How Much For Earlier Pick Up?

[Crazy8]

***Ok, don't think I can change the title when I edit but I should not have used the word "DISCOUNT". I am referring to having a SET WEEKLY CONTRACTED rate for each different CONTRACTED pick up time (4, 4:30, 5, etc.). Parents would have to commit to a pick up time - but a 4pm pick up time would be less than a 5pm pick up time. Drop off time does not affect the rate so it has nothing to do with actual hours in attendance!!

I know some of you charge less if pick up is earlier than your max closing time. I have been thinking of doing that. My fees are weekly. How much less per week do you charge for each half hour?? I saw one that was like $5 less a week but I'm not sure that is enough to encourage anyone to do the earlier pick up. Most of my clients are, I wouldn't say wealthy, but they are not really struggling financially either - just normal 2 income families for the most part. I don't take subsidy and honestly, very rarely get a call for someone who is on it - that just isn't really the clientele in my town. So, that said, I think if the rate was say $175 for 4pm pick up and $185 for 5pm pick up they would just pay the $185 to get that extra hour even if they only used it a few times a week, iykwim.

So, for anyone who charges that way - can you tell me the difference in your rates and do clients ever just go with the later time even when they don't need it???

[countrymom]

don't do "special". I don't think anyone does less for early pick up.

[DBug]

Doesn't Nannyde do that? If I actually knew how to do a search I'd look it up, but I know it's here on the forum somewhere ...

I agree, my parents would spend the extra 10 bucks a week for 5 extra hours of care. Can you afford to make the price difference bigger? What about charging $3 or $4 for that last hour, making the difference $15 or $20? Would that be enough to tip the scales and still be fair?

[Lilbutterflie]

I have only full time spots; I can't afford to give them a discount for early pick up. They pay weekly for the full time spot. However, their full time spot only covers them for 10 hours. If they need 11 hrs of care, it's $5 extra per day for that hour. It brings their total weekly up to $25 extra for the 11th hr. But I do it so high to discourage anything over 10 hours.

I think $10-$15/week is about right to charge for an extra hour each day.

[texascare]

Why would you want to lower your income? I charge by the week and if they pick up early so be it but i don't give them a discount for it. I think it would get confused on who was coming at what time and if they were past that time then I had to remember to charge them the higher rate. I just have set hours and a set rate but each of us are different!

[cheerfuldom]

I dont do that....but you can search "contracted hours" to see how that is set up.

[momma2girls]

Nanny de does it and there are others on here that do it as well. I actually thought about doing that, $5.00 per 1/2 an hr. early pick up charge. I was thinking about it though, and decided not to go there. I am afraid mine would say they were always going to pick up at a certain time, but I know they wouldn't do it everyday. Then I have to figure it out everyday, they have late pick up.

[Country Kids]

I think its based on contracted hours. The way I pictured it when I saw it was parents that went in to their jobs earlier and where able to pick up at an earlier time.

Example:

6-3=150
7-4=160
8-5=170


I think one of them even did it to the 1/2 an hour route also. I would be afraid of them picking up late then you have to figure that all into it also. Also you have to ask yourself will you be willing to take kids earlier?

[Former Teacher]

Nanny de does it and there are others on here that do it as well. I actually thought about doing that, $5.00 per 1/2 an hr. early pick up charge. I was thinking about it though, and decided not to go there. I am afraid mine would say they were always going to pick up at a certain time, but I know they wouldn't do it everyday. Then I have to figure it out everyday, they have late pick up.

Exactly! Number one rule in daycare...never trust a parent.

[Crazy8]

Nanny de does it and there are others on here that do it as well. I actually thought about doing that, $5.00 per 1/2 an hr. early pick up charge. I was thinking about it though, and decided not to go there. I am afraid mine would say they were always going to pick up at a certain time, but I know they wouldn't do it everyday. Then I have to figure it out everyday, they have late pick up.

No, there would be NO late pick ups - If you are contracted till 4pm you pick up at 4pm. I would just like to know what time I am done for a day. I do already have contracted hours but EVERYONE contracts till 5 because that is the latest I will go. Many pick up at 4-4:30 every day but I just never know when they are going to need the 5pm and you know it would be a day I make a 5pm appointment, you know??

I don't think its doing "special" - I'm doing it for ME, not for them. I don't mind the decrease in pay if it means KNOWING when I will be done for a day.

My other option is to just go to giving rates out as a 4:30 end time and then will add the extra half hour for a fee if they absolutely need it.

[Blackcat31]

I know some of you charge less if pick up is earlier than your max closing time. I have been thinking of doing that. My fees are weekly. How much less per week do you charge for each half hour?? I saw one that was like $5 less a week but I'm not sure that is enough to encourage anyone to do the earlier pick up. Most of my clients are, I wouldn't say wealthy, but they are not really struggling financially either - just normal 2 income families for the most part. I don't take subsidy and honestly, very rarely get a call for someone who is on it - that just isn't really the clientele in my town. So, that said, I think if the rate was say $175 for 4pm pick up and $185 for 5pm pick up they would just pay the $185 to get that extra hour even if they only used it a few times a week, iykwim.

So, for anyone who charges that way - can you tell me the difference in your rates and do clients ever just go with the later time even when they don't need it???

I bill that way. I don't bill for hours per day so I could care less when they drop off and never assign a rate based on 8 or 9 hours a day. Instead what I do is take my base weekly rate which is $140.

I assigned my parents who pick up at 3:30 the $140 rate.

