Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacation?

[Sha]

So is it normal practice to have to pay to 'hold' a daycare spot, even if the baby is away for a few weeks? E.g If you plan to take vacation with your baby (for 2-3 weeks), do you still have to keep paying the regular fees, even though your baby isn't actually there? (The daycare charges a weekly fee).

Just wondering what the standard practice is. I'm taking a 3 week vacation and had planned to have my daughter home with me the whole time, but my daycare lady is saying I should still bring her since I'll have to pay for her anyway.

 

[TravelingGal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

In Amelia's preschool, you get one week vacation where you don't pay. Any other time regardless of whether you show up or not, you pay. That doesn't strike me as unfair or weird.

 

[neatfreak]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Sadly, yes. It sucks but it's normal...

 

[qtiekiki]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Yes, that's pretty standard. The daycare that we will be sending M to next year requires weekly fee be paid when the child goes on vacation.

 

[Jennifer W]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Our daycare is at DH's office. It's supposed to work like this - he books leave via the electronic HR system, then links it to the daycare system (optional) so he can pre-book 'leave' for Amelia. If he does this two weeks in advance, we don't pay, up to three weeks a year. He gets 6 weeks leave a year, so the rest we pay at something like 60%, I think. What actually happens is that the electronic HR system is useless, and we get a call from the creche staff every time we're on leave, asking where Amelia is, followed by an invoice for those days that we have to fight about. Every. Freaking. Time.

We use a childminder occasionally, for days when DH works from home and I'm in the office and so on, and we pay her a small monthly fee to keep a place open. Nothing like the full amount though.

 

[cara]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

You pay full price whether or not your child is present, on vacation, or out sick at my daycare. Granted, this place has long wait lists so there is something behind the "hold your spot" idea, but their argument is that their staffing and other expenses are build on assuming your child is there and paying, so its not like they can "save" the money you would pay them when you keep your child out for some length of time. Nor is it particularly easy to call up another child to take your child's spot *just* for the time she is out on vacation.

 

[turtledazzle]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

You pay full price whether or not your child is present, on vacation, or out sick at my daycare. Granted, this place has long wait lists so there is something behind the "hold your spot" idea, but their argument is that their staffing and other expenses are build on assuming your child is there and paying, so its not like they can "save" the money you would pay them when you keep your child out for some length of time. Nor is it particularly easy to call up another child to take your child's spot *just* for the time she is out on vacation.

Ditto. Our daycare sounds very similar to Cara's.

 

[Pandora II]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

All the daycares I know of here in London charge you for 50 weeks a year whether your child is there or on holiday or ill. Their overheads remain the same whether you are there or not so it seems reasonable.

 

[Sha]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

OK, so it sounds pretty standard then... I guess I do understand the rationale. I'm just disappointed to have to use that money I was planning to 'save' by having her home, I guess.... Oh well!

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[meresal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Sounds right to me Sha.

Otherwise, I imagine daycares would be very low and lose lots of money during the summer when teachers are at home, and with all of the vacations people take.

I think it is nice that a few of them allow you to be away for one or two weeks. We never got that far into our talks with day cares, but I assumed I would have to pay for all 52 weeks once enrolled.

 

[curlygirl]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Yup, unfortunately it's normal. We get 2 weeks/year at half price for vacations but that's about the only break they give us in addition to the 10% discount for our 2nd child.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

I pay all the time, every month, whether or not he is there. It is normal practice.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Yup, unfortunately it's normal. We get 2 weeks/year at half price for vacations but that's about the only break they give us in addition to the 10% discount for our 2nd child.

You are lucky! Our daycare closes for two weeks in December and we will still pay for a whole month

 

[meresal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Yup, unfortunately it's normal. We get 2 weeks/year at half price for vacations but that's about the only break they give us in addition to the 10% discount for our 2nd child.

You are lucky! Our daycare closes for two weeks in December and we will still pay for a whole month

Dreamer, THAT seems ridiculous.

 

[NovemberBride]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Yup, unfortunately it's normal. We get 2 weeks/year at half price for vacations but that's about the only break they give us in addition to the 10% discount for our 2nd child.

You are lucky! Our daycare closes for two weeks in December and we will still pay for a whole month

Same here. Our daycare closes for the week between Christmas and New Year's and we still pay for the full month. They are also closed certain other random days (Friday before Easter, Friday after Thanksgiving) and we pay our regular rate.

