhauler]

Most self employed people make much more than a daycare provider. My plumber charges $75 per hour, my handyman over $35 per hour, me a dc provider.....I get less than $1.75 per hour to care for your child, and I supply care, love, food, activities, etc. If you have a good daycare provider, be thankful and treat her nice, we deserve it, just like you think you deserve paid vacations, paid sick days, paid time off for a family death, etc. The person you leave your child with should be very important to you.

Actually, most self employed people make about the same as many daycare providers with a healthy attendance....I'm self employed, and my wife is on track to make more than I will this year at the rate things are going. And she doesn't have anywhere near the investment in equipment that I do, nor does she put in the hours that I do.

Starting to think I'm in the wrong gig here...........:confused:


You're comparing daycare to being a plumber's service call fee, but you don't have to travel to the child's location to begin the service (time and travel costs that are factored into that service call), nor do you bring all the tools (toys) to that location.

Not trying to knock you here, but getting a master plumbers license is nothing like a DC license....apples to oranges. Your handyman is a closer comparison, but in both those trades, work is hit and miss-the phone may ring off the hook, and it may lay silent for weeks. It's not steady, day in, day out work like DC.

[mac60]

QUOTE FROM ABOVE "You're comparing daycare to being a plumber's service call fee, but you don't have to travel to the child's location to begin the service (time and travel costs that are factored into that service call), nor do you bring all the tools (toys) to that location"

Yes, and I am NOT getting paid $75 per hour, I am getting paid $16 per day for 9 1/2 hours of care. What about the time and travel cost and the actual cost of supplies for providers......when gas went up to $4 per gallon and virtually everything I purchased for dc supplies went up in cost, I didn't raise my rates, my I can assure you when I called the plumber I was charged a $3.50 surplus gas charge. Yes, I feel it is a fair comparison. Business owner to business owner.

[Chickenhauler]

QUOTE FROM ABOVE "You're comparing daycare to being a plumber's service call fee, but you don't have to travel to the child's location to begin the service (time and travel costs that are factored into that service call), nor do you bring all the tools (toys) to that location"

Yes, and I am NOT getting paid $75 per hour, I am getting paid $16 per day for 9 1/2 hours of care. What about the time and travel cost and the actual cost of supplies for providers......when gas went up to $4 per gallon and virtually everything I purchased for dc supplies went up in cost, I didn't raise my rates, my I can assure you when I called the plumber I was charged a $3.50 surplus gas charge. Yes, I feel it is a fair comparison. Business owner to business owner.

My advice-come tax time every year, compare your inputs (materials, supplies, utilities, lic fees, etc) to your revenue, and if you see the ratio starting to close up, then it's time to raise the rates accordingly.

[mac60]

While I do understand that, there is always that saying "You can only charge what the market will bear". I have chatted with many providers across the country, and during these hard economic times, most providers are very leary of upping their rates, for fear of clients leaving and finding someone $5 cheaper. Providers seems to be the last on the list to pay for many parents, and the first place they will cut corners any way they can.

[Chickenhauler]

While I do understand that, there is always that saying "You can only charge what the market will bear". I have chatted with many providers across the country, and during these hard economic times, most providers are very leary of upping their rates, for fear of clients leaving and finding someone $5 cheaper. Providers seems to be the last on the list to pay for many parents, and the first place they will cut corners any way they can.

I don't want to sound flippant about it, but children are not a "limited commodity".....people are always having kids, and always needing daycare. If they're willing to switch DC's over a $5/week rate increase, good riddance to them, they were looking for a reason anyways.

Even in these "hard economic times", our phone is ringing at least twice per week with someone seeking child care....many times, we have to turn them away, just because it won't work out (numbers, they want the moon and stars, the parents just come off as flakes, etc).

[mac60]

I would say children being a "limited commodity" depends on where you live. I live in the a county that has the highest unemployment rate in my state. Providers in our area----their phones are NOT ringing off the walls, if we have kids to care for, we feel very fortunate. Many providers have lost families, days of care, etc. due to the recession. If it hasn't happened in your area, you are one of the lucky ones.