Daycare Provider Paid Time Off

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A few years ago I raised my rates 3 dollars a week. I simply take 3 dollars a week from their fees, put it in the bank, take off a week per year and pay myself for that time. =-) They pay me for my vacation without realizing it. =-)

[jen]

You run your own business, similar to a sole proprietorship. I get paid days off because they are part of my deal with my company. If I take a day off, MY COMPANY gets someone else to get the work done.

The situation you are desribing is ludicrous. You run a business. If you ran a McDonalds, or restaurant or some other business, would you expect the people that eat there to pay even though they didnt get a meal?

This kind of attitude towards entitlement is immoral on all fronts and to believe that because you CHOSE to run a business out of your home you are entitled to ANY benefits.

Holdy cow! How funny are you?! Immoral??? Hahahahah!!! You are welcome to choose a provider who doesn't charge for vacation time...certainly your right but THAT is where your rights end. My business, my rules.

And, for the record...When you pay tuition for private school, or college, you DO NOT get a discount when school is closed for whatever reason....are they immoral too or just running a PROFITABLE busines?

[momma2girls]

I agree. Since I charge in advance for the SPACE whether they choose to use it or not, I have several moms who get 10 or more paid holidays per year, accrue paid time off and get paid vacation time. They still bring the kids to daycare and get in their "mental health days", but without taking a few paid holidays or a few days vacation, where is our break- and who can afford to take unpaid time? It may seem like we make a lot of money, depending on enrollment- but most decent daycare programs put a lot back into their materials, supplies, and the food program covers only a little over half of food costs, especially as food has gone up. The "tax benefits" are OK, but not as great as people think. I get to deduct paper towels and cleaning supplies at 30-40%, but the actual daycare usage is at least twice that. The same applies to electric and heat- My family is only awake with lights on a couple hours a day- the rest is daycare- but only deducted at 35-40% For every $500 I make, at least $150 is owed for SS medicare & taxes, another $100 in expenses- dividing between each child daycare insurance, curriculum and supply costs, increase in elec or heat bills (doors open & closing all day in winter), training expense, childproofing, excess food costs, etc etc. and I make 1/2 of what clients think I do- alll while working a 10-12 hr day, wear & tear on the house and inconvenience to our families.
This isn't about griping about a job we hate- most of us do it because of our dedication to kids we LOVE, we just want to feel appreciated for it and be treated as professionals, entitled to the same things- like paid time off with our families etc, that our clients enjoy. And thats really the crux of it- parents like to feel that we work for them- and that our work- "babysitting" is easy and has little value, instead of as childcare professionals entitled to the same benefits and respect as other people in the workforce.

Very well said!!

[ConcernedMotherof2]

tuition for school...

Holdy cow! How funny are you?! Immoral??? Hahahahah!!! You are welcome to choose a provider who doesn't charge for vacation time...certainly your right but THAT is where your rights end. My business, my rules.

And, for the record...When you pay tuition for private school, or college, you DO NOT get a discount when school is closed for whatever reason....are they immoral too or just running a PROFITABLE busines?

Jen... All due respect, really, but this is not a fair comparison. When you pay tuition for school, you are paying for the education. If the school is closed for whatever reason, they have to have some sort of make-up time to ensure that the education is given. There are laws governing education, stating that there have to be a certain number of days attendance in order to advance. And you're right--your business, your rules.

Laundryduchess... I LOVE your idea to raise rates $3/week. That is a very minimal amount for parents to have to come up with every week (and I'm sure that they feel you are worth at least that much more). What you choose to do with the pay you get from your dc parents is up to you and creating a vacation fund for yourself is fantastic.

[jen]

Jen... All due respect, really, but this is not a fair comparison. When you pay tuition for school, you are paying for the education. If the school is closed for whatever reason, they have to have some sort of make-up time to ensure that the education is given. There are laws governing education, stating that there have to be a certain number of days attendance in order to advance. And you're right--your business, your rules.

