Price of Childcare vs. Quality of Childcare?????

[kidlove]

Price vs. Quality:
Why is there even any debate? We are talking about wonderful priceless little human beings.....and I am still surprised when I run into a parent who sets cost above quality!
Had a Mom recently call for care of her unborn, first child! I informed her I was near my limit for infants so I would need a schedule to know what days she would need care in order to give her a solid answer on whether or not I would have room. She also asked how much I charged. I informed her I charged a certain amount per day for infants (which is about the average for our area) not high at all! but I also informed her that I charge a minimum due for each week, but was willing to go outside my minimum due IF we could manage to work her schedule needs in with the current part time family I have. Long story short, I gave the schedule to the other (current) Mom I have, and she said she would be willing to work around the days needed, which I greatly appreciated. I called the pregnant Mom back to let her know and she said "thanks, but we decided to go with the daycare center in town, because they charge a daily rate and it's cheaper"......:huh:
My concern is this: not only did she not ask, how I ran my day care or any questions regarding the direct care of her child, but I didn't get a chance to even explain to her, that centers don't provide food, wipes, and many extras. (I do) day cares have MANY people in contact with children, not just one solid reliable adult, this particular daycare has an outside area for play that is about 20 by 30 feet tops and is all rock, no grass, no room to run, and is surrounded by bar fence because the busy road is literally 5 feet from where the kids play......not to mention, a lot of people have come to me from this particular center and complained of improper treatment of their children and such.....I'm not saying all centers are not good, but this one in particular seems to have a bad reputation, and why oh why, do you forgo quality care over cost of care? thanks for allowing the vent!!!!! I feel better now....i do treat life as "everything is meant to be, and when a family doesn't work out, I do trust that it wasn't a good match and that's fine, but why do some focus on the money rather than what is more important?

[Sandbox Sally]

It's sad indeed. I had a friend's coworker call me on his recommendation, and he was excited and all ready to interview, and then he asked my daily fee. My fee is competitive, even on the lower side for my area, and he said, "Ohh. We can't afford that. Our last provider charged $20 no receipts". Um. I told him that I was very sorry then, and it was nice chatting, and asked him if he knew that his provider not claiming income was illegal? I said, "if she's cutting corners there, I'd be concerned where else she's cutting corners, aren't you?" He mumbled yes and said goodbye. LOL

On the flipside though, occasionally you get those parents who don't care about the cost. I have one family like that now, and a new one starting in summer, who asked about fees AFTER everything else, and didn't try to haggle. I also had a daycare parent last year say to me something like, "ohh yes I saw that lady's ad before I found you, but she was ten dollars cheaper per day than everyone else, so I was suspicious and didn't call her". WIN. So...there are parents whose main concern isn't saving a buck, thankfully.

[kidlove]

I do agree, and I have had most parents that said the extra $ is worth the extra quality of care. I only want that type of person in my day care anyway, not because they are willing to pay more ;) but because those are the folks that truly appreciate the care I provide and are willing to pay for it knowing their child is safe and loved first and foremost! had a Mom tell me once, she wished she would win the lottery so she could pay me my current income but ONLY tale her son, so he could get ALL of me. That was nice to hear. Just shocks the heck out of me that others see it different. I have also had parents comment on "how cheap another provider was" and their first concern was...if they are that low, there must be a reason! ;)
When I get a call for care, and the first question is "how much do you charge?" The conversation is done on my end! If that's your first concern? this isn't a good match! ;)

[mimi]

Just like any other business, if the price is too good then be suspicious. Exactly right Alphaghetti, the low ballers or no receipt providers are cutting corners somewhere and I bet it is at the childrens expense.:no:

[kidlove]

perhaps it's pb and J every day for lunch?

