Holy Daycare Costs!!!

[TinyTwigs]

I was doing a quick little search on daycare bear to see what other providers are charging in my area. I live in Toronto and charge $50 per day and found 7 out 10 local near by home daycares charge 65-80 per day!!!!

Oh my goodness, how in the world do these families afford this and what's even more frightening is how much daycare centers in Toronto must be charging! jeepers

[Gloucestermom]

I think you should raise your rates :p
I certainly couldn't afford that if I had to pay daycare costs. I charge $39, and the average in my area is $40-45.

[sandylynn]

Tiny Twigs...when you say you live in Toronto....where in Toronto? $60-80,,,,norm

[torontokids]

Exactly, it depends where you live in Toronto specifically and what you offer. I live across from an elementary school, have a large fenced backyard (rare in Toronto), offer lot's of outside time, have ton's of young families in my neighbourhood who need care and not enough childcare options in the area. I charge $60 per day and I don't worry about how they are going to pay for it. Not my issue. The daycare centre at the school across the road charges $98 per day.

[Lee-Bee]

Some people just have a whole lot of money. Before we had our daughter I was a supply teacher, I supplemented this income by nannying 2 days a week. The family had 2 kids in a premium daycare (maybe $60 a day each) but the mom preferred the 1yr old to be home 2 days a week so he could sleep more. They paid me $125 a day to have the one child home, while still paying his full time daycare fees. Those two days a week cost them at least $245 a day for childcare! Likely more as I suspect he 1yr olds daycare spot was more than the $60.

They had money and didn't really mind spending a lot on childcare to get what they wanted. They then had a 3rd child when my daughter was born. They got a full time nanny for her but still paid daycare fees for the boys...so the nanny could be one on one with the youngest!

Hats off to them though...they were willing to pay for what they felt was best for the kids. lucky kids!

[babydom]

Jippers. I need to move to TO. Every single parent that comes though my doors complain about 40/45$ a day. Sigh.

[sandylynn]

Exactly, it depends where you live in Toronto specifically and what you offer. I live across from an elementary school, have a large fenced backyard (rare in Toronto), offer lot's of outside time, have ton's of young families in my neighbourhood who need care and not enough childcare options in the area. I charge $60 per day and I don't worry about how they are going to pay for it. Not my issue. The daycare centre at the school across the road charges $98 per day.

where abouts in Toronto are you?

[torontokids]

St Clair West

[kindertime]

I think I'm going to print this page and post it on the wall at my front door. In Quebec, in the subsidized system, parents pay $7.30/day. And they're is still complaining!!

(Yikes, $98/day at a center?)

[kindertime]

Personally...it shouldn't matter which part of the city you live in...like I said in my earlier post...I have had 2 parents tell me I undercharge...I live in east scarborough..just this side of pickering???? They say I should be charging 45.00/day....what parent tells their provider THAT?

Actually, that sounds like a great compliment. They are valuing your work. I think there are a lot of parents who value their caregivers but just don't say it out loud. Good for you!! And regarding that other parent...:rolleyes:

[torontokids]

Personally...it shouldn't matter which part of the city you live in...like I said in my earlier post...I have had 2 parents tell me I undercharge...I live in east scarborough..just this side of pickering???? I CAN LITERALLY SPIT INTO PICKERING FROM MY HOUSE...LOL. They say I should be charging 45.00/day....what parent tells their provider THAT?

I think it has to do with more supply and demand in your area and how affluent the community is that you live in. Obviously, if I was living in an area with a lower socioeconomic population in Toronto my fees would reflect that. But so would my mortgage!

[bright sparks]

I think it does matter where in the city a provider is located. Convenience comes at a price just like how certain people are worth more to some based on their meal plans, structure and programming. Obviously it is personal perspective too. It's not about it being a better area than another but like torontokids said, depending on the socioeconomic population of a particular area, will for sure have an influence on cost of daycare. Demographics always play a part in cost of services. Location, average income and house price, proximity to "that" school, to public transit etc etc Also supply and demand. There is a shortage of childcare in some places which results in what is there, to come at a premium. It isn't exclusive to the daycare industry either. Areas of the GTA vary significantly in all of these areas, including crime rates too which plays a huge part in any urban centre when value is placed on the location of any service. Now everyone has different priorities which for sure adds some variance, and definitely doesn't mean one childcare provider is better than another at all, but one may have different influences making their services able to command a higher rate and in some cases, quite rightly so.

I was charging $47 for full time care per day back in 2008 in South East Burlington and never had a single issue with charging this. It was that price because of the reputation the location had. I believe it was ridiculous and didn't warrant it at all, but it was the market and I wasn't about to complain. I dread to think how much it would cost now. There were 17 providers in a 1 block radius of me. Burlington is saturated in providers but is still able to charge high rates because it is Burlington. Now in Niagara Region I have only raised my rates once in the last 6 years but that is because there was a huge shortage of providers for the first couple of years and then there was a sudden influx of stay at home mums who opened daycares and started to undercharge us originals by a good 10-15 dollars a day. So in this case something else effected the cost of my services. Whether we think it is to steep a cost or not for childcare regardless of location, as long as there are enough people willing and able to pay the going rate, then that is what will keep the rates in that price range.

[TinyTwigs]

Tiny Twigs...when you say you live in Toronto....where in Toronto? $60-80,,,,norm


Beaches and areas close to downtown Yonge St