Actually, when my middle child was in preschool I paid tuition, and when preschool was closed for bad weather or once because of a death in the family of the director, I wasn't (nor did I expect to be) reimbursed. The same goes for college...when you show up for class and it's canceled because the professor is ill or class is canceled for bad weather you don't have "make up" days nor are your reimbursed.

I may have already posted this earlier, but I personally don't charge for my vacation time. It just drives me absolutely bonkers when people complain about the policies of the provider AFTER they have signed the contract.

[tenderhearts]

I agree that daycare providers can charge whatever they want too. Myself I only charge for the 6 major holidays and I do not charge for any vacation I take or any vacation they take (providing they give me the 2 week notic), I do not charge for any day that I am sick either. When my kids were in daycare I paid whether they were there or not even if she called in sick, I ended up taking my kids out of there because I couldn't afford paying her and someone else. Bottom line I signed the contract so I didnt' complain, I just left, well actually quit and stayed home with my kids. If you signed the contract then you need to pay, if you agree with what she charges then I'd find some where else that doesn't charge those. I think most to all daycare providers charge for the Holdidays.

[Unregistered]

wow!! you are just like us!

Hi,
In regards to the post from:

frustrated in ny
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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

Wow, you sound just like me!!!
We do most of the same things, except pay their rent!
I really feel for these families especially the single moms, we are like a big family, but it seems that the parents that are on Calworks are the most easy going and accepting.
The parents that are cash paying sometimes get on my nerves!!!
We put the kids in ballet , karate and gymnastics because we want these kids to have these opportunities . We also have special needs kids, but we live in Ca. and we have't been paid in a couple months for some families, and others , VERY late , for example, I have not been paid since late November because the governor (Arnold Schwarzenegger) decided to line item veto 80,000 children from care. Our day care is our only source of income)
So, My own kids had no presents for Christmas (by the time I realized there would be no money , it was too late for toys for tots and help from the church ) and I'm on vacation this week but I have no money. Oh well, it makes me feel good to know that there is more people like us helping these families and loving these kids like our own.
The kids are the reason I do this .They are precious!!!
Vicki

[Unregistered]

Providers Vacation/Holidays

Hello,

I am a day care provider. I do not charge my parents if I close down for vacation. However, I do charge for Holidays. If the holiday falls on a weekend I do not charge. I try to be fair to my clients. I do understand we are in hard times right now. Our weekly expenses do not change, the food program reimburses for a portion of what we spent throughout the month on food. The money that we laid out all month for food, that money is now allocated towards the electric bill or the car payment, maybe even the mortgage or rent that may be due.

[Unregistered]

That's per child....if you have 5 kids in your care, that's $400-$750 per week.

How many people make that kind of money with no commute, can wear sweats and T's to work, and do their laundry/dusting/dishes/etc on the clock?

Add to that, you don't have to pay DC bills for your own kids, and that ain't cheap.

But how much of that is pure profit? I don't end up with that kind of money! After rent, utilties, groceries, curriculum, programming, toys, equipment, supplies (from crayons to toilet paper), repairs to the wear and tear on the building, a helper, daycare insurance (state required), etc. that $400/week ends up being less than $100 per week and that's if we're really lucky that week(!) to spend on my own family's needs and bills (car payments, health bills -since providers don't have insurance through their "company"-, household portion of rent, phone, electric, gas, your kids extra curricular expenses, on and on the list goes as all families know)
And as for your wife having so many other families calling all the time for care, send them my way! Daycare has 4 full timers (licenced for 12), have had to make do with part time and drop ins since beginning of summer! That's because of so many families losing jobs and others not being able to afford daycare and making alternate arrangements with relatives. Can't terminate the families that won't pay on time, whose child is impossible, etc. Can't enforce policies for fear the family would get mad and leave, cutting the daycare income even more... your wife's daycare must be doing really well! That's great that things work out that great for you guys. It's NOT that way for us (or most other provider's I'm sure). I think it's all according to your location and what the job market is like there as for how much a povider actually makes. In this area the providers make just enough to keep the daycare running. Not much of a profit. If someone took a week off for vacation without having to pay for their daycare spot, the provider would be very lucky to come out even that week. I say this without any exaggeration for my area.

