Struggling With Rates??? Help Please :)

[rhondawarren]

I am struggling with my rates because after buying groceries for a few weeks of providing care with all meals breakfast, AM Snack, Lunch and PM Snack I see how much the food is actually costing me. So I am thinking I should charge a little more simply because of that.

Right now my rates are:

Full Time is 4 days or more/wk and its $100/Wk for the first child and $75/wk for each additional child.

Part time - 3 days or less/wk and its $60/Wk for the first child and $50/Wk for each additional child.

I REALLY think :confused: I need to increase this in order to make it worth my time babysitting. So I am wondering if I shouldnt charge the below rates instead:

FT 4 days or more/wk - $125/Wk for 1st child and $100/Wk each additional child
PT 3 days or less/wk - $75/Wk for 1st child and $50/Wk for each additional child

What do you all think??? I am seriously considering the rate increase because I do cook them good meals and I provide four meals/snacks per day and drinks.

Let me know what you all think ... I could really use the input!

[Soupyszoo]

Dang! Those are very low rates IMO. I charge $125 a week and they provide the food for their kids.

I wouldn't give a sibling discount. Just because they are a sibling, doesn't mean they eat less or require less attention etc...

Good luck You can do it!

[TBird]

Oh my...very low rates, although I'm sure we're not in the same area of the country. I would definitely increase my rates and although I like to give a sibling discount, surely not as much of one.

[rhondawarren]

Dang! Those are very low rates IMO. I charge $125 a week and they provide the food for their kids.

I wouldn't give a sibling discount. Just because they are a sibling, doesn't mean they eat less or require less attention etc...

Good luck You can do it!

Thanks so much for the input. I really want to make it worth my time. I dont want to babysit to feed the babysitting kids and make nothing else

I am going to seriously consider this!

What about Part Time rates or do you even offer Part Time? I know some people dont even offer part time at all.

[rhondawarren]

Oh my...very low rates, although I'm sure we're not in the same area of the country. I would definitely increase my rates and although I like to give a sibling discount, surely not as much of one.

Great! Thanks! I will definately be looking into doing some rate increases now.

If I did offer sibling discount ... what do you think maybe a $10 a week discount?

It takes alot to provide good meals and groceries are expensive. Not to mentian toilet paper, hand soap - which I go through like crazy!

[MommieNana4]

Increase your rate/Cut out one of the snacks/No sibling discount.

[MrsB]

Its hard to say without knowing what area you are in. If you would like to say what state your in, there might be someone in the same state on the forums that could help you. Although, according to my other feed I started, there is proving to be lots of fluxations in the same states.


I may get "rotten tomatoed" for this one. But you could call around to daycare in your area and ask them their FT rate. *ducks and covers* Come on all, you know you have posed as a prospective parent to find out rates at one time or another! :: I have no shame!

Lots of providers have websites with their rates listed. Maybe you could check with a few in your area that seem like they run the same type of program you do.

I set my part time rate to be right around 75% of my full time rate.

Personally I think $100 is low, but I can only compare to my area. Especially if you are providing food.

[MrsB]

Thanks so much for the input. I really want to make it worth my time. I dont want to babysit to feed the babysitting kids and make nothing else

I am going to seriously consider this!

What about Part Time rates or do you even offer Part Time? I know some people dont even offer part time at all.

I was going to say in my other post about part-timers but didnt want to go off onto too much of tangent. In my old age I have a tendancy to have the "shiny penny" syndrome.

Anyway,

I do part time care, but over the years alot of my annoyances seemed to come from Part-timers. Not always, but they want to change hours frequently, add a day, change a day, add an hour, and so on. I have 2 part timers that I have never had any problems with in the 3 years they have been here, so I am not going to term them. But I dont offer part time care to new clients. Except on a temporary/drop in basis and its usually only to fill a spot of a child sick or on vacation or the opposite hours of my permanent P/Timers.

[momma2girls]

I have learned over the yrs. part-time care is not worth it in my book. They take up a fulltime spot, unless you can fill another family in on the days off.
I charge more for Part-time that I do fulltime. I charge $35.00 per day, with a min. of 3 days. Fulltime is $140.00/week- I do give a $10.00 discount for a sibling. I used to give more of a sibling break as well. I have not had any part-time for yrs. and I don't really think I will be taking them any longer. I have daycare friends, that are so mad, over part-timers, changing hrs. extending hrs. extending days, changing days. They both are going to fulltime only next yr. as well.

[wahmof3]

IMO 3 or more days is considered Full-time care. I would consider this. Don't sell yourself short

I give a hefty sibling discount for my current families & will NEVER do it again. I lose $75/week or $3900 per year by doing this.

