Vacation Days

[martymonty]

Hi and Happy New Year to all the DC moms out there, hope everyone had a great holiday season!
Just curious for those that have been doing DC for a long time, how much vacation time do you take and do you take your vacation time as separate weeks.
I send home my vacation schedule for the year in Feb. and usually hold back 2 or 3 days for those "emergencies" that might arise. I have never had to use those days in years, but like the fact that option is there.
How much time do you DC providers take for vacation

[gravy_train]

I take 1 - 1.5 weeks in the summer and spread the rest out throughout the year. I have had my daycare for 1.5 years and I am learning that I need a day or two off every two or three months.
How much vacation time do you take?

[apples and bananas]

I am going into my fourth year. I have 3 unpaid weeks in my policies but I usually only take 2. I also allow myself 5 personal days unpaid but again, I rarely take them.

There is a certain amount of the job that requires me to be reliable so I try to be open as much as possible.

However, this year I will be sending out my time off in the next few weeks for the entire year. Also reminding people of some of my policies that are often forgotten.

In order to be successful caregivers we need to take the time for ourselves and our families.

[mimi]

I take 4 weeks a year. 2 weeks in the summer and 2 weeks at Christmas/New Year's. My clients do not pay for this time and if a stat holiday falls during my holiday I tell my clients they don't need to pay.
4 weeks may seem generous, but I use this time to vacation, reboot, do some daycare paperwork, freshen the daycare area etc. The point is it is time off from the routine of the daycare and I always feel better afterward. I can't imagine not taking a break. I haven't had a sick day (knock on wood) in years and don't take personal days so my clients don't complain and if they did............my mental and physical health comes first!

[cfred]

I generally take about 3 weeks, but make it clear that I can take as many as 5 if I'm so inclined. I don't take anyone on who doesn't have back up and a certain amount of flexibility. My vacation days are all unpaid, hence my not using all 5 weeks....but it's nice to know they're there if an awesome travel opportunity comes up I try to take my vacations in 1 or 2 weeks segments for which I give 4 months notice. However, for bigger trips, like my upcoming trip to NZ which is 2.5 wks, I give 1 year notice. I try to very rarely take days off here and there. My clients are all fine with me dashing out quickly if I need to over nap time, provided my teen boys are here of course.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I take about 3 weeks unpaid vacation, been doing this for just over 2 years. Last year I did 2 back to back weeks in the summer and really enjoyed that. Not sure what I am doing this year.

I am lucky that for the past 3 Christmases (opened nov 2011) I have had all parents take time off during the Christmas season so I have been able to have 1-2 weeks off, paid because I technically didn't close.

I take about 2-3 days off a year for medical appt's in a city 2 hours from here for my back pain. I am also lucky that if I do need to see a doctor during the day, my fiance can watch the dck's because he works evenings. Usually, I can schedule my appt's during nap time so it's easy for him or in the evening after work.

I make it clear that if you decide to come here, it is very important to have a back up provider. I totally understand that I need to be reliable but I also don't want to spend my days off feeling guilty!

[mickyc]

I usually take less than 10 unpaid days a year (I get all stats off and they are paid). It is more so because I cannot afford to take a full week or two off in a row. My husband doesn't get holidays either so it isn't usually a big issue. He does get Friday's off so usually the time off I book is the odd Friday here and there. I have already booked 10 days off in the upcoming year but they are all spread out so that I get a 3 day weekend more often during the summer. I ended up lucking out this Christmas and had 8 days off instead of the 5 I had planned. It was nice because I think I was on the road to burnout. I might even take a few more Friday's off in the new year (whether my parents like it or not LOL). My contract doesn't really specify an set amount of time off I will take just that I will give one months notice although I usually provide 6 months unless it is for an appointment or something else. My New Years Resolution is to take more time for my family and I intend on doing it (and will feel guilty though the whole time lol).