Daycare Issues - Need some advice

[Traveliz]

Thanks for giving me an opinion from the provider's perspective! Like I said in another post, we haven't been able to locate the original contract from when we moved. I just don't know how the other families there are dealing with the absences. My hubby and I are lucky enough to each have 3 weeks of vacation a year, but I would like to see him for a couple of my days off. FWIW, I don't have a problem with giving her paid time off. She is providing me an invaluable service, I just started to feel like it's getting excessive when I'm having anxiety about taking a day off for myself.

You admit you are lucky to have three weeks off... This is similar to what the provider wants. I always tell my families that I have been doing this 25 years and have earned my vacation. It's just that the individual families are here for only 3-5 years. I take care of only two children now and I took care of their mom 30 years ago so she gets it fortunately. I do agree though you need to know when it is going to be though. Also remember the early closings might be when she is going to appointments that can't be scheduled in the evenings or weekends. You might be able to work them into your work day by staring or leaving later but a single child care provider can't just run out while the kids nap.

Liz

 

[Disney Doll]

It would seem to me that a child care professoinal running a business would have a calendar of what time off she is going to need for the year.

Now obviously there will be emergencies etc. & I doubt anyone would begrudge someone emergency time off. But vacation time, time off for appointments etc. should be able to be planned into a schedule if necessary.

OP, if you can find your contract that would be the best thing. Take a look at it and see what you both agreed to. But I also agree with the PPs that it sounds like you needto look at another avenue.

 

[torinsmom]

I would start your daughter in a preschool. She really needs to be around children her own age. Spend some time visiting to find a setting that is right for you and her. She'll do fine and will have will have over 2 years there before starting kindergarten.

 

[dimimi]

I agree with the preschool. Also, I like group preschool/daycare settings because you don't have the problems you mentioned. When the preschool/day care, is a company, they don't close. You also have kids the same age as your child and they can participate in age appropriate activities and age appropriate modeling. They also make friends and have a "check" so to say to make sure all of the teachers are on track

 

[daughtersrus]

I have been a home daycare provider for about 20 years. I have a contract and I claim all of my income. Parents pay me by check or flex-spending from their employer.

I have a contract however, I don't change it often so I do not require parents to sign it every year.

My contract states that I am allowed to take 3 weeks off and parents may do the same. 30 day notice is required for both but I usually give them my vacation days around Feb or March, depending on when DH is able to choose his vacation time (union job so it's done by seniority) After 1 year of caring for their child, I am paid for the first 2 weeks whether it be mine vacation or theirs. The other 4 weeks are then unpaid.

I have the major holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve) off paid.

In all of the years that I've been doing this, I have honestly only taken about 15 sick days. 2 were when I had a horrible stomach flu and the others were all when my DD was in the hospital (DD has a rare genetic disease). Parents were all understanding and chose to pay me but that was not required. If my children were sick, I would call parents and let them know. It was their choice then if they wanted to bring their child or not. 99% of the time, they choose to still come.

A corporate preschool may be an solution for you, but be prepared to spend quite a bit more each week. At least in our area, centers are at least $50-$100 a week more than most homes. Even though my care is in a home, doesn't mean that it's not preschool. We do lessons, crafts, free play... just like corporate centers do.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

Thank you everybody for the advice! Hubby and I have some decisions that we need to talk about. I am definitely leaning towards finding her a preschool setting. She just turned 3 last week, and is the oldest at the in-home facility. The next closest in age are 10 months younger than her and 15 months younger than her. I think getting her into a facility with kids closer to her age would be good for her. I just needed a sanity check to make sure that I wasn't wrong for thinking of uprooting her. Thanks everybody!

A preschool setting will be good for your daughter. She will be with kids her age and at her level of learning.
You won't have to worry about random closure days or your daycare provider being sick as there will be multiple staff.
Good luck!

 

[c4alymom]

I have an in-home daycare/preschool.

This is what my contract states:

I take major holidays paid (all given upfront in contract). I also get two personal days. I have only taken one in the four years I have done this (for my father's funeral). Any vacation I take (with a 30 day notice) is unpaid to parents, BUT I remain open as I have back up providers available. I have NEVER closed on a normal business day other than the funeral date. I also require 30 day notice from the parents for their vacation in order to get the vacation rate of 25% tuition or they pay full price for that week(s).

I would advise you find a preschool setting or a home daycare that provides back up care. I offer it because as a mother myself, I know how hard it is to find dependable care and rely on it. I employ a full time helper as well so I can take time for Dr's appts for myself and kids. And yes, I report my income .

