Frustration

[ebonyannette]

Your rates dont sound unfair to me at all.
This is the thing, it is people's human nature to try to get what they need for a cheap as possible. Dont take it personal. Your DCP is just trying to cut HER cost. Its not that you charge to much, "she" just cant afford it.
And if thats the case she can TRY to find someone cheaper but she probably will sacrifice a few things for that $20/week she wants to pay.

I would stand my ground. When you go to hourly charging then it becomes a matter of "how much do I owe? that sounds high" because they cant remember they think they picked their kid up at 3:45 instead of 4:00 and shouldn't be charged another hour. Dont let people nickel and dime you.

I really agree with bunnyslippers its not Lets Make A Deal!

This is coming from a parent, im not a daycare provider I just watch my friends daughter as a favor.

My babysitter started off charging $80 per week by the time she stopped watching my kids I was giving her around $40 per week. I didnt do this on purpose but she started letting me just bring them one or two days a week. If she would have stuck with her price of $80 I would have kept paying $80 (even though it was alot for me at the time). I eventually quit the job that was giving me enough hours to pay for daycare. I wasnt trying to cheat her, but I did realize (after watching others kids) that I was making her rate more comfortable for me.

[awestbrook713]

Thank you for all of your responses, I guess how you charge is determined by a lot of factors. I consider myself a fair person and try to help everyone while still trying to be fair. This is my business and as much fun as I have watching children I also do this to pay my bills. I believe this mom really doesn't want to leave but may just have her priorities mixed up and she is running her own business as well so she knows how it is. We are gonna try to work something out with out me changing my rates and if we can't then I guess it will be up to her to do what is best for her and I will just find another family. Honestly if this family leaves I could find another full time family instead of one that is only here 2 days a week. We will see, thanks for all the help!!

[Ariana]

I'm in Canada but to me $25 a day is outrageously low!!! I charge between $40-$47 and part-time for less than 4 hours is $25 per day.

Call me cynical but if mom is getting her hair and nails 'did' over paying a good provider for her service than she can take them to the lady "down the street" who is absuing them for $10 a day.

[awestbrook713]

Lol thanks Ariana, she does get her hair done atleast once or twice a month cut and color not sure about the nails though. She has mom in law and sister watch them the other days of the week I don't get them but I watch them wed. and fri. so grandma doesn't have them two days in a row and aunt works another job so she can't watch them those days.

[e.j.]

I charge weekly rates I figure out the weekly rate by multiplying # of days a week by $25 a day so at max my parents are being charged $125 a week for 5 days. My drop in rate is $25 also. The average in my area is $30 a day and $140 a week so why am I being made to feel like I am charging outrageous rates.
How many of us charge by the spot and not a dollars per hour rate?

I charge by the hour but it's also based on a contracted number of hours each week. For example, if a parent generally needs 8 hours a day, four days a week, I multiply 8 hours by my rate, times 4 and that gives me their weekly rate. Parents pay that rate each week, whether their child attends day care or not.

I received an email from one of my parents that she can't afford the $50 a week she is paying for two 3 to 4 hour days. I am also holding this parents school aged daughters spot for nothing.

If you feel your rate is fair and you don't want to budge on it, I would empathize with the parent and let them know you understand if they need to look for care elsewhere. From what you said initially, they may realize they're paying you less than they would pay for anyone else in your area. It may make them appreciate you a little more.

I was talking to my own mother about my rates and she even said she thought they sounded high, I mean if my own family can't be on my side how can I be confident I am doing the right thing.

Unless your mom is also a child care provider in your area, I wouldn't put much stock in her opinion about your rates. Family members can give some wonderful advice about all kinds of things but if they aren't familiar with your line of work, they may not be able to give you valid advice. Your mom may be thinking like a dc parent vs. a child care provider.

I really get bent out of shape over this because these parents that keep screaming they can't pay my rates are the ones with the best of everything, getting their hair done every other week, buying their children name brand everything, while I struggle to pay my bills and pay for the expenses of my business.

I've learned not to take it personally when parents complain about the cost of child care. The truth is, child care can take a good chunk out of a parent's income, especially if they need full time care. The cost of child care was what made me decide to start my own child care business! Any salary I earned would have been eaten up by child care costs for 2 kids so I get it when parents complain but, no one is holding a gun to their head. They can make other choices, like I did, if the cost of day care isn't worth it to them. I think they just like to vent a little once in awhile. I just refuse to feel bad or guilty about a decision they made.

I just shake my head and laugh to myself when they complain about the cost of child care. They obviously forget telling me about their trips to Disney, their new wardrobes, their new high tech electronics, their new cars, etc.

[mema]

I charge a flat rate for the week. They are all on contracted hours. The rate is the same for 3 days or 5. I do have a few drop ins that I charge by the day, but they know I may not be able to watch them. I have not had anyone complain. I have 1 that is only here 3-4 days in the winter time and I had told them during the interview that I charge 1 rate regardless and they were fine with it!

[saved4always]

In my experience, there are some parents who think anything they are charged is too much. I have had mostly appreciative parents who pay my rate on time, with no complaints. There are parents out there though who have the attitude that thier provider is "at home anyways" so why not care for thier child for nothing; after all, the provider loves thier child as much as they do, right?! I have a friend who also provides childcare in her home who seems to get mostly the unappreciative, cheap parents. It is like she is a magnet for cheap deadbeats who pay thier child care provider last, and if there is money left after they spend it on all of their "priorities".

So, don't let parents make you second guess your rates. Based on what you say other providers in your area are charging, you are already a deal for them and they should be happy to be getting such good care for a great price.

