Little d/care vent (management).

[Kimberle]

We're expecting a snow/ice storm Sun, Mon into Tues.

I was talking w/ a couple of the teachers when I was dropping Brittany off this am. When the center is closed for bad weather (which, thankfully, isn't often), the teachers DO NOT GET PAID!!
I have to pay. (I pay $250 per week for pre-K. Infant parents pay over $300 per week.)

This just does not seem right. D/care-pre-school teachers are paid so low anyway. It just seem like an extra "kick in the teeth" not to pay them for a snow day.

I will be seeing many parents on Sunday (b-day party). I will **be sure** to mention this to them.

 

[skuttle]

That does not seem fair at all! I the parents still have to pay, then the teachers should definitely still get paid. So does the daycare owner just pocket the extra money?

 

[Lorix2]

I don't think it's fair either, especially if the employees were willing and able to come in.

I'm on the same side....my DH is in construction and when the weather is -10 or lower, they shut down and nobody works.

When it rains heavily, they shut down and nobody works.....nobody gets paid either.

Even though his employer is getting paid for the job they are working on, they will not pay employees for hours not worked, plain and simple.

(but they have no problem keeping them out for 24-48 hours at a time in snowstorms plowing and sanding )

 

[dvcfamily41801]

OMG, that is insane. I never thought about it though, I wonder if that is how it works at my son's school.

 

[jacksonsmom]

As I former child care worker, that was how it always was for my company too.
We rarely closed for snow, but I do believe one time we did. Us workers had to take a vacation day if we wanted to get paid or we were out of luck!

I know the parents had to still pay for the full week.

It is pretty bad. Child care workers are one of the lowest paying jobs yet it is one of the most important jobs...doesn't make a lot of sense!

Infact when I was pregnant with my son, I did the math. Between paying for HIS daycare (no discount on infant care) & what I got paid...it really made no sense to work. So I became a SAHM

 

[coliebird]

I wonder if that is how it works everywhere. I am going to look into that where my daughter goes. I know if she is out sick for a day or I just decide to take a day off and keep her home I still have to pay the full week. I also have to pay half the cost for a week that we are on vacation b/c I was told that even though we are not there for the week the teacher still needs to get paid. I have no problem with that part of it, but it is wrong not to pay them if the center is closed b/c of weather.

 

[CEDmom]

That's how it is at DD's daycare-preschool except that the director is supposed to come in and do paperwork etc. even if the center is closed. I agree that it's not right since the staff didn't ask for the day off and like you said they don't get paid much to begin with. Unfortunately, the majority of money spent for daycare doesn't go to pay the staff anyway. It goes towards the buildings mortgage, utilities, insurance etc. The cost of these things stays the same whether the place is open or not. Luckily, most daycares rarely have to close. DD's has only been closed 3 times in the last 4 years.

 

[Lewski709]

We don't get paid for snow days here either, I should say those who are hourly don't. Here's the beef with that I have..........they still get paid! If my dc is closed we don't pay for the day, even though it's a weekly fee. If we take a day and they are open, we pay. My dc gets paid holidays too. Another question I would have is do these people get holiday pay? Voice your opinion to someone there.

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

I have to pay the full week as well. While there's no chance of a snow day here, we do have hurricanes and tropical storms occasionally. I pay $92 per week, and (thankfully) in August my dd starts pre-k. Since we have the lottery here, the pre-k will be free, with after care at $45 per week. I can't wait!!! Anyway, we have to pay whether she is there or not. If she is there 2 or more days out of the week, we pay full price. 1 day or none at all and we have to pay 70% of the weekly rate. Also, we follow the public school calandar as far as days they are closed, so even if my job isn't closed, I still have to pay, and find someone else to watch her!!! Seems like a good gig if you can get it!! Although I don't know that I could handle 20 kids all day!

 

[coliebird]

$92 a week? I wish, I pay $230 a week. When she was in the infant room it was $250. Costs are insane here. BTW, she goes to Tutor Time. I know they are national. Does anyone else use Tutor Time and do you like it?

 

[CEDmom]

Originally posted by Lewski709
We don't get paid for snow days here either, I should say those who are hourly don't. Here's the beef with that I have..........they still get paid! If my dc is closed we don't pay for the day, even though it's a weekly fee. If we take a day and they are open, we pay. My dc gets paid holidays too. Another question I would have is do these people get holiday pay? Voice your opinion to someone there.

At my DD's center, which is part of a chain based in the midwest, the staff does get paid vacation and paid sick days as well as getting paid for holidays. Like most employers it's based on years of service.

 

[Alice28]

I worked for a nation-wide chain for 1 year, and parents did not pay for weather related days (rare here in Portland) and we did get paid (as I recall---this was 95). Then I worked for a school district as their daycare supervisor, and we definitely got paid for weather related closures, and parents did not pay...in fact the daycare I worked for 7 years at this district did not charge if your child did not show at any time....it was such a successful program, and we had SO many kids, we only charged kids who were there, and only for the time they were there---our computer tracked their time in 5 minute increments. It was a great program and I wish more programs were like it.

 

[figment95]

I am a preschool teacher. We are different than daycare in that we follow the public school calendar. When the public schools are closed, so are we (including summer vacation). Most of the teachers in private preschool around here are paid the same amount each month that school is in session. We get paid for holidays and bad weather. We also get a certain amount of sick and personal days per year. I think the difference is that many preschools are not for profit, whereas daycares are all about profit. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. That's just the way it is.

 

[JetMom]

I have been an early childhood professional for 15 years. I have worked in 3 different centers in 2 diffeent states and am now a pre-school director. Most daycare centers do not close very often, but when they do, the hourly staff does not get paod. I have been fighting against this for years. It is a huge problem in the industry.

Unfortunately, as I have been in the business for so long, I know how little money there is in the industry. The cost to consumers is high, but the expenses are even higher.

In a large center that I worked for (part of a national chain) our breakdown went like this:

payroll/taxes - 50% of income

rent - 20% of income

franchise fees to head office - 8% of income

this leaves 28% of income to cover electricity, phone, heat, insurance, groceries (we provided breakfast, lunch & 2 snacks), cleaning supplies, and classroom supplies.

It's a huge dilemma. Most centers, in my experience, barely cover expenses. Yet the costs keep sky-rocketing.

I think we need to get child care and pre-school to be included in the public school systems on a much larger scale so that there can be some government assistance to see that all of our children, and the dedicated people who care for them are taken care of.

 

[floridaminnie]

DD also goes to Tutor Time. I love mine and the teachers and director are wonderful! I pay $131 a week for pre-k.

 

[Kimberle]

Annmarie & Suzanne,

Brittany goes to Tutor Time too.

It is not a chain, rather a franchise, so the quality of care can vary. I do really like the Prep books. Brittany has learned so much. I'm fortunate, she's had good teachers. They make the learning fun!

 

[Jasminesmommy]

The place I worked at was well over $1000 a month to enroll your child and we got paid very little. When closed we did not get paid. Christmas te plave was closed for 2 weeks and we had to use vacation days if we wanted to get paid but the parents still had to pay there dues plus 2 times a year they have to pay a fee for materials. I recently left and starting my own at home place. Know any one is indianapolis who needs day care send them my way