Take a Break: Why Daycare Providers Need Vacation Too. Running a home daycare is a labor of love, but it can be very exhausting. As a daycare provider, you pour your heart into nurturing and educating children, often at the expense of your well-being. Providers must take time away from their business to recuperate, de-stress, and enjoy life.
Miss Sue enjoying the ocean breeze in Kingston Jamaica(2023)
Planning Your Vacation Time
Some providers take vacation days throughout the year, while others plan specific weeks. I like to take 1-2 weeks off at a time instead of a couple of days, but do what works best for you. To help my yearly flow, I give my daycare families a calendar of our closed days from December of the previous year – that means I preplan my vacations in the same months every year. I take one week off for spring break (unpaid) to be with my out-of-school kids, two weeks off for summer break (one week paid), and for winter break (paid), we close from Christmas Eve until New Year’s. Additionally, my contract has ten (unpaid) personal days I can take in case of family emergencies or illnesses. Every home daycare provider should take (paid) federal holidays; that is not an option but a necessity for our bodies and mental state.
picture of the ocean at dusk (2023)
Educators are you ready to reinvent your home childcare? Take back you time, earn more and operate a successful business without burnout? If you answered YES! Then download this 5 Step Guide @Edulallie the platform I am building specificllay for all things home childcare providers.
Overcoming Home Daycare Burnout
When I started my home daycare, I didn’t have much muscle to advocate for myself. I got burnt out from serving others and not wholly being true to myself. My book, Overcoming Home Daycare Burnout, can help you develop that muscle so you, too, can take vacations, take time off, and find your passion for being a home childcare provider.
picture of coconut trees and the beach (2023)
Allow me to share some of our adventures and why I now take five weeks of vacation per year after serving my community for over fifteen years.
Traveling with Your Kids: A Personal Story
With medical help, I had my first child at 35 years old. In my heart, I felt I was late in life, and having kids so late wouldn’t allow me the freedom to explore the world, cross off my bucket lists, and fully live life. Concerned about my age, I told my sister I would only get to enjoy life and travel the world when I retired. She laughed and said, “Sue, you will travel with your kids.”
My daughter at Dolphin Cove (2018)
Her message took root, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing ever since. My husband and I set aside time for adventure with our two children. Road trips are, hands down, one of my favorite ways to travel. I am the driver in the family, and the open road calls my free spirit, and I can drive for hundreds of miles.
Growing up in Jamaica, my dad would drive us (six kids and mom) to the beach. Though we were poor, he found ways to entertain his family on a budget. He would rise early, cook, and pack a picnic food bag to serve us at the beach. We didn’t know how to swim, but that didn’t stop us from riding waves and navigating jellyfish stings or sea urchin needles. Our adventures were in the open back of a pickup truck. Those days, kids could ride in open-backs without seatbelts, and many times, we would sit on what was called the tailgate. Late nights, the back of the truck became a bed for us on dimly lit, meandering mountainous roads.
this is where I am from in Jamaica- I was born and raised in the country parts. (2023)
I’ve brought that sense of adventure into my parenting. We travel together as a family on many USA road trips, to my homeland of Jamaica, across the transatlantic ocean, and other parts of the world. These experiences create lasting memories and offer a break from the daily grind of running a daycare.
A Brave Journey to Jamaica
One year, I traveled to Jamaica by myself with my two young kids. My son was not yet one, and my daughter was only 2.5 years old. Looking back, it was brave to board a plane with two young kids without my husband’s extra hands, but I did it. During that vacation, my son turned one. He spent time with his cousins, aunts, grandma, and grandpa, and we celebrated so many good times that made the trip worthwhile.
grandpa and kids at the beach (2016)
We’ve prioritized going to Jamaica to bond with their extended family. The children lost their grandma during the peak of COVID-19. Though we couldn’t travel to say goodbye to her, we survived with many great memories filled with joy and connection, all of which we created while prioritizing vacations with family and giving the children an opportunity to experience their heritage in a place my husband and I called home.
picture of some coconuts (2023)
A Practical Tip for Vacation Savings
I discovered a fantastic tip over a decade ago when I attended one of Tom Copeland’s learning sessions. He shared a story of a daycare provider who saved all the tuition from one child. She had a mental tag for each child: vacation, bills, mortgage, and she formulated how each tuition would pay a specific bill. I have used that concept for my vacation savings. However, I tweaked it a bit. Instead of saving by choice, I automatically deduct a weekly amount and pour that into my vacation funds. You can do a similar computation weekly or monthly.
I call that savings plan ‘vacation funds,’ which ensures I use those funds only for buying airplane tickets, booking hotels, or booking AirBnB. If you’ve never heard of this concept, try it. I have made it a habit, and we know how hard habits can be to form, but it’s an excellent way to look forward to closing your daycare for a spring, summer, or winter break. You deserve a break, Yes! – you’ve worked very hard for it.
picture of my daughter at Disney (2015)
Our Memorable Road Trips
One year, we traveled from Chicago to Florida, and then, I drove to Niagara Falls – that year, I was pregnant with my son and was restless. Another year, we drove from Illinois to the Grand Canyon. We toured Utah, visited Bryce Canyon and the Arches, slept in wagons at Capitol Reef, and explored teepees. In Colorado, we marveled at Estes Mountain and an antique shop in Gunnison. In 2021, we were done with feeling caged; we had to go somewhere – we road-tripped to Florida. We stopped in Tennessee and toured Ruby Falls and its surroundings. America is a very beautiful country with many national parks and gorgeous landscapes, and each destination creates cherished family moments.
Miss Sue at the Arches Utah (2019)
What Are Your Favorite Trips?
What are your favorite trips to take with family or friends? Is it camping, touring national parks, boating, or hiking the Rockies or the Smokies? Each journey is a chance to recharge and return to your child care, refreshed and ready to provide the best care for the children.
picture of a wagons and teepee at Capitol Reef Utah (2019)
Conclusion: Even a Short Break Matters
Remember, even a short break, like a three-day staycation, is better than not taking any breaks at all, and taking time for yourself, whether a local getaway or a cross-country adventure, is vital for your well-being. So, take that break, plan that trip, and enjoy the adventures that await you and your family. Your well-being is more important than the care you provide to these beautiful children in your environment.
my family walking the beach (2023)
Until next time, I am Miss Sue your educator in the trenches with you.
xoxo Miss Sue
