{"id":23290,"date":"2015-12-05T06:10:05","date_gmt":"2015-12-05T11:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/?p=23290"},"modified":"2025-01-23T08:42:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T08:42:42","slug":"give-daycare-provider-holiday-bonus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalskyweb.co\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/2015\/12\/05\/give-daycare-provider-holiday-bonus\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Give Your Daycare Provider a Holiday Bonus?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>15<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than giving Christmas gifts, not all parents have heard about giving their daycare provider a holiday bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I want to discuss whether a parent should offer a daycare provider a holiday bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is There Such A Thing As Holiday Bonus Etiquette?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone is fortunate to get a holiday bonus at the end of the year, so relying on the Budget is the ideal way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are self-employed or a contractor, you have to look out for yourself in the world of employment, which means you can set guidelines and rules for your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not only the daycare provider many are unsure about when it comes to giving a holiday bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are fortunate to have a maid, nanny, groundskeeper, or other contracted service people working for you, giving them a holiday bonus is nice but not necessarily required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/strong> Do you get a Christmas Bonus, or do you Budget?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you work for a large company or organization, you may find that your employer is generous and may gift you a holiday bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll still be paying taxes on it if it’s not cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, you may have a Grinch for a boss, so you’ll get nothing except a pat on the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t take offense to this because not all business owners are ready to hand out a holiday bonus to their employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vacation vs. Holiday Bonus <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vacation pay is one thing, whereas a holiday bonus is another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Times may be challenging, especially for small businesses in local communities struggling because big box stores dominate the consumer scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some employees understand and would rather have a job than wonder how they will pay the bills or where to find work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all my years of working, I was given grocery gift cards and turkeys, which I never expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My employers were good to me for the most part and always took care of the employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small holiday bonus was a lovely Christmas gesture, but most didn’t expect it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, my wife worked for an employer who would give a holiday bonus of $1000 at the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a magical time for many families who came to rely on the holiday bonus to pay for food and Christmas gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, as the company grew, the holiday bonus was structured, then shrunk, and before she moved on, it had disappeared completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The holiday bonus system was no longer sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was tough on the employees who banked on the money, but new employees would not know what they’d missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This caused a bit of a disconnect with disgruntled employees who said they needed the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some would say that the company should continue to pay even a small holiday bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, others were fine since the company put on an elaborate Christmas party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One fan wrote last week asking for tips about giving her at-home daycare provider a holiday bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s read what she has to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Mr.CBB<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I belong to a small mom’s group in our city where all our kids attend the same in-home daycare provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lovely woman who watches our children does a fantastic job with them. We’ve been with our daycare provider for five months, so not even a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a problem because some moms pay her two weeks for a holiday bonus, which I feel is too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She does require us to pay for days missed when our child does not show up to daycare or if we go on holiday, but that is all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My husband and I would give her a card made by our 13-month-old son, plus a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant for Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll be honest and say I feel guilty for giving so little; if the other parents find out, I will be mortified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They seem to think we are made of money since my husband has a good job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s hard to put on a “rich face” when that’s false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are in debt to $100,000 and then some, and it’s hard to keep up some months, so that the extra money would help us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should we pay off our debt or give the daycare provider a two-week holiday bonus?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any suggestions from you or the readers would be great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-KM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday Bonus Dilemma<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My wife has friends who have given the equivalent of two weeks’ pay for a holiday bonus at Christmas to their daycare provider, along with a gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you pay your daycare provider $150 a week to watch your child, you will give them a $300 holiday bonus if you follow the above suggestion of two weeks’ pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other parents we know give nothing because they can’t afford to, and there’s nothing wrong with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no hard and fast rules about giving out a cash holiday bonus to anyone, especially a big enough compensation to cover the holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I understand that when the kids are not coming to their home over the Christmas holidays, self-employed daycare providers may lose the pay they typically get from the parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, many would say that is the line of work they chose to get into, so they should budget for limited income during December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pay The Daycare Provider Or Save Money <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though the parents may save money by having their kids home from daycare, owners ask parents to provide a holiday bonus for those weeks away right from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many parents rely on the extra money they will save to pay for