Daycare Money Question?

When you say "accept" do you mean when it's offered or do you mean "ask" for it? It should still be offered since that's the way it works with day care - you pay whether you're there or not unless the facility is closed. If it is offered, maybe you should accept perhaps 75% of the normal fee and tell her you're giving her a break since you didn't watch the child all week, but you should get something.

Yes it is customary for a parent to pay for daycare if the child is not there unless there is advanced notice and both the parent and provider agree on another arrangement.

It depeds on what agreement you made when you started watching her. I watched a little boy but we had an agreement that if he didn't come she didn't pay. A few years later I watched a different little boy and she paid even when he wasn't here.

If you don't have an agreement and she offers to pay you, I would take the money. If the child were in a daycare center or a licensed home day care they would have to pay for time off.

Yes. Almost all daycares have this policy. If for any reason the family does not bring the child they are still expected to pay. However, if you take time off, they are not expected to pay. This is your job and income you count on. I would take the money. For future reference, I would talk about these issues with the family so there are no questions/akward feelings.

Yes. The fact is that you were there to watch her and available. Just because they made last minutes changes doesn't mean that you shouldn't get paid as you made sure that you were available. If you are feeling bad about taking the money, feel free to give it back or split the difference.

Greetings S.,
As a long time Day Care provider, I wanted to add my 2 cents of thought to your question.
YES! If you have an aggrement to be paid for service, and they choose to do otherwise then - it is thier choice to give you paid time off. All the Pre-Schools that I know of do this as well as after school care. I know that when my son keeps his child home a day his care provider still expects her money paid.
Remember that this is a business and not a friendship situation during work hours as you may be dear friends when not a boss and employee situation. Also as you have come to expet this money and most likely include it in your budget that could be a hardship on you and your family.
I have closed my Day Care but still Nanny 2 days a week. I expect to be paid for the agreed times I watch the children, unless I choose to give up the money freely.
As a stay at home mother, you are still taking on the responsibility of the care of another child, and often their families changing situations. Give yourself credit/pride/respect, as a business woman for the hard work that you do( I have 5 children of my own as well) I know that what you charge is up to you alone and it varies per situation, so be fair to yourself. Good Luck, Glenda

I know I have to pay for my day care whether I send my son or not. We take a two week vacation the day care still gets paid. They take a vacation and they still get paid. Sometimes it sucks to pay for it but I understand since they can't fill your spot while you are gone. I couldn't imagine expecting to make a certain amount of money in a month and then getting that cut unexpectedly. I think this is pretty common. I hope this helps.

Since you only watch one little girl and don't have a policy for this sort of thing I would say do what you think is right. It definately wouldn't be wrong of you to accept the money. This family knows you rely on the money so they are probably happy to pay you. Most daycares (home or otherwise) do have parents pay even when they're out. It may be partial payment but it is intended to "hold" their place.

Dear S.,
Is it a matter of you expecting the money or accepting it?
It's customary for daycare providers to be paid even if the child isn't there due to illness or someone else being able to have them during vacation or special times which is the case with you right now.
I would definitely accept the money and be glad they offer it.
My son babysits for kids during vacation times and he gets paid for the entire week on the first day. If mom or dad get off work early or family shows up, my son still gets paid for the whole time since we scheduled his vacation plans around babysitting.
Many daycare providers don't negotiate this unless you know them well or there is a special circumstance.
Yes, you should be paid just the same, in my opinion.

If you had a contract with her, then you should get the money. If not, maybe it can be something you negotiate in the future.

Yes, in daycares, you pay for the spot, not whether or not your child attends due to illness or vacation. It doesn't sound like you are a licensed daycare (or maybe you are?). If you don't have a contract with the parent outlining this, I could understand if the parent doesn't think she needs to pay you. If she offers to pay you, I think you should accept it since you were planning to watch her. If she doesn't pay you (and you think she should), you'll need to talk to her about the arrangement, and maybe work out those terms for the future.

I think it's up to you. There are usually 3 policies daycares have: 1) they get paid regardless if the child is there for vacation, sickness, etc. 2) some expect 1/2 pay for vacation time and 3) if notified in advance, no pay is required. Maybe just take a daily rate for this week and establish something in writing so if this happens again, both you and the parent know what to expect.

i think it's up to you. professional licensed places (even if it's in a home) generally expect ppl to pay even when the child isn't there. if it's just the one child and you don't feel right about it, don't accept it. i'm sure the mother will appreciate it.

