How to Handle Holiday Time-Off Requests Without Losing Your Best Staff

The week between Christmas and New Year's. Spring break. The Friday before a long weekend. These are the weeks that make or break your relationship with your team — because everyone wants off and someone has to be told no.

Here's how to handle it without playing favorites, burning out your reliable staff, or losing people over resentment.

Announce the rules in October (not December)

The biggest mistake directors make with holiday requests is waiting until the requests pile up and then making ad hoc decisions. By then, you're reacting. People have already made plans. Every "no" feels personal.

Instead, announce your holiday rules 2-3 months before the holiday season. Put it in writing:

This does three things:

1. It's fair. Everyone has the same limits and the same rules.
2. It rewards planning. People who request early get the dates they want.
3. It removes you from the decision. You're not choosing between Sarah and Maria. The policy is.

Set a per-person quota for peak periods

A per-person quota ("3 vacation days max during the holiday window") prevents one person from taking the entire week while everyone else works. Without it, the early requesters take all the good days and the late requesters get nothing. That's technically first-come-first-served, but it doesn't feel fair — and feelings matter for retention.

Common quotas we've seen work:

• Christmas/New Year's: 3 days per person between Dec 20 – Jan 5
• Spring break week: 2 days per person
• Summer: No more than 1 week consecutive per person between June – August (unless they're giving 60+ days notice)

Set a per-day capacity limit

This is separate from the per-person quota. The per-day limit is about the center, not the individual: "no more than 2 staff off on December 23rd."

Calculate this the same way you'd calculate it for any day:

Total scheduled staff − Minimum staff for ratio compliance = Maximum staff who can be off

During holidays, you might actually have lower enrollment (some families travel), which means your ratio requirement drops. Check your expected attendance and adjust your capacity accordingly. Some directors run a tighter limit during holidays ("only 1 off per day instead of 2") because they know sick calls spike during cold and flu season.

What about seniority?

Some centers give senior staff priority for holiday requests. This is a legitimate approach, but it has a cost: newer staff feel like second-class citizens, and in childcare — where turnover is already high — that's a retention risk.

If you use seniority:

• Limit it. "Senior staff get a 1-week early request window" is different from "senior staff get whatever they want."
• Rotate. If Sarah got Christmas off last year because of seniority, she doesn't get automatic priority this year. Rotate the "first pick" privilege.
• Be transparent. If the rule exists, publish it. Hidden seniority perks breed resentment faster than anything.

Our recommendation: first-come-first-served with a per-person quota is simpler, fairer, and creates fewer arguments. Save seniority for tie-breaking if two requests come in on the same day for the last available slot.

Handle the "but I already bought plane tickets" conversation

It will happen. Someone will request December 23-27 after the slots are full, and they'll tell you they already booked a flight.

The answer: "I understand, and I'm sorry — but the policy was announced on [date] and the spots filled up. For next year, I'd recommend requesting as soon as the window opens."

This is hard. But if you cave, the policy is dead. Every future denial will be met with "but you let her go even though the spots were full." Consistency is the price of fairness.

After the holidays: do a 5-minute retro

In January, ask yourself:

• Were we adequately staffed every day?
• Did anyone feel the process was unfair? (Ask them.)
• Should the quota or capacity limits change next year?
• Did we announce early enough?

Five minutes of reflection prevents five hours of drama next December.