their Christmas festivities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This money may also cover when the parents keep the kids home over the Christmas holidays or if they go on vacation and pull their kids from daycare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most facilities ask that you pay for your child’s spot even when you pull them to go on vacation, but not when the employee goes on vacation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, you are paying for two daycare providers when your primary daycare provider is on vacation unless the parent(s) are home on holiday themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What ends up happening for some parents is they are forced to take holidays at the same time IF they even have vacation days to accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a controversial topic in the daycare world because not everyone agrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vacation Rules Differ Amongst Provinces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone gets vacation time from their employer until after a certain amount of years of employment, although a vacation pay account builds during that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every province\/territory has different rules for vacation pay in Canada. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some daycare providers will ask for a paid vacation right from the start, which is very common and different from a holiday bonus and is very common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means the daycare provider will go on vacation, and the parents pay for their average daycare costs and still have to find someone to watch their kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this is a controversial topic between parents and home daycare providers in the daycare world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also considered whether there would be daycare providers who pick favorites over the other kids because their parents offer a holiday bonus or other perks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know that sounds outrageous, but believe me, it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money talks for some people and is loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to keep your kid in daycare, we were told it’s best to pay up the holiday bonus and vacation pay to secure an ongoing spot for your child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s odd since you’re paying them off to keep them happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d probably steer clear of any daycare like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that some daycare facilities may not allow parents to offer cash gifts to the teachers, so it’s always best to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My sister-in-law was only allowed to send homemade gifts to the daycare facility her son went to, and if she went on vacation, she still had to pay for the time her son was not in daycare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She never had to pay for the employees’ vacation pay since this was the employers’ responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should You Budget For Christmas?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you should, especially if you want to avoid creating debt since some people use credit cards and other money loans to fund the holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We use a Christmas Reserve Fund<\/a><\/strong> that we budget for throughout the year and helps keep the holidays stress-free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing all the financial facts is essential before you sign on the dotted line with a daycare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday Bonus Christmas Gift Ideas<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Should you give a Christmas gift to your daycare provider?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, you can do this instead of or combined with a cash bonus (if you so choose to offer one)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may be a hand-made card from the kids with a box of chocolates, homemade baked goods, a grocery gift card, or a gift card for a mom to pamper herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a coupon\/deals expert and have a stockpile of health and beauty products at home, you could create a gift basket with chocolates or other items you know they may like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternate options would be to give a gift card to a restaurant, bookstore, movie, coffee shop, or mall or have your kids make something special like a Christmas tree ornament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe your daycare provider enjoys an excellent wine with dinner, so this is also a gift option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lottery tickets are also big favorites for Christmas bonus gift ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your daycare provider has assistants who work with them, you may consider a Christmas gift\/card for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does A Holiday Bonus Fit Your Budget?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This seems to be the norm from the moms we’ve talked to in our area who either run a daycare or have kids in daycare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You shouldn’t feel pressured to give a holiday bonus\/gift or feel guilty if you cannot offer one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the thought that counts, and remember, it’s not always about the money; it’s the recognition employees seek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussion: <\/strong>Should daycare providers get a Holiday Bonus from the parents? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leave me your comments below, and I’ll respond to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBB Week At A Glance<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This week has been pretty good for us as we spent quality time together as a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did manage to get the lighted wreath up outside and finish some bits around the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took a day off this week, although I’m not feeling the best, and neither is my wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did manage to bring our son to the gym, where he had a fun-filled 2 hours of running around with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting him out of the house for exercise is excellent, even during winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don’t mind doing this for the $10 fee for all 3 of us to get in; plus, he gets to interact with other children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife did some shopping yesterday at the outlet malls in Toronto and scored a couple of pre-Christmas bargains for herself, where she saved 75% off the original ticketed price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our trip to see Santa was an epic fail as our son had a meltdown on his lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tried twice, but it was a no-go, so we will return and try again on Monday as I am on vacation again (insert smile).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, it was great as our son smiled for the camera in one go; this year, not so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah well, he’s more aware now, and I likely would be afraid of a guy dressed in red with a big beard, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published This Week<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have a question that you would like to ask Mr.CBB, fill out the Contact Mr.CBB<\/strong> form on the Home Page and send in your questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n