Meresal, I thought the same way at first, but it's not that ridiculous if you think of it as their paid vacation. Most of us get paid vacation time from our employers and most of us use some of that time around the holidays, daycare providers are entitled to the same thing. Like teachers, daycare providers are allowed very few days off, because it throws off their state-mandated ratios if a teacher is not there. But unlike teachers, daycare providers do not get the summer off. So it makes sense that they would close down for certain holidays to allow their employees vacation time. If I hired a nanny, I would have to give her paid vacation as well.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Our daycare lady (home daycare) gets two weeks of vacation a year, one of which is paid, the other unpaid. You're expected to take your vacation during those times. Usually they coincide with school vacations or the holidays, so it's not a huge issue. We get three unpaid sick days a year as well (for Aidan, not for the daycare lady).

 

[meresal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

NB- I thought about that before I posted, but it still doesn't seem right for some reason.

What about the time off that the parents are having to take in order to watch the kids? Essentially parents are paying to watch their own kids. It's one thing to make people pay if the daycare is still open when you take your kid out, but if you still charge when the establishment decided to close, that just isn't right to me.

I worked for a bank, and didn't get days off but the actual holiday itself. If I were going to a daycare like this, my husband and I would end up paying the daycare and probably having to find a nanny at the same time. Ridiculous.

 

[TravelingGal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

NB- I thought about that before I posted, but it still doesn't seem right for some reason.

What about the time off that the parents are having to take in order to watch the kids? Essentially parents are paying to watch their own kids. It's one thing to make people pay if the daycare is still open when you take your kid out, but if you still charge when the establishment decided to close, that just isn't right to me.

I worked for a bank, and didn't get days off but the actual holiday itself. If I were going to a daycare like this, my husband and I would end up paying the daycare and probably having to find a nanny at the same time. Ridiculous.

I agree...I don't think of it like a paid vacation for them. It's a business and should be opened on all normal business days. Even a preschool isn't really a "school" in the sense a public school is, so they shouldn't close for christmas vacation or whatever.

 

[NovemberBride]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Meresal - would you feel the same about a nanny? Most nannies in my area get 2 weeks paid vacation, and that vacation is taken at their leisure and is in addition to any vacation the client family might take. So in that case you would be paying to watch your kids as well. For me, it was much easier just to plan that DH and I would take off the week between Christmas and New Years rather than try to scramble to find care for whenever a nanny scheduled her vacations throughout the year.

TG - I do see your point about it being a business, and if it were more frequent it would bug me, but the one week a year at a time I'd be taking at least some vacation doesn't really bug me.

 

[lili]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

We don't get any break from ours.
We pretty much paid for the whole year.

 

[Steel]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

I understand that it is the 'done' thing but I cringe when I hear about this. It is money for jam.

 

[TravelingGal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Meresal - would you feel the same about a nanny? Most nannies in my area get 2 weeks paid vacation, and that vacation is taken at their leisure and is in addition to any vacation the client family might take. So in that case you would be paying to watch your kids as well. For me, it was much easier just to plan that DH and I would take off the week between Christmas and New Years rather than try to scramble to find care for whenever a nanny scheduled her vacations throughout the year.

TG - I do see your point about it being a business, and if it were more frequent it would bug me, but the one week a year at a time I'd be taking at least some vacation doesn't really bug me.

I don't feel that way about my nanny because I am her EMPLOYER. She is my employee and I give her benefits.

A day care is not in my employ. I choose to give them my business because that's what they are. IMHO, the business should offer their employees vacation throughout the year based on whatever schedule and have the staff to cover accordingly, like any other business.

That being said, I'm surely not going to begrudge anyone holidays off! It would just be a factor for me if I were looking at daycares because holidays are too busy for me to take a lot of time off.

 

[meresal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Meresal - would you feel the same about a nanny? Most nannies in my area get 2 weeks paid vacation, and that vacation is taken at their leisure and is in addition to any vacation the client family might take. So in that case you would be paying to watch your kids as well. For me, it was much easier just to plan that DH and I would take off the week between Christmas and New Years rather than try to scramble to find care for whenever a nanny scheduled her vacations throughout the year.

TG - I do see your point about it being a business, and if it were more frequent it would bug me, but the one week a year at a time I'd be taking at least some vacation doesn't really bug me.