[Other Mummy]

Sadly folks, a lot of parents put the $$ before their child. How many times have we all got a call for a spot only to have the 1st question out of their mouth is...."What is your daily rate?" I have heard from other parents how they have seen daycare providers with 10 or more children in one small dedicated daycare room. I know of one provider through a friend like this. :(

[mimi]

Sadly folks, a lot of parents put the $$ before their child. How many times have we all got a call for a spot only to have the 1st question out of their mouth is...."What is your daily rate?" I have heard from other parents how they have seen daycare providers with 10 or more children in one small dedicated daycare room. I know of one provider through a friend like this. :( Makes me think of a puppy mill :ohmy:

[mom-in-alberta]

I will give this particular person the benefit of the doubt, as she has not yet held that tiny little person in her arms and realized that he/she is more important than "the bottom line". So let's hope, in this case, that it is ignorance.
Unfortunately, I know that many parents are like that, though. :(
I know how much I am worth. I provide a great place for kids to be while mommy and daddy are working, and it is worth every penny I charge. I will hold out for the parents that understand this.

[kidlove]

funny you say that Mom-in-alberta: those were my exact thought last night as I continued to kind of mull it over in my head......I came to the realization that, once she has that beautiful baby in her hands and has to hand her over to another to care for her each day, she will feel very diferent. My only concern for her is, by then it will be too late. ;) thanks for your view!

[nikki999]

As a mom I see both sides of this coin. I would hope everyone would want the best childcare they can afford but sometimes your budget just can't be stretched anymore than it already is. I am lucky enough to have a high paying job and therefore can afford to worry more about quality, in fact I didn't consider cost at all when looking for care. However my sister is a struggling single mom who barely makes enough to make rent. I help her out in may ways by buying her diapers and wipes, baby clothes and dropping off groceries but she still barely squeaks by....so in her case she can only afford cheap daycare.
That being said I have no idea what people who make enough money to afford quality care but still look for a 'bargain' are thinking!! They need a major priority shift IMO.

[mommylove]

HI
I actually had a bad experience with the whole money issue..........i was charging to little and quickly (after 7 months of exceptional care) realized this, so i raised my rate by 5 dollars a day.....my rate is still competitive but fair.....she put up a fight :( I felt so small like she didn't feel as if my services were worth it and that the last 7 month of hard work and dedication to her child wasn't enough. After a long drawn out discussion she agreed to pay me more. I worked for 4 years before i decided to do daycare and i had the upmost respect for my daycare provider she helped raise my daughter......you cannot put a price on that its such an important job.

[kidlove]

Nikki, I totally understand the idea of having a hard time paying for daycare, I do my best to work with my families and give discounts to help, however my point of view is more on the fact that the price is the ONLY concern for some. I don't blame a parent for asking how much I charge on a first call, but that shouldn't be the only question (or the first question) there are many more important concerns when finding a person to care for your child than just the amount they charge. Those are the situation i am talking about. So many call I have recieved start and end with: "how much do you charge?"........it's very important but shouldn't be top priority, even for those who struggle financially. :)

[cfred]

Childcare costs SHOULD be accelerating!!! I make no apologies for charging higher than normal rates and people still come to me. I'm educated in the field, have worked for years developing my business and work 60 hours per week. I think I earn it and that we all deserve it. It's a hard job and frankly, I don't believe for a second that providers (who make a very modest income to begin with) should have to subsidize other people's families. I work hard and earn every penny. Since I raised my rates by $5/day, I've noticed other providers following suit....and I'm thrilled to be a part of my peers getting closer to being duly compensated for a job well done:D

[5 Little Monkeys]

I am on the higher end in my area, MB. ($30 per day for private care, whereas a centre is $28 for infant, $20 for toddler and about $15 for school age) I also have a limit of 4 children so my maximum daily wage is $120. Minus the costs to run the daycare and feed the children and it's not a great wage but it gets me by. I do wish that it could be increased but at the same time I realize that childcare is expensive, especially if you have more than one child in care. One child in my dc is $600 a month. That is a lot when you also have a mortgage or rent, groceries, car payment, phone, cable, internet, clothing, medicine etc etc etc. I don't think that parents should put cost of daycare over quality but unfortunately and realistically, this happens all the time. If a parent is only making minimum wage themselves how can they justify going to work if they are paying it all into daycare? I'm not saying it's right or wrong but it's unfair to judge a parent due to their financial situation.

