Spixie33
04-19-2011, 10:33 AM
I am wondering about how and when people have raised their rates. I am a fairly new daycare. I started September 2010. At the time I was having issues getting people so I started off with cheaper rates to attract people in. I had advertised from April - Sept with little to no bites to my daycare so I lowered the price from $35 to $32 and within a week I had the kids I wanted.
However...I do quality foods (homecooked, organic when possible and not cheap brands), I do good quality crafts and craft supplies, buy good presents for the kids for birthdays, etc and quite frankly it seems like the price of everything has gone up i.e the dollar store prices and GROCERIES ! Yikes.
So....I feel like giving parents a rate increase even though I am only about 7.5 months in and making the rate $35. That is the rate I used to pay for my kids a few years ago at both daycares I used and it doesn't seem to be asking for too much.
I am just wondering if everyone waits for the 1 year mark with new families that they get or whether they have ever increased their rates in the middle of a year. I do not plan to officially 'renew' the contract every year - the parents are here as long as they want and so far I am with the same group of families I started with.
So I struggle because on one hand I know I am worth more. I do good programming and a good job but yet I hold back because it hasn't been a year yet at the current rate.
I also struggle because some people in our area advertise for $25, $28 and $30. I am not sure how they can afford that or whether they are just desperate to get people but I feel bad raising my price if several other local providers are advertising so low :unsure:.
However...I do quality foods (homecooked, organic when possible and not cheap brands), I do good quality crafts and craft supplies, buy good presents for the kids for birthdays, etc and quite frankly it seems like the price of everything has gone up i.e the dollar store prices and GROCERIES ! Yikes.
So....I feel like giving parents a rate increase even though I am only about 7.5 months in and making the rate $35. That is the rate I used to pay for my kids a few years ago at both daycares I used and it doesn't seem to be asking for too much.
I am just wondering if everyone waits for the 1 year mark with new families that they get or whether they have ever increased their rates in the middle of a year. I do not plan to officially 'renew' the contract every year - the parents are here as long as they want and so far I am with the same group of families I started with.
So I struggle because on one hand I know I am worth more. I do good programming and a good job but yet I hold back because it hasn't been a year yet at the current rate.
I also struggle because some people in our area advertise for $25, $28 and $30. I am not sure how they can afford that or whether they are just desperate to get people but I feel bad raising my price if several other local providers are advertising so low :unsure:.