Will parents pay more for better food?

Do you think that parents are willing to pay more for good food when choosing a daycare? In my area, the cost for daycare is fairly consistent no matter whether a provider serves mostly pre-packaged, not very expensive and easy to make meals (e.g. Kraft dinner, hot dogs, canned soup) or healthy, made from scratch meals. I feel like it would be fair to charge more for better quality ingredients and for the time spent preparing them. However, I've had some people tell me that while parents like the idea of healthy foods, many aren't going to pay more since most complain about the cost of daycare as it is. I'm just curious what others' experiences have been?

I think it depends entirely where you are.

Some providers have been able to carve out a little niche for themselves offering organic, healthy etc and charge a premium for this.

In other areas parents are not necessaily looking for that so are unwilling to pay extra. Offering something different can sometimes help you stand out in an area saturated with daycares!

I charge $43.00 a day for daycare. The is mid range for my area. Over the last couple of years I have notified the parents that I am making a move to serve more organic products and now serve only ethically farm raised meat products. I have never had any of the parents comment on this change. I think they are afraid to say anything thinking it may incite me to raise my rates.
I know they appreciate my efforts to serve healthy meals as they refer me to their friends, but it is strange that they don't acknowledge the effort verbally. I think they might say something though if I served K/D or hotdogs.........Some times d/c parents can be strange LOL

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Originally Posted by MommaL

Do you think that parents are willing to pay more for good food when choosing a daycare? In my area, the cost for daycare is fairly consistent no matter whether a provider serves mostly pre-packaged, not very expensive and easy to make meals (e.g. Kraft dinner, hot dogs, canned soup) or healthy, made from scratch meals. I feel like it would be fair to charge more for better quality ingredients and for the time spent preparing them. However, I've had some people tell me that while parents like the idea of healthy foods, many aren't going to pay more since most complain about the cost of daycare as it is. I'm just curious what others' experiences have been?

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Maybe not.

I make all home made food. Real meal not just sandwich or pancakes. We normally have roast chicken, mash and veg or shepherd's pie or salmon /haddock and rice and veg. That sort meal. I get more inquiries and I charge $38 but even those not give any food charge $35 here. I not able push any higher than $38 and food is more than $3 a day. But still some want the food and really impressed but balk at the $38.

We have morning snack, no baked good unless celebration, fruit with all meal, cooked hot lunch, no package food always have a meat, veggies, and starch, yogurt and fruit dessert and afternoon snack. Milk with both snacks, water with lunch.

My daycare grocery bill about $200 a week. I have 5 children. So $40 a day on daycare groceries.

I've only had a handful of parents even ask about my menu so I don't think many would be willing to pay extra as I don't find it's a priority around here. Since I've created my dc fb page, I post our daily menu there so I guess most potential new families see that and maybe that's why I've seen a decrease in menu questions?

When I do mention (or apologize lol) that we had hot dogs or went out to a restaurant, the parents always say not to worry, that's what they eat at home too lol. I think moderation is key. If it was hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, packaged snacks every day than I'm sure some might say something. However, they've all said that there are things their child eats only here and they're happy that they at least eat it somewhere!!

Out of curiosity why are you asking?

Are you asking because you want to try and charge more by providing healthy meals. Or are you asking because your family eats healthy meals (organic, from scratch etc) and you want to charge more to cover the costs?

I don't think you can recoup the costs of buying organic to charge more daily. I would not recommend changing your usual ways just to advertise being different. The cost and work involved would not pay off.

BUT if you on your own buy organic or eat fully from scratch then by all means you can attempt to leverage that by increasing your fees a little bit.

Personally I gave a sample 4 week menu of what we would eat but left it at that.
We do have weekly organic delivery to our house and I attempt to make most our foods from scratch (bread etc). But I LOVE having not promised this as when things are hectic or I am lazy I can buy a good loaf of bread...or when there is a good sale on non-organic fruit I can buy it without thought of having "lied" to the parents.

Also, if one started off saying "all organic" or "all homemade" when this isn't their usual way then it can be a bit dicey when a few weeks/months in they realize they cannot maintain that promise.

Definitely depends on area. I find in Toronto, more and more families are looking for better quality food. A lot of the daycare centres get their meals catered now from places that only serve homemade/unprocessed foods. Some of the menus I looked at pretty extensive and varied. My one family that left last week for a centre (because I am closing in Feb) expressed their main concern with the switch was the food. The centre they got into serves a lot of processed foods e.g. canned soup, fish sticks etc. They didn't feel they could let that be a sticking point for them though because spots can be hard to find in T.O. Although I only serve unprocessed foods, I am market rate for the area. I could probably charge a little more but so many are offering this, probably not.

Can always try and see. Next interview bump fees and make food statements and see reaction.

Not in my area.

I have the odd family I meet wondering what we eat. I am honest it is kid friendly foods - grilled cheese, macaroni, perogies, nuggets/fries, pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, pancakes etc. I do feed fruits daily, veggies 2-4 times a week, dairy once a day. It's similar to what they eat at home.

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

Out of curiosity why are you asking?

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I guess I feel a bit bitter when I hear about daycares charging the same and they're only spending $3 for a couple boxes of Kraft dinner which takes 5 minutes to make. Whereas to make a homemade, nutritious meal it might cost $30 and can take an hour to make. I want to serve healthy, but I guess I want to feel like it's worth the money and time to do so. I'm just sure if parents really think about the cost of food when choosing a daycare and therefore will be scared away by the higher rates.

It does depend on type of client. None my families feed their child hot dogs or KD or things like that except very occasionally. So it matter to them. But it not matter enough for them to pay more. They would just go to place that not provide food and bring themselves.

I serve all the healthy made from scratch food too and I have had people sign on for the food aspect but few and far between. Most appreciate but don't care that much. I'm afraid if I charge much more, dry spells may ensue and I hate those periods. I try to buy bulk flours and bake a lot with bananas on sale and fill freezer with on sale items. Unfortunately many peeps don't care too much.