Quote Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio View Post
Oh do not get me wrong I am so not begrudging you your fee - I often think we should be able to charge MORE than CENTRES do because IMO we offer a superior service and well it is not OUR fault that the cost of centre based care is driven up by the many many salaries that do not provide directly to the service - however the market likely not going to bare that hike
Actually, you are totally right Reggio, and the market will bare it, just give it a try with the next child you try to take on.You seem to be a really good provider so there are people willing to pay for much more when it comes to the quality of care and they see that you offer a high quality service. That is how I explain it to people because I have started to charge more ($60/day from $45) I compare us to a daycare where you would be paying around $900+ for your child to be in care amongst 25-30 kids, where the staff are running to take care of just their basic needs such as diaper changes, naps, eating, and with us, we provide a smaller more intimate group setting that is more quality and detail oriented in regards to food, toys, activities, and general stimulation/development of each child. So yeah, we're gonna cost more. I was charging $960 up to this point, which is typical for daycare here, and now decided to raise my prices to $1200 and i had 2 people fighting for the spot the first week I posted it. I just wish I had thought of it sooner and had friends tell me I should be in the $1260 range but I was always trying to view it from a parents perspective and wanting to be "Affordable enough". Now I realize that not everyone is going to be able to come and use my services, but i know there are ones that are, and we are totally worth it. I have two assistants that work with me, so between 6/7 children there are 2 of us to care for them, we have a brand new quadruple stroller that the kids get taken out for walks each day, we try to bring in something new to the play area each month and use a portion of the money to add to it whenever we can, we have a stack of new library books for the kids every two weeks, home cooked healthy food, and friendly/patient caregivers, etc. I think if you put in the time and effort to make it outstanding, which from the sounds of it you have, then people will pay.