EDITED: For my unpaid vacation...IF the parents bring their kids to my back ups, they still pay their normal rate. If they don't bring them that week, they get a break and don't even pay the 25% if they use a vacation week and it will not count against their two weeks allowed at the vacation rate.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Searching for an NAEYC accredited center/preschool is a good place to start!

http://www.naeyc.org/academy/accreditation/search

 

[marcyinPA]

Searching for an NAEYC accredited center/preschool is a good place to start!

http://www.naeyc.org/academy/accreditation/search

Just keep in mind that not all good preschools are NAEYC accredited. Ours is not accredited, although we are members of NAEYC, attend the annual conference every year, and we follow the NAEYC guidelines. Accreditation is a very lengthy process and we just have not gotten to that point yet. We are fortunate that we have been able to rely on our name after 45 years- and we are always full. I do think that knowing the staff education, training, and retention is a good idea. We are also licensed by the state. Our staff all have bachelor's degrees in Elementary Education - some of us have dual degrees in Early Childhood Ed- we are trained several times a year, and the teacher with the most seniority has been there 42 years, the teacher with the least has been there 6 years. When you get hired at our school, you stay. Great place to teach, great families, great environment. So, even if the school isn't NAEYC accredited, it still might be a great fit.

 

[StephMK]

I would see what the contract says and talk to he about the amount of notice she is giving if you plan to stay.

Way back when, I changed my oldest from home to center care when she was 3 and it was the best thing for her. She was pretty shy (still is) but loved having so many kids her age to play with. She liked the center, had wonderful, caring teachers, and was fully prepared for kindergarten. Not saying she can't get that learning in a home center, but the socialization & reliability of the open center were great for us.

Good luck! It's so hard to judge when to change care but the lack of kids her age would be a big factor in my decision, in addition to the notice of days off & early closings.

 

[Hoodie]

OP - we had the same issue. We realized between scheduled vactions, random days off, sick days (hers, not ours) and other time, that she had taken almost 6 weeks in total last year. All paid!

We crunched numbers and realized for an extra $400/month we could hire an in-home nanny. I LOVE it!!!! We had to rebalance our expenses, but it is so worth it not to have to drag them out to the car every morning, drop them off, bring them back in the evening, make lunch/snacks for the next day (she didn't provide food). Everything is so much more relaxed. She takes them on errands (for her and, if I need it, us), she cleans up after them. It's FABULOUS! Oh - and she doesn't care if the kids are sick. I didn't have her come when they had the stomach flu, but colds and even slight fevers she's happy to deal with.

 

[cheerful chickadee]

I don't think you're overreacting at all. You're paying her for a service that is becoming unreliable. I would definitely look for that contract and either clear it up with her or look elsewhere, maybe a daycare/preschool type setting like a PP mentioned.

I too have informally watched children in my home and I never charged the parents for days I took off (like personal days) or my vacation time.

 

[tasha99]

I don't think you're overreacting at all. You're paying her for a service that is becoming unreliable. I would definitely look for that contract and either clear it up with her or look elsewhere, maybe a daycare/preschool type setting like a PP mentioned.

I too have informally watched children in my home and I never charged the parents for days I took off (like personal days) or my vacation time.

Informal babysitting, even for pay, isn't the same thing. I expect a licensed home daycare to have paid holidays and vacation written into the contract. I would also expect parents to pay for the weeks that they're on vacation if the slot is held open for their child. As others have said, OP should ask for a copy. I will say that when I had a home daycare, if I was sick or had an appointment, I hired a substitute. I think that it should be the daycare provider's job (not the parents') to look for childcare in "sick day" type situations.

 

[MSSANDRA]

A few thoughts:
An "In-Home Day Care", can mean many different things. It can be a licensed home with professional care givers, back up help, a lot of children and formal contracts OR it can be a stay at home mom that will watch neighborhood kids a few days a week and everything in between. There can be good and bad homes on both ends.

I am a preschool director that has been in just about every different child care setting at one time or another. There are good and bad, pros and cons, positive and negative to EVERY SINGLE ONE. Some people prefer a home setting (theirs or someone else) for their child and will supplement with a few mornings of preschool. Others prefer a full time day care in a large facility. Day Care and Preschool are not the same, though some programs can and do combine the two perfectly.

I think you need to decide what setting you want with your child. I don't think the time off is unreasonable, but the changes and short notice is. IF you decide you want to continue there, I would talk to her. Address your concerns and see if you can come up with an agreement. I agree that your child would benefit from at least one year in a preschool setting and unless your caregiver is willing to take her to a morning preschool somewhere, you may have to look for another choice. I would not discount the in home care with a few morning of preschool either. I am not a fan of extended day/facility care BUT it is the prefect solution for many parents and kids.

My thoughts are this caregiver is becoming burned out and needed more relief time and instead of being honest with her parents, she is just taking more time. Not an ok choice.