Paying the Daycare Provider Question

Why would an in-home daycare close for snow days? My daycare provider has never closed for snow days, even is schools are cancelled. If we can make it there then she's open. Are snow days in her contract? Or maybe they are considered sick days and in that case she would be using any sick days she gets or vacation days she gets.

The in-home daycare we go to has a policy that she gets some paid holidays and vacation and we get some vacation where we don't have to pay her and it's sort of the same with inclement weather. (I would have to look at the contract for the specifics.) Since we only go part-time, we were able to take the kids a different day to make up for one snow day, and she gave us the other one for free. I don't think it's unusual for them to get paid, but it's a variable.

Here is how I feel... If you didn't bring your child to daycare because of weather, you should still pay because YOU made the choice. However, if THEY close for the day, you should not have to pay them for time they chose not to be open.

I am a provider and I stay open no matter what. If it's my decision to close, I don't expect to be paid. However, I do expect to be paid by the parents if they choose not to go to work and in your situation, I would expect you to take the personal time if needed in order to pay me, but again, I'd be open. I just can't keep my doors open without an income and there's ALWAYS something making people miss. Between going out of town, being sick, taking time off for personal reason, snow days, the cars that break down, Grandma is on vacation, daddy is on vacation, and I could go on and on... I'd never last 6 months in this business if I didn't protect my income.

I don't think what she's saying is right. But if you are asking if it's standard... it does seem to be the way providers are going. I talk with providers all over the world. Good providers that care about their kids and put their businesses at a high priority, seem to be of like mind in many areas. But there are many people in my camp as well.

If this is a daycare center then yes they usually are paid for weather closures as they count on that income to pay their staff and do not want their staff driving in bad weather just as your employer doesn't want you to have to drive in it. However if this is a private in home daycare that doesn't have to drive anywhere and She decided to close due to the weather then no I wouldn't pay her. If I choose to keep my child home because I don't want to drive in it but she remained open I would pay her.

It is standard for almost all daycares and home daycares to have you pay for ALL scheduled days, sick, snow or whatever. Daycares rely on the income and knowing how to budget, if you go on vacation and don't use your cable, you still pay the full amount regardless, same principal applies. Daycares also have to stick 100% to the ratios set out by the state, so they can't take another child to make up for any that may miss for some reason. Your daycare provider likely closed for safety reasons, you would be surprised at how many people don't have to go to work, yet will be out on dangerous roads to get their child to daycare and go back home themselves.

Usually you still have to pay for them -just like if you sent your kids to private school and they closed for weather, you don't get a tuition break. We were closed for a week here in January, and my youngest son's preschool actually DID cut us a break on February tuition. I was shocked! Between my 2 sons, we've used several different preschools/daycares over the years, and this was the first time that happened.

I just wanted to say that I feel your pain. We take our 2 kids to a daycare center. Their policy is that you pay for inclement weather days. We live farther south than you do, so that typically isn't a big deal; however my kids have already been out of daycare for a total of 12 inclement weather days in the past 4 weeks. My work is also fairly small and never technically closes, so I am always required to take PTO. Now I have next to no PTO and I have paid for 2 weeks of daycare without my children attending.

I understand that they have some overhead costs that need to be paid, but full tuition in my opinion is a rip off. It is highly likely that they do not pay their hourly teachers to be off on days for snow. In addition, it is not at all like private school because private school makes up the days that they had off.

Anyway, Yes, we are paying for snow days and as you can tell, no I am not very happy about it. For the rest of the year I will be paying another babysitter to watch my children while they are out of daycare when they are sick or have a holiday I don't have. Nothing like paying twice for childcare. :(

If it's an actual day care, I would understand that you'd pay. If she's an in-home provider, then I'd think she'd be more lenient since she cancelled. It's not like she had to get out of the house and drive somewhere to get to work. She choose to take a paid day off.

Yup, we still have to pay.

There was one time that our daycare had to close because of a heater problem in the building. They gave us a discount to make up for that. But weather, holidays, kid sick... still gotta pay.

IMO she should not get paid if she was closed for business. If she's open and you choose not to go, then you pay. If she closes, you have no option and you should NOT pay.

Of course, you should check your contract to see what it states.

