Before and After school cost

[Shanda]

Hi! I am looking at taking a couple of before and after school kids. I am just wondering what people are charging for this service? I live in Hamilton, Ontario and would appreciate any input.

[Big Hearts]

I was wondering the same thing. I think $15

[momof2cuties]

I would say $15. That is what I charge my afterschool kid. However, they are subsidy so parent doesn't need to pay.

[Sandbox Sally]

I charge $20 per day to a maximum of 4 hours. If it's just before or just after, I charge $15 per day to a maximum of 2 hours. I am in a smallish town in the GTA. I am sure you could charge more in larger cities.

[Shanda]

I think that what you suggest with the hours makes great sense. $15 seems to be okay for a short period but it pains me that a teenage babysitter makes more that me!

[Starshine]

I charge $20 for both before and after school care (maximum of 3 1/2 hours).
Before care is $12 (maximum of 1 1/2 hours) and after care is $12 (maximum of 2 hours).

[Inspired by Reggio]

This is why I do not offer before and after school care ~ society does not value the service at all and expect us to suddenly take a cut in pay to offer this service to them .... honestly the before and after school programs that offer this service have a 1:15 ratio and charge the SAME or MORE than $15 a day in some communities .... they typically do not provide food and take place in a gym and so forth where kids just 'run around' for a couple of hours entertaining themselves with very little program expense for the organizations offering it?

I always wonder why home childcare providers sell themselves short when we offer a smaller ratio with a consistent adult and a homemade snack option and so forth .... we offer a premium service to clients and should be able to charge a premium service but yet our fees are consistently and substantially lower than 'centres' because it is assumed that they offer better service :roll:

The child is still taking up a 'space' in my program and ratio and well I prefer to have a full time child and get full time fees than to have to drag my self and the rest of my crew back and forth to the school in all sorts of weather in order to collect the school age children all for the privilege of earning less money ... yup sign me up

Unless you have to make that 'trek' anyway to get your own kids weigh doing this carefully cause lots of providers 'start' and than 1 month into winter regret it! Also if there is a demand for this service in your area than make sure you charge a FAIR wage to yourself considering the amount of PITA factor this service requires so that when it is -40 and storming outside and you are having to dress up your other daycare children and trek to the school you are not making that walk thinking 'crap why I am doing all this for a measly $15 a day it hardly seems worth it'

[Sandbox Sally]

The reason I am "selling myself short" is because I couldn't get any other clients, despite having tried since the middle of June.

I really don't mind my position right now...I have ONE kid from 8:30-3:30 every day but Tuesdays, when I have two kids. I have before and after kids for a grand total of 15 mins in the am's and 1.5 hours after school. Doing this, I am still making over $600 a week. Not bad, IMO.

Also, I don't have to do a run, as the kids are walked (with their parents permission) by my 12 year old every day.

It CAN work out for some.

[Inspired by Reggio]

The reason I am "selling myself short" is because. .....

Sorry I did not mean to single out those who offer before and after school as selling them selves short .... I was actually including myself in that statement as I was speaking of 'providers in general' ~ collectively we have always charged less than 'big licensed centres' which IMO after having worked for almost 2 decades in that environment actually offer less individual service to clients with less focus on nutrition and high ratios and other things that are proven in research to 'affect quality learning for kids' .... I have always wondered 'why' this is our history considering that the service we offer is premium in comparison to our counter parts ... all the current research indicates that young children thrive in smaller ratios with a more home like environment ~ centres and schools are now trying to 'emulate' what we already offer trying to make institutionalized care more 'homey' because more and more studies show that children thrive in small home schooled settings .... just one of those things that makes me go hmmm about how society thinks is all!

I had to sell myself short when I started out because I feel that I should be able to charge privately the same fee that an 'agency charges' for the same service because well IMO my service exceeded theirs However the market would not bare my logic and I had to lower my fees down to the 'high end of private fees' in order to attract clients initially to get 'started' and than worked at raising them over the next few years but I still have to charge less than 'agency' does despite the fact that those inflated fees agencies charge has nothing to do with the quality of service on the front line and instead is all about the covering cost of management and adminstration :roll

[Inspired by Reggio]

...Doing this, I am still making over $600 a week. Not bad, IMO.....

Holy crap ~ fees in your neck of the woods must be high ~ honestly that is what I make having 4 full time kids!