Question About Rate

[PAMommy1228]

How much do you charge a week, for how many hours? If they go over a certain amount of hours do they get charged more?

For example, if a parent works 8 hours, and an hour of travel, that's 10 hours, what if they do 12 hours a day, do you charge more for the 2 extra hours?

[Unregistered]

I charge 120 a week for ages 6 weeks till in school full time I do not watch after school kids. My hours are 7:30am til 5:30pm Im only opened 10 hours a day 5 days a week parents still get charged if they dont come, holidays, if im closed, etc.

[BentleysBands]

i have a flat rate of $20 per day per child regardless of age. most charge $25 here. i also provide everything except formula

[PAMommy1228]

Thanks!

I just feel like I am being taken advantage. some of my parents leave their children here from open until close every day of the week even if they have a day off. And one of the ones drops of extremely early and the kid is unruly. He won't take a nap, so I don't get any time to do anything during the day. I think 12 hours is way too long to leave your kid when you work 8 hours and only work 15 minutes away from my house.

[marniewon]

All of my families are contracted according to THEIR WORK SCHEDULE. I will not open before 7:30 and won't stay open past 5:30 for normal work days. If a family needs me early or later occassionally, I will usually do it, and if they stay within 10 hours that day, I won't charge any more for it. However, if someone needed me 10+ hours a day full time, well, first, I probably wouldn't take them. If I did though, I would charge my full time rate and add on extra pay for the extra hours per day. I would not make it very affordable. That is way too long for kids to be in daycare.

I charge $110 for up to 10 hours per day, 4-5 days a week. Part time is $25/day.

So your families only work 8 hour days yet leave their kids in care for 12? If you want that to change, you should write up a new contract and have everyone sign it. Contract their hours for the time they are at work, leaving room for travel time. Say they work from 8-5. I would contract them from 7:30 - 5:30. Make sure to put on there late fees: how much they are, when they start, etc. Mine are $5/15min late (and that includes early drop-offs also). Some people go by the minute. It's really up to you how you want to handle it. If you have late fees, make sure to enforce them, or you will end up right back to where you are now with the kids at your house all day long. Draw it up for each family, let them know it will be effective in 2 weeks (and specify the date), hand it to the family and let them know they need to sign/return it within xx days. That is the ONLY way you are going to get rid of 12 hour days. Well, other than start charging outrageous rates for anything over 10 hours per day. Good luck!

[Unregistered]

wish i had parents who worked 8hr days. most of my parents have 10-12 hr days not including travel. i do not see a problem with 12hr days so long as the parent is working and not leaving the child in care for their leisure. i do not go by 'hours' in care. i charge a flat rate of $120 per child up to age 5yrs. I'm open 6am-6pm Monday-Friday. I do not charge for holidays or vacation days.

[MommyMuffin]

I try to be flexible for parents because I know what the snow can do to a half hour drive in winter here in MN...turns into 1.5 hours.
For that reason I have contracted rates...I will never work past 6:00pm though. So I ask them what hours do you need, if it is anything over 10 hours I charge an extra $3 for every hour over per day.

[SunflowerMama]

I charge just one rate regardless of age. $155/week and I don't watch them any longer than 10 hrs per day.

I only do full-time.

[SunflowerMama]

I used to do part-time and it was $110 a week. Anthing under 5 hours a day and it had to be at least 3 days/wk.

[Blackcat31]

My rates are:
Full Time (3-5 days per week) $28 for toilet trained/$33 for non-toilet trained.
Part Time (1-2 days per week) $33 for toilet trained/$40 for non-toilet trained
I also charge flat rate for school age of $50 per week regardless of how many days before or after school they use.
I am only open M-F from 7:30 to 5:30. No exceptions because I do not live in the home I run my child care out of.
Parents can use the whole day if they want to because they pay for it so I don't care either way. I don't care if they are at work or home sleeping.

[MarinaVanessa]

I charge a weekly rate of $155 (which breaks down to $3.10 an hour) and set a schedule that works with their work schedule within my business hours (6am-6pm) but they can only stay 10 hours per day. Anything before 6am, is overtime. Anything after 6pm, is overtime. Anything over 10 hours, is overtime. I charge $5 an hour (or part of an hour) for overtime. It really deters the parents from leaving their kids too long.

[momma2girls]

wish i had parents who worked 8hr days. most of my parents have 10-12 hr days not including travel. i do not see a problem with 12hr days so long as the parent is working and not leaving the child in care for their leisure. i do not go by 'hours' in care. i charge a flat rate of $120 per child up to age 5yrs. I'm open 6am-6pm Monday-Friday. I do not charge for holidays or vacation days.

