Parent Think Their Children Should Be Watched For Pennies...

[jojosmommy]

Yes most parents do not get it when it comes to the expense part. One dcp even said "heck, I pay you more than I pay in a mortgage payment. You probably just take my money and pay your mortage with it!" I replied with, "Well, it would be pretty hard to do daycare from a tent "

I did just have one family leave me to save $5 per week somewhere else. $5! Really....... Best part is they complained about my closing time and the person they went to opens later than me and is closed at the same time. Dcm "forgot to ask that" DUH!!! Sweeeeeetttt revenge..... happyface

[renodeb]

I can so relate to this post. I have gotten a lot of "What are your rates" I tell them and then silence on the other end of the phone. I always chime in with what I offer, and what I supply. Its funny if I say that I charge 170 a week for ft to one parent, then to another I say 165 the repsonces are so diffrent. 165 is so much better than 170? Funny how these parents think.
Deb

[saved4always]

Yes most parents do not get it when it comes to the expense part. One dcp even said "heck, I pay you more than I pay in a mortgage payment. You probably just take my money and pay your mortage with it!" I replied with, "Well, it would be pretty hard to do daycare from a tent "

I did just have one family leave me to save $5 per week somewhere else. $5! Really....... Best part is they complained about my closing time and the person they went to opens later than me and is closed at the same time. Dcm "forgot to ask that" DUH!!! Sweeeeeetttt revenge..... happyface

That is funny. Revenge indeed! ::

And what does that dcp think we do this for???? To pay our bills, including our mortgages, duh! Same reason they work.

[BumbleBee]

Yes most parents do not get it when it comes to the expense part. One dcp even said "heck, I pay you more than I pay in a mortgage payment. You probably just take my money and pay your mortage with it!" I replied with, "Well, it would be pretty hard to do daycare from a tent "

I did just have one family leave me to save $5 per week somewhere else. $5! Really....... Best part is they complained about my closing time and the person they went to opens later than me and is closed at the same time. Dcm "forgot to ask that" DUH!!! Sweeeeeetttt revenge..... happyface

Had a lady pull 3 kids out at the center because another place was $20 cheaper a week. Didn't care WHY it was $20 cheaper (crap food, no curriculum, untrained staff, over ratio, etc. etc.) Came back through our door about 3 months later begging for spots back-even offered to pay double what she was paying before. To bad we were full.

[thatdivalady]

I have had my fair share of parents that do question why child care is expensive.

In response, I copied this from an article I read in an NAEYC publication and included it in my yearly folders.

It is nicely written and explains ALOT to parents from a providers perspective.

Immediately printing and posting!!!! Thanks Blackcat!

[Blackcat31]

Immediately printing and posting!!!! Thanks Blackcat!

It is a nice way for parents to really understand things from a providers perspective, however I do have to comment on the one section at the end where it talks about unlicensed providers.... That part should obviouly be deleted or re-worded as the author must live in an area where it is illegal to be unlicensed which is NOT the case in all areas.

Some states do not require licensure so I didnt want to give the impression I that I thought that or that parents should think that either.

[brookeroo]

Sometimes I want to ask them what they would expect to be paid if they were in this business... Or if they felt they could handle this job? Or how they would react if on payday their bosses just "forgot" their paycheck or told them they would just pay them in a couple days... Obviously they don't manage their money well so why should I right? It's not like I have to care for children or anything and ensure my utilities are paid so that I have hot water or water and heat at all... Cause lord knows if that ever happened... Whose rear would it be?!? Or if their boss told them to meet them at work and ready at 6:30 in the morning and their boss didn't decide to show until 8:00 because they overslept nearly everyday... Or when your told you are getting off at 3 but the parents decide to take it upon themselves to go shopping instead....and the appointments or plans you made get screwed. But of course you are the jerk for having the nerve to charge them fees....


Yeah this job is cake... makes you wonder why they don't just stay home and do it... We are sitting on a gold mine after all.

[Hunni Bee]

The preschool I work for now (I don't even feel right calling it a center or daycare) charges almost as much per week as my old one was getting per month per child. And all the classrooms are completely at capacity, there's a waiting list, and I see families touring everyday.

All of the families happily fork hundreds of dollars over, and sign up for extracurriculars, and at least half have 2 or more kids enrolled.

I really wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it. The parents at my old center were nearly all on assistance and were paying pocket change as copays...most had no copay at all. The ones who were paying out of pocket paid a discounted rate on top of it being dirt cheap anyway. And it was like pulling teeth to get them do even this.

Not that the services they were receiving was all that great, the basics were covered. But what we could get them to pay barely kept the lights on and paid the skeleton staff.

I guess it is like Daycare's dcm said. You want quality, you pay for it.

[countrymom]

I had a family leave after 4 yrs over 20 dollars a week. They went to a campclub where they had to provide everything, the only difference was that they where open a bit longer. This family didn't want to do anything with thier kids, and omg I was making them pick them up on time so they had face time with their kids.

[providerandmomof4]

The preschool I work for now (I don't even feel right calling it a center or daycare) charges almost as much per week as my old one was getting per month per child. And all the classrooms are completely at capacity, there's a waiting list, and I see families touring everyday.

All of the families happily fork hundreds of dollars over, and sign up for extracurriculars, and at least half have 2 or more kids enrolled.

I really wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it. The parents at my old center were nearly all on assistance and were paying pocket change as copays...most had no copay at all. The ones who were paying out of pocket paid a discounted rate on top of it being dirt cheap anyway. And it was like pulling teeth to get them do even this.

Not that the services they were receiving was all that great, the basics were covered. But what we could get them to pay barely kept the lights on and paid the skeleton staff.

I guess it is like Daycare's dcm said. You want quality, you pay for it.

The first year I was in business, I actually lost money. My tax advisor said, "Well, according to your receipts, you lost money, is this correct?" I said, "Well, I knew there was a reason that I felt broke all year!" I raised my rates, and guess what, I actually got a better group of families than I had in the beginning! When I say better, I mean...they paid on time, they picked up on time, etc. I think that people really do equate quality with higher rates....coarse this isn't always the case....I still have two openings