I agree with Crayola, parents like you should ask us questions and we are more than pleased to answer them. As I said before, we are all slightly different in our policies so this is a good place for you to get lots of different opinions.
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I agree with Crayola, parents like you should ask us questions and we are more than pleased to answer them. As I said before, we are all slightly different in our policies so this is a good place for you to get lots of different opinions.
I think it's great that you came here and asked for advice! I wish more parents were like you! :)
Oh, don't feel bad. Your question was very valid and you were very respectful in the way you asked. Most parents don't ask why we do the things we do and just assume we are being difficult. It sounds like you really value your provider or you would have already gone elsewhere. I hope you are able to find a balance that works for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1kidmama
She actually went through my hours with me I guess my son has a timesheet? (Because he's casual, she said she likes to see if there are patterns in his care or something..Also just in case I ask her about charges or somethin.)
It is cheaper for me to take a part time daycare spot. Is it normal for these spots to be cheaper? Do you normally charge less for a client who has commited to a spot?
Only thing is I forsee this being a huge problem for his dad (we live together, and he really is all about not paying for something we don't use) I triied to explain this to him, and he said he didn't think he should have to commit in case something changes..Sigh.
Well in this case, there is only one option left. Ask his father(your husband) to look after his son, simple. You don't pay for the days you use you pay for the spot. As I've said before your day home provider depends on her business and the income she is getting from it. We are all connected to each other somehow.
I keep low ratio(3kids only) and I do charge them a bit more then the day homes in my area. And last month one of my families gave me notice after starting with me previous month. So just after a month of them being here they gave me notice because their single parent friend has decided to open a day home and they are helping her. I wish they told me that it will be only for a month so that I wouldn't let other interested family go. Now, a big chunk of my income has gone. I was thinking "what if I have to pay mortgage, what if I have commitments? I would be doomed! We are thinking of buying a house but I can not relay on my income. What your day home provider doing is protecting her business and her income which you and your husband should understand. And if you don't want to pay I'm sure you can find a stay at home mom who is willing to take your son or someone looking to do this until they land on to a better! Paying job. So be prepared.
Yes casual care is often more expensive because you pay a premium for having that flexibility because it is difficult for a provider to fill in another child around your needs. And so often that spot has to be left completely open in order to accommodate the casual user. With a Pt spot a provider can charge less than for a casual spot because she can often fill in the open days with another child. It is also easier to plan your week (as a provider) when you know ahead of time which kids you will have each day.
Are you saying the dad would rather pay more and possibly risk being terminated if the provider can fill your spot with someone needing days that work for her rather than pay less for scheduled days?
Yes drop in care spots are generally more then part time and the reason is because part time is steady (predictable) income weekly whereas drop in isn't . If the provider is keeping that space open for drop in there maybe some weeks she makes nothing on the spot. If you have found that there are very few providers who offer the service that you need and the provider you have is good and your child is happy and thriving then sometimes it's not all about the money which by the way she is actually trying to save you some money since part time is cheaper then casual.
When I have a rare spot come available and I have inquiries and the parent says they just need part time I tell them the spot is $200/week regardless of how many days they use. I only offer part time for special circumstances. For Instance I have a family currently under contract that is due to have a baby any day. The child is staying full time till Jan then going part time( to hold her spot) for the remainder of the mat leave when both children will be coming full time. I have budgeted for that income loss.
Yes ... as the others have mentioned 'flex care' costs more because it is a premium service that results in the provider loosing money if for example one month you only used TWO days for some reason that is a HUGE loss of income if she is keeping a full time space open for you ... by committing to pay for at least X amount of days a month SHE can budget better and therefore afford to offer that committed to service a a little less fee.
So for example think of cell phone service .... pay as you go SEEMS cheaper if you rarely use your phone HOWEVER in reality they are charging you WAY MORE PER MINUTE when you actually DO use the phone than if you bought a plan with unlimited calls so it really depends on what is 'best' for you in how close you are to the minutes you'd use to make it worth upgrading to the commitment of a plan so to speak!
Same with the GYM if you buy a 10 pass for the year or a annual membership .... the PASS ends up costing you more PER VISIT in most cases but if you are only going to go once a month it is cheaper than getting the unlimited membership but for most people they go to the gym at least twice a month so the membership is the better value.
It is just the MATH of most businesses ... if you buy one muffin you pay more than if you buy a dozen and so forth cause well the other muffins might not get sold and go bad when you split up the dozen so people price them a bit cheaper to help keep them together and sell the lot ;)
I charge the 'least' for full time space because it offers me the most consistent reliable income through out the year with the least amount of work, next is part time which costs more because during times waiting to find a client to offset the space I am loosing potential income not to mention with part time I am not doing twice the paper work and so forth for the shared space and twice the advertising and interviewing and so forth and I personally do not offer 'flex time' because as mentioned it is too unreliable an income source for me and I have the option to 'not offer it' cause I would rather hold out for full time but if I did it would come at a seriously premium fee!