In Home Daycare Help

My policy is pretty much the same as some of the others. Paid for odd days they take off, 1/2 of Christmas break, paid for spring break because my children did not have the same spring break so I would be taking different days off without pay, summer they paid the days they came.

J., I did home daycare for about 15 years. What are your policies? It should not matter what the parents job is. If your policy is that parents pay to hold the spot she needs to pay for the summer to hold the spot or give up the spot. why should you go with no pay? is she paying you extra during the school year? My contract stated that my fee was weekly. there for any time they take off is on their end not mine. So full fee is owed. I got vacation days and also holiday pay. You need to have a contract. Whether you hold a spot without her paying over the summer is up to you but other parents are going to be pissed if they find out this parent is not paying the full rate that they are.

My policy is the same as Mommy S. I get 1/2 pay for spring and winter breaks, Full pay for odd days off, and only get paid in the summer for days the child is actually with me. This seems to be agreeable to all. Hope this helps you.

My teachers pay 1/2 of what they would normally pay for spring and winter break. I do get paid for all the odd days off. Most of the teachers I sit for use me once or twice a week during the summer. Summer months they just pay when they come, it usually varies week to week.

Hi, I also run a small home daycare. I have worked for a teacher for the past 13 years. I began by being their nanny and worked the teacher schedule. I got paid salary for the enitr time that school was in session except for summer. We had agreed to begin with that I get paid until summer time. You can arrange it the same and maybe take on a couple children just for the summer. Another option is that you can have her pay a small amount over the summer to 'reserve' her childrens spot with you or you can't gauantee that there will be room in the fall. Or, you can make the salary pay smaller for the whole week they are with you and continue it over summer like teachers do. No matter what, make sure you have some type of contract between you two and have it signed. I would keep it as close as possible as what you would do for any other parent, it is the fair thing to do. Besides, if she were to take her child to a daycare center, she would be expected to pay for the week no matter what, just like the other parents. Hope this helps.

I was a teacher and simply chose a daycare that accepted teacher's kids. Many home daycares even advertise in the newspaper that they will take teachers kids. I was very particular about the home daycare I chose ( I interviewed at least 10 providers in person and called probably 25.) I asked before the initial interview if teachers kids were accepted and how the payments would work. Some of the ones I interviewed wanted all teacher's kids so they could have the vacations and summers off to spend with their own older children. You don't seem like you are in a position to do this and you should not feel obligated to do it! I would kindly let this parent know that you can't do it. Explain that you need a consistent schedule (and consistent payment) to make things work for you. I am sure she will understand. I personally would never choose a daycare that I have to pay the summer and holiday breaks. That's 12 weeks of paying the weekly fee when your child isn't even there. The situation is just not good for you or this parent. Unfortunately, its just time for her to find a new provider. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I think I am in the minority here, but I could not afford to take a child in my care that wouldn't be paying for the entire summer. I keep my daycare relatively small with no more than 4-5 kids at most and I try to stay with the kids from newborn to when they go to preschool. I don't take drop-in's or temporary kids. My kids pay whether they are here or not, unless the absence is due to me closing the daycare. This has only happened 2-3 times in over three years. I personally do not have a "teacher's plan" Most teachers arrange it so they have a salary year round if they don't teach summer school, so its not like they don't get paid. Honestly, I would think any person that has the whole summer off would consider this when looking for child care. Centers certainly expect the whole week paid no matter what. While I don't think most parents discuss payment with other parents, you know what everyone is paying. I also like to have the same policy/arrangements with everyone so it is fair. Basically I am saying that I have only one payment policy for every child and that I wouldn't be flexible in taking on kids from parents that didn't want to adhere to this policy. I wouldn't want to let any of my kids go, but I just couldn't afford to make an exception where I couldn't count on my income. I wouldn't supplement with different kids in the summer to make it easier for one mom as it always takes a period of transition when you introduce a new child to the group and I feel this is just too much craziness for the kids and me. I have done one or two temporary kids in the past and it always seemed to completely disrupt the schedule, not worth it.

I do not charge for days kids don't come to me, I work for a teacher and do not get paid for breaks and summer vacation ;-)

Good luck

Hi J.,
I think if you know in advance for al her days/weeks it is ok to not charge her. You can then schedule your appointments/days off better. Also, if she lets you know her child wont be there make sure to stick to the arrangement so there is no hard feelings or confusion. As for the other parents there is no reason why you should discuss what others are paying or not paying so they wont know you arrangment.
Good Luck!