I was ask if I can do discount for siblings? Do any of you do?
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I was ask if I can do discount for siblings? Do any of you do?
No. I charge per space. If I give a sibling discount, I'm losing money. I will admit though, that any sibling parents who have contacted me have asked about a discount, and not chosen me when they found out there is no discount. Because I filled up within a few weeks of opening, that didn't worry me, but depending on the market in your area, you might be tempted to take them on. I also did not want siblings for two reasons: I didn't want the potential of "rough-housing" between siblings who do that at home, and I didn't want the financial risk of losing TWO incomes if a family moves.
I don't do sibling discounts. I still have spaces to fill, and I've had people not choose me because of this too. But as treeholm stated, you're losing money by giving it. Siblings don't share the space, or food, etc. Quite frankly, what we charge is already a great deal considering the fact that most of us make less than babysitters if you look at it per hour.
I don't do sibling discounts either ..... I currently have brothers in care and in oct I will have another sibling set in care .... So I have not had an issue of being turned down because I charge full fees.
Nope. I did it once in my first year in business for a few months and it was a huge mistake. I was in the red due to costs for food and crafts.
Me too! Never again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Momof4
Nope ~ unlike Walmart and Costco who can offer cheaper deals to customers because they buy in large bulk from suppliers ~ it does not cost a provider LESS to provide service to siblings verses two singletons so offering a 'discount' comes directly out of my WAGE and well after expenses I only make just on minimum wage as it is so not prepared to give away more of that!
Plus while they help to fill two spots in the beginning at the end of the relationship when you are use to budgeting for the income when they leave your income takes a sudden nose dive of 2/5 until you can get the space filled so they are a larger income risk than singletons!
I did it tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Dreamalittledream
terrible
That isn't always true so I wouldn't use that as the basis for debate. Sometimes siblings cost LESS to provide for. It all depends on how you bill and what you charge for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio
When one is absent, they are usually both home. When providing families with newletters of correspondence you need only supply ONE for the parent. Sometimes I think having kids from ONE family is MUCH easier than a single child from multiple families.
I have never had two siblings leave at one time before. Most the siblings I have had in care have aged out of my program so that wouldn't be applicable to me either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio
Siblings also mean working with a family for a longer period of time so that is a plus too.
I guess I think providers need to do what works for them but if sibling discounts are the norm in your area, parents are going to expect that.
No siblings discount here. It costs the same as any other child and I have had siblings leave at the same time. Also, if one was sick, yes, the other one came if they were well.
No way would I do a sibling discount. For the exact reasons mentioned above. Usually a seasoned provider will never do a sibling discount. Usually it's the newbies. Then they learn. The hard way.
No discount here either. As other people stated these are spots and when we discount we loose money that goes towards supplies. Also I have brothers in my care who are moving at the end of the month and now am trying desperatly to fill 2 full time spots but it seems to be hard at this time of year. So yes when you have siblings and they move for example you now have not only one but two or three spots to fill at once! Makes it very dificult :(
Ive only done it once. My very first family who had 3 children. I still watch 2 of them to this day
(oldest is school full time now). I dont regret it because they have been wonderful to me but I wouldnt do it again. I watch another set of siblings and gave no discount. As others have mentioned, it doesnt cost any less to watch them and any smart family realizes this.
uh oh! I am the odd duck here! I do, but only for those I have cared for over the years, like if I had one child for 3 years already and the parents are expecting a second. I will offer a 5$ day discount, but only for regulars. If I have occasional kids or summer only kiddos, the charge is full.
This is true .... providers need to ensure that their business plan is viable for them and what they are offering and that the market can bare what they are wanting to charge ~ it can be a delicate line for sure!Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity
If it is the norm for your area to give discounts and so forth and you believe in that practice as fair than certainly no harm in offering them!
However if you are like me and you do not 'agree' IMO there is nothing wrong with being a 'pioneer for change' if you truly believe it not best for your business to offer a 'discount' of your services ~ it comes with a risk for sure cause in going against the norm is you have to be prepared to defend that practice should you choose to do so and potentially miss out on clients who value the discount more than what you might have to offer.
I researched what the norms were in my area too when I started out BUT I made my final business decisions based on what I wanted to be able to offer in my program and the income I needed to secure for this to be a viable business option for me!
So for example the norm in my direct area is to work without a contract, to only charge $20-25 a day and only get paid when they 'use' the space and in exchange for all that flexibility for the client they get NO receipts, little program and the providers seem to have little passion for their work cause it is just money under the table for them .... however that would not work for my business plan and therefore I was a pioneer in my area and choose to work with a contract, charge $32 a day when I started out (not the $40 a day I wanted to charge because I felt my service was on par with what licensed home childcare offered but I had to find a fee that the market would bare) and everything is done above board with reciepts and so forth and the same service clients would get if 'with a licensed model' I just opt to cut out the middle man.
Sure I may miss out on the clients who want the 'cheaper option' that my neighbors offer but fact is even though I am not the NORM I am able to find a full roster of clients who are willing to invest in what I have to offer them!
So IMO sometimes the norm is over rated and reality is that over the past 7 years in my direct neighborhood the bar of NORM has been raised via conversations/networking at the local parks and so forth as other providers have asked what I charge and what clients get for that fee and so forth and than said 'hey I would rather follow that model' sometimes raising the bar above the NORM raises the bar for everyone!
I've done it before for some and not for others. Generally, there has to be something in it for me to agree to a discount. In April i will have the younger sibling of a child currently in my care starting with me and mom has asked about a discount. I would have no problem filling this space with a full rate child but mom is changing her work hours and will be dropping off at 8am and pickin up at 3:45 so for me, there is value in having those 2 kids gone that early because 1 of my other kids is gone at 4:00. That leaves me with 2 kids who go home anywhere between 4:30 and 5:00. So basically, 3 of my 5 kids will be gone by 4pm so for me it was worth it.
I agree with what others have said but you need to evaluate your situation. Do you have to fill the spots quickly? Can you afford to wait? Have you had many other calls? Not to say that you should take them out of desperation but sometimes we have to do those things. I wouldnt agree to deep discount, afterall, center only offer 10% off the second child. You could also not allow as many vacation days or some paid sick days for you for this client or something along those lines to make up the difference
Hahahaha.... Yepppp.Quote:
Originally Posted by Other Mummy
I offered a sibling discount for the first year and a half I was in business.
Then I realized that I am not working any less, nor am I giving any less time/food/crafts/etc to the sibling(s). So I no longer offer it.
There are upsides and downsides to siblings. True; when one is out, usually both are. But if they up and leave, you now have 2 or more spaces to fill instead of just one.
I suppose I am saying the same as everyone else, which is: if it's "norm" in your area, you should think about offering it. Or, alternatively, if filling spaces has become difficult, that may be the way to fill a niche and offer something that others don't.
good point gramma! I should consider that....no one week free vacation to the families I discount for sibblings, that's a nice meet in the middle. :)