I had someone ask me a while back why (almost all) child care providers charge for days a child is not in care, like sick days or holidays or vacation days. If they are at home with their child, shouldn't they be able to deduct that day from the weeks tuition?
Fair question.
My short answer to her was that child care is like cable, not pay-per-view :) You pay for all the channels, not just the ones you actually end up watching. You pay for all the days, not just the ones you use.
To go a little more in-depth with the analogy, when you enroll your child in child care, you are contracting for hours with your provider (whether they are a center or home based provider), for them to be available to care for your child. The tuition is the fee to have those hours saved for your child week to week, not so much day to day. For many providers, the tuition is a specified amount per week, for the hours requested, not one fifth of that amount per day.
Now, there are very good reasons you may need to keep your child out of care, and there are good reasons your provider may need to ask you to pick up your child early or keep them out. (Sick child licensing policy, anyone?) But the costs associated with your child's child care spot don't disappear just because your child is unable to attend. The electricity, water, food, and supplies still need to be purchased, paid for, and available. In advance.
And though I know there are jobs out there that don't offer flex time/ sick days/ holiday pay, a lot of them do. And if you are in the group that receives that benefit, you expect to be paid for your days off so you can still pay your bills. Your child care provider is no different. They are a professional, providing a demanding service, one that requires training, licensing visits, background checks, paperwork, and has enough rules and regulations to make your head spin. They have bills to pay as well, and rely on their income, including sick days, flex time, and holiday pay, to keep things afloat.
So, here's the thing. Your provider loves your kid. Not like you love your kid, and not like they love their own kid. (And that's ok! That's how it's supposed to work.) But they want to be able to be there for you and your child. They want your child to come experience and enjoy the environment and activities they have available and planned out. Sometimes though, that just isn't what works out.
I know I love my job. I know my other provider friends love their jobs. Child care is a profession, and a service offered. Know what your provider's c
ontract and financial policies are, have conversations with them about the ins and outs of what is expected and offered on both sides, and make sure there are as few surprises as possible. Yes, child care is not cheap. Yes, it can be frustrating to find the fit that works for all the areas you need it to. But child care providers love kids, love seeing them develop and succeed, and (for me, anyway) love being a resource for parents. However, when it is a chosen profession, we still need to be paid for our time and effort.
And the rewards of having a child development professional as a resource for your child's village?
Priceless.