When your hrs. are open 6-6, you are very well going to have families abuse and abuse and abuse this- make it contracted work hrs. only!! I have work and commute times only in your contract, have everyone tell you or write down the amt. of hrs. they will need for work and commute times only. There aren't really any parents that both work 12 hrs. days- that is nonsense!! I guess there could actually be a few out there, that both have to work 12 hr. days/5 days a week, but not too many!!!

[SilverSabre25]

When your hrs. are open 6-6, you are very well going to have families abuse and abuse and abuse this- make it contracted work hrs. only!! I have work and commute times only in your contract, have everyone tell you or write down the amt. of hrs. they will need for work and commute times only. There aren't really any parents that both work 12 hrs. days- that is nonsense!!

Actually, there are plenty. Nurses frequently have 12 hr shifts. Parents with long commutes, parents who might be managers at retail stores who have to cover shifts if someone calls off or doesn't show up...there are plenty of jobs that a parent might have where they would have to work 12 hour shifts, or at least have their child in care for 12 hours.

[momma2girls]

Actually, there are plenty. Nurses frequently have 12 hr shifts. Parents with long commutes, parents who might be managers at retail stores who have to cover shifts if someone calls off or doesn't show up...there are plenty of jobs that a parent might have where they would have to work 12 hour shifts, or at least have their child in care for 12 hours.

I know there are nurses, etc. that work 12 hrs. a day, etc. but to have both parents work 12 hrs. a day???? One can pick up and the other one can drop off- whenever the one that doesn't work the 12 hrs. can come and pick up and drop off. THere is not very many families that can both say they both work 12 hrs. that one can't pick up. If you are open 12 hrs. many will take advantage of it, believe me I have been there, done the 12 hr. day, somedays even longer, if someone was late coming home, etc... NEVER AGAIN!!!!! I think the 9-10 hrs. is long enough, for any child to be in daycare!! I once had a parent that worked 10 hrs. herself and had a husband that worked 3rd shift. He would wake up at 3:00 everyday, go workout, have alone time, and couldn't make it here by their contracted time 4:30- because the Father had too much to do everyday, before picking up their child- How sad!! There are many, many families out there like this!!! I am a nurse there were times I had to stay extra, becasue of call offs, etc. but I wouldn't expect my daycare to stay open 12 or 13 hrs. because of it, and not pay her any more than an 8 hr. day- That is crazy in my book!!! THere was a time when I was divorced and single when I had to do this as well!!

[nannyde]

I know there are nurses, etc. that work 12 hrs. a day, etc. but to have both parents work 12 hrs. a day???? One can pick up and the other one can drop off- whenever the one that doesn't work the 12 hrs. can come and pick up and drop off. THere is not very many families that can both say they both work 12 hrs. that one can't pick up. If you are open 12 hrs. many will take advantage of it, believe me I have been there, done the 12 hr. day, somedays even longer, if someone was late coming home, etc... NEVER AGAIN!!!!! I think the 9-10 hrs. is long enough, for any child to be in daycare!! I once had a parent that worked 10 hrs. herself and had a husband that worked 3rd shift. He would wake up at 3:00 everyday, go workout, have alone time, and couldn't make it here by their contracted time 4:30- because the Father had too much to do everyday, before picking up their child- How sad!! There are many, many families out there like this!!! I am a nurse there were times I had to stay extra, becasue of call offs, etc. but I wouldn't expect my daycare to stay open 12 or 13 hrs. because of it, and not pay her any more than an 8 hr. day- That is crazy in my book!!! THere was a time when I was divorced and single when I had to do this as well!!

I've done twelve hour days for nurses and done just three days per week with a full week salary. Usually these nurses are doing three twelve hour shifts and receiving a full time salary for doing it. If the child has four days a week home with the parent then the sacrifice of having three very long days is well worth it. In the end they are in day care less total hours per year.

It's the twelve hour shifts five days a week that is a recipe for CONSTANT problems. Parents who leave their child in care that many hours are disenfranchised from their child because they do not have enough AWAKE time with their child.

I've been doing this for 31 years and my formula for family success is that the really great day care parents that have really good kids are families that have FIVE awake hours per day between morning and after day care. When parents have their child AWAKE for that many hours a day they are usually comfortable caring for them, they understand their childs needs, they do the WORK of the care of them, and are understanding of what we do every day.

I do a max of nine hours a day. I find out during the inititail phone call what hours the parents both work, where they work, and the time off for lunch. I then only offer the care they NEED based on the parent who is going into work last drops off and the parent getting off work first picks up.

I haven't had any problem finding families that do nine hours or less per day. I've made exception for twelve hour shift families ONLY if the child attends ONLY three days per week and the parent HAS the child on the other four days per week. If the parent is working during anymore than the three days per week I do not sign them on.

There is no such thing as quality time without quantity time. There aren't enough hours in the day for the parent to parent a child if they are in care twelve hours a day. It's simply impossible. Time is time and it can't be cheated.