Babysitter wants one week and one day for vacation

[earthfaries]

Would you be mad? I babysit in my home for 2 children, and they knew when I took them in we take one week a year for WDW vacation.
I have never taken my children outside the home for childcare, so I can't put myself in their shoes.
Is it a bad idea for me to take the Friday off before the week we are going to be gone? I really would love to have the extra day to travel. We have 9 days worth of tickets and travel time of 11 hours without stops. If I had Friday off before the week, we could be there and be ready to go to the parks Sat. instead of spending the whole day traveling, and we could use 8 of our 9 tickets.
Do you think that would be too inconvenient for the parents of the children I watch???

 

[MandM-Mom]

I think it is outrageous that you only take 1 week. I run a group family daycare out of my home and I take 2 weeks vacation a year PAID, and thinking next year to going to 3 weeks. I have it written into our contract with the families and I agree to give them 1 months notice of my vacation time......Really think about a contract even though you only have a few kids you watch. It helps in these situations. Go enjoy your vacation!!!

 

[skmommy]

My kids have been in "center" care since they were infants. The center is a "teaching lab" for students in the early childhood education department of the community college that the center is part of. It is unquestionably the best "daycare" in town. The center is closed for a week at 4th of July and 2 weeks at Christmas along with a few other days for teacher work days. We simply make arrangements to cover these days.

I cannot imagine that your families would begrudge you taking vacations with your family (although they may not be thrilled and might be ugly about it because it will be inconvenient for them). If they really look at it I think they have to admit that you need time with your family too. I would suggest a written contract specifying how much time you will have "off" each year and how/when you will give notice of these dates. I would have an open, hopefully friendly discussion with your families about your needs.

Hope my opinion helps

 

[earthfaries]

I think it is outrageous that you only take 1 week. I run a group family daycare out of my home and I take 2 weeks vacation a year PAID, and thinking next year to going to 3 weeks. I have it written into our contract with the families and I agree to give them 1 months notice of my vacation time......Really think about a contract even though you only have a few kids you watch. It helps in these situations. Go enjoy your vacation!!!

I actually do have a parent/provider contract, but it only states they need to give me at least 2 weeks notice for vacation. I verbally talk to them about us taking a vacation. So you get paid when you are gone? Do they get a free one week vacation also? Just curious. That would be nice. How does your contract word it? Thanks so much for your input. I am just going to do it!

 

[earthfaries]

My kids have been in "center" care since they were infants. The center is a "teaching lab" for students in the early childhood education department of the community college that the center is part of. It is unquestionably the best "daycare" in town. The center is closed for a week at 4th of July and 2 weeks at Christmas along with a few other days for teacher work days. We simply make arrangements to cover these days.

I cannot imagine that your families would begrudge you taking vacations with your family (although they may not be thrilled and might be ugly about it because it will be inconvenient for them). If they really look at it I think they have to admit that you need time with your family too. I would suggest a written contract specifying how much time you will have "off" each year and how/when you will give notice of these dates. I would have an open, hopefully friendly discussion with your families about your needs.

Hope my opinion helps

Yes it does, thank you. I'm just the kind of person who thinks too much about what other people might think about what I do. I get paranoid. Will they leave if I go on vacation? Are they going to be able to find someone else for the week? I really hate to inconvenience anyone, although I will not let it stop me from going every year

 

[digman6]

I have 7 days paid vacation and I have paid holidays that I am closed as well.
I give them 5 days per contract year vacation for being sick or what ever.

I think its totally wrong for them to even think of being upset!

We are going the week of Xmas and part of that time will effect there child care and part of it will not. They need to understand we are people and have a life as well.

I figure if they get mad oh well, they will get over it. they just hate having to hunt for someone else while your gone.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I think it's a notice issue -- if you tell them on Monday you won't be there on Friday, that's wrong. If you give them adequate notice to find other care, that's reasonable.

It's just like when kids are in school -- they tell you when the holidays and vacations are, and you find other care.

One or two weeks in a year is more than a reasonable amount of time for your business to be closed. Who do you know who doesn't ever take any vacation?!

If you can give them plenty of notice, and even suggest alternative care (the neighborhood where we lived when ds was tiny had a cooperative of caregivers, who all charged the same rates -- perhaps you know of other in-home caregivers who would be willing to take on an extra child or two for the time you're gone), you do not have any reason to feel guilty.

