11 hour day!

I just had a parent inquiry regarding a spot and she said she needed care from 7am until 6pm. I quoted $38.00 for the day the childs 2 years old and i felt that more than fare. The Mom told me it was too much? I said based on the 11 hours I was being more than fare on price and sorry to hear that. i wished her luck on her search.

She said that others were quoting less. I hate this cheap daycare symdrome taking business from me! If other daycares keep this up none of us will be taking anything home!

Very discouraged!

I don't know where you live, but I wouldn't charge that low even for an 8 hour day! I would be charging probably more like $45 or more for an 11 hour day, if I even would accept those hours, which I actually wouldn't! Stay firm!

Often the families that need more than 10 hours are working extra at work and getting paid for it to get a perk such as they work an extra hour a day and get alternate Fridays off - to do their own thing not keep their child. Or they are working overtime and getting overtime pay. We have that with nurses, police, fire, etc that work a 12 hour shift several days in a row but then get several days in a row off so it is like a condensed work week. But then dont' understand when we as caregivers expect to get a full week's worth of pay for their long days too.

Let's hope she is trying to get someone to agree to a lower price just by threatening the concept that others are doing it and in reality everyone is telling her sorry this is the price.

Thank her for her advice and wish her well in her child care search! :) I haven't been doing this for very long this time around, but a couple of months back, I was all set to do whatever it took to fill my spots until the kind women here advised me otherwise. Not long after I felt this desparation, I had several inquiries a DAY, and was able to pick and choose those families that I feel respect my contract, thereby my services.

I had someone who told me during her interview that she worked 10-9 four days a week. She said that the agreement that she had with her previous daycare provider was that because the days were so long, that she was charged 1.5 times the daily rate for each day. She asked if this would work for me. So instead of $30 for an 8hr day, she paid $45 for an 11hr day. If you are ok with working those long hours, this is a route that definitely worked for me.

Yeah, I think she's dreaming if she figures she won't have to pay extra for 11 or more hours a day. She's either bluffing (likely) or she is going to go with a dayhome that offers less quality care or changes the rates on her when they realize they are screwing themselves in the foot!!!
Either way; tough!! I know it's tempting (especially for us "people-pleasers") to adapt your rules and standards to fill a spot, but if you don't feel good or right about it DON'T DO IT!!!
PS- I don't know if this is full time or part time, but my part-time daily rate is higher than that, for my normal 10 hour day! I know it varies based on your area, but just thought I would let you know.

Wow, 3 of my 5 kids are at least 10hrs/day 7am-5pm and 1 is 6:30am-5:15pm so almost 11hrs. They all commute which is why their day is so long. I have only 1 that is local and she is 7-3:30, but I think thats just the way it is, we live in Oshawa, about an hr commute (more with traffic) into Toronto. I just assumed this was the way, that it was unusual to have a child for only 8hrs/day... so I never thought to charge them any different....

Lilac if that is the norm for your area and your rates are within the same range as other caregivers around you then that is likely the best you can expect to receive. If a parent is asking for something out of the ordinary for the area they expect to be charged accordingly. I live in Orleans which is Ottawa east but just far enough out of town parents need 20 minutes just to get to town before going anywhere in town. Hence all of my parents work 10 - 10 1/2 hours unless parents can share drop off and pick up duties which works some days but there are some where it doesn't.

I charge $32 for a 10 hour day (7-5) and so I would charge at least $40 for 11 hours.
I, however am very strict on not accepting kids after 5pm, NO MATTER WHAT.
This is my family's time and my time to get supper ready and clean up toys, bathrooms etc.
I did it one time for a family to go on an anniversary dinner, and I told them I am charging an extra $10 per hour after 5:00pm.
Where I live, 9 hours is the norm for how long I have my kids here so I have not had many inquiries for longer days.
Feel free to give yourself a time and a half rate for more that 9 hours, and if she can find cheaper, than yes, wish her luck and say good bye :)

I charge $30/day which I think is a bit lower in my area (I think the norm is about 35) but certianly not the lowest. I have gotten strict about 5pm pick up, as I was in the past being flexible but found I was being taken advantage of (pickups at almost 6 w/o any advanced notice). However, if I imposed a time and a half rate for over 9 hrs, I'd likely lose, if not right away, in the near future, 4 of my 5 kids! :( Your right, that length of a day is the norm in our area! I want to raise my full day rate to 35 but Im more than slightly nervous about even doing that considering a new daycare opened in our school and I'm gonig to take 2m off to have a baby in Jan.

I raise my rates when new families start care but do not raise the rates of any family already in care so the longer a child stays with me the longer they keep the lower rate. Assuming you may have to start with some new children after the baby is born, that would be the time to consider raising your rate for incoming families.

Yes, I understand why you would wait to raise rates for new families. However, in my situation, ALL of my families had told me that they were looking for long term care, not just a year or two. They are all more or less the same age so it will be a few years, before they outgrow the need for daycare. SO, just in the 2 years I've been doing daycare, the cost of living has increased, circumstances have changed (4 of my kids now require breakfast which when they started they did not) and they ALL eat way more as they are getting older. So, I feel I need to adjust my rates to reflect their changing needs, mostly the fact that they are eventually going to eat me out of house and home!! LOL! They are getting older, I need differnt activities for them... etc, etc..... if they all stick with me til they are 12... thats 5-6 more years w/o an increase?

Yes there should be an additional $5 a day for breakfast since it is not normally included in the fees. Also when I was serving breakfast I didn't serve a morning snack and we did just a drink break when we did diapers mid morning.

I only care for children till they go to school as in I do not do any bus runs or take before/after kids because there is no money in it since they take one of my five spaces. So I would only have a child for 3 years max.

I know some caregivers that have a $1 a year increase written right into their contract so every January or whatever month they pick the fee increases by a dollar a day which means a weekly increase of $5.

I say do what works for you , there are all kids of people looking for daycare out there. Some need 11 + hrs a say but there are some who need less than 10. I also live in an area where it takes an hours in the am and at least an hour in the PM to get to and from work but I would never work more than 10 hours.

I simply choose to take on families that can work within my hours and that is it. I value my family time and personal time too much ! lol

As for as the rate increase. Perhaps you could charge more starting in the new year but let them know asap.
The cost of everything else is going up, they will most likely get some sort of raise in their line of work, why not you ? Just explain it like you did in your post, they should understand. If they don't, they don't deserve you. You work hard for your $ !