[MarinaVanessa]

I voted "other" because I do both.

I charge flat weekly rates for full and part-time clients but I also do drop-in care which I charge either hourly or daily to fill in my gaps.

[Unregistered]

I am a parent, not a daycare provider. Problem with payment plan.

I recently had a daycare center suddenly close and had a week to find a new daycare. My options were limited as the center my son went to was large and many parents were booking all the other openings at other day cares. I called every place on the list that were licensed and no one, i mean NO ONE would take a kid who only needed part time. No first off, let me tell you as a parent how unfair that is. I don't need full time, and I'm not about to pay for a full time spot when all i need is two days a week. I understand as providers why you do that, but someone has to be willing to take part time kids or it just isn't fair to moms who want to have time with their kids. I work part time by choice. I like to spend most of the week with my kids and I don't like working a crazy amount of hours.

So to my real reason for this post. I ended up going to a gal who watched my daughter 5 years ago while I was attending school. At that time she was very flexible with me, not argumentative, and understanding when I had to pay late or whatever. I was riding the bus with my daughter and was pretty busy with school, work, transportation issues and the lot. So we agreed in the beginning to do 225 per month for a 2 day per week schedule. Keep in mind she is NOT licensed. There were no contracts or any paperwork filled out prior to his stay there. I was ok with paying the agreed price as I thought it was fair. BUT 2 weeks in, she is already asking for a month payment. I told her, its not fair to pay for a month already when he's only been with her two weeks. Then she tells me that all the other parents are required to pay a month in advance in order to hold the spot. I understand her reasoning but she needed to have me agree to this prior to having him go there. So I told her since it was news to me, I would pay her for half now and the rest after two weeks more weeks. She was incredibly argumentative and would not work with me at all. So I told her his last day would be friday, the last scheduled day of the week. I paid her in advance for that friday and told her I did. Then after the payment and arguement ended. She told my husband the next day that she wouldn't be taking him friday because we "decided her wages". I took the monthly amount and divided it equally by the number of days she actually watched him. That was a fair payment. I told her she no longer had to hold the spot and that we had other care arranged, so why in the heck would i pay for the entire month when he was only with her for half the time. I'd also like to point out that she is not even close to being booked, so she didn't really NEED to hold his spot, she had several openings. I am livid that she took the extra day pay that I paid her in advance and then decided after I left that she wasn't going to watch him for that day because I made her upset.

Luckily the person who was my backup is very nice and is a friend of mine. I explained to her what happened and she agreed that it was a little outrageous for her to act like that. I'm curious from other daycare providers' point of view how you would have dealt with my needs and or how you would have reacted as the parent.

[daycarediva]

I understand your frustration, but you really expect a home daycares to limit their income to meet your needs? Most of the licensed providers in my area don't offer part time rates. I do offer part time, because I charge more per day for PT clients. It makes it financially lucrative, even if I don't fill the days/spaces that the PT client doesn't. Eg full time 35/day, 4 days 40/day, 3 days 45/day 2 or drop in, 50/day. My 2&3 days are at center rates in my area, and I'm constantly full/waiting list. If I manage to fill in the gaps, it makes dealing with the higher # of clients, scheduling, worth it.

Your current provider should have made her expectations more clear and/or been more upfront with you. $225 for 6-8 days a month (?) is a STEAL though. She may have agreed, thinking it was a good deal, and then was met with the costs of operating.

Is there a friend that's a SAHM available to you?

[spinnymarie]

I've chosen not to do part-time in any form (part-days OR part-weeks) and I split the charge across the year, so I'm essentially charging by the year, in monthly increments. And I tack on fees for more than 9 hours per day.

[Chellieleanne]

Sheesh I feel like I should raise my rates pronto seeing what some of you charge! My rate is $20/ day in attendance for up to 10 hours. Kid isn't here, I don't get paid and my day is easier. Granted I don't need this income so it isn't a big deal to me.

[Unregistered]

Her rates are actually high for this area. I had my son in a center which had licensed teachers, schedules, healthy meal menus, field trips, and the lot. I really miss it! They charged $25 per day with no extra charge for drop in, just the normal $25 and there was never an argument over pay - in fact they were very behind on their billing and it was actually hard to keep up with what we owed because they would only give us a bill after we asked several times, sometimes months later.

This woman who we had the issue with wasn't licensed AND has her 19 year old daughter take over without warning in the middle of the day when she needs to run an errand or go to an appointment, that's why I don't think its fair that her rate is the same or more, because the quality is not the same. But fairness aside, the biggest deal with this whole thing is there was no up front agreement and then she got upset when I did what I was used to doing, paying per day. Honestly I thought that was the norm and I told her since I didn't agree with the payment plan, I would look elsewhere for his care. So she got paid for what she did and she didn't have to try to "work it out" for the future. That was the end.

I understand your frustration, but you really expect a home daycares to limit their income to meet your needs? Most of the licensed providers in my area don't offer part time rates. I do offer part time, because I charge more per day for PT clients. It makes it financially lucrative, even if I don't fill the days/spaces that the PT client doesn't. Eg full time 35/day, 4 days 40/day, 3 days 45/day 2 or drop in, 50/day. My 2&3 days are at center rates in my area, and I'm constantly full/waiting list. If I manage to fill in the gaps, it makes dealing with the higher # of clients, scheduling, worth it.

Your current provider should have made her expectations more clear and/or been more upfront with you. $225 for 6-8 days a month (?) is a STEAL though. She may have agreed, thinking it was a good deal, and then was met with the costs of operating.

Is there a friend that's a SAHM available to you?