Family childcare owners often don’t take real vacation. The business depends on them. The families depend on them. The math depends on them. The result is owners who haven’t had a full week off in years, and businesses that quietly drain their owners.
Here’s how to build a real vacation plan
Start with the calendar a year ahead. Not ‘sometime next summer.’ Specific weeks. Block them now. Treat them as non-negotiable.
Communicate the dates to families clearly, far in advance. Sample language for the December newsletter: ‘Just letting you know — I’ll be taking vacation the weeks of [date] and [date] next year. The program will be closed during those weeks. I’m telling you a year ahead so you can plan accordingly.’ Most families will respect this when told early.
Charge tuition during vacation weeks. Most family childcare programs do, and most families accept it when the policy is clear and communicated upfront. The reason: your overhead doesn’t stop, and you deserve paid time off the same as any worker.
Some FCCs offer a ‘tuition credit’ for one or two vacation weeks per year as a goodwill gesture. If your math supports it, this can strengthen the relationship. If it doesn’t, hold the line politely.
Plan for what families need during your closure. Most families will use family or backup arrangements. Some may struggle. Have a short list of trusted backup providers in your area you can recommend — providers you know personally, whose program is good. Helping families navigate your absence builds trust.
Consider a substitute provider for some closures. Some FCCs partner with another licensed provider to cover their program during select vacation weeks. The substitute provider runs the program in your space (or theirs). Families know in advance who they’ll be with. This is complex to set up but can work for some programs.
Plan around the year, not just summer. A long weekend in March. A week in April. Some days off scattered through the fall. Don’t save all your time off for August. The body needs distributed rest, not crammed rest.
Pre-build your operational pause. The systems that need to keep running during your absence — bills paid, mail handled, subsidy paperwork submitted on time. Either pre-schedule them or hand them to a trusted person.
Communicate clearly during your absence. A simple auto-reply on your email. A voicemail message that names when you’ll be back. The peace of mind for families that you’ll respond when you return — not the expectation of an immediate response.
Don’t take work with you. Truly. The point of vacation is rest. The ‘I’ll just check emails twice a day’ plan is the plan that ruins your week. Trust the operational pause you set up.
Track the cost of not vacationing. Many owners don’t realize how much the unbroken work pattern costs them — health, energy, decision-making quality, family relationships. Take a quiet inventory. The cost is real.
And forgive yourself for needing rest. Family childcare is hard, beautiful work. Real rest is part of doing it well over years. The families you serve over decades are better served by the owner who took her vacations than by the one who burned out at year four.
Block the calendar. Send the announcement. Honor the dates. The business will be there when you get back.