[lvt77]

have you actually taken the amount of hours that your wife works, over head expenses and broken it down? I make about the same as my husband who works at the hosptial in the ER as a tech. However it takes me 86 hours to make the same pay he makes in 24 hours a week. Also my line of work is 10 times harder than his.....

[MissAnn]

Professionalism

Does she not deserve time off with pay? I have 14 Holidays and one weeks vacation in my contract. I have 17 years experience, and will finish up my degree in Early Childhood Education this May. At the time I make close to minimum wage. I do not feel guilty in the least to include time paid off in my contract.

[MissAnn]

[QUOTE=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.[/QUOTE]

Oh.....now you've got me going! No, we don't travel to the child's location yet we do shop weekly for groceries to feed the kids (I serve only very nutritious meals that cost a great deal more than a sandwich), shop for good quality materials that cost an arm and a leg (go to lakeshorelearning.com and see for yourself!).....I don't buy "just enough".....but more than enough to rotate to prevent boredome. Oh and there's the "field trips" like Discovery Museum who come to my home and costs a pretty penny. I pay liability insurance, pay for all the wear and tear on our houses, and MUCH higher utility bills, not to mention what it takes for us to stay in compliance with DHS and the Fire Marshal. As we speak, I need to install another wired in smoke alarm and two emergency lights. I could go on and on......Good quality childcare takes MONEY. Most of us make little over Minimum wage! And....you think DC is steady work? I've been down to 2 kids thanks to our economy.......steady?

Bottom line.....I provide quality care and the parents in my program appreciate it and have never complained about paying my Holidays or Vacations. My fees are low ($100/week)......It all comes out in the wash....I could take away my paid H and V but my fees would raise.

[MissAnn]

Crystal, I think the way you run your daycare/business is very fair and if you were out where I lived I would be asking you if you had any open spaces. I believe that the way you are fair about your business is probably why you are successful and maybe it that some other providers who run their business differently, is part of the reason as to why they have less children to care for which inturn affects their revenue. A few daycare providers should take some notes from you. Kudos to you.

While I am sure Crystal is a wonderful caregiver who runs her own quality program....you should never base your decision on who cares for your children solely on expected fees.

[MissAnn]

That's per child....if you have 5 kids in your care, that's $400-$750 per week.

How many people make that kind of money with no commute, can wear sweats and T's to work, and do their laundry/dusting/dishes/etc on the clock?

Add to that, you don't have to pay DC bills for your own kids, and that ain't cheap.

I find this very offensive. Come to my house and you will see a quality program. There is no time for personal business because i am busy teaching. I don't do dishes or other housework on the clock unless it's childcare related. I don't wear sweats and T's, I wear a uniform. I work over 10 hours a day. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education. And guess what.....I made less than $10,000 last year! You bet I deserve vacation and holiday pay!

[MissAnn]

Jen, I have a question. My kids are currently attending a local daycare facility. In their policies it states which days of the year the daycare will be closed. There was Thanksgiving, but no mention of the day after Thanksgiving. To my surprise I went to drop off my children the day after Thanksgiving and it was closed. Not only was it not in the policies, but it wasn't posted anywhere. I assumed it was a normal day because many people do have to go back to work. I requested to be refunded for that day because it was not in the stated closure dates for the year. I was wondering if there is laws or regulations that oultine closures? I couldn't find anyhting anywhere. I asked you this question because I noticed that you were an owner.

I think you deserve a refund as well. I noticed that in my own policies I neglected to mention what would happen on snow days. This week the county schools have been closed. I neglected to say that I stay open for these days. It's my own fault.....so I did not charge for those days. I will be updating my policies soon!