What's the Typical Family Daycare Policies

My main thing is that no matter what, your child should have a safe and loving environment. If you have any concerns, talk to the person and find out everything. Check out what other moms in your area think, get recommendations. and I am pretty sure there is a licensing state board that you can call and confirm if that person is certified. Voice your issues, it's your child, your #1 man! :)

My son doesn't go to day care for a number of reasons, here is the run down:
-there is only 2 certified places on island and they don't take new kids (my son has been on the waiting list since he was 10 days old, April 2008) So here is what happens in the family day cares on the island I live on:
-family day caregivers (at home) are not certified and the kids are in front of the TV all day
-it costs $250-$275 a week
-I have to provide snacks, lunch and if the child doesn't know how to feed himself, then he might go all day without food/ drink basically.
-nap time is loose, kids nap on the floor on blankets that they need to bring from home
-there is hardly any structure during the day, and the day lasts from 8:30am to 3:30pm
-if the kid skips a day or two, you don't get a refund on the money
-most family day cares are closed during all school vacations, which means summer also; if they are open, they charge extra

I did daycare for a while. My rules were if u cancel on me then you pay for that day, and holidays to. If I cancel due to sickness etc. then u don't pay. I did not include food because most of my kids were picky eaters. My after school kids I did give a snack. I gues it depends what u pay too!

Many daycares have u pay if they go on vaca. I did not! i guess they are all different. You have to realize that it is her job and means of income, so if you keep canceling then she has no money. What if your boss kept calling and saying you have the day off with no pay! just try and think of it like a job for them! What are her rules and I could help better to see if she is fair!

M. - SAHM and WAHM and love it!

Hi L.,
I know I'm a little late in chiming in but just wanted to share my experience with you. My son has been going ot a home daycare since he was 4 mos old. In my area, this provider is actually on the higher end for home daycares ($45/day, my son goes only 2 days a week). However, this woman was a director of a daycare center for 20 years before retiring and opening her own at home. She follows a curriculum and the kids are not in front of the tv 24/7. She does let them watch some (mostly when she is preparing lunch, snack, etc.) which is understandable to me since that gives her the time to get the food ready. She has a meal program through the state so I do not provide food for my child. (When he was an infant I did have to provide formula and diapers). As for paid/unpaid time off - our provider follows the same holiday schedule as the school system and we have to pay for those days even though she's not open. We've lucked out with stuff like that though because our son goes on T/W and most holidays fall on Mondays, so we don't end up paying anyway. She does allow herself 5 paid sick days per year and she schedules 2 weeks of vacation per year. Up until last year, we did not have to pay for the vacation weeks. However, last year that policy changed and parents now have to pay for the provider's vacations. I was not happy about this (nor were the other parents) but this was the provider's way of "raising" her prices without actually raising the weekly cost of her daycare. As aggravating as it can be, I also had to remember that this is her business. If I didn't get paid for sick time or vacation time I'd be pretty pissed and it would set me back some financially as well so from that standpoint, I can understand her reasoning. I suppose it's the downside to going with a home daycare rather than a center.

Hope this helps! Happy Holidays!

A. B.

Hi L., you are right to ask, because home daycares are usually different from centers. This is what we do with our home day care giver:
1. She follows the school year calendar and takes school holidays, we still pay for those holidays during the school year. (I'm actually not sure about Christmas, but I am paying for all of Thanksgiving week and there is no care available.) However, my guy goes part time and the other kids have moms who teach, so it makes sense.
2. If we don't go b/c of our illness, we pay.
3. If we don't go b/c of her illness, we don't pay.
4. We don't pay for her vacations.
5. we do pay for weeks that we don't go due to our vacations.
6. I pay full time rate (actually a 4 day rate) even though he goes 2 days/wk. He used to go 4 days, and since he takes a spot, I have to pay the full rate. This also gives me some flexibility to add another day if I need it.
7. We go 9:15 to 3:30, the other kids arrive before 8 and stay until about 4. A reasonable morning time (7:30 or so) to about 5:30 is normal for most inhome care.
8. While some of it can be really flexible, there is also a lack of flexibility b/c there is only one person, not a staff.

If it's not working for you, look into a center, especially if your son is more than 2 years old. I understand your feelings about being taken advantage of, it can be frustrating. My caregiver gave me her operating policies in writing, and yours should too. Ask her for them, telling her you want to be sure you understand completely how she runs her business.

I am a home daycare provider and I charge $125/week full time (7:00am-5:00pm) or $30/day part time. If a family doesn't bring their child, for whatever reason, they still pay, if I ask for a day off (sickness, holiday, etc), they don't pay. I currently don't have any paid sick days, but I know some home daycare's do. I do give families one week (5 days) of vacation that they do not have to pay for.

Kalina, as a childcare provider myself, I found your post quite offensive. The things you listed as facts that all home daycare's do simply are NOT true and are offensive to those of us who provide quality loving care.

Hi I had a licensed family daycare in massachusetts. Being in the Berkshires meant that there are MANY, MANY to choose from. So the rates were very competative.

I had a written handbook that clearly stated all policies. I charged $125 a week for any age and only had 2 part time slots.($25 a day) I had 9 paid holidays and 5 paid vacation days scheduled where I was closed. If parent chose to keep their child home for any reason they had to pay (even if the child was out due to illness). I had a food program so the parents never had to send any food with their child. I provided mats but not bedding for nap time. I followed an age appropriate curriculum and had less than 1 hour of tv a day.
Massachusetts is implementing so many new regulations for family child care providers (starting January 2010) that I think many will be closing because they don't want to limit tv time and provide educational curriculum.

I am a licensed home daycare provider of The Toddler Patch in West Hartford.
My weekly charge is $190 for full time and $45 per day for part time of 3 days per week. I provide two healthy snacks, water and 100% fruit juice. I follow a preschool curriculum, offer potty training and take the kids on field trips to the local parks, library, museums and farms. My hours are 7:30-4:30 or 5pm. I follow the West Hartford Public School calendar for holidays that I close for which are paid holidays. I do not have paid sick days for myself but if the child enrolled is sick the family still pays for the missed day. I take three weeks vacation per year and only one of those weeks is a paid week. I give the parents a 90 day advance notice of my vacation weeks.
I suggest that if you feel taken advantage of then you should start to look for another daycare provider. It is so important to have a good working relationship with your provider so you feel comfortable leaving your child everyday. I want my parents to have peace of mind knowing their child is being cared for by someone who truly has their best interests at heart and who trust me completely with their precious little ones. I'm not sure where you're located by if you'd like to get more information on my home daycare you can go to TheToddlerPatch.com or call me at ###-###-####. I am also offering a 20% discount off the first month of childcare. Best of luck to you!
~S.