What do you or your daycare providers take off?? I hardly ever take off and it is finally catching up to me but don't know if taking a day here and there is better than a full week here and a full week there. Thank you !!!!
My daycare provider takes off one full week in the summer and then a couple of long weekends throughout the year. She gives us the summer date (always the same week) on EVERY monthly newsletter. All "days off" are in the newsletter starting 3 months before so we can all plan accordingly.
I prefer the "here and there" b/c when she's "off", we have to take the time off too!
our old daycare lady would take 2 scheduled weeks off in June or July, which she would schedule with us in December or January so we had plenty of time to find alternate child care or schedule a vacation ourselves if we wanted. I think the key is giving your parents plenty of notice.
my previous daycare provider took all bank holidays off, one week in summer and one week at Christmas plus 4 personal wellness days. hint hint this is a previous provider but something in the middle would have been just fine you need your sanity!
Taking a full week gives you something to look forward to, while a day here and there can help recharge on a short-term basis. (Psst. I call them mental health days!).
It all depends on what works for you.
My daycare provider, on the other hand, takes one week off the week during Christmas and New Year's, as well as bank holidays. She was upfront about that from the get-go, so we plan accordingly. She also allows parents to take up to two weeks vacation where we don't have to pay the center. Win-win!
When I ran my preschool, I followed the local public schools calendar and took off those times. I also factored these absences/closures in when calculating tuition, so parents weren't paying for days they weren't getting.
When I was working as a nanny, our contracts were written that I would take two weeks off unpaid, and I would schedule my vacation times in conjunction with the family. They would usually take four weeks plus off, so this insured my income, especially as it is very difficult to schedule makeup work elsewhere.
I would say from my own experience that making sure family vacations are a priority is necessary for your sanity and for family. I *hated* my husband's previous job because he never felt he could take time off work. When the company closed and he was laid off (due to the company's bankruptcy), he lost over $9,000 in paid time off he hadn't taken. I made sure to schedule downtime for our own sake.
Consider which holidays are important for you to take time off around, and give your families advance notice. I would choose to give them a month's notice, if possible. Spontanaiety isn't your friend in this situation, obviously, but do schedule time for yourself. No one will do it for you. And being closed for 2-4 weeks for the entire year isn't the end of the world.
I run a home daycare myself. Providing childcare is a real, full-time job and should have the same benefits of an out-of-the-house job. I get 2 weeks paid vacation each year, as well as paid holidays (New Years, Christmas, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day & Labor Day). My families also get 2 weeks of "unpaid" vacation time. I take my 2 weeks differently, depending on my family. Last year I had a baby and I took 2 separate 1-wk vacations. My families both usually take the week of Christmas to New Years off, so that is like a freebie for me. I will typically take the week off for my kids' spring break. And then typically my final week will be towards the end of summer break, and is usually used for school shopping, relaxing, etc. I get frustrated when I'm questioned why and/or how I can take a vacation. Providing childcare is rewarding, but vey stressful. I, for example, have anwhere up to 8 kids in my care at a given time. I don't know anyone who could do that and NOT get a vacation in there. It's only fair. If you are a provider, I strongly suggest you have some sort of vacation policy in your daycare contract. That's what I do, and I explain all of that upfront before a family starts, to avoid any type of conflicts.
I've been doing daycare for a while, so if you have any questions, feel free to PM me!
Hope this helps!
Being a daycare provider is a job, just like everyone elses. And you deserve vacation just like anyone else gets with their job. I say take it how is best for you and your family. Just make sure to give ample notice to your families so they can make other arrangements. I think these days to many people belittle or take advantage of those who provide child care and think that they should just work year round with no real time off. That is not fair at all!!!! I am a SAHM of 3 litle boys, my oldes is just over 2 and the twins are 7 months and I know that it is hard for me sometimes not having a "day off".....Take the time you need!!!!!!!!
I never have done daycare in my home. I always worked, but SO wanted to stay home. For my inhome child care providers they did a few different things. They took most government days off and school scheduled days off. Minus the Christmas and Spring break. She still took my kiddos those times. She needed the income. This one provider was awesome about her hours/days. Sadly her husband got a transfer, and they left. So had to find another one till we could get them into the preschool. Time off makes a better provider...don't burn ourself out.
I think that a day or two is a lot better than a week. I also believe my parents have always appreciated a 60 day warning and then another 30 day warning. They tend to forget.
I'm a firm believer in a real vacation to recharge. I've found days here and there don't do too much, really. So, just thinking of yourself and the line of business you are in (which I would imagine must be quite taxing working with lots of little ones day in and day out), I would opt for a week off. I would give the parents plenty of notice so that they can make alternate plans -- or perhaps plan their vacation around yours. You could even consult w/ them about the best time to plan this for all parties involved. I think taking it all at once would be better than nickel and diming it so to speak.
In Oklahoma there is a program where people who want to work in child care but not full time can take the classes, get their CPR/First Aid, and background checks, etc.... I have used them several times when I had staff that needed off or we had a class that was during the day. They know all the rules and regulations. They often notice things I had overlooked. I was very grateful to them.
They can call the different child care homes and child care centers to be on a call in list. They can work in any child care setting and be able to work full time for a person going on vacation or just a couple of hours if someone needs to go to a docs appt. It is convenient to the directors and home owners to know they have approved people who can fill in at any time.
If your state doesn't have this type of program so your care giver can hire a substitute during their time off then I would imagine that child care during the time your care giver is on vacation is up to you to find. Call your friends, find out who they have babysit, check at church, there may be another stay at home mom who can use some extra income or trade care giver time so she and her hubby can have some evenings (Equal time) off.
I think it's much better to do it in blocks rather than one or two days here and there.
Ours had a yearly schedule that was 10 months long in total, and we paid a yearly tuition/rate depending on how many hours we used on a monthly basis. Changing hours was pretty simple, extra or fewer hours were prorated. ((They had a morning only, morning and lunch, lunch and afternoon, afternoon only, and full day rates.))
M-F hours of 9am - 3pm (dollar a minute for late pickup)
1 week Parent Teacher Conferences in fall and spring
Thanksgiving (wed/thurs/fri) & 2 mondays I forget when (aka 1 week)
3 weeks over xmas
4 weeks in the summer
Montessori program
Because it was a yearly schedule with very well outlined dates (and we only paid for 10mo), it was super easy to find supplemental care for the dates that they were closed.
She worked those hours (and had for years) because her kids got out of school at 330. When her kids grew up, she kept those hours, because they worked for her. They were exactly what I, and 12 other families, needed. (Provider to child ratio 1:4, as she had 2 assistants. 1 on 1 day a week, and the other for 4 days a week. Not all families were full time, all the time... so there were only ever 8 kids at a time. The 3rd provider worked 1 day a week and covered any sick days for the other 2).
No matter WHAT your hours or schedule are (from 6-6, 9-3, swingshift, graveyard, etc.... 365, school schedule, 10mo, drop off, etc. ) they will be EXACTLY what certain families need.
I think it matters on yur kids ages. For older kids a week at a time allows you to really spend time with them and get some fun filled days in, or trips in. Very little kids get in and out of routines very easily (easer out than into Them) Taking a day here and a day there babies do not get the chance to get accustome to you being home all the time and then flipping out after you return back to work. I would try both to see what works for your family.
