Nannyde Rate Structure Question?

[Unregistered]

I am getting ready to open a home daycare again after relocating. Being more experienced this time round, I would like to get things right (or as right as possible) from the start.

My contract and parent handbook have been strengthened. Where I'm getting caught up on is my rate structure. I would like to impliment a Nannydeish way. I believe this would attrack parents with earlier departure times, and encourage parents to pick up before my closing time.

My rates based on departure times would be as follows:

3:00 - $130.00/week
3:30 - $140.00/week
4:00 - $150.00/week
4:30 - $160.00/week
5:00 - $170.00/week

Now I'm trying to prepare for issues that come up with this. Say a parent in the 3:30 time slot needs a pick up of 5:00 one day the next week. Easy enough, I charge them $170.00 for the week. What if they then decide to pick up their child at 5:00 everyday that next week? Should I set a limit on how many times you can arrange a late pick up before being permently moved to a later time slot for the duration of their contract. What is a reasonable number of times to allow a later departure time change before doing a new contract with them? Anyone else run into any troubles with this kind of rate structure? I'm really thinking this would work in my area, and help attrack the kind of clients I am seeking. I just want to make sure I'm ready for any kind of issues that may come up with it.

[MommieNana4]

I only have a weekly fee for 10 hours of care (daily). I would not do refunds or put the overage amount to the next week's bill. It is not your issue that they cannot manage their schedule for whatever reason. I would make it known up front that you don't do refunds!!! You do not need the extra accounting work!

[nannyde]

I don't have any problems with the graduated rate scale. If I had a contracted three p.m departure and they wanted a later departure one day the next week I would just have them pay an extra five dollars per hour on Friday the week before. If they ended up not using it they would not be able to transfer it to another time.

I don't have any issues with people just contracting for the earlier departure and then just scheduling on a day to day basis time after their contracted time. I don't guarantee any scheduled overtime so if they are an early pick up and repeatedly ask for later times then I would make sure I said no a couple of times. If they want a GUARANTEE they get the later departure they have to contract for that time and pay it every week.

I've had a number of folks just contract for the lastest possible departure (not exceeding nine hour days) and then come when they want after nap. This brings me extra money and I get off early some days.

I've had great success with this rate structure. I would love to see it become a standard. It nets early departing kids who get more AWAKE time with their parents every day and a lessening census of kids as the day gets later. We get a lot of stuff done after four thirty because we are down to just a couple of kids.

[Unregistered]

Thank you, that helps clear up some of my "what if" senarios!

I really want to get all my wording clear in the handbook, so that things are crystal clear from the get go. It sure is fun trying to cover everything you can think of, so there are no surprises down the road. While at the same time keeping things clear and concise, so that you don't loose them 15 pages in : )

[Country Kids]

Why are you charging parents more though when they work later times. They are still working the 9 hours that you like but start work later so they have to work later. I would be very upset if I found out I was being charged more because my work time was different than someone elses. For a child to leave at 3 they have to be here at 6 to have the 9 hours! I would rather have a child here later than early and be cranky.

The world revolves more on 8-5 jobs than 6-3. I think the child would still have the same amount of awake time with a parent as one working late because the one arriving early probably goes to bed earlier and still doesn't get alot of awake time.

I guess I never knew that was your reasoning for the rate scale. If it works for you it works but I know with the jobs for my specific area it wouldn't go.

[nannyde]

Why are you charging parents more though when they work later times. They are still working the 9 hours that you like but start work later so they have to work later. I would be very upset if I found out I was being charged more because my work time was different than someone elses. For a child to leave at 3 they have to be here at 6 to have the 9 hours! I would rather have a child here later than early and be cranky.

The world revolves more on 8-5 jobs than 6-3. I think the child would still have the same amount of awake time with a parent as one working late because the one arriving early probably goes to bed earlier and still doesn't get alot of awake time.

I guess I never knew that was your reasoning for the rate scale. If it works for you it works but I know with the jobs for my specific area it wouldn't go.

https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/how-to-set-child-care-rates.htm

https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/quality-time-vs-quantity-time.htm#comment-384

These two blogs explain my position on rates and schedules.

When a kid comes in at six a.m. they go right back to bed and sleep the first couple of hours they are here. Their total number of "direct care" hours are less than a child who is here until five pm.

If a kid arrives at six a.m. they sleep until 8 a.m. They leave by 3 p.m. so they have no up time from three till five.

A kid that arrives at 8 p.m. has awake time from 8 am. to nap (4.5 hours) plus from 3 p.m. to 5 (2 hours) So we are supervising them awake for 6.5 hours

A six a.m. kid is awake from 8 to nap (4.5 hours) and then no after nap awake time. So we are supervising them awake for 4.5 hours.

I do my rates based on direct care hours (up to nine total hours) per day.

Note: I require all infants to be fed and changed before they come so they go back to sleep right when they arrive. (it takes a few weeks to get newborns on this so YMMV for the very young but 100 percent of them adjust within a few weeks. I don't allow parents to do the "she wouldn't eat" or "she pooped on the way" to have the first morning feed here or first diaper change here. They agree to bring their child fed and changed before they sign up to come here)

All early arrivals go right back to bed when they arrive. All children under two take a morning nap right when they arrive. I do "second" breakfast so the kids who arrive before 8 eat breakfast at home before they come. We do a second breakfast around 8:15ish when all the kids are here.

