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  1. #1
    Starting to feel at home...
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    How much do you charge?

    I was just reading a post about charging for personal vacation, etc. Maybe I jumped into my contract too fast but was wondering if what I am charging is the norm/fair? I know it depends on location (I am in Ontario) but I charge $30 a day and that includes all meals, I don't charge for stat holiday's (I am closed then), and I take 2 vacations a year that I don't charge for. If I have to take a sick day, I wouldn't charge for that either.
    Am I being too nice?! I really based all of this off of the old daycare my son went to...as these were their policies and I thought they were fair to the working families!
    I went into this not wanting to make money, just wanting to make enough to allow me to stay home with my children...but I also don't want to be a pushover! Although all contracts are signed and there is nothing I can do about it now, but I would consider changing some things next year! Wish I found this forum before I finalized my contract haha

  2. #2
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    I am also in Ontario and I charge $30/day but that includes stats. I allow parents 7 unpaid days to use. I take 2 weeks vacation I dont charge for. Going rate in my area is $25-35 so I am in the middle and am happy with that

  3. #3
    Euphoric ! mimi's Avatar
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    I am in southern Ontario. I have charged 40/day for the last 3 years and am thinking of increasing another 2 dollars per day in Sept. I have paid stats, unpaid holiday and sick time. I did offer my clients 1 week vacation free but they wound up asking to use their "holiday" days in lieu of paying when their child was sick so I stopped that. It all depends where you are in Ontario. I know Ottawa are can charge 45/day where here in the GTA I can't.

  4. #4
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    I charge $35 a day. I take 4 weeks unpaid vacation a year. All stats are paid. If parents do not bring a child because he/she is ill, they still pay. If I need to close for some reason, they do not pay for that day.

  5. #5
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    im also in Ontario (halton region) and i charge 40 a day. i get paid for all stats but not for my sick days or vacation. I get paid if the kids take a sick day and I offer a reduced weekly rate for clients vacation to a maximum of 3 weeks per year. after that full pay. There are many providers in my area charging 45 and 50 per day. I'm comfortable with my rate even though I could charge more.

  6. #6
    apples and bananas
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    I'm in ontario as well and I charge 35 a day. I do not charge for stats or any time I take off. I allow clients 1 week off without paying and they pay in full for any further vacation in order to hold the space. I am not at the low end of my area. I began at 30 almost 2 years ago and man how things have changed. When I bring in newbies going forward I'm raising my rates to 40 a day.

    If you charge too little you are not valuing yourself. And you don't look like a proper environment for good clients.

  7. #7
    Euphoric !
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    hi I am in Ottawa .....I get paid for everyday except my sick days. I have three weeks holidays, 5 personal days, 1 bereavement day, and all stats, paid for in my contract. I am currently 40\day but the next client I bring in the rate is going up to 41\day.

  8. #8
    Euphoric !
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    The best thing to do is check what other daycares in your neighbourhood are charging...it varies so much even within one city. Personally, it wouldn't be worth it to me to provide care for $30/per day...I wouldn't be left with much after I pay for all of my supplies and the space itself (my mortgage). You have to go with what you can charge in your area, but also take into account what you offer in terms of your space, your program, your food, etc.

  9. #9
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    I'm in Ontario and I charge $35 a day. I can take 2 weeks vacation unpaid a year and I charge for stats. If the clients go on vacation, full fees are still paid. If I close for some reason, the client does not pay. When I started a year ago, I charged $32, but soon raised my rates.

  10. #10
    Euphoric ! Inspired by Reggio's Avatar
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    'Ontario' is not a defined enough geographic determiner because so many things go into determining childcare fees ~ heck even within my city the childcare fees range from $20-45 day depending on what part of the 'city' you live in, the demand in that area verses the amount of providers, your program, your experience and what the market will bare for each individual when taking into account all those things.

    I have 4 daycares on my street alone that are vastly different ... one charges $20 a day with no contract and does the pay as you go (aka if the client does not come she does not charge) without receipts .... because she tends to attract the 'flex care' families who are attracted to the only pay for what they use she is either sitting with 1 kid some days or she is totally illegal other days with as many as 9 children I saw her out with the one day because in order to make a living she does not turn clients away if they book a day, two charges $25 a day but parents send all the food and both admit they do not do a program of any kind just 'free play' so neither has daily craft, sensory, science or other consumable expenses to incorporate into that fee ~ so basically aside from the increased cost of heat, hydro and water use that is all profit for them, another has raised her rates over the past few years and last I talked to her at the park she charges $30 a day and I currently charge $34 a day for children over 2 and $41 a day for children 'under two' ... which is a HUGE difference in my area ~ but I am still within the 'normal' for my region over all!

    Compared to my competition my clients are getting a registered Early Childhood Educator with 25 years of proven experience in providing a well rounded program, my home has passed inspection to be 'with a licensed agency' when I opened so even though I am no longer with them but I have the 'records' to show that my home meets the Fire Codes and so forth, they get all the 'program experiences' they would if their child was in an expensive childcare setting including developmental screening and an authentic portfolio record of their early years but with the small personalized ratios of home childcare and the flexibility that offers for children and for way less than centre care would cost them ~ I attract clients who value those attributes and are willing to invest more in them and have no trouble maintaining a viable business plan with that fee even though it is the high end for my direct neighborhood.

    As for payment for sick days or vacation .... I personally have two payment plans for my program because so many people have a hard time accepting the concept that whether you charge 'directly' for vacation and paid sick time or 'indirectly' that it is hidden in your fees either way they ARE paying for those things it is all in how the provider choose to budget

    Plan A is $174 a week for over two or $184 for under two and clients are required to pay for all stats ... I take 10 vacation days and 10 personal days unpaid on that plan.

    Plan B is $160 a week for over two or $170 a week for under two which is the same fee as when I opened 6 years ago ... those fees including payment for all stats, payment for 10 days of vacation and payment for 10 personal days annually ... if I were to take anything over that the clients would get the reduced daily rate of $34 for every day I went over!

    But either way at the end of the tax year both plans are paying the SAME it is all in how one wants to budget ... clients on Plan A it is up to ME put the increased payment aside for vacation/personal closures and clients on Plan B just pay the same consistent fee all year long and if they leave with 'vacation/personal time owing' to me it comes off their security deposit and they pay whatever difference is owing for their last two weeks of care ... both plans leave me 'comparative' to others in my area with neither putting me over the 'high end' of $45 that some areas of town are charging.

    I honestly could not afford to have 'lower' fees and do this as a viable business plan ... after my program expenses I am only earning roughly $100 a day and while that sounds awesome on face value the fact is that is less than minimum wage considering that with program prep, administration things like advertizing and interviewing, grocery shopping I work way more than 10 hours a day I am 'open' for business!
    Children construct their own intelligence. The adult must provide activities and context, but most of all must be able to listen. Children need proof that adults believe in them. Their three great desires are to be listened to, to understand, and to demonstrate that they are exactly what we expect."
    Loris Malaguzzi

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