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Starting to feel at home...
I also have a clause that it's $5/day more to be longer than 10 hours.
~ Mama to 4, Dayhome provider ~
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Shy
I haven't opened a daycare yet, but putting all of my ideas together, and hopefully I'll be starting in July. Anyways, I was already thinking of doing 8-4, gives me time to get my son off to school in the morning and things ready for the day, but was also thinking of offering 6am-8am (cause some people start at 7 and need to get here before that) for an extra $5 a day, as well as offering 4pm-6pm for an extra $5 a day. I won't be charging too much to begin with for the day because I want to accommodate for parents who can't afford the daycare out there but at the same time I don't want parents to be taking advantage of the situations and services. I too have my own family, and with my husband away in the military my kids need that 'alone' time with their mommy as well.
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You will likely have a hard time getting clients if you are only going to work for 7 hours which 8-4 is. Most people work a full 8 hour shift plus need time to drive to and from work which is why many providers allow for 10 hours. You might be able to find some families that work different hours and therefore one parent can go to work early and other drops off later and then the first parent will then finish first and come to get the child so they only need 8 hours of care. You could also consider doing part time care and that would give you more time with your own kids. If you are going to charge for the extra hours and are willing to do them you might as well just choose hours that work with what people in your area require and then charge accordingly per day. Parents aren't always happy with rates if they think they are being charged more and more for this and that even if it works out to the same amount in the end. Also as long as you are working for the day you deserve to be paid the full rate even for a family that does work shorter hours since the child will still be with you for meals, snacks, crafts, etc which are all where your money goes so better not to short change yourself either by allowing them to pay less. I would figure out a rate for a 9-10 hour day depending on how far most in your area take to travel to work (8 hour work day plus travel time) to equal what your daily rate is based on.
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Shy
Originally Posted by playfelt
You will likely have a hard time getting clients if you are only going to work for 7 hours which 8-4 is. Most people work a full 8 hour shift plus need time to drive to and from work which is why many providers allow for 10 hours. You might be able to find some families that work different hours and therefore one parent can go to work early and other drops off later and then the first parent will then finish first and come to get the child so they only need 8 hours of care. You could also consider doing part time care and that would give you more time with your own kids. If you are going to charge for the extra hours and are willing to do them you might as well just choose hours that work with what people in your area require and then charge accordingly per day. Parents aren't always happy with rates if they think they are being charged more and more for this and that even if it works out to the same amount in the end. Also as long as you are working for the day you deserve to be paid the full rate even for a family that does work shorter hours since the child will still be with you for meals, snacks, crafts, etc which are all where your money goes so better not to short change yourself either by allowing them to pay less. I would figure out a rate for a 9-10 hour day depending on how far most in your area take to travel to work (8 hour work day plus travel time) to equal what your daily rate is based on.
actually 8-4 is an 8 hour day, not 7, and these hours and pricing comes from what would work for people I know. Some people look away from seeing $30 right away. And people around here are all understanding as to why it's broken up in these hours. This way, instead of just seeing $30 like everybody else is paying for the extra hours they don't need, they're seeing $20 off the bat, and the option is there if they need the extra hours and will appreciate the extra $5 to still be under the $30 mark like everywhere else. It's about promoting at this point and bringing families in. I do understand what you mean though. But I know in this area if I put it as a 10 hour day and charge the $30 i won't get anybody.
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What do other caregivers in your area charge on a daily basis? I understand that you are wanting to do this to make the rates look better for the parents. But in reality it is you that is going to be on the losing end because that child that pays $20 for 8 hours of care and the child that pays $30 for 10 hours of care is going to cost you the same to provide that care since both will the same food and do the same activities - the extra time is just that extra freeplay time. That is $50 a week coming out of your pocket so something you might want to consider. Also I am finding it hard to figure out who exactly you are going to get into care that only needs the 8 hours of care since parents need travel time to get from daycare to work and back again. If you are meaning you are doing only part time daycare in the sense of parents are working 6 hours or less then $20 might work and you could be lucky and not have to do one of the snacks that would save you the money. Just remember that parents are paying for one of your five spaces in your daycare so no matter how many hours they are there it is still taking a full space.
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Originally Posted by mb0318
actually 8-4 is an 8 hour day, not 7, and these hours and pricing comes from what would work for people I know. Some people look away from seeing $30 right away. And people around here are all understanding as to why it's broken up in these hours. This way, instead of just seeing $30 like everybody else is paying for the extra hours they don't need, they're seeing $20 off the bat, and the option is there if they need the extra hours and will appreciate the extra $5 to still be under the $30 mark like everywhere else. It's about promoting at this point and bringing families in. I do understand what you mean though. But I know in this area if I put it as a 10 hour day and charge the $30 i won't get anybody.
Must be real cheap daycare in Penatanguishene...I am in Georgetown and charge $ 35/day for full time. $ 30/day for JK and SK and $ 15/day for before/after school. Some providers here are now charging $ 40/day.
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I understand wanting to keep fees low to bring in clients but undercutting what the average fees are also can backfire in the sense that parents will look at them and say well the price is cheap but she must not be doing anything or cutting back on nutrition or something to be able to do it. Just like we fell lied to when we see an ad for something at $20 then come to find out there is a $10 activation fee, a $5 processing fee, .... again we feel lied to. Truth and transparancy is extremely important in our job and something we need to think about in how we present ourselves to prospective parents.
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Starting to feel at home...
My hours are 7 - 4:45pm. I used to be open til 5pm but with dinner and getting my own children to after school sports I told my families I need to close 15 minutes earlier. I'm flexible in the morning and one family comes a little bit earlier but I'm not flexible at closing time. 4:45 my doors need to close, so if they want to chat for awhile, they need to come 5 to 10 minutes before my closing time. I need to do what is best for my family, and i need this evening time to spend with them and my daycare families understand this.
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I open at 6:30 am and close at 5pm. I also charge $5 extra if the child is in care for more that 10 hours. I am in Brampton and I just raised my rates for my new clients to $185 per week. I did not raise existing clients though, but I only have three children under the old contract so it works out. I also charge more per day for part time.
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