Paying for Daycare when not using it?

SoxFan777 · November 2012

Hi,

Just curious if this is standard. My son is in a learning center type daycare, and even though they're closed for half the week, we still have to pay for the full week. The week between Christmas and New Years we also have to pay for even if we're not using it (I'm a teacher, so I keep him home when I'm off)... Is that the norm? What are the policies at your place? And while we're at it, what do you pay for your toddler (12-24) for 4 or 5 days in a learning center type place and where are you? I pay $250 a week (even if I only use it 4 days) and I'm 45 minutes outside of Boston.

rider5344 · November 2012

This is standard for every place I've ever talked to or seen.

lilmejo · November 2012

yep, we use a private in home daycare and I pay for every day 5 days a week, and this year was crappy because I was home with him alot and still had to pay

AimeeL85 · November 2012

Yes, that was how it worked when my son went to daycare. It stinks but I think it's the norm.

We were in NJ and paid about $220 for just 2 days....if he went full time, I think it was a little over $300.

agytay · November 2012

Yes. It is a business after all and they need to make money.

rosesandpeonies · November 2012

we pay no matter what because like the director says...its on overall tuition broken down so even if they are sick or its closed you are still paying the tuition.

LadyXaverian · November 2012

Absolutely! As another poster said, think of it like a tuition that is broken down into a weekly rate. DCPs get a paid vacation, too.

iverske9 · November 2012

That is normal. I get paid for vacation so expect it from my daycare

kmz885 · November 2012

Yup.

leigh1103 · November 2012

yup, we pay for holidays and for the sick days when my DD stays home. I am also 45 minutes outside of Boston on the South Shore and we pay $67 per day for the toddler rate.

KandT0919 · November 2012

We pay also whether she goes or not. We pay $95 for the week.

bridetobe6808 · November 2012

We get two sick days per semester I think just spring and fall..not summer we do have to pay for holidays. Stinks cuz I only take her two days a week so if the holiday is on one of those days she doesn't go that week.

NewFamily09 · November 2012

That is completely standard for centers around here. That's why most of the teachers I know prefer to have their kids in home daycares. They typically can be more flexible like that. I watch kids in my home and all the kids I've ever watched have been teachers' kids. My friend watches kids too and all hers belong to teachers as well. I don't make people pay for any time they don't use. If there's a month with a big break, we prorate the month. The only time they pay for days they don't use is if their kid suddenly gets sick and they don't bring them for the day. They don't get a refund for that. But scheduled breaks that they tell me in advance, I am very flexible with. Actually, for something like Thankgsiving where it's only 2 days off, or Labor Day, no one has every come to me asking for a refund for those days. It's never occured to me to offer it to them. But bigger breaks like trackouts, winter holidays, and summer breaks are definitely not charged. If you don't like paying for time you don't use, maybe consider finding a home daycare.

M&M227 · November 2012

Yup, we pay per month regardless of attendance. Once we're there for a year we get a week vacation but we cannot use it during Christmas break. I'm a teacher and we just suck it up. Usually I send her on my days off and during Christmas break I'll probably send her a day or two and keep her home a day or two. The days she goes I'll pick her up early and use those days to get stuff done.

The way I look at it is, they have to pay staff to show up regardless.

RayRay007 · November 2012

If it's a stat holiday, or DD's sick, or we're just taking holidays, we pay. When DCP takes holidays for 2 wks at Christmas, we don't pay.

pitterpatter129 · November 2012

Definitely standard. We pay whether we go or not - they still have to pay their employees and bills. We do get 2 weeks vacation each year that we can take, but it has to be taken a whole week at a time and we have to tell them in advance when we plan to use it. I pay $150 per week for a regular old daycare center in a state with a very low cost of living compared to other states (Oklahoma.) Daycare still comes out to more than our monthly mortage on our house!

katie4253 · November 2012

Of course. It is a business. They are open. It isn't like the daycare turns its lights off and sends people home just because you are choosing to keep your kid home.

Amaryllis619 · November 2012

yes this is normal. we get a few weeks off during the year that we can take as "vacation" without paying... however that is pretty rare.

i think of it as paying them to keep her spot. otherwise they'd let some other toddler in, and my DD wouldn't have a place in her class when i need them. make sense?

heath06 · November 2012

It's typical, yes.

I always scoffed at the idea of me paying for daycare when my child isn't going, but that's because I don't get paid if I don't work. I get paid hourly. So while I don't like paying when she's home with me, I have to remember that it's not the daycare's fault that I don't get PTO. Many people do, so it is what it is.

Luckily, we LOVE our babysitter (she runs a daycare out of her house, her and 1 other adult plus 6 kids) so it's worth it to us. And we'd be paying at other places anyway.

hickeyrm1985 · November 2012

My children go to a inhome daycare because I was being charged over a hundred a week per child when my children only go for 3 hours a day...inhome was a better rate...but I don't pay for daycare when they take off but I do when I take off work and don't need them...but if you do break it down here in georgia for full time daycare the sitter only makes about 2 bucks a hour...

olechka · November 2012

We use in home daycare and we pay regardless. We get one week "off" and the get one week "off" when daycare is closed.

crh1221 · November 2012

Our daycare lets us use 5 vacation days a year without paying. We are charged for days they are closed like you mentioned.

Children 6 weeks-18 months are $295 a week for fulltime (4-5days) and 18-36 months are $245 a week for fulltime. We are located in central Illinois, equidistant from St. Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha · November 2012

We have to pay for the days they are closed.

The going rate here is between $175 and $250 a week (though the government offers all sorts of credits and tax breaks, so it comes down to a lot less than that)

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