Help! Before and after school care questions.

[TinyTots]

I'm thinking about starting a before/after school care in September 2013. Can anyone out there be kind enough to give me some helpful hints with this?
- How many children can I take to and from school (walking to school 5 mins.)?
- What is the going rate per child?
- Do you have to be registered to be able to do this?
Thank you,
TinyTots

[Bookworm]

Well, you don't state where you are from. Here in Ontario, we can have 5 children in our care on top of our own children. So, if you have two children of your own, you can have 5 plus your 2children at any one time.
The rate will depend on where you live. The general range I've seen is mostly between $15-$25 for before and after.
I'm assuming by "register" you mean with your city or the government.Whether or not you have to register depends on where you live. In Ontario, you do not have to register, and you will be considered private.
Hope this helps!

[gramma]

bookworm is right about rates. I did it for a couple of years and charged 25 per day. i drove the kids to and from school and i didnt charge extra for pd days or xmas break or march break. I had to make myself competitive with the Y. I found it was too inconsistent and parents will in some cases use home providers until a spot at the Y opens then pull the kids. I also found that if i did lose kids in the middle of the school year it is pretty hard to replace them.

[apples and bananas]

I do one child before and after school and I charge 15 a day. The reason I charge such a low rate is because the school's before and after program is only 19 a day and, to be honest, their hours are better then mine. LOL

Good luck! Before and after has it's challenges. It's less money then a full day's work. The kids are older so it's harder to keep them occupied and they fight a lot more then the little ones. But on the other hand, you are free to do what you wish all day between drop offs.

Check with your local school b/a programs and be competitive.