I agree with the previous responses. When our children were in daycare if we took them out we paid for the time, even when they were in after school care...if you had your children enrolled and they were not attending the day for a reason you still paid for the time you committed.

Good luck. If this is a friend you might want to tell her from now on you need to be paid for time that you have committed to being available and she decides to not bring her child. What is the arrangement for when her daughter is not attending because she is ill?

Yes.
That is normal protocol.

I't is normal protocol to accept the money. And there is nothing wrong with keeping the money and it's okay to split the difference as well. I think it depends on the person.
However, if you were counting on that money to make ends meet and counting on that extra income I would definately keep it.

Most preschools and day cares charge by the week or month. That resrves the child' spot and parents pay wheather the kids are there or not. AS to wheather you want to accept money for the week or not is soley up to you. Most in home day care people do get paid regaurdless because that is their income and they don't want/ can't live on a fluxuating budget.

we have to pay whether we go or not and it drives me crazy. especially when our lady goes on her vacation... we pay, and it is a different week then our vacation so i pay her AND have to find a plan B and pay. Argh grumble grumble...

I say if they are offering you money, then take it. When my girls were in daycare I had to pay even if it was vacation and they weren't going there. When the daycare was on vacation I still had to pay half of the weekly rate. If your not comfortable with taking the money tell them to keep it, I'm sure her parents won't mind :)

when I took my child to daycare I was quoted a weekly price and had to pay it if the child was there or not...I was told it was to save the spot...and your time is money..It wasn't you that made the change for the child to go else where..So you take the money....enjoy your break

I send my son to a hin home day care. I always have to pay even when she closes for her vacation. I really dont believe its right but its the policy. I believe it should be pay if the child stays out unexpectedly but if you know in advance or if you are not available I dont believe there should be a charge

Do you have some sort of contract with the parents? If you do, go by what that agreement says. If not, it's something you need to work out with them. I would definitely ask for pay for the half day. When we do childcare, that is our income and we are setting aside that time for the children. Our contract for the daycare we run allows our parents two weeks a year that they can use for vacation time without having to pay. We don't allow them to be used for the occasional day off, or sick time when the children are out, but they need to be taken either as two weeks vacation together or as a week at a time several times a year. This gives the parents a break from paying, but still gives us some security in our paychecks too. Oh, and we also require that the parents give us two weeks notice in advance of taking the vacation time. If they were to ask to use it for some emergency that came up, we'd work with them on that and accept less or even no notice, but for something like a grandma wanting time with the child, we'd require the two weeks. Also, in the case of grandma taking the child except for one afternoon, we have a drop-in rate that is higher than the regular rates that would apply in that case.
People tend to feel that they should be able to pay only when their child is there, and I can understand that from the perspective of the parents. However, in order to be able to run a childcare the provider needs to have some security in their income. Otherwise there would end up being no childcare available for working parents at all.

I run an in home daycare and I didn't make my family pay when they were gone for spring break it's really up to you.

Hi Momma-
I think you should. Here is my reasoning on this one. My nephew goes to daycare. The agreement is that on holidays and when he is sick, he is his parents responsibility. If the grandparents (or the Auntie) want to watch him and his parents don't mind, that is fine, but that doesn't mean that the agreement for a month's worth of daycare nor the price changes. They still pay. If the parents don't think they should have to pay, then you need to set up a fee schedule- regardless of how often the children show up- if you are on call to watch them for certain hours on certain days, and they cancel, for whatever reason- they are still obligated to pay you for being available. If you do not have an agreement, then this is a discussion about what your fees as a childcare provider are. If you depend on this money, then they cannot expect to not pay. But if you agree to them not paying, that is totally your decision. I highly suggest you getting a signed contract, even if it is between friends, because business is business and you are getting paid to provide a service. This contract allows you to not have to argue or fret over what is and isn't chargeable, and also makes it clear to the parents of the children you watch that they owe so much per month regardless (unless the baby has been home sick for the majority of the month or something like that). Look up some sample contracts on line, and ask other childcare providers what their rules and requirements are. Don't feel bad about getting paid, though. Think of it as paid time off. If it still makes you uncomfortable, then get a contract with fees and regulate it like any other billing system. It takes all the questions out of the equation and makes things pretty darn clear for all parties involved.
Hope this helps!
Good luck momma
-E. M