How Long Do You Watch Your Daycare Families Children For On Average??

[MrsCoffee]

The dreaded Granpa stories. He's a tool. Just be as bold with him as he is with you.

Why do you keep the kids eleven hours a day? That's INSANE.

I have a family that is willing to leave their children with me from the time I open until the time I close... It makes me sad for their children. I made my hours like this to be able to accommodate different schedules. I feel like I am being taken advantage of but don't know if that right or not... I am open:

7am-5:45pm

Most fams drop off at 830 and dad will come at 4pm to pick up. one other fam from 7-4pm. But my last family keep the children here untill 545 even though they dont need to... It eats me up because my second family have half their children on a waiting list to be in my daycare. I considered droping this last family because of this but thought it would be unprofessional...? What do you think?


Wanted to get your alls take on this topic...

How long do you watch children for from each family? is there a limit?

[Greenshadow]

DC Boy - 6:30-5pm
DC Girl - Varies but normally 7:30-6:30 or so. Sometimes d/o is 8:30 or 9 with same pick up time.
DC Boy - 8 to 1:30-3pm, varies.
DC Girl - 8-5pm

[nannyde]

The longest I have any kids is nine hours. I base my rates on nine hours a day and departure times. See rates below. Doesn't do them any good to keep their kids here later than they need. It gets way too expensive. If it's more than nine hours total then it's an additional four dollars an hour.

3:00 p.m. departure $135.00 per week

3:15 p.m. departure $140.00 per week

3:30 p.m. departure $145.00 per week

3:45 p.m. departure $150.00 per week

4:00 p.m. departure $155.00 per week

4:15 p.m. departure $160.00 per week

4:30 p.m. departure $165.00 per week

4:45 p.m. departure $170.00 per week

5:00 p.m. departure $175.00 per week

5:15 p.m. departure $180.00 per week

5:30 p.m. departure $185.00 per week

5:45 p.m. departure $190.00 per week

6:00 p.m. departure $195.00 per week

[MrsCoffee]

I like that Nanny !!

[Lianne]

Right now most my kids arrive between 8-9am and are picked up before 5:30pm. I don't have open/close hours but I'll work around the hours a parent needs care...as long as those hours work for me at that point in my life. I do keep two children (separate families) later one evening each week. My evening care is different from my regular care though.

[nannyde]

But my last family keep the children here untill 545 even though they dont need to... It eats me up because my second family have half their children on a waiting list to be in my daycare. I considered droping this last family because of this but thought it would be unprofessional...? What do you think?

You want to make the most money per hour that you can right? So you don't have to have open hours. Always do what is best for you. If you have the ability to fill the slots with kids for the same amount of money but less hours then of course... DO IT.

Every business works this way. We aren't different.

Time = Money just like every other business.

I made this decision YEARS ago because I saw such a substantial difference between kids who had at least five WAKING hours per day with their parents.

When it comes to parenthood: QUANTITY TIME = QUALITY KIDS

I have a house full of quality kids with quality parents. All of my kids have at least five waking hours a day with their parents and boy does it show... on all of them.

[Daycare Mommy]

Oh tell me about it! When I first started I had a lady with an infant that thought just because I advertised 24 hour care that she could leave her baby with me as long as she wanted (12-16 hrs a day!) for my measly $90/week rate.

My limit now is 10 hrs. 9 hrs to work and a half hour commute each way. If their shifts are shorter I base it off of the mom AND dad's work schedule. Mom works 7-5 and Dad is 6-3, then Mom drops off @ 6:30 and Dad picks up @ 3:30.

[SunflowerMama]

Like pp mentioned I limit my care to 10 hrs/day too.

dcg - 6:45a - 4:45p
dcb - 7a - 4:15p
dcg - 8a - 6p

[fctjc1979]

Like Nannyde, I also charge four dollars an hour for anything over 9 hours in a day. That's if they pay by the day. If they pay by the week, it's four dollars an hour for anything over 45 hours in a week.

[Daycare Mommy]

The longest I have any kids is nine hours. I base my rates on nine hours a day and departure times. See rates below. Doesn't do them any good to keep their kids here later than they need. It gets way too expensive. If it's more than nine hours total then it's an additional four dollars an hour.

3:00 p.m. departure $135.00 per week

3:15 p.m. departure $140.00 per week

3:30 p.m. departure $145.00 per week

3:45 p.m. departure $150.00 per week

4:00 p.m. departure $155.00 per week

4:15 p.m. departure $160.00 per week

4:30 p.m. departure $165.00 per week

4:45 p.m. departure $170.00 per week

5:00 p.m. departure $175.00 per week

5:15 p.m. departure $180.00 per week

5:30 p.m. departure $185.00 per week

5:45 p.m. departure $190.00 per week

6:00 p.m. departure $195.00 per week

Hey Nanny, what's the average ft daycare rate in your area? 135? Or is that discounted for earlier pickup time? I'm thinking about using a scale like yours, but I don't really know where I'd put the average rate in there.

