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Age of the child makes a difference for me too. If it is a baby and mom is there more or less observing for an hour then I don't charge as compared to an older child and mom wants to see them all doing a craft or having snacktime then she will be charged for the service. There is no charge to me to have a mom bring her child over to visit us. Just the same as I don't charge the parents for their evening interview. But do remember to add those hours onto your number of hours worked for the year.
I had my children do transition days when I used home daycares and I always assumed I would have to pay. I would ask the provider what she would charge me.
What I liked to do was initially leave the child for 2 hours, then 4 or half a day and then about 6 hours before I officially "started" the following week.
I haven't had any parents do transition days with me. So far all my parents have just opted to throw their kids right into a full day - except for one mom who started off with a half day
Aside from our initial visits/ interviews, I have not had anyone opt to do transitional days.
If they did, they would be paying regular rate. I have my clients pay on a monthly basis, and it really holds a spot, as opposed to being an hourly or daily rate.
I certainly see the benefits on transitioning slowly, from all viewpoints. But at the same time, a drop off and go starts us off on the right foot; meaning, if mom shows up and stays for the first few days or a week, then we are just going to deal with separation anxiety at a delayed point in time. Does that make any sense? If the kids know from day one "when I come here, mommy and daddy do not come in" then it seems better for everyone.
If I had parents that were very concerned, my suggestion is to do what spixie33 mentioned. Start off with smaller time periods and early pick-ups.
Agreeing with Judy and play and learn. Transition days are either my half day rate $30 or full $38. Typically mom or dad stays for a few minutes then is out the door. I'm not doing this for free, my time is worth something and it also shows me they are interested enough to pay before the actually contract starts.
I totally agree! Which is why I always offered to bring in anything my daycare lady needed. I brought target gift cards with my monthly payments and other things to help out.
My transition days are covered by the one week fee that they pay when they sign. It usually works out to two full days pay. I only start charging when the child is left alone.
This is my practice as well - I figure that the pre visits are things I am requesting as well and benefit me as well since makes transition easier so any cost associated with having the child "visit" can come out of my operating budget verses charging clients - I ha e had clients offer to pay for food if child stays over a lunch visit but I decline .Quote:
Originally Posted by jodaycare
I charge my normal half or full day rate. If they choose to only use 2 hours out of the 4, they still pay the entire half day rate. I agree with creating value.
I'm not a big fan of transition days anymore. I recently started 2 new 12 month olds a few weeks apart. I transistioned one in 2 days a week for 3 weeks. We started with 3 hours in the am then went to a shortened full day (9 - 2:30) They paid the half day rate for the 3 hours and the full day rate for the other. But, I found that by the time she got here she still wasn't settled. She settled faster being here every day. She cried less and less every day and by the end of the second week she's fantastic. But during the transition days she made no progress at all!
My second 12 month old was here for 2 transition days 3 weeks before he started full time. And his transition days were only for 3 hours each. I don't think it made a bit of difference.
I think parents put their kids in for "transition" days to help with their own transistion. Kids adapt easily when they're so young. At least that's my experience with them.
I sometimes offer a free few hours for older kids, 2 and up. It gives me a chance to see what they're like without mom and dad around. At that age it's not about them getting used to daycare, it's more about seeing how they do in my daycare.
I agree with Judy on this. To be honest, my clients have all just started paying full fees from the start date. Those that want a transition week gradually work up to a full day over the course of a week, but it is part of the month's fees. They are paying for the space and I certainly cannot fill the space for the parts of that week they don't use. Besides, that first transition time is more work for me as a caregiver because the child is adjusting, possibly crying and needs a lot more of my time and attention, so I don't think it is unfair that the week is paid in full.
By the way, I will transition, but only over a week...extended transition is not great in my opinion. It just tends to delay the child from adjusting and takes longer for him/her to settle in and feel secure. I advise parents that a one week transition is fine and that they can stay for about half an hour or so on the first day or two, but to stay too long only confuses the child and makes them expect that every day.