Why Paid Time Off for Home Daycare Providers Matters

Paid time off for home daycare providers can be quite a hot topic among parents and home daycare providers. 

I frequently get emails from providers asking for advice on whether or not they should include paid time off in their contracts or asking for advice on “how to justify it” to clients during interviews. It’s the one thing I get asked about most often.

Controversial or not, I believe that home care providers should be taking paid time off.  While I strongly believe this, I find that many providers, especially new providers, do not feel that they are allowed to take time off with pay.

There is a very strong stigma in our society that home daycare providers are less educated and not real businesses. The truth about home daycare is that just like daycare centers and preschools, family childcare homes are legitimate businesses. We have state regulations to follow, yearly education and training requirements, inspections by state agencies, and pay taxes as self-employed individuals. Many providers have degrees in child development and/or years of childcare experience. 

I worked for many years in large daycare centers, preschools, and private schools before opening my home daycare. All of these facilities were closed for things like U.S. federal holidays, training days, inclement weather, and staff planning days. Parents still pay for these days. If a child was sick or on vacation, the parent still paid. Clients just accepted it as part of the business’s contract. Never once did I have parents try to force me to change the contract.  Yet when a home daycare provider closes for these days or takes time off for an illness, it suddenly becomes an issue. I frequently hear stories of potential clients demanding a provider change their policy if it includes paid time off.

A provider is not worth less because they work from their home.

Paid Time Off Providers Should Take:

Take at least five days of vacation! Give yourself some time to recharge and relax. Even if you stay home and do nothing for those days, you need time for yourself. This is the one that non-providers get most upset about. I can hear the comments now: “If you aren’t open, I shouldn’t have to pay.” I disagree. You are paying for a spot in the daycare, not only the service. 

Below is my list of days that I think all providers should take off with pay. I have these dates in my home daycare contract and make no exceptions. We work 10 to 12 hours a day. There is nothing wrong with giving yourself a few built-in days off. 

• Federal Holidays
• At least one week of vacation a year
• At least three to five sick days

I take two weeks of vacation, but I’ve found that a lot of providers feel they aren’t worthy of this much. I disagree. I’ve worked in childcare for 20 years. My program is consistent, safe, and high quality. I truly enjoy what I do. I should be allowed to take a few days to recharge. My contract says that my vacation can be used all at once or broken up throughout the year. I generally take two separate weeks. One in the summer and one in the winter. 

I do suggest that you give your daycare clients a list of all the closures at the beginning of the year. Every January my clients get a calendar for the year that shows all my closures. It makes it easier for them to plan and find alternative care. You should give them at least three to four weeks’ notice at the very least. 

Child’s sickness and vacation: If the child is out sick, normal payment is still due. The truth about home daycare is that parents are paying for a SPOT in your daycare. Yes, it’s a service you are providing but it’s a spot in that program that they are using. Unless they are a drop-in child, there is no reason to give reductions in fees because they go on vacation or out sick. You can’t fill that spot for a day or a week, it’s a spot you are holding for them. 

Why Paid Time Off for Home Daycare Providers Matters

Running a home daycare is not an easy “stay-at-home mom” hobby.  

It is a legitimate business that requires way more time and dedication than people understand.  The reality is that it’s not an “easy way to make extra cash” because daycare means long days with young children that require constant supervision and tending to.

Home daycare providers: 

• Get paid significantly less than most jobs (most charge around $2-3/per hour) 
• Work longer hours (10.5 to 12 hours a day on average)
• Have no co-workers, support, or adult interactions
• Get no breaks. There are no 15-minute breaks or 30-minute lunch hours like other jobs must offer.
• Lose privacy in their own home
• Have excessive wear and tear on their home
• Have no income guarantee (clients frequently leave unexpectedly)
• Get no benefits, like retirement or health benefits, that most jobs offer
• Spend hours every week outside of normal daycare hours doing daycare-related tasks

Providers are human too. They get worn out, sick, and need time with their families just like the rest of us. In addition to their own needs, the provider also needs to think about the health and safety of the children in her care. Exposing the children to sickness rather than taking time off is not creating a healthy environment and could make a child and their family sick.

Having paid time off lets providers:

• Avoid getting burnt out (the #1 reason people leave this career)
• Recharge and relax
• Have time for their family
• Get better if they are sick
• Attend trainings and events
• Feel valued for what they do

Childcare, in general, has a HUGE turnover. It’s hard to find people that can handle this career long-term. If a provider is working all year, 10-12 hours a day, with no breaks or time for things they enjoy, they will quit. If they are working even when sick because they can’t afford to take time off, they will eventually quit. Finding ways to avoid provider burnout and help keep the people who care for our children when we can’t in this career is a real thing. 

We need quality providers to stay in this field and continue to enjoy what they do.

Paid time off makes that possible.

Looking for more posts about running a daycare? Check out my daycare page to learn about starting or running an in-home daycare.