What Do You Charge Teachers During the Summer

[DaycareMommmy]

I have been in business for 6 years and recently have been getting inquiries from teachers. They want to know if I will charge them full price during the summer when they are off. As a provider I believe if your child is holding a space then you should pay but I want to make sure that I am being fair.

[itlw8]

my teachers switch to p/t for the summer and they alternate days so I can have easy days or take a school age child if I want.

[Crazy8]

I know this isn't the popular answer but I do not charge them for the summer. I honestly just can't -there are SO MANY daycares around here with plenty of openings and you can pull them out for a month or two and restart with no fees, etc. that I would just be putting myself out of the running if I charged. I know its not fair but I really just avoid taking teachers for this reason. The family I posted about a few days ago that wants to come back is a teacher and that is one of the reasons I am really hesitating (among many other reasons though).

[Meeko]

I really don't care what the parents do for a living. I just care about MY living and getting paid a consistent wage.

I have 16 day care spots. They are a set price per month. Payment must be paid every single month to hold that spot.

No if's, but's or and's.

If that doesn't work for a teacher, they do not sign up with me.

Teachers still pay their cell phone bill year round, their cable bill year round. It doesn't change just because they use less minutes for a few months, or watch less TV over the summer.

There should be no difference just because they use less day care hours. I am open. I am working. And if I am holding open a place for their kids....I get paid.

There is no reason (other than fear of losing clients....which I see as a form of blackmail) why any provider should cut rates/hold places for teachers.

Most teachers still get paid year round even if they are at home. (and if they don't, then they need to plan and budget accordingly. It is not other peoples responsibility to accommodate them)

I have had teachers enroll kids before. They happily pay....year after year.

I have had teachers call expecting "special" rates and find out they are treated the same as every other working person. So they go elsewhere. Make no difference to me.

[SilverSabre25]

50% for the summer and they have the ability to bring their child up to two days per week--set days.

Pretty sure most daycares around here do about the same thing.

[Sunchimes]

We don't have that problem here. My tax dollars go to help support a subsidized day care/preschool/after school program for teachers. The only call I have ever gotten from a teacher was because her child had been bitten 16 times. When she heard my (ridiculously low) price, she said, "Oh, thanks anyway". I guess she kept him in the school day care because I'm the same or cheaper than anyone around here.

When they opened the subsidized center, at least one privately owned center and who knows how many family homes went out of business.

[Country Kids]

I don't charge them anything unless they bring them during the summer. I charge hourly though so maybe that makes a difference.

My husband and I have always saved and budgeted for the lower summer months. I personally have taken the summer off for the last 4-5 years and last summer was the first one I had worked in that time, but I only had one full time child and two teachers children two days a week. All of my teachers have always came back to me.

[Unregistered]

I am on here because I am considering getting into daycare, but I just had to jump in on this. I am a teacher currently and I walked away from 2 daycares because of paying when care is not provided or available. The first person only took teachers kids. She did not charge over the summer, but she did have me bring in wipes, lunch, snacks and on parent teacher conference days, or professional development days she made me find someone else to watch dd and yet charged me for a full week (did not tell me about this when I choose her). She also would not watch her the extra 30 minutes on days I had staff meetings (originally said she would). She then changed her pick up to 15 minutes after the last bus picked up and that was the last straw and I left. When I went looking for DC again I refused to pay when bringing my child was not even an option. Now I do think that paying something even when I am not taking dd over the summer is fine, but full price is not. Care is not being provided; my daughter is not being feed by my provider. When I went looking I was about sold on this one provider, but she was not willing to let me pay a lower rate over the summer and I walked away. The provider currently watching dd does not charge me for the summer, but I give her "bonus money" at the end of the school year because I love her and she loves my dd and I pay her the normal rate when I have to take dd in because I am doing professional development. She likes the lighter load in the summer so she can go places with her group and she has said that my dd is easy and I am easy too so maybe that is a factor as well. Last year she filled dd spot over the summer with a school aged kid that parents did not want home alone all day.

[Crazy8]

I don't charge them anything unless they bring them during the summer. I charge hourly though so maybe that makes a difference.