My previous provider was paid for them. She only closed if there was a state of emergency declared. Otherwise, if we could get there then she would watch our child. Here in DE it doesn't happen often (except last year). My new daycare center uses the local school district as a guide but does not close unless absolutely necessary (state of emergency).

What does your contract say? If you don't have one, what was your verbal contract concerning this issue ahead of time? It may not just come down to what is right but also if you are willing to take a stand and maybe loose this provider if you don't pay.

I have to pay my daycare for snow days, acually anytime the school closes due to weather the daycare does too, and we pay for them to be off.

You have to check her handbook/parent guide. This is something that most people cover right away. In my experience, if my child did not go due to MY keeping him out I still paid but if it were from their actions I did not pay.

It depends on what your contract states. I am currently a nanny. We had snow days as well. I got my full pay for the week. I know that unless she did it regularly I would pay. But if she is just taking random days off then I would sit down and have a conversation with her. I know here in Illinois we had a blizzard last week. No one could go anywhere. The first day everyone was off. The second day the mom could still not get her car out of the garage. So yay second paid day for me. But that was them taking off not me. If she is taking off more than the norm then deduct it from her pay or tell her it will count as one of her paid holiday days.

I didn't get paid when my office closed for a funeral for someone that I didn't even know and didn't attend the service. They wouldn't even let me stay. If I had a service to attend, I could understand not getting paid, but that wasn't the case.
If your daycare provider closed, for whatever reason, I don't think you should have to pay, but that's just me.
If you still had to work regardless, then you would be paying double for daycare for that time. If not more.
I understand they are counting on a certain amount of income, but if they won't accept children, why should they get paid?
If YOU didn't take your kids because of the weather, that's different.

Again, just my opinion.

I have to pay even if they close...our weather has had our daycare close early or not at all 3 times in Jan...I still had to pay. However our daycare put up a sign saying "due to bad weather, teh daycare MAY close early tomorrow or not be open, please see channel 5 for details"...knowing THAT, my hubby and I scrambled to make it work. I went in SUPER early (at 530 vs the normal 8am) and Daddy stayed home...I was home by Noon (so I put in 6.5 hours) and daddy went to work. Since Daddy is salary, it was ok for him to just work 5 hours and not use time off. I then just made the other 1.5 hour up during the work week. its not easy and at times sucks (pardon the language) My daycare told us this information before I started. You can ask but they are entitled to tell you no.
Since your office was closed....and (like my office) you would have to use PTO...is it possible for you to make up those hours another time??? like work an extra hour per day and then come in on Sat for the rest of the hours??

Its pretty standard everywhere that you still have to pay.

We pay in advance and there is no credit for days they have to close. That is how it was with our daycare center and the Montessori school we used in the past, and the Catholic preschool and Presbyterian Parents Day Out we currently use. If it is an in-home provider (their home or yours), I would say if you have no contract and it wasn't a state of emergency, then you shouldnt have to pay if she chose not to work. We know our rules because there were parent handbooks for everywhere we have had our kiddos.

I only paid for day care on the days that my daughter was actually there.

oh yeah. still have to pay. we had to pay for holidays they were closed when my child would normally attend, if they sent them home sick, if they were sick and stayed home, or if they had weather/teacher conferences. It was crazy, so thats why I went and found a person that would come to my home and watch my kids. no more paying for columbus day at daycare and still having to take off work to boot because they were closed. good luck, and if its an option I'd say find someone who will come to you, and have no problem driving in the snow or whatever else KS drums up!

i am an in home day care provider, i think that yours is taking advantage of you. the only paid days i get are when the parents do not show up without notifying me at least 12 hours in advance. that way i know that i can make other plans. i dont want to be sitting around waiting for kids that are not going to show up and then they dont show up, it isnt fair to me or the others when we could be doing something else. then i make the parents pay me for that day. otherwise if the kids are not here they dont pay for the day. if they call me during the day and tell me they are going to be late i charge $5 more. (if it is an hour) and if their child has a fever i ask them not to bring them. but they dont pay me for those days either.
i dont close for snow days, i am still here, if they can get to me that is up to them.
L. in mo

It is common to pay for childcare by the week whether you take the kids or not. You are keeping the child care provider from dropping your children and taking in another child to fill that position.

It is the same if the weather requires they close. They still have to pay the utilities, the phone, the teachers, etc...you should pay your regular weekly fee.