To Pay or Not

nope dont pay, only pay for when your child was actually there

I have had a family daycare for 20 years. In the past I have given parents the same option. If they decided not to come I would not charge them. I do not charge anytime I take off except 50% if I am called for jury duty. Parents are required to pay anytime they do not bring their child. In the past parents have paid me sick time on their own though. It was greatly appreciated.

That's a tough one because she was honest with you when she didn't have to be. I could go either way. But no matter what, I think it's something you should discuss with her for the future.

Both of my kids were in home daycare, and there were times when the provider's kids were sick, but since she had a full-time assistant I never felt like there was that much of a chance of direct transmission of illness to the kids in the daycare (because there was more than one adult there, so the mom didn't have to go directly from her child to the other kids without washing, etc.) Chances are good that with a home daycare provider who has kids, eventually her kids will be sick with something and there's not much she can do about it.

On the other hand, it is flu. So I guess I can see both points of view. I would not be angry with her (myself) but I think you will not be the only parents who don't want to pay, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. I'm sure she feels terrible about it since it turned out to be the flu.

I have to agree with a few of the posters. I think the big difference is: is she considered a babysitter or an in home childcare business? A business woman would have a contract that you signed and all this information would be in it. A babysitter might not. Neither way makes her a better caregiver just a different approach to business. However, my big comment here is that she is "self employed" being self employed does yield a lot of benefits but the biggest drawback is not getting paid when you don't work. I understand she counts on the money and I appreciate that! But that is a drawback to being self employed, if you don't work you don't get paid. I own a foreign language school and when we can't supply services that we offered we do not expect payment. Teacher illness, school holidays, field trips are unpaid days for us. Good luck and I hope your child stays healthy! Hey by the way, I just read your bio. Can I talk to you about the before and afterschool program you run?

i figure you pay for days that you miss because of you.
i guess it also depends on what she charges.
its really not fair to have to pay for days she cancels.
and its not approp to have you there if her kids sick.
everything in that house is contaminated, including her. LOL

I think you should pay for Tuesday and Wednesday when she gave you the option of coming or not. Her care was still available, you chose not to take it. Thursday and Friday, I would say no because she had to close down.

Maybe all of this would be clearer if there was contract. There should always be a contract so each side knows how to proceed in these types of situations.

C., Here is the thoughts on this. Can you afford to pay for these days? If not then I would just tell her you had to pay for someone else. But if you can pay for it then do it. daycare providers get so few perks that an occasional paid sick day is a god send. providers take care of children who are sick all the time. and while this time it was her own that started the flu 9 times out of 10 it is a daycare child who brings in the flu/cold / chicken pox etc that shuts then down for days on end. so my own thoughts are if you can afford it pay for the week. I know money is tight but this is her income. and if she worked in the public she would have some paid sick days.

I don't think you should have to pay, but what was the agreement? If I read this correctly you were without a babysitter for four days? So you had to find an alternate situation? I doubt you should have to, but if there is something in writing that is always different. Four days is a loss in pay, but if you had to find another babysitter then you paying double. Of course you can simply ask your babysitter what she is feeling. If she is an at home babysitter, her rules might differ from corporate america. My husband recently was injured at the job, was out three days at doctors direction and his job wont pay. So bad company, but what can we do? IN this case the woman could tell you not to bring your children back, but would need the money, so it would be more likely maybe you can even pay half if there is an issue. But I do not think you should have to pay anything at all. It was a huge inconvenience I am sure.

I agree that there really needs to be a contract in place. Her child was sick and you didn't want your child catching the virus, completely reasonable especially with H1N1 going around. I would have to say no, you are under no contractual obligation to pay her. However, what would happen if your child was sick? Would she still watch him? Or would you have to keep your child home? If you kept your child home, would you still have to pay her? Would not paying her result in a financial hardship causing her to eventually go out of business? Would it cause her to not want to watch your child anymore? There is just so much to think about. Maybe you should discuss it with her to avoid any bitter feelings.

I would ask your provider. Does she have sick days in her policies? Think about it from her prospective. If you were home with your child because they were sick and then you got sick- would you get paid by your employer for your sick days? She may be able to shed some light on what she expects or doesn't expect. If you don't feel it is fair then it is best to communicate with your provider rather than just not paying.

Absolutely NOT. She is horrible if she charges you for while her kids are sick. That is FULLY unreasonable. Do not pay her for whenever her kids are sick or your kid is sick. That's typical policy. I run a at home daycare for 5 years so I'm up on this stuff. She is not being reasonable if she hassles you. She just doesn't want to be out all the $$$ but tough -- it comes with the territory. She has to outline that in the beginning if she is gonna charge for illness days. Otherwise its assumed there is no fee for those days.