That is what my sister does as well (flat rate for before and after school) with her day home and she is always full...I mostly do after school because it is hard enough for me to get my daughters ready for their 7:30am bus without adding more kids to the mix.

The mom who is giving me trouble about my fees doesn't seem to realize that paying her $24 week (per child) provides her with a reliable safe spot for her kids to go. I never close, even when I am sick. My mom was dying for two months in the hospital and the only day I closed was for the funeral. Instead this mom focuses on the days that she picks them up 45 minutes early for hockey. She actually calculated how much time over the school year that she paid for , but didn't use. She also seems to think that from 3:05pm (when the bus arrives) until she picks her kids up at 4:15pm is only 1/2hr , because we don't get back to my house until 3:30 or 3:45pm.