How to Charge For This?

[beachgrl]

Hey all..i have a potential parent who is interested in care for three kids From like 9am-9:30pm when she originally wanted like 8 hrs. My Normal daily/drop in rate is $30 and i told her i would do $25 ea for 8 hrs but i dont know what to tell her now with it being on Saturday and sunday (making my week all week long w no days off) And i know its prolly hard for her to find care for 3 kids and since i am just starting out i can really use the xtra money. So what would you guys do/charge w it being such long days, Mom is a nurse i think and only works those two days per week.

[KEG123]

Nope. No way am I watching someone's kids 12.5 hours every day of the week. When do those poor kids ever get to see their parents?

[Crystal]

$125 per day. That's $50 each with a discount of $25 for the third child. Take it or leave it. She'll probably take it.

[beachgrl]

Just weekends

Sorry, its not everyday just every sat and sun..
I will just have other peoples kids during the week just to clarify

[GG~DAYCARE]

I agree with the $125. It is weekend pay!!

[beachgrl]

Thats about what i was thinking

I was thinking an extra $20 ea per day but didnt want to make it so much that it'd be pointless for her to even work but with 3 kids. Its hard to get care especially with those hours.

[cheerfuldom]

I would never do these hours myself but if I did, I would charge $90 per day ($30 per kid, no discounts) plus at least $10 per kid for weekend pay. I really think that you will burn out quickly though OP and I really think this is a bad idea. Doing all day every day is just too much. When are you going to rest, run errands, spend time with families, etc?

[beachgrl]

Not sure About it either

Yah I dont know that I would want to do it, just wondering what people would charge. I would have to take them with me to do things and include them. Whatever we do as a family, plus we will have my 5yr stepson each wkeend too so idk if it is something I am willing or able to do really. Thanks for your responses!

[mom2many]

Wow... My weekends are my time of refuge, so I would definitely charge top dollar. That is a huge sacrifice giving up that time off, so you should make it worth your while.

[Abigail]

If you typically charge $30 per child then you should charge $90 per day. Honestly, how much is this person making while at work? If it's higher than what she makes she obviously will not do it. If you want the money, you should only offer it as a drop-in basis and schedule one weekend at a time. Then she can alternate between babysitters and you so you don't have to work everyday of the week all year long! $90 a day is reasonable because it's 12.5 hour shifts and it's weekend hours and you feed them and they'll probably be awake all day unless they're really young. The lowest you should go is $75 a day because you quoted $25 per kid, yet that was on an 8 hour basis....go even higher up to $90 a day to make you feel okay.

Honestly, I would strictly do this on a drop in basis that must be scheduled and APPROVED by you. Have one weekend paid in advance (check cleared) prior to care, or paid part in cash up front. Let us know what you plan to do!

[Meyou]

I charge $60 for an 8 hour weekend day, double my daily rate. My families use the option in December for xmas shopping alot. For a 12.5 hour Saturday it would have to be worth losing my whole day and my weekend so $250 for 3 kids? That seems really high but I'm going by my weekend rate that I use now.

[beachgrl]

I charge $60 for an 8 hour weekend day, double my daily rate. My families use the option in December for xmas shopping alot. For a 12.5 hour Saturday it would have to be worth losing my whole day and my weekend so $250 for 3 kids? That seems really high but I'm going by my weekend rate that I use now.

Are you saying like $250 for both days or each day, because it would be sat and sunday. I plan to call her back today and see if it is an every weekend thing or every other because last time I talked to her she was thinking of an every other weekend thing but she didn't say when she left the message which it was.

I have to REALLY think about this in regard to my weekends,plus it being three kids...it would definitely not be my typical day...it would have to be the kids doing whatever we do and being more a part of the family then scheduling activities and such, I am not going to be following a normal daily daycare schedule other than meals. I feel like if I were to do this, it is a big sacrifice of my family time and weekend time and I am NOT going to go out of my way with activities and such.

It's sad that right now though I could make more on the weekend taking care of those kids than during the week with the two I have as drop-ins until my enrollment gets up.

[beachgrl]

If you typically charge $30 per child then you should charge $90 per day. Honestly, how much is this person making while at work? If it's higher than what she makes she obviously will not do it. If you want the money, you should only offer it as a drop-in basis and schedule one weekend at a time. Then she can alternate between babysitters and you so you don't have to work everyday of the week all year long! $90 a day is reasonable because it's 12.5 hour shifts and it's weekend hours and you feed them and they'll probably be awake all day unless they're really young. The lowest you should go is $75 a day because you quoted $25 per kid, yet that was on an 8 hour basis....go even higher up to $90 a day to make you feel okay.

Honestly, I would strictly do this on a drop in basis that must be scheduled and APPROVED by you. Have one weekend paid in advance (check cleared) prior to care, or paid part in cash up front. Let us know what you plan to do!

I like what you say about making it as a drop in basis, and I was definitely planning to tell her it would have to be on a so many week trial basis to see how it would go first. But I really like that idea, that way if I did have something I needed to do one weekend that I didn't want to deal with three extra kids she could find other arrangements. I am thinking of telling her around $100-125 though which will determine just how much she really wants to do it.

[Crazy8]

First, I would NEVER do it, no way, no how. I don't care how much I needed the money, there is no way in hell I'd give up 12.5 hours of my weekend when I already work Mon-Fri. No WAY.

But if you really need it and are willing to say no to every possible event that you could be going to on the weekends I would NOT do it for bargain rate. Your NORMAL rate is $30/day, so regardless of your quote of $75 (when you thought it was normal 8 hour days), so I wouldn't do less than $90/day for the weekend - I'd probably go even higher for the extra hours and the fact that you'd be working 7 days a week. I'd do bare minimum of $180 for the weekend. I don't know about your area but here weekend nurses make a good deal of money, she has to know it will cost her to have daycare for 12+ hour days on the weekend.

[beachgrl]

update

Well I talked to her this morning just to see what exactly she was needing and to tell her what I would charge. We talked for a few minutes, her mom has been caring for them but also works a full time job during the week so she said her mom could do it some weekends or even two out of the month but basically wanted to be able to take the weekend shift and give her mom a break once in a while which is better than NEEDING every weekend. I told her there would probably be weekends that we had plans or would want to do something and she was fine said her mom could watch them so it may just be an every other weekend kind of thing or when I am available to watch them without it interfering with what we have going on.

I quoted her at $125 per day so we will she if she decides she is still interested or not, she is supposed to find out for sure this week if she will have that weekend shift or not so who knows, and it wouldn't start for over a month so I would still have what is left of my summer weekend beach time and such.

I may just do it on a trial basis when I don't have stuff happening on the weekend, wait and see what I hear back from her I guess. No way I am doing it under contract, it will definitely be on a drop in basis. Speaking of that, for those of you that charge an enrollment or registration fee, do you do it for the drop ins too?