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If she is paid hourly and you guys never discussed time off, I would assume she would not be getting paid for time off. Most part time jobs don't pay time off. I would probably give her a christmas gift/bonus though (cash, but not the full amount she'd have made for the time she is taking off).

The only question I'd have, I suppose, is who needs her to take time off? Is she taking a week off so she can go be with her family? Or is she taking the week off because you are traveling or off work and don't need her? If you guys are leaving town and she could have worked at least part of that time I'd maybe give her more than if she told you she can't work the full week due to her plans.

I think the standard is to pay her for the full amount of hours. We have a nanny who works 3 days per week and if we go on vacation or if her workday falls on a holiday, we pay the full amount for the day.

The way to think about it (or so I was told) is that she relies on that pay and it's technically "reserved" for you, she can't go out and find another job to pay for that day that you don't pay her. In other hourly jobs, she might be able to ask to work additional hours to "make up" for time she missed, but as a nanny you can't really do that.

We've had our nanny for over a year now and she's like part of our family. It's so difficult to find a good nanny and not only one that you can trust, but also one that "connects" with the entire family. At first it was hard to pay for the "non-working" time, but now I just see it as something she deserves for doing such a great job and ensuring that she's happy with us. We respect her and she gives 100% with our son.

I would probably pay for holidays (ie if Christmas Day would have been a working day for her, I would pay her) but I would not give her paid vacation since she's part time/hourly.

@blackbird: That's very generous!! I have to work on the day after Thanksgiving, I would never expect it to be a paid holiday even for a full time position!

I'd honestly not pay her for the vacation days because:
1- she is part time
2- you never discussed it

However, I am a big believer in holiday bonuses. I think it is especially important to show her you appreciate her and to kind of help make up for the $$ she isn't receiving during the holidays.

I've had part time nanny jobs that included paid vacation and paid holidays but I currently work full time without pto. But they do give holiday bonuses. I don't think you should feel obligated if it wasn't discussed before. Definitely try to give her as much notice as possible of days off if you arent paying. That said, if i were hiring a nanny I would offer half or full pay for any days I request off and don't need her. And any days off she requested I would not pay.

I think nannies are like waiters, ie you don't want to mess w/people who handle your food, so you certainly want to do right by people who watch your children. I personally would be uncomfortable with the "tough cookies, we didn't discuss it beforehand" approach, esp w/someone I want to keep.

Even though she's p/t, she's working 5 days/wk and more than 20hrs/wk so I'd probably treat her more like a full-timer than a part timer. Standard around here is 2wks vacation, one week employer's choice, the other chosen by the nanny. Paid major holidays if they fall on a normally scheduled day. 3-5 personal days.

@ksnow: That would be nice to pay her if she really needs the money, I would mention it as a bonus. The sitter that use to take care of my niece and nephew didn't get any additional payments if her services were not needed. But it was an at home type of day care and the kids were dropped off at her house. She welcomed the holidays with open arms to spend time with her own kids so she actually refused extra payments. So the parents always gave her a nice gift for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, her birthday, and Valentine's day.

Maybe you could do something like offer her 5 days PTO plus the week at Christmas. If you don't need her, it is a holiday or she needs time off she can choose to use PTO or just have it unpaid. I think in the scheme of part time jobs that would still be a generous offer.

Some of my previous employers have offered to put the word out that I am available while they are on vacation etc. which I always appreciated. It was nice to be able to pick up a few extra hours while they were away. It might help bridge any gaps she may have.