Paid leave for a home daycare

[Mascouchoise]

We're looking into home daycares for our daughter when she turns 1 and I go back to work. One home daycare provider told me she gets 3 weeks of paid holidays per year, plus stat holidays and days when my baby is sick and can't go in. Is this normal? If I understand correctly, we will be paying her the daily rate even when our child isn't in her care.

[Busy ECE mommy]

It depends on where you live. I live in southern ontario, and in my neighbourhood, many providers get anywhere from 2-4 weeks paid, as well as stats paid, and that's the norm around here.
Yes, it is typical for a child to have to pay full fees when they are sick or the child is on family vacation. You have to remember the provider is holding your child's spot open during the illness or child's vacation. I guess all regions vary but these are very standard policies in my area of the GTA.

[kindredspirit]

I'm in semi-rural Nova Scotia. Here, dayhome providers typically charge weekly fee regardless of if your child attends (pay is for the space/programming), and get paid for stat holidays. Paid vacation time is a mixed bag. I charge when children are on vacation, but I don't charge when I am closed on my own vacation. Other local providers take 1-3 weeks paid leave plus a few personal/sick days.

[cfred]

It's not at all uncommon to find this in home daycare. I also charge clients when they aren't here, including stats. You are paying for the service AND the space. She cannot fill that space for the short time that you're away, so it's generally a complete loss of income for the provider, who already has a very modest income. I do not offer time off for clients, though I don't charge for my own vacations or sick days, but will be adding a few sick days with my next round of clients. Our income is quite modest once you factor in the expenses (food, supplies, equipment, insurance, etc, etc) and we work loooooong hours for it. To lose a few weeks of pay from 5 clients each year can be financially crippling and will, undoubtedly affect the quality of supplies and/or the provider's own family finances. And she needs a vacation, just like everyone else. It's a great job, but also quite all encompassing and stressful. Providers will burn out quickly if they don't get a break. No one wants that to happen, least of all the parents.

[Van]

it may help you to see it like at your work place - you get paid for holidays and sick days - she has it set up the same , you can keep searching for another daycare and not choose this one

[Lee-Bee]

Totally normal around me as well. By choosing a home daycare provider for your child (over a center) you are covering 1/5th (or what ever your provincial ratio is) of their income and operating expenses.

You are paying for the spot your child takes up not the time they are using that spot. Care providers work long hours in a job that requires a great deal of care, patience and love. The caregiver needs holidays and sick days to be at their best to care for your child.

[Tinyones1981]

Hello all, I just had a quick question that hopefully someone can answer for me. I didnt think we could charge for stat holidays. I thought the second we got stat holiday it was like they clients now became our employers and if there was ever an audit or anything of that kind the client had to now go back and pay ei and all that stuff. Please hoping someone can fill me in on this as I am in Ontario, Ive thought about asking for paid stats but then came across a thread one day and read we couldnt. Thank you everyone for the fill in of info.

[Lee-Bee]

Hello all, I just had a quick question that hopefully someone can answer for me. I didnt think we could charge for stat holidays. I thought the second we got stat holiday it was like they clients now became our employers and if there was ever an audit or anything of that kind the client had to now go back and pay ei and all that stuff. Please hoping someone can fill me in on this as I am in Ontario, Ive thought about asking for paid stats but then came across a thread one day and read we couldnt. Thank you everyone for the fill in of info.

It is ALL in the wording. List the days closed that you are charging for. List all stat holidays. List your days closed. Do not call it vacation pay. I will let someone else explain in more detail as I am trying to pack for a trip that we leave on in an hour. But the key is in how you word everything.

[Van]

Hello all, I just had a quick question that hopefully someone can answer for me. I didnt think we could charge for stat holidays. I thought the second we got stat holiday it was like they clients now became our employers and if there was ever an audit or anything of that kind the client had to now go back and pay ei and all that stuff. Please hoping someone can fill me in on this as I am in Ontario, Ive thought about asking for paid stats but then came across a thread one day and read we couldnt. Thank you everyone for the fill in of info.

Yes we get paid for stat holidays and holidays of you choice - the parents are getting paid for the stat holidays too so why not you too? let them know of the updated paid stat holidays , they may not like it as they had a gift of not being charged for them so far

[Suzie_Homemaker]

This is common where I am. I get 10 paid personal days (for sick, vacation or anything else), plus stat days and public holidays. Client also pay for the space when child sick or on vacation.

Remember - this isn't babysitting where you pay based on your use. This is a child care which has a set number of spaces. And your fees reserve your child's space.

Considering after business expenses (food, heat, water, laundry, crafts, toys, insurance), we typically get about $2 an hour per client, I don't think having stats and a handful days off a year is a big ask on a 60 hour week.

That said, if someone wanted to pay me like a babysitter, based on just use and have the typically rate that a 12 year old charges of $7.50-$10 a hours, I'd consider that deal and let them have sick/holiday and stats unpaid providing their was a max number of days they could have without fees too. :-) More than happy to take babysitting rate for babysitting terms.