Daycare Vacation Days Question

Anjel_9@hotmail.com

I just enrolled my daughter in daycare, and was a little surprised that they will still charge us the full weekly rate when we go on vacation.  I have heard that it is common for daycares to charge a reduced rate if you'll be gone for a week or so for a family trip.  Just curious about the norm.. what have others run across for this situation?

jf198400

Out of 5 DCs I toured, only 1 offered a vacation rate. It is definitely not the norm.

Anjel_9@hotmail.com

ok thanks, I'm new to this and that was one thing that I really didn't research!

aeh72

We pay the full rate when we go on vacation.  The rationale being they still have to pay their workers and maintain the business even one child down.  The only cost they aren't incurring while DS is out is his food. I've never questioned it. It makes sense to me.

ETA - I will add that DS is in a home daycare. I can see how a center could be more likely to offer the incentive a free or reduced week of vacation.

financialdiva

After being enrolled for a year, we get one week vacation, where we don't have to pay. They have to be out M-F. I think this is definitely the exception and not the norm.

QueSrah

I think it depends on where you live.  If it's an area where it's hard to find a daycare with an opening (the land of year-long wait lists), then it's rare to find a place that offers a freebie vacation week.  Parents need daycare, and if a family isn't willing to pay when they're not using the daycare, the daycare can easily find another family who will.  Free weeks seem more common in places where there isn't so much more demand for daycare than available supply.

traveltheworld

At our DC you get charged the full rate no matter how long you go on vacation for.  Which really sucks. 

ProudMommyER073113

We found a daycare that does not charge for preplanned vacations, but charges for last minute "sick" days.

I can understand daycares charging for vacation. Your work pays you for vacation days, right? It should be the same for daycare providers.

Nechie122

We pay regardless of whether we're there or not.

Karla CS

We pay regardless of if we're there or not. We didn't tour any center or DCP that was set up otherwise.

FemShep

Karla CS said:

We pay regardless of if we're there or not. We didn't tour any center or DCP that was set up otherwise.

Yep, same here.

sdlaura

At our in-home, we pay every week of the year, whether our provider is on her two weeks of vacation per year, or if we go on vacation.  We try to line our vacations up with hers.

iverske9

Totally normal, I like to get paid vacation from my job so kind of expect the same.

Pips09

Normal. We pay whether we are there or not.

shannm

We get two weeks per year at half rate.

Leap08

financialdiva said:

After being enrolled for a year, we get one week vacation, where we don't have to pay. They have to be out M-F. I think this is definitely the exception and not the norm.

Our daycare has the same policy, and I feel lucky to get that one week.

jbatch

I run a daycare and we offer two weeks unpaid vacation a year after the first 3 months in attendance. They can be used for sick days or for longer vacation.

ccam

After you're at our daycare for a year, you get one week vacation. It has to be all at once, not broken up. Besides that, we pay for any days that we're not there.

jjdillie

financialdiva said:

After being enrolled for a year, we get one week vacation, where we don't have to pay. They have to be out M-F. I think this is definitely the exception and not the norm.

This.

RibbitGrl930

Our DC offers unlimited vacation where the rate is 50% if we keep Jake out for a full week. That seems fair to me, as I view the reducgh rate as a "reserve" fee for his spot. It wouldn't be fair to them for a family to not bring a kid for a long time and expect the DC to just hold that spit for nothing. That's money they could be making by having a paying family take up that spot instead. I also like that they don't have a limit. Gives for a lot of flexibility.

LoCarb

jjdillie said:

financialdiva said:

After being enrolled for a year, we get one week vacation, where we don't have to pay. They have to be out M-F. I think this is definitely the exception and not the norm.

This.

+1 more

JJ_13

we get two weeks where we don't have to pay as well. No rules about it being taken together or how much notice - of course I do try to provide ample advance notice. we're at an in-home.

Mustardseed2007

This will undoubtedly vary by area, but of the 6 we looked at, not one of them offered vacation rates. And they charge you if they are closed for a holiday, inclement weather etc.

They did prorate august for new students ("school" or daycare started August 20 so you were only getting 1.5 weeks). Of course if you were an existing student and you paid for the summer program then you didn't get any discount. 

 

 

DTNZ4Ever

When we pay our annual registration fee we get a 50% off voucher to be used within 6 months. Basically I still pay for the entire week but I pay 1/2 upfront then the other 1/2 the week we are gone. The best way to think of your weekly fees is it is a tution just broked down by week to make it more affordable. Just like college or private school. You pay if you are there or not since it is tuituion not baby sitting fees.

ASmallWonder

We pay and as much as it would be nice not to have to, I completely understand it and support it.  Their costs are their costs and don't change (at least, not by much at all) just because you aren't there.

MomtobeNJ

Her daycare closes every year for the week of 4th of July so that is our "free week." Daycare is closed and we don't pay. 

Every other time we're out - vacation or sick - we pay.

emsrdh03

We get one half price week per year.

cedenton

financialdiva said:

After being enrolled for a year, we get one week vacation, where we don't have to pay. They have to be out M-F. I think this is definitely the exception and not the norm.

Same here. At least it was at the old one. I'm not sure our new one requires the one year thing.

SLGILL1978

I have experience both sides. When I returned to work from maternity leave my daughter went to a center. If we were gone on vacation for longer we had to pay the part time rate or a deposit (depends on how long you're going to be gone). It was in their parent handbook. When my daughter was sick and not there for about 4-5 days I still had to pay the full rate. I work for the school district so I had the summer off and I ended up switching to an in home daycare. There she doesn't charge me. She only charges me for the days my daughter goes. I don't have to pay a deposit or anything. I like this much better because she has mostly teacher kids or other families that work in the school district so her schedule is similar to ours.

groovygrl

ccam said:

After you're at our daycare for a year, you get one week vacation. It has to be all at once, not broken up. Besides that, we pay for any days that we're not there.

exactly this.  we also pay for days they're closed for holidays (e.g. tgiving day & day after, xmas eve & xmas day, new year's day, mem, july 4, labor day, etc) and 2 teacher work days a year (that they do try to schedule on some holiday time where some ppl may actuallyhave off, like president's day. ). As others have said, most jobs pay ppl for vacation time and holidays and they have to be able to pay those costs too.

bibby32714

I realize that we are extremely lucky and out of the norm...we use an in-home daycare and we only pay if we are there.  We do not pay her for any vacation either.

ss+el

Our daycare gives one "free" week off per year.

dizzycooks

I think what you're seeing is normal, but at our center I can pull DD for a full week for a $50 hold fee for up to 2 weeks.  After that they unenroll her and I have to pay the reenrollement fee to sign her back up (which is what I do over the summer) fortunately there is no real chance she'll lose her space.  We pay for sick days or if she's only there 3 days we still pay for 5.  For example, at Christmas I am off 5 days one week and 3 the next so DH and I will each take a sick day and stay home with her those extra two days so we don't have to pay for a full week that would just be 2 days of her attending.

DaisyJanie

Our daycare considers the rate a yearly "tuition" and it can be broken up by months or weeks, but it's the same amount regardless of if you're there or not. This works fine for us since we also get paid vacations at work - we don't get paid less in December and we're usually gone for 2 weeks in that month.