I look at it this way....on the income I make, I couldn't afford to put my child in my daycare!!! :) (well I could, but it would be a tight budget!! lol)

I have worked in centres and now have a hdc so I know the pros and cons to each but I have to say the 2 biggest pro's to a centre are that as a parent, you don't need to worry about your provider being off due to illness or holidays and the cost is usually cheaper. If a parent doesn't have a back up alternate provider or is on a tight budget, I can understand why they would choose a centre.

For the hdc's that charge less around here, I do wonder how they make a living but I also wonder if they maybe have a spouse who makes good money and they stay home with their own children and make a little extra "fun" money in the meantime.

[cfred]

$600/mo? I'm guessing you're not in Ontario. I'm in a town near Toronto full of city commuters and charge about $900/mo and only accept full time clients. Most providers are still around $800/mo and are more flexible with enrollment. I've just moved to this area so I started low then just threw a new number out there to see what would happen. I've had no problems getting new clients. I spoke briefly with a couple other providers about rates and I guess people are talking about it as I've seen several more providers in the area bump their rates between $2 and $7/day.

I think you're right that those who charge low have another household income. For me, as a single parent, this is it, so I target a very specific type of client and, so far, have been getting them....phew! I still think, even at $45/day that it's a modest income, considering the hours, stresses and liabilities, especially compared to other professions. It's funny.....here, Daycare centres are more expensive than home providers (about $5-$10 higher than me).

[5 Little Monkeys]

Cfred, nope, I'm in MB, like I said in my post :)

I'm not saying we don't deserve more but I know that around here, parents couldn't afford $900 a month for daycare, especially when they have more than 1 child. It wouldn't pay to go work. However, every province is different and I do believe that for the most part MB is behind in wages even though our min wage is the 3rd highest in Canada.

[AmandaKDT]

That's why I decided to be a licensed, funded home daycare in Winnipeg. It makes it possible for me to provide very affordable rates to my parents, which are very lovely families. I myself could barely afford daycare for my oldest daughter when I was working as a teacher. With my other bills, student loans, etc. it was almost impossible. I'm providing what I wished I could have had for myself and my family when I needed it.

[mickyc]

I agree that you can't put a price on quality daycare the thing is you have to. I charge $30 a day (in Manitoba as well).

When a parent asks my rate I don't hold it against them. They need to be able to afford to pay me. I don't want issues with late payment, non-payment etc. I budget my paycheque and want to know the cost of things up front why should daycare be any different. Yes your children are your most important possession but if you can't afford a certain daycare fee then you just can't afford it.

[CountryKiddos]

I myself charge a lower rate.
I just want to say that there are ways to provide quality care, education AND nutrition without parking the kids in front of the t.v. and serving pb&j or alphagetti.
I live in a rural area, and I buy as much of my daycare groceries as possible from our local farmer friends.
I buy in season veggies, meat and fruit in bulk for cheap or next to nothing and whatever I don't use right away I freeze for later use.
Parents love that I am supporting our community, serving healthy meals and saving them money.
I also manage to do arts and crafts almost everyday, even though I charge a low rate
I save whatever I can from around the house (egg cartons, cardboard) for use in arts and crafts and I buy my paper, paints and crayons once a year when stores markdown the back to school supplies at the end of sept.
We keep busy and active with very limited television.
I just wanted to get the message out that low daily rate does not always mean low quality care. I read that assumption on here all the time.
I am just providing care at a cost that is affordable for people who have school debt etc but want the best possible care for thier kids.