 

[lgjjp]

i have a family daycare in my home. i take 3 weeks vacation every year. i give 1 month notice and have never had a problem. its in my contract. i take 3 weeks because that is what my husband gets. i do not get paid for any time that i take off. right now most of the kids i have a related to me, but even before it was never a problem.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I don't think it's rediculous at all as long as you give notice. My day care providers take 4 weeks a year plus every single holiday. However, they only require payment for the holidays. However this is all in our contract. We don't have to give them any notice about vacations/days off because we pay them even if DD is not there.

 

[Gillian]

I've had DD in home childcare and I would not have a problem with her sitter taking a week + 1 day vacation, as long as I had enought time to make alternate arrangements. We get the school schedule in the spring for the next year usually, so planning is easy.

i have a family daycare in my home. i take 3 weeks vacation every year. i give 1 month notice and have never had a problem. its in my contract. i take 3 weeks because that is what my husband gets. i do not get paid for any time that i take off. right now most of the kids i have a related to me, but even before it was never a problem.

I would say that if you work full time, a month might not be enough time to find a backup sitter. It depends on the family, if they have relatives near by, or some other place to put their child. Not everyone is able to take a week off from work with just a month's notice to watch their kids. I know my husband probably would not be able to, nor some of my friends who work a specific schedule.

That said, 3 weeks vacation in a year is not unreasonable, especially if it's unpaid time off.

Many home care providers do ask for paid vacation, and that's fine if there is a contract. A friend watches kids in her home, and she does not ask for paid vacation. Also, if the families give her enough notice (2-4 weeks depending on the situation) that they are going to be away, then they don't pay her for their vacations. They do pay if the kids are out sick, or if it's a last minute cancellation.

 

[pixiewings71]

I think it's a notice issue -- if you tell them on Monday you won't be there on Friday, that's wrong. If you give them adequate notice to find other care, that's reasonable.

This is what my last daycare provider did, this is one of the reasons I fired her. LOL Seriously......what you're asking is nothing. My last provider took 2 weeks paid and 1 week non paid!!!!! And she gave me notice the week before she took her days off and a few times she gave me notice as stated above. If you give them enough notice (and you did tell them you were doing it when they signed the contract) they shouldn't have any problems with it. I know I wouldn't.

 

[Darcy03231]

Its been a number of years since I've required daycare, but when I did my daycare provider took two weeks a year. One week was paid and one week wasn't. She gave plenty of notice (actually it was the first week of July and Christmas week each year - her husband's company shut down those weeks) and no one that used her had any issue with it.

 

[bjscheel]

Go ahead- they'll manage! Of course you know them better than we do... One of my home care babysitters took an entire summer off to get pregnant. I used my sister and a teenager to get me through the summer. Another of mine started taking a week off EVERY MONTH and I had a SAHM take my girls. I was just working 3 days a week. They are in a center now when they're not at school but I keep telling my mom I need a SAHG (SAH grandma) for sick days etc. but she doesn't listen...

 

[prekteacher]

If you give them a few weeks notice it should not be a problem . Most parents understand. I work in a family childcare and we take two weeks a year and one pro day to go to a training. All of our parents are fine with a few weeks notices.

 

[crisi]

I agree its a notice and timing question. People who don't want to be inconvinenced by their daycare providers vacations will not choose home daycare - its one of the factors that WOHMs factor in. We chose a center and this was basically the reason, but if we'd chosen a home, it would have been with the knowledge that you take vacation and we'd have to make other arrangements. Just give plenty of notice because finding daycare on short notice is hard.

 

[TheDizMom]

I can tell you from the mom end of things that as long as I had plenty of notice I didn't have any problem with it ever. I also paid our provider for her vacation time just like any other employer would. I have only used in home daycares before and have even paid one for the standard government holidays. There is a certain price one pays to have their child in a smaller, home like, more personalized daycare and this is one of them. There are times when your daycare person is entitled to their own vacation and personal time (occasionally) and when they may have something unexpected like illness for them or a family member occur and you just have to deal with it. One person can only be expected to do so much. I would make it clear that your one week would be paid like it is for any other employee but the extra day for travel would be unpaid like taking a personal day at any other job. You just have to keep in mind this is your job, not your life, and you are entitled to have one away from the children you care for.

 

[MandM-Mom]

I actually do have a parent/provider contract, but it only states they need to give me at least 2 weeks notice for vacation. I verbally talk to them about us taking a vacation. So you get paid when you are gone? Do they get a free one week vacation also? Just curious. That would be nice. How does your contract word it? Thanks so much for your input. I am just going to do it!

I take 2 weeks paid vacation and they get 2 weeks vacation without paying there weekly fees but if they don't give 1 month written notice they still have to pay there fees. I also take holidays off with pay.