Daycare ? What to do when provider is sick.

[DrSally]

DD's daycare provider just called 7pm at night to cancel for tomorrow, grrr. She has back pain. Anyway, She describes it as bad, so I'm wondering if it will continue through the week. If so, and
I need to find and pay alternate sitters, I'm assuming that I still pay her her regular rate? I'm new to this daycare thing, so please tell me if that is the norm? TIA

[llama8]

I use a daycare center, but they never close because there are multiple teachers that they can move around if someone is out sick. If you have a single provider, I would be prepared for her to call out sick frequently if she has back pain which is usually chronic. I wouldn't pay her if she cancels, but you need to read the contract. If she is bailing and you are a new client, I would try to find an alternate daycare situation with maybe more than one provider. This situation does not seem good unless you can take a lot of days off from work and that is not why you are paying them.

[PZMommy]

We switched to a center, because our home provider canceled a few times, and we have no one else to watch our boys, so we would have to miss work. At a center, they only close major holidays. If the teacher is sick, they provide the coverage.

Our ome provider did expect us to pay if she canceled or if we kept the boys home. I did not like that we had to pay even if she canceled. I understood paying if we kept the boys home.

Dawn

[scrooks]

I dont pay my dcp when she cancels (or we cancel actually) for illness but I only work part time and my kids are only there 2 days a week and she charges me per hour.

Since I only work part time I can just switch my days around if we miss a day for illness. I think it would be really difficult if I were working full time without flexibility.

[twowhat?]

Check your contract. Is she an in-home provider? If so she probably has worked in some number of paid "personal days" which covers her sick days, in which case you would still pay her until she runs out of sick days.

So sorry you're dealing with this! It's one of the reasons I just couldn't go with an in-home provider, though I have friends that wouldn't trade the more personalized care for the world:) I hope it ends up just being one day.

[DrSally]

I do like the personalized care, but it stinks to get a call at 7pm the night before! I guess I should just ask or look at e paperwork. She does take holidays/vacays, but I don' remember reading about sick days. I totally don't expect to dock her if
I cancel, but when she cancels,
I do have to pay someone else. Luckily it's e summer, and our teenage neighbor can come over.