Congratulations on making the big step and know that we are here to answer questions no matter what they are - the no question is too silly rule totally applies - we answer them all on this forum.

I'm in Ontario but the best thing I have found to do when setting rates is to go to the homepage for daycare bear and then put your postal code in the search box as if looking for care. You will get a list of daycare providers starting with those closest to you. Looking at what they are charging, what they are offering, their education, their setups for any that have pictures posted will give you an idea of what the norms are for your area.

When I left the agency I was with I started with a rate that was lower than what the agency chaged parents but more than what I was getting from the agency. This was basically what most in the agency were charging so I was right on par with others.

One of the selling points was that I was able to say I had agency experience and knew the rules and regulation and parents liked that - the awareness of safety, healthy meals, adequate programming, etc.