My husband and I have always saved and budgeted for the lower summer months. I personally have taken the summer off for the last 4-5 years and last summer was the first one I had worked in that time, but I only had one full time child and two teachers children two days a week. All of my teachers have always came back to me.

this is me too - when I have had teachers kids I do budget accordingly and some summers I had 2-3 days off a week so that was nice, but now I am in a place where I NEED the full time summer income (and I have 2 FT non-teacher families so am working 5 days anyway) so I just don't take teachers kids. I COULD demand payment all summer but like I said earlier, it would just not put me in the competitive market with all the daycares around me not batting an eye if you want to take the summer off and re-enroll in Sept. They may claim they "might" be full and can't guarantee the space come Sept. but no one around here is EVER full anymore - the recent economy has made sure of that.

[DaycareMommmy]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I'm going to go with my gut on this one which was to charge full price. Like Meeko says it shouldn't matter what they do for a living. Also, I find those parents that you bend policies for tend to be the ones who give you the most headaches. LOL

[mac60]

I charge 1/2 rate, and they can attend 2 days per week.

[Jewels]

I wouldn't personally charge a teacher for the summer, maybe for a couple days a week, but full time? if they are keeping their kid home, no way, and the analogy of they still pay their other bills, sure they pay their cell phone, but if they were barely ever using it, they could drop it to the lowest priced plan, Same with cable.

[AfterSchoolMom]

I don't charge for the summer, and I also save throughout the school year so that I still have money weekly. I just figure out a weekly budget for the 10-12 weeks of break and put aside a certain amount each week during the fall and winter. I've taken the summer off every year since my second year. It's worth it!

[Cat Herder]

I charge the same rate regardless of career choice or attendance.

[saved4always]

I am on here because I am considering getting into daycare, but I just had to jump in on this. I am a teacher currently and I walked away from 2 daycares because of paying when care is not provided or available. The first person only took teachers kids. She did not charge over the summer, but she did have me bring in wipes, lunch, snacks and on parent teacher conference days, or professional development days she made me find someone else to watch dd and yet charged me for a full week (did not tell me about this when I choose her). She also would not watch her the extra 30 minutes on days I had staff meetings (originally said she would). She then changed her pick up to 15 minutes after the last bus picked up and that was the last straw and I left. When I went looking for DC again I refused to pay when bringing my child was not even an option. Now I do think that paying something even when I am not taking dd over the summer is fine, but full price is not. Care is not being provided; my daughter is not being feed by my provider. When I went looking I was about sold on this one provider, but she was not willing to let me pay a lower rate over the summer and I walked away. The provider currently watching dd does not charge me for the summer, but I give her "bonus money" at the end of the school year because I love her and she loves my dd and I pay her the normal rate when I have to take dd in because I am doing professional development. She likes the lighter load in the summer so she can go places with her group and she has said that my dd is easy and I am easy too so maybe that is a factor as well. Last year she filled dd spot over the summer with a school aged kid that parents did not want home alone all day.

I watch only teacher's children and I am very upfront about the fact that I do not ever work past 4 p.m. I only watch teacher's children because I did not want to watch children over the summer, on school holidays or for long hours after my kids got of the bus. Because I only watch teacher's chilren and that is for my convenience, I personally do not charge over the summer. My husband makes enough to support us so I do not HAVE TO work so any money I make is used for non-essentials. So, I can afford to be choosey and not charge except when I actually have kids here. I do not think I am the norm.

That being said, you need to look at this from the point of view of a provider who only has a certain number of children they are allowed to watch, period. Most providers do childcare because they NEED the money to meet bills ALL YEAR ROUND. They charge for the SPOT. You are taking up a spot with your child(ren) whether the child is physically there or not. It may sound like a no brainer to you that the provider can fill your spot just for the summer and you can get it back in fall so you shouldn't have to pay to keep your spot. BUT, it is NOT that easy. I have a friend who also watches children for teachers. EVERY YEAR, she tries to fill those spots with kids that just need care for the summer. She has rarely found any, and, when she does, it certainly is not the number of children she would need to make the same money she does during the school year. There are a lot of affordable summer camps in this area. Many parents send thier school age children to these during the summer rather than using an in home provider.

So, please try to look at it from the provider's point of view. Your attitude is why many providers do not watch teacher's children at all.