Would This Be A Crazy Move?!?

[SunflowerMama]

Right now I am licensed for 12 alone but I watch 10...2 of which are my own. When I first started I only watched 6 (including mine) and it was great bc we could take trips to the park, zoo, library, etc. Now we are here all day but of course the income is great.

My girls are starting kinder in the Fall and we don't know how we are going to get them back and forth to school (no bus) unless they do the after school program and my husband gets them at 6p everyday.

So I am considering cutting my numbers way back to 4 dcks (max I could fit in our vehicle with my own 2) and adding a significant rate increase ($40/week). The rate increase will help with the drop in income as well as possibly weed out a family or 2 so I could end with 4 and not have to make any decisions on terming. I could then take my girls to and from school, pick them up if sick and take the dcks out weekly for field trips.

Do you think this would be a crazy move? Is that rate increase way too much?

[daycare]

$40.00 a week per family?? Do I understand this correct?

If so, yes I think that is way too much, however, I understand your situation.

Do you think that you could maybe hire an asst that could stay with the kids while you did a drop off?

I will be in this same boat next year and am trying to think about what to do. My husband is in school full time so he can't help me in any way. School is all day and 1.5 hours away.

[kidkair]

Sounds pretty crazy to me and the rate increase does seem a bit too much. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that to my clients. Can you do less of an increase and do it twice? Maybe in a month raise it $10/week. That might help you spot who's likely to leave but may be low enough that they all currently stay. Then in July raise it another $10 and maybe some will leave letting you know who you need to pick from at the end of August. Then you could try raising again in January.

[MyAngels]

Purely from a parent's point of view - unless your rates are $40 per week below the average in the area - I would be very upset if my dcp wanted me to subsidize her lighter work load to the tune of $40 per week.

[SunflowerMama]

Do you think that you could maybe hire an asst that could stay with the kids while you did a drop off?

I will be in this same boat next year and am trying to think about what to do. My husband is in school full time so he can't help me in any way. School is all day and 1.5 hours away.

An assistant might work but just for that short amount of time in the afternoon I just don't know how reliable they would be and if they were ever sick or not able to come my poor kids would be stuck at school .

Sounds pretty crazy to me and the rate increase does seem a bit too much. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that to my clients. Can you do less of an increase and do it twice? Maybe in a month raise it $10/week. That might help you spot who's likely to leave but may be low enough that they all currently stay. Then in July raise it another $10 and maybe some will leave letting you know who you need to pick from at the end of August. Then you could try raising again in January.

This isn't a bad idea at all. They always mention how I could be charging more and for the area and based on everything I'm probably right in the middle. This would put me on the higher side for my area...but I feel I could justify it.

[daycare]

I hear ya on the asst thing. I thought about that too. I don't have anyone that I really trust that I could rely on that is dependable enough to be where I need them to be every day.

I was hoping my mom would move to my home, but I know she won't.

I have enough space in my car, I just don't know how I would tell all of the parents that their child will have to participate in drop off and pick up each day.

[SunflowerMama]

Purely from a parent's point of view - unless your rates are $40 per week below the average in the area - I would be very upset if my dcp wanted me to subsidize her lighter work load to the tune of $40 per week.

Part of my argument though would be more opportunities for activities and hands-on learning outside the home. I would be purchasing season passes to the zoo, aquarium, children's museum and a local nature reserve. I'd be taking them to storytime weekly at the library as well as weekly trips to the local parks. As a parent I think the increase would be shocking at first but once I thought about it and the added benefits I may stick around.

I don't know though and that's why I wanted to get some other opinions.

[Heidi]

I can understand why you're considering it, I guess it depends on what your rates are compared to your area. If others are charging much more than you are, you have a bit of leway. Especially if your dc parents are the type who would pay more for a smaller group.

You certainly CAN do anything you want. You can double your rates, it isn't "unfair". But, as consumers, your families obviously have a choice to go elsewhere.

What about the assistant idea? Maybe you could raise everyone's rates $10 per week to help with the cost? Even if you hired someone for two hours a day, at $10 per hour, it's only $100 per week plus the employment expenses. If hubby can take her to school in the am, you could hire someone from 3-5 pm, perhaps.

Do you have a college or tech school nearby? You could maybe find a college student in Early Childhood or education.

It would be kind of fun to have someone come in and help in the afternoon for me. I'd make it part of their job to come up with an activity daily, or do something else I don't love (for some reason, I hate reading aloud to the kids, don't ask me why, I love to read).

[MyAngels]

Part of my argument though would be more opportunities for activities and hands-on learning outside the home. I would be purchasing season passes to the zoo, aquarium, children's museum and a local nature reserve. I'd be taking them to storytime weekly at the library as well as weekly trips to the local parks. As a parent I think the increase would be shocking at first but once I thought about it and the added benefits I may stick around.

I don't know though and that's why I wanted to get some other opinions.

My comment was only from a parent's POV. As a provider I can definitely see the opportunities. I guess if I were going to try this, I would probably discuss it a bit first - at least with the families that you think might stay and be OK with it. You also mentioned that you are not at the high end of rates in your area, so that may cushion it a bit, too.

[daycare]

maybe you could raise it $10.00 a week now. If you have new clients, charge them the new rate. Like someone else said, maybe a second one in 6 more months...

If you are on the lower end, make sure that you really point out why you need to increase the rate so much and what it will go to.

As a parent, if you were to raise it for all of those reasons, I would be willing to agree to a higher rate increase...

[cheerfuldom]

I think at $40 a week.....you may end up losing all your families. Thats $160 a month for each family, basically a car payment! I understand the kinder thing. We are running into that with our 4 year old. However, the most I would up the rate would be $20 a week.

[SilverSabre25]

That sounds a bit high, yes. Is there anyone else who could help with drop offs or pick ups?