Tgal said it in much less words than I could. It is the employer vs employee thing. If I were to decide to have a nanny, then I am knowingly deciding to deal with those things. However, IMO, part of using a day care, is KNOWING that you don't have to worry about sick days and PTO. There will always be someone there.

With that said, if this business wants to shut down for 2 weeks, fine, but don't ask the parents to pay while you are out. You are not providing any type of service for those 2 weeks. Why should they pay? It's not even like saving a spot... who is going to take a spot while the business is closed. With that said, if employees of this daycare ARE working while on this 2 week haitus, then they should be watching kids... not trying to pick up new business.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Standard practice but it does hurt to write that check.

 

[NovemberBride]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

T-gal, I hear you, and one of the reasons it doesn't bug me that much is that it is the norm around here for the better daycare centers so there is no alternative if you want to use a licensed day care center. The better daycare centers in my area have wait lists a mile long (I got on the list for mine when I was 3 months pregnant and got the only opening for the month I needed) with people willing to pay whatever they are asking and no incentive to grant any concessions. In fact, we had a large tuition increase this year, even though most of the parents probably haven't seen a raise in a few years. In the end, they provide my daughter with excellent care that provides me peace of mind while I am at work and at the end of the day, that's worth what I pay and more.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

NB- I thought about that before I posted, but it still doesn't seem right for some reason.

What about the time off that the parents are having to take in order to watch the kids? Essentially parents are paying to watch their own kids. It's one thing to make people pay if the daycare is still open when you take your kid out, but if you still charge when the establishment decided to close, that just isn't right to me.

I worked for a bank, and didn't get days off but the actual holiday itself. If I were going to a daycare like this, my husband and I would end up paying the daycare and probably having to find a nanny at the same time. Ridiculous.

Meresal, it's the same concept as you getting paid days off at your job. They're paying you regardless of whether you're there working on those vacation days or not.

If you view it as you are the employer paying an employee a benefits package (pay plus vacation/sick time) it makes a lot more sense.

ETA: Sorry, hadn't read the posts that followed the one I quoted.

 

[charbie]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

My take is that it is a for profit company. They should take into consideration of their rates that they will be closed during two weeks during December. I work in a nursing home, we charge the residents per day they are in the facility. Our staffing ratios are also based on census. So if people go out to the hospital/home with family for holidays...we don't get paid for the days they aren't there.
families would throw a fit if we charged for days not in the facility...im just sayin...

 

[meresal]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

T-gal, I hear you, and one of the reasons it doesn't bug me that much is that it is the norm around here for the better daycare centers so there is no alternative if you want to use a licensed day care center. The better daycare centers in my area have wait lists a mile long (I got on the list for mine when I was 3 months pregnant and got the only opening for the month I needed) with people willing to pay whatever they are asking and no incentive to grant any concessions. In fact, we had a large tuition increase this year, even though most of the parents probably haven't seen a raise in a few years. In the end, they provide my daughter with excellent care that provides me peace of mind while I am at work and at the end of the day, that's worth what I pay and more.

NB- Are you paying an annual tuition? or a per week price?

 

[anchor31]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

In Quebec we pay a daily fee for every day the daycare is open (5 days/week except civic holidays) whether the child goes or not. So it sounds standard everywhere...

 

[Sha]

Re: Daycare: Paying to hold a 'spot' when baby is on vacatio

Hmm....interesting discussion. I can see both sides....

So my aunt whose grandson goes to the same daycare, told me yesterday that she didn't pay for the 3 weeks her son was out on vacation (in the U.S). She said she wasn't aware of the policy and wasn't told anything when she left with him on the Friday before their vacation. Blah. I'm thinking the Director probably wasn't there the Friday that she left, and she probably just dealt with one of the assistants. But she brought her grandson back yesterday and the Director didn't mention anything to her then, either. So that just makes me confused. One thing I don't like about this daycare is that their policies are not documented, just given via 'word of mouth' to the parents. I would feel more comfortable if this was something I knew about before hand, and that it was consistently applied across the board.

Anyhow...I think I'll pay for the next two weeks, and take there for 2-3 days of the week only. That will give me some time to get certain things done around the house too.

I think, though, that I'll keep her home for the two weeks leading up to Christmas, and see if I can not pay for those weeks. I doubt DD"s spot would be filled in that time. Plus, it just feels unfair that I have to pay for a whole month when my aunt didn't have to.