Parents who pick up at 4:30 pay me $160 per week (which is $20 more per week) and

the parents who pick up at 5:30 pay me $185 per week (which is $45 more per week)

The additional hour after 3:30 until 4:30 is billed at $4 and the hour between 4:30-5:30 is $5

Before I went this route, I had ALL my dck's ALL day every day but now I am done by 4:30 a couple times a week and still make the base pay ($140) per week that I need to have as income. I don't allow parents to pick and choose different days every week, they have to choose a pick up time and stick with it.

If they want extra hours of care here and there, they need to ok it first with me and put it in writing. I usually allow it, but I feel I have more control over it when they have to formally request it and I also feel it gives parents the option of making their daycare costs cheaper if they choose to do so. That way none of that lies on my shoulders.

Hope that helps.

[MaritimeMummy]

I couldn't justify doing that. The way I see it, they expect you to be there for a certain number of hours during the day. Those are the hours I provide care. I am not giving a reduced rate if they show up early. It's not my choice that they want to cut their hours short.

I used to offer a full day and half day rate but I had one parent take advantage of it and call me at 9am when her daughter should have been here, and said she wouldn't be bringing her until after lunch, and she wanted the half day rate. My policy is that you pay for days as they are booked. So if you booked a full day, you are paying for a full day. If you booked a half day, you can increase to a full day if I have the space but once you book a full day, you are committed to that day. So I was expecting income that wouldn't end up happening and was having issues with budgeting and so forth. I had to eliminate the half day rate just because of that one mother. So no, I would never offer a reduced rate for early pick up. A child being picked up early is not a factor I can control, it is the parent's decision to do that, and they should not be offered a reduced rate because of it.

[Blackcat31]

I couldn't justify doing that. The way I see it, they expect you to be there for a certain number of hours during the day. Those are the hours I provide care. I am not giving a reduced rate if they show up early. It's not my choice that they want to cut their hours short.

I used to offer a full day and half day rate but I had one parent take advantage of it and call me at 9am when her daughter should have been here, and said she wouldn't be bringing her until after lunch, and she wanted the half day rate. My policy is that you pay for days as they are booked. So if you booked a full day, you are paying for a full day. If you booked a half day, you can increase to a full day if I have the space but once you book a full day, you are committed to that day. So I was expecting income that wouldn't end up happening and was having issues with budgeting and so forth. I had to eliminate the half day rate just because of that one mother. So no, I would never offer a reduced rate for early pick up. A child being picked up early is not a factor I can control, it is the parent's decision to do that, and they should not be offered a reduced rate because of it.

I am not giving a reduced rate if they show up early. I am charging a base rate and they are being charged MORE for over time. So it is a erspective from a different angle.

I get my base weekly rate but receive over time pay for anything over a normal work day. I can still expect my base income and am "rewarded" (more money) for any extra time I need to put in.

I also do not offer half day rates. I ONLY bill weekly.

A child being picked up early isn't something I can control either but the parents sure can.....and do when there are additional fees attached.

So like I said, don't look at it as giving a reduced rate, look at it as getting additional pay for longer hours. Puts it all back on the parents.

[Country Kids]

I am not giving a reduced rate if they show up early. I am charging a base rate and they are being charged MORE for over time. So it is a erspective from a different angle.

I get my base weekly rate but receive over time pay for anything over a normal work day. I can still expect my base income and am "rewarded" (more money) for any extra time I need to put in.

I also do not offer half day rates. I ONLY bill weekly.

A child being picked up early isn't something I can control either but the parents sure can.....and do when there are additional fees attached.

So like I said, don't look at it as giving a reduced rate, look at it as getting additional pay for longer hours. Puts it all back on the parents.

Just my opinion so Please don't flame me! You say "put it all back on the parents". In my eyes your punishing the parents for having a 8-5 job and then making them pay more for it. I personally would not like to have to pay more because my job is the hours it is.

If a provider wants to be off earlier then just take clients with that shift. I have clients that go to work anywhere from 7-9 and get off anywhere from 4-5. How I figure it is I'm getting paid per client not what hours they work (if that makes sense). Why should someone get to pay less for working 8 hours but gets off earlier and make someone pay more for also working 8 hours but getting off later. It just doesnt make sense to me.

[Crazy8]

I couldn't justify doing that. The way I see it, they expect you to be there for a certain number of hours during the day. Those are the hours I provide care. I am not giving a reduced rate if they show up early. It's not my choice that they want to cut their hours short.

I used to offer a full day and half day rate but I had one parent take advantage of it and call me at 9am when her daughter should have been here, and said she wouldn't be bringing her until after lunch, and she wanted the half day rate. My policy is that you pay for days as they are booked. So if you booked a full day, you are paying for a full day. If you booked a half day, you can increase to a full day if I have the space but once you book a full day, you are committed to that day. So I was expecting income that wouldn't end up happening and was having issues with budgeting and so forth. I had to eliminate the half day rate just because of that one mother. So no, I would never offer a reduced rate for early pick up. A child being picked up early is not a factor I can control, it is the parent's decision to do that, and they should not be offered a reduced rate because of it.

I am not talking about the occasional early pick up. Its been discussed a million times how some do open-close hours and others do contracted - there are pros/cons to each way and each provider does what works for them. Personally, I'd never do open-close hours, it just doesn't work for me.

What I am talking about though is completely different - I already run on contracted hours and will keep it that way BUT I am considering changing my rate structure so that contracting for a later pick up time would result in a higher rate - its not based on how many hours you use a day, etc. just an overall rate difference.

I think my biggest mistake was referring to it as a "discount" in my title - it wouldn't really be a discount - it would just be less to contract for an earlier pick up time. Right now my full time rate is $175, like blackcat did I would start from there (actually, I'd be willing to go a little lower for like a 3:30 pick up but that's my choice!).