[nannyde]

Oh tell me about it! When I first started I had a lady with an infant that thought just because I advertised 24 hour care that she could leave her baby with me as long as she wanted (12-16 hrs a day!) for my measly $90/week rate.

When they call for care and ask what hours you are open answer them with a question. "What hours do you need?"

They will answer with <insert 12 hour day> and then you ask where they work and what times they work. Both parents. So then you say "okay so dad goes in at eight and it's a fifteen minute drive so drop off would be a little after 7:30 and you get off at 4 and it's a 20 minute drive so pick up would be 4:30. Right?"

Whoever goes into work last drops off.
Whoever gets off of work first picks up.

Exception is when one parent works really close to you and the other doesn't and they don't live nearby. Then you can go with one parents schedule. If you don't allow that then they will incur too much in gas money and prolly won't pick you... so be flexible on that. Also some parents DO have to park and walk. I have one client that when she first started with me she was way back in the back forty of her parking lot and had a hike into the building every day. She was one of many clients I had from that company so I knew she was telling the truth. As she advanced thru the company her spot got closer and closer and now she parks right close to where she goes in the building. So you do have to listen to what they have in addition to the drive.

I have found that parents that really want my services but have later hours or an hour lunch WILL work with their employer to switch their hours to earlier hours and flip to a half hour lunch to stay within my nine hours and get off as early as possible. Sweet for everyone involved. Saves them money, gives them more waking hours with the kid, and gets the kids out da doe earlier.

[Anna]

I have two daycare girls here from 6a-6p another daycare girl comes at
6:30a and gets picked up at 5:30p except for Tuesdays and Thursdays where she sleeps over. The fourth daycare girl usually is here by 8:30a and leaves by 5:30p but it varies with her moms school and work schedule. Long hours..

I get a little frustrated with my 6 month old daycare girl because her dad doesn't even work Mondays and they still bring her. They live a few roads over so even if he doesn't work until 10a they will bring her here at 6a on the dot and pick her up at 6p. Sometimes her mom will pick her up and be like "oh yea I just got done shopping". One time she even went home to take a nap and "over slept" and didn't pick her up until 6:30p.. frustrating. I have had this girl since she was 6 weeks old and she has only not come 6a-6p 3 days.. I mean if it were me, I would want to spend as much time as possible with my brand new baby but I guess they would just rather have me watch her for the majority of her life. I mean theypick her up at 6p and she goes home and goes to sleep at 7p and sleeps through the night until they bring her to me at 6a. They barely see her awake! I complain about this all the time to my husband and he always tells me to terminate her but I can't justify terminating a child because they came during the hours I am open..

PS I would love some advice on this ^^^

[Janet]

Contracted hours

I find out what hours are needed. I don't give the option to bring them from open to close unless they had a work schedule that was one with longer hours. And in that case, I would charge a bit more.

[Daycare Mommy]

And to top it all off she only worked 15-20 hours a week. <--we need a more aggravated looking eye rolling smiley. And I know now. Trust me. This was about 7 years ago when I was brand new to daycare, had no backbone to speak of, and before I'd even had my own children. This wouldn't fly for 2 seconds now.

When they call for care and ask what hours you are open answer them with a question. "What hours do you need?"

They will answer with <insert 12 hour day> and then you ask where they work and what times they work. Both parents. So then you say "okay so dad goes in at eight and it's a fifteen minute drive so drop off would be a little after 7:30 and you get off at 4 and it's a 20 minute drive so pick up would be 4:30. Right?"

Whoever goes into work last drops off.
Whoever gets off of work first picks up.

Great advice as usual Nanny. And that's so funny that this should come up. I actually just did exactly this just a few days ago. Parents called wanting me to watch their kids from 5:30am-6:00pm. So I casually ask what their work hours are. Turns out she works 6-3 and he works 8-4 or rarely as late as 5. I just have to ask myself why why why (in these extreme cases I mean) these people had children in the first place. :confused:

[Childminder]

In my contract they sign it states what their drop off and pick up hours for each day. I charge $160 based on a 45 hour week and every thing over that is $4 per hour. If they come past or before the contracted hours that THEY enter on the contract it is $1 per minute unless caused by an act of God. Trust me when they get the first bill that states they owe $160 for the 45 plus (let's say) $20 for the extra contracted hours PLUS (let's say) $25 because they dropped off 10 minutes early plus picked up 15 minutes late, they will be on time from then on.