Advice needed about pricing, simple or complex

[Busy ECE mommy]

I'm in Halton area in Ontario, and many in my neighbourhood place a higher premium on children under 2 yrs, as the lowest licensed centre rates are about $60+ a day for infants, and $50-$55 for toddlers around here. I charge $5 more a day until they are 2.5(preschool age) and no parent has ever questioned that, given the high expense at centres. All of my preschoolers have been with me since infant/toddler age, and they are very self sufficient with following directions/tidy up/dressing in outdoor wear/climbing and running and walking in the neighbourhood/eating / scraping their dishes/are potty trained/have consistent nap routines/and I am not lifting and carrying them. I guess it depends how many little ones you have, and I have always stuck to the "2 under 2 yrs" rule even though I didn't need to. I have found a definite difference in the hyper-vigilance you need when supervising the under 2 years crowd, so I do charge more. I guess every provider's experience is different depending on the group you have at the time. And yes I know that there are preschoolers that are "handfuls" with behaviour too! The best guide is to search daycare bear with your postal code and average out the rate.

[Mike]

I'm in Halton area in Ontario, and many in my neighbourhood place a higher premium on children under 2 yrs, as the lowest licensed centre rates are about $60+ a day for infants, and $50-$55 for toddlers around here.
...
and I have always stuck to the "2 under 2 yrs" rule even though I didn't need to. I have found a definite difference in the hyper-vigilance you need when supervising the under 2 years crowd, so I do charge more.
...
The best guide is to search daycare bear with your postal code and average out the rate.

That's what's making it so much fun deciding on a final price. I searched daycare bear and local yellow pages and kijiji ads and found most of the daycares with websites had prices based on ages. With daycare centers, it's obviously because of the limits. In business, that's supply and demand. I also plan on sticking with the daycare rules, or at least keeping close to them, in case I do decide later to go registered, or we are forced to. If I make prices the same for all ages, it would have an effect on what age ranges I would get.

I am going to simplify my pricing, but not overdo it.