[cfred]

Of course you can provide quality childcare along with affordable prices....if you so choose. I commend anyone who puts forth their best efforts to provide quality care, regardless of their expenditures. I think we can all agree that quality care is the utmost priority of a good provider. I would certainly never insinuate otherwise, regardless of fees. I have done this job for lower fees for years, and did so very well. However, now I've moved to an area with a fairly decent smattering of people with money. I choose to target those clients. Bless everyone who goes into this line of work with an altruistic heart and practices. I prefer to do my job, do it well, offer a great service as well as be compensated appropriately for doing so....well.....we're getting ever closer to appropriate compensation. I'm simply not willing to work my arse off for 60 hours per week any longer whilst foregoing things I want out of life to offer breaks to other people. I don't want to 'get by'. I want to always have enough for my bills and mortgage, the ability to contribute substantially to my kids' educations, have extra to travel and, doG forbid...perhaps retire some day. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that. It is a business after all.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Cfred, nope nothing wrong with that!! :) If you can charge higher and have clients that are willing and can afford to pay that, then great!!

I don't live somewhere where that is possible but if I did, I would charge higher like you. I agree that quality care is the most important thing that all of us dcp's should be focused on. Fortunately, we own our home already so we are able to "get by" on our wages and still have money for extra's. I do however have a budget(altho, we haven't been following it lately lol) and coupon to make the most out of what we have.

I have a few friends who have done hdc's and have had to close up because they just weren't making enough money and they had to work out of the home again. They couldn't raise their fee any higher or they wouldn't have any clients. I hope that I don't have to do this but it's always on the back of my mind......especially when I have a spot to fill and no takers!!

[cfred]

I totally understand. I lived in a rural area till last summer and had low rates as I had to. It finally got to that point, that you mention....advertisi ng, needing to fill spaces, but no takers. Had to move, purely for business. It's been a real eye opener to move into a highly residential area....in a good way! I've had to change the way I advertise and sort of really tout my schtick, but it's paying off. There are some providers here who are shutting down as they can't seem to pull people in. They have much lower rates and I feel badly, but I figure it's for other reasons than fees. I'm on my own so am really focused on making a decent income....would prefer not to live in a cardboard box in my 70s :) I just bought my house last year, so lots of payments to go yet. Must be great to have it paid off!!!!

It's such a great job in so many ways, but really, there's such a learning curve to it. No matter how each one of us chooses to run our businesses, I think we all deserve some kudos for developing some business savvy while still hanging on to our nurturing natures. I don't think the two naturally go together.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I would have to agree...if a provider with low rates can't get clients it is probably because of other things. If a parent is given 2 choices of great daycare's I can't see why they wouldn't choose the cheaper one.

I commend you on being a single mom and making it work!! WTG :) Congrats on your home purchase, it will feel great when the payments are finished. To be fair, my SO had his home almost paid off when we met so I really didn't do much to "earn" it. It is nice though to not have rent or a mortgage. I am the spender in our relationship and he is the saver......I would love to buy a bigger home but then we would have a mortgage again for a few years and he just doesn't want to do that. (which I know is the right thing to do but I still want a bigger home lol)

I totally agree with your last paragraph!! We all run our hdc's differently but as long as what we are doing works for us and our families, that is all that matters. I agree, the business and the nurturing don't always go hand in hand. It can be really hard to separate the business relationship with the parents and the personal nurturing relationship you have with their child but at times it needs to be done!

[cfred]

Yes, I would think they would go with the cheaper, should the services be similar. I've made great efforts to stand out...offer something a little different. Actually, I'm not sure it's really THAT much different as opposed to being sold differently. I'm taking more of the 'hippie approach' which, in this day and age in which people are paying more attention to products they use, foods they eat, nature, etc, seems to be a bit of a great selling tool....and I sell it hard. This neighbourhood is absolutely overflowing with daycares (I actually back onto one), but I still get people in at higher rates. I'm convinced that it's the pitch and schtick...because they can get cheaper.

I love being a single mother. Much easier than married life (in my case). I would love to have my house paid off....34 yrs to go, hahahaha! You must love not having that payment! I'm with your partner. No mortgage is the way to go! I'm not the best at saving....always seem to have a trip in the works. Thank goodness I prefer roughing it! Spend away girl....can't take it with us....though I can be buried with my Italian leather boots ;)

[5 Little Monkeys]

That pitch sounds great!! Keep doing what works :)

I say the same thing....can't take it with us so might as well enjoy it now!!