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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Two Week Notice? Paid Vacation?
nanglgrl 10:05 PM 08-05-2012
I've been providing childcare for about 10 years. I'm in the process of redoing my contracts and have a few questions.

I do not take any paid vacation days (except the federal holidays) and I do not offer any "free"days off for my clients. So if I take days off I do not get paid and if my client takes days off for any reason they still have to pay. Over the years this has worked great for my daycare, I've never had a client complain and I always know exactly what I'm getting paid. I'm thinking of adding a few paid sick days for me to my contracts because it seems like when I get sick it is because of a daycare child but I'm wary of this. What's the norm?

I've also never asked for a two week notice. My clients pay me on Monday for that week of care so no one ever leaves owing me money. My thoughts have been that if I require a 2 week notice:
1. I will have people stay for those last 2 weeks and I will feel like I'm working for free because they prepaid those weeks years ago.
2. My good clients who are leaving because of a move, preschool, job change etc. usually give me a notice, its the people that I'm having problems with that don't. If the relationship has soured the last thing I want is for them to stay for 2 weeks because they paid for it ahead of time.
3. If the relationship has soured and they prepaid the would most likely make up a reason to call licensing on me or at least threaten it to try to get their deposit back. I have nothing to hide but I hate the thought of that.
4. Realistically (at least in my area) a two week notice is nothing because the spot will probably not fill in that short of time. So it's not like it will help me re-figure my finances.

So those are my reasons for not requiring a 2 week notice. Is there something I'm not seeing? I know that most providers do it so I feel like I must be missing some benefit. Is it that or is it just my way of looking at things?
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Daycarelady1979 01:54 AM 08-06-2012
My policies are the same as yours I do require a 2-weeks notice & it states in the contract that the 2 weeks are paid regardless of attendance. I don't care if they stay the 2 weeks or not, but they will still have to pay me...lol I have never in 9 years been able to replace a child in that time frame. I guess the only reason I even require a notice is so I don't feel like I'm left "high & dry"...I don't like surprises

My county paperwork says they only have to give me a 10 day notice (not my choice...it's typed on there). Not really sure how that all works as I haven't enrolled any county kids yet.

I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it
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Truly Scrumptious 06:15 AM 08-06-2012
I've always required a 2 weeks notice...but several years ago I started requiring parents to pay for their last 2 weeks of care up front. Like you, if I had a great relationship with a family, then I didn't have to worry about them "skipping out" on me. But, if I had a problem family...well, they were of course the very ones that were just waiting for the moment to "pay me back".
I also changed my contract to state that I (the provider) do not have to give a two weeks notice. It says that I can terminate at will.
That way I don't have to put up with a bad family for 2 weeks if I don't want to.
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Tags:contracts, paid days off
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