So I have a dilemma. I am a fairly new provider, not yet licensed, only Trustlined in CA and am watching my 3.5 year old nephew.
I began watching my nephew 1 month ago and am finding that I made several mistakes with this situation from the get go. Let's list em, shall we?
1. I did not write out a contract.
2. I set my rate WAY too low.
So these mistakes pretty much umbrella my whole issue, let me explain why.
1. Because I didn't write out a contract, there is no set time that my SIL (sister in law) and her fiancee have to come and get my nephew. They usually come and get him at 5:15. My nephew and his Dad are on subsidy child care (my SIL is not a part of it, as she is Ian's step-mom and again, they're not married yet). According to the subsidy paperwork, my nephew is in my care from 7:00 am - 6:00 pm, but he rarely stays that late. However, they have been late THREE TIMES in this last week and it's driving me nuts. Since I didn't write a contract, I don't get paid a late fee and I am NOT getting paid enough to watch him any longer than I do. This is where problem 2 comes in.
2. My rate is very low...I only charge my SIL and her fiancee $400 a month to watch my nephew 50 hrs a week. The reason I do this is because I felt bad for them and wanted to cut them some slack on childcare, so made my rates such that the subsidy would cover everything and they would not have to pay out of pocket. I was doing them a favor, right? BIG MISTAKE! They're taking advantage of me by showing up late, my nephew is a good kid but can be a very difficult child (he was kicked out of his last school), and my daughter is learning bad behavior from him. LOTS of it. I knew this would happen, but for $400 a month? Ick.
So my reason for this rant...I need to write out a contract and raise my rates but have a few questions:
1. Am I allowed to write out a contract even though I'm not licensed? I'm located in California, not sure of the rules so if someone knows, please help!
2. If I raise my rates, how much should I do it? My nephew is 3.5 years old, potty trained, etc. They want me to feed him and do pre-school (along with making sure he survives the day? yeesh.) and he is here at least 40-50 hours a week. Like I said, my current rate is $400 a month since he is full-time. Any suggestions on rates?
3. Can anyone send me their contracts so that I can get a good idea of what I should be saying? I am no good at this, have not gone through the licensing process, and need to get this done NOW before I go nuts.
THANK YOU so much in advance for the help, everyone!!!!
I began watching my nephew 1 month ago and am finding that I made several mistakes with this situation from the get go. Let's list em, shall we?
1. I did not write out a contract.
2. I set my rate WAY too low.
So these mistakes pretty much umbrella my whole issue, let me explain why.
1. Because I didn't write out a contract, there is no set time that my SIL (sister in law) and her fiancee have to come and get my nephew. They usually come and get him at 5:15. My nephew and his Dad are on subsidy child care (my SIL is not a part of it, as she is Ian's step-mom and again, they're not married yet). According to the subsidy paperwork, my nephew is in my care from 7:00 am - 6:00 pm, but he rarely stays that late. However, they have been late THREE TIMES in this last week and it's driving me nuts. Since I didn't write a contract, I don't get paid a late fee and I am NOT getting paid enough to watch him any longer than I do. This is where problem 2 comes in.
2. My rate is very low...I only charge my SIL and her fiancee $400 a month to watch my nephew 50 hrs a week. The reason I do this is because I felt bad for them and wanted to cut them some slack on childcare, so made my rates such that the subsidy would cover everything and they would not have to pay out of pocket. I was doing them a favor, right? BIG MISTAKE! They're taking advantage of me by showing up late, my nephew is a good kid but can be a very difficult child (he was kicked out of his last school), and my daughter is learning bad behavior from him. LOTS of it. I knew this would happen, but for $400 a month? Ick.
So my reason for this rant...I need to write out a contract and raise my rates but have a few questions:
1. Am I allowed to write out a contract even though I'm not licensed? I'm located in California, not sure of the rules so if someone knows, please help!
2. If I raise my rates, how much should I do it? My nephew is 3.5 years old, potty trained, etc. They want me to feed him and do pre-school (along with making sure he survives the day? yeesh.) and he is here at least 40-50 hours a week. Like I said, my current rate is $400 a month since he is full-time. Any suggestions on rates?
3. Can anyone send me their contracts so that I can get a good idea of what I should be saying? I am no good at this, have not gone through the licensing process, and need to get this done NOW before I go nuts.
THANK YOU so much in advance for the help, everyone!!!!
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