[Unregistered]

I do believe this rate structure would work in my area, or I would not attempt it. This structure works for me as I am an early riser, and my intension is partly to attract other early riser families. While I will work 6am-5pm in order to meet my financial obligations as a single mom, however if I can gain more quality time with my own child I'm happy to do so.
I understand it is a structure that would not work for everyone. I can only provide care for 5 children. I would need to have 3 fulltime children at the lowest rate in order to make ends meet. I feel confident that there would be a few families in my area that would benifit from my rate structure.

[momma2girls]

I can see it working in my area, maybe for earlier pickups. I am actually thinking about this on my next yrs. contract- or making a note of it in next Fall's newsletter- I will give breaks for early pick ups everyday. Possibly a $5.00 disc. per week, by picking up earlier. Such as:
Picking up at 3:45- 4:00- 4:15. I just don't know what to set it at, only go in increments of 1/2 hrs. Is that what you do nannyde. I can't quite remember what times you do.

[nannyde]

I can see it working in my area, maybe for earlier pickups. I am actually thinking about this on my next yrs. contract- or making a note of it in next Fall's newsletter- I will give breaks for early pick ups everyday. Possibly a $5.00 disc. per week, by picking up earlier. Such as:
Picking up at 3:45- 4:00- 4:15. I just don't know what to set it at, only go in increments of 1/2 hrs. Is that what you do nannyde. I can't quite remember what times you do.

https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/how-to-set-child-care-rates.htm

This blog explains it. Rates are based on fifteen minute increments for full time and part time.

It works very well. You will be surprised how many people can adjust their schedules to accomodate the early pick ups when money is the difference. happyface The earlier the pick up the more face time the parents get with their children. Quantity time happyfacehappyfacehappyface

[Blackcat31]

You will be surprised how many people can adjust their schedules to accomodate the early pick ups when money is the difference.

. I went from having ALL my dck's for 99% of my open hours to now actually being done anywhere from a half hour to a full hour earlier at least once or twice a week.

[Kim]

I have a family that a parent works 3 full days and 2 half days- M,W,F is a 5:30 pick up and T,Th is a 3:00 pick up. How does it work if a parent has this type of schedule?

Also are the rates for any age or do you charge additional for infants?

[nannyde]

I have a family that a parent works 3 full days and 2 half days- M,W,F is a 5:30 pick up and T,Th is a 3:00 pick up. How does it work if a parent has this type of schedule?

Also are the rates for any age or do you charge additional for infants?

All rates the same. No infant rate.

It would be my base rate for the three p.m. departure plus one dollar per every fifteen minutes thereafter for the three days that it's 5:30 p.m.

So if I charged a 100 per week for a three p.m. departure it would be

Tuesday and Thursday would be 20 dollars per day.

Monday Wednesday and Friday would be base rate of 20 per day plus the additional 10 dollars per day for the ten -fifteen minute blocks after three p.m. (I charge one dollar for every fifteen minutes after three p.m. in addition to the base rate. These guys would be using a total of ten fifteen minute blocks in addition to the base rate three times per week.)

So it would be 40 total for Tuesday and Thursday and 30 dollars per day for the Monday ... weds.. and friday

90+40 = 130 per week.

That would be the rate if they didn't go over nine hours. If they went over nine hours it would be an additional four dollars per hour for every hour in addition to the nine hour base rate.

Takes a little bit to figure out but it comes down to a base rate for a nine hour day with the fee increasing a dollar for every fifteen minutes after three p.m. and an additional four dollars an hour if the base rate nine hour day is exceeded.

Like black said... you will find yourself either working less hours or making more money... win win for you.

[themoorethemerrier]

I would love to make this work for my situation, too, but I do mostly before and after-schoolers.

These are my rates right now - WWYD? http://themoorethemerrierfamilydayca...formation.html

(Forgive me for not being able to work through this on my own I've got post-surgery brain. )

[Kim]

All rates the same. No infant rate.

It would be my base rate for the three p.m. departure plus one dollar per every fifteen minutes thereafter for the three days that it's 5:30 p.m.

So if I charged a 100 per week for a three p.m. departure it would be

Tuesday and Thursday would be 20 dollars per day.

Monday Wednesday and Friday would be base rate of 20 per day plus the additional 10 dollars per day for the ten -fifteen minute blocks after three p.m. (I charge one dollar for every fifteen minutes after three p.m. in addition to the base rate. These guys would be using a total of ten fifteen minute blocks in addition to the base rate three times per week.)

So it would be 40 total for Tuesday and Thursday and 30 dollars per day for the Monday ... weds.. and friday

90+40 = 130 per week.

That would be the rate if they didn't go over nine hours. If they went over nine hours it would be an additional four dollars per hour for every hour in addition to the nine hour base rate.

Takes a little bit to figure out but it comes down to a base rate for a nine hour day with the fee increasing a dollar for every fifteen minutes after three p.m. and an additional four dollars an hour if the base rate nine hour day is exceeded.

Like black said... you will find yourself either working less hours or making more money... win win for you.

That makes sense. I had to reread it a few times and get the calculator in order for it to make sense but it does now LOL.

If set my rates on a scale like the one Nannyde uses based on times the kids "could" be picked up I would be making the same amount each week as I currently am making. I am seriously considering going to this rate system. Right now I have 2 kids that could be leaving earlier but I still have a few families where it wouldn't make a difference because of their work schedules.

[nannyde]

If set my rates on a scale like the one Nannyde uses based on times the kids "could" be picked up I would be making the same amount each week as I currently am making.

And there it is.