Good Luck!

[TBird]

Great! Thanks! I will definately be looking into doing some rate increases now.

If I did offer sibling discount ... what do you think maybe a $10 a week discount?

It takes alot to provide good meals and groceries are expensive. Not to mentian toilet paper, hand soap - which I go through like crazy!

I was giving a larger discount as well, until I added it up over the year. Here is what I calculated....

$10/week x 50 weeks per year (I don't charge for my 2 week vaca) = $500
$5/week x 50 weeks per year = $250

Those are large discounts when you think about it. You may calculate yours differently but I went with the $5/week.

[Blackcat31]

Great! Thanks! I will definately be looking into doing some rate increases now.

If I did offer sibling discount ... what do you think maybe a $10 a week discount?

It takes alot to provide good meals and groceries are expensive. Not to mentian toilet paper, hand soap - which I go through like crazy!

Why do you feel that you HAVE to give a sibling discount? Siblings do not receive discounted care so why do they get discounted rates?

I understand if sibling discounts are the norm in your area but I have always been one to go against norm

I think siblings, like SA kids, are more work so they should be charged more but since we can't do that, I simply do not offer any type of discount.

Nan also has a great practice of making the families of sibling sets have to give 2 weeks notice PER CHILD when leaving care too because siblings leave multiple spaces open when they leave.

[TBird]

Why do you feel that you HAVE to give a sibling discount? Siblings do not receive discounted care so why do they get discounted rates?

I understand if sibling discounts are the norm in your area but I have always been one to go against norm

I think siblings, like SA kids, are more work so they should be charged more but since we can't do that, I simply do not offer any type of discount.

Nan also has a great practice of making the families of sibling sets have to give 2 weeks notice PER CHILD when leaving care too because siblings leave multiple spaces open when they leave.

I agree with Blackcat....You don't have too, it's just something I like to do. If I can't afford it, it will be the first thing to go. I like Nan's idea of the two weeks notice per child. Families with multiples take a HUGE chunk of your business when they go.

[wdmmom]

Depending on when children are arriving, have them eat breakfast at home and only offer a morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack.

OR

Serve breakfast 2.5 to 3 hours before lunch and eliminate the morning snack all together. (This is what I do. Breakfast is between 8am and 830am. Lunch is at 11am.)

A few other ideas include:

Only make enough to feed the kids (no leftovers as they tend to get thrown away anyway.) Or make extra and freeze it so you have it ready for next time.

Make spaghetti Monday night for your family and for lunch Tuesday is spaghetti. It's already made, alls you have to do is nuke it.

I also started buying in bulk and this has made a significant difference in my food bill. I also go do discount food stores like Save-A-Lot and Aldi to get canned fruits, veggies, and spaghetti sauce. I also tend to buy fresh veggies there too. (Their fruit usually is overpriced, bruised or the bananas are greener than the leaves on trees!)

There is a way to make a profit. First you need to raise your rates. Then you need to stay out of big chain grocery stores like HyVee, Dahls, Kroger, Albertsons, etc. Buy what you need and take a calculator with you! If it's cheaper to buy a 15oz container of cottage cheese than it is to buy an 8 oz container (even though you really need the 8 oz, buy the 15oz and cottage cheese will be a breakfast on Monday with fruit and it will be a snack on Thursday with cheese cubes.

[rhondawarren]

Its hard to say without knowing what area you are in. If you would like to say what state your in, there might be someone in the same state on the forums that could help you. Although, according to my other feed I started, there is proving to be lots of fluxations in the same states.


I may get "rotten tomatoed" for this one. But you could call around to daycare in your area and ask them their FT rate. *ducks and covers* Come on all, you know you have posed as a prospective parent to find out rates at one time or another! :: I have no shame!

Lots of providers have websites with their rates listed. Maybe you could check with a few in your area that seem like they run the same type of program you do.

I set my part time rate to be right around 75% of my full time rate.

Personally I think $100 is low, but I can only compare to my area. Especially if you are providing food.

I just called around my area this is what most said:

For a 2-3 year old: $118 - $135/Wk
4 year old and up ranged $110 - $117/Wk

So .... I was thinking maybe about charging:

Full Time:
2-3 year old FT - $120/wk for first child and $115/wk for each additional child.
4 year old & Up FT-$115/Wk for first child & $110/Wk for each additional child.


Part Time:
2-3 year old - $90 first child and $85/wk additional children
4 and up - $80 first child and then $75/wk for additional children


I provide breakfast, AM Snack, Lunch and PM Snack & Drinks still.

So does that sound ok???