What to charge for children with Special Needs

Just wondering if anyone out there has any suggestions on what to charge for children with special needs.

I care for a blind child that gets quite anxious at times, and will throw up as a result. Would others be charging more than their regular rate for this? Does anyone have printed material in regards to this?

We are in Alberta.

Thanks for any ideas/suggestions.

How old is the child? Does the child have mobility issues? Etc…I haven't cared for a child with special need but with that said you need to weigh out your skill set in regards to what special services can you offer the child? Can you teach brail etc… and how much one on one time you will need to spend with the child. What are the parent’s expectations for their child?

I can’t give anything in regards to what the cost is for care but i'm sure you can contact your local Health Service and get intouch with someone who can give you ball park rates to go by!


http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/...id=sgeo&geo=14

Good luck!

I now charge the same for all ages because here in Ontario we have such a limited range as in 11m - 3 1/2 mostly. But before the days of year long mat leaves I used to have different rates for different ages 0 - 9m, 9-18m, etc. The rates reflected the care required such as a child unable to walk or feed themselves paid more than a child that could. So for special needs children they were assessed based on the skills they had or didn't have as the case may be. So often a special needs child was still at the infant rate even though they were turning 3. If the care was more than what I would be giving a toddler or required extra such as being carried on the stairs or lifted to the change table I would charge a premium - never know when the back will need a chiropractor. I am the parent of an 18 year old special needs child that walks but does not talk, is fed mushed foods and is diapered so yes if she was in my care she would still be paying the infant rate. Unfortunately I don't get paid for her.

I also charge the same for everyone. I would take a blind child for the same rate. I would also take a child with a g-tube for the same rate, as I am familiar with it, and it would be no more work than preparing them lunches etc. If there was a great deal of extra work involved (ie larger child in a wheelchair that needed transfers, etc), I would either not accept the child into care, or I might charge a bit extra. I know here in Ontario, the govt will give parents extra "respite care" bonuses, so I would not feel guilty taking extra money for extra work.

LOL guess what I am getting at is that it would depend, for me, on the individual situation.

One of the reasons for charging extra for a special needs child is if their care limits the number of other children you can take. For instance having a child in a wheelchair will limit outings if you have other toddlers needing a stroller or if the child requires individualized care to do some of the therapies then you might not feel able to take on 4 other children too. So in a sense the special child is using 1 1/2 child's worth of your attention per day then they are charged accordingly.

I would also look at it individually, as opposed to saying that there is a specific increase.
However; I am surprised that the parents don't have funding for specialized care? I don't know the whole scenario, obviously. But I am also in AB, and most parents of special needs kids that I know receive a fair amount of government income to allow for an aide/assistant who is trained.
Perhaps the parent don't want to do this, but is there an avenue for her to be "learning" some coping methods, how to read braille, etc? I am sure you are a very capable provider, but much of that type of stuff is pretty specific.

What the parent is looking for isn't therapy though but just a place for the child to "be" for the time before going to school where they will get those things. The respite hours are specific and restricted - not everyone with a special needs child gets the same amount of time or money so they will be saving what they do have for evening or weekend outings they can enjoy. From a tax standpoint they can claim a higher amount for childcare based on the needs than they could for a child over six and in school.