How Long a Day Will You Agree To ?

[Monday 2 Friday Mama]

I'm interviewing parents for a space that I have, and one parent would like me to care for her daughter from 7:45 to 5:45. In my opinion, it seems like a long day. My other parents all arrive between 7:30 and 8:30 A.M. and my last baby is picked up at 5:15. I just wanted some feedback to make sure that I'm not becoming a diva in my old age - is the industry norm still (about) nine and a half hours of care per day ? Or am I just getting to old and tired if a 10 hour day seems like too much to handle ? (By the way, this child is 3 so I'll likely only be caring for her for a year and then she'll be off to full day kindergarten)

[kidlove]

I will take any child from open to close, with extra charges for anything over 9 hours. their choice.

[Crayola kiddies]

I open at 6:45 and close at 4:30..... My first year I took a flex family from 6:30 - 6 ....1-4 days a week ..... Was too much.

[mustbenuts]

I think the standard really varies. You have to do what you are comfortable with. I used to be open 7:30 - 5:30 but have gradually decreased as families leave and now I do 8-5. There is no way I could stay open until 5:45 now, that just creeps too far into my evening. For interviews, I just tell them my times and they have to either work within them or look elsewhwere. It's amazing how they can end up conforming to those times if they really want to.

[Monday 2 Friday Mama]

I agree - I need to have some portion of the evenings free - both for business stuff (running to the grocery store to get fresh fruit for the daycare babies every couple of days, or if I'm interviewing families - I get a lot of families who are finding 6:30 P.M. too late to come by to meet with me.) and my own life. *Gasp* a daycare provider who wants to do more than just schlep babies all of her waking hours - imagine that ! ;D

I think the standard really varies. You have to do what you are comfortable with. I used to be open 7:30 - 5:30 but have gradually decreased as families leave and now I do 8-5. There is no way I could stay open until 5:45 now, that just creeps too far into my evening. For interviews, I just tell them my times and they have to either work within them or look elsewhwere. It's amazing how they can end up conforming to those times if they really want to.

[BlueRose]

my hours are 7:30 to 5:30, but right now I have one dcg who is here until 6pm. Once she is gone I will never work past 5:30 or start before 7:30, unless its an emergency situation.

[Starshine]

I am open 7:30 until 5:30. I don't have anyone who uses the full 10 hours though.

[mimi]

It's hard at the end of the day to have one left especially after closing. However, if you are low in numbers you may want to consider it with as kidlove says with extra charges for over 9 hrs.

[Judy Trickett]

I offer a nine hour day with set operational hours. I will not, not, not work outside of those hours. If a parent can work within my operational hours then we are not a daycare match. You have to draw the line somewhere or you would be working a 12 hour day.

[Bookworm]

When I started my hours were 7:30-5:30, and then one of my families asked if I could watch their kids until 6pm, well that 6pm became 6:30-7pm. After about two months, I told them that they had to come get their kids by 5:30 or I could no longer care for them. It was an extremely long day, my kids were acting out because they weren't getting enough family time, and I was burning out. They agreed to my new terms and it has been great. I will not work past 5:30, in fact I changed my hours of operation to 5:15, just so that if a parent is late, they still (hopefully) will be here by 5:30.