Pls Hlp Me! Starting a Drop in Service

[Auntie'sHouse]

I'm advertising for a drop in service and I keep changing information on the advertisement because of feed back from family and friends after printing 30 copies. I'm not really sure how this should work...if I say $7 an hour, do parents pay before or after? What if they're late? I always get paid before care begins. How much do I charge? $5,$7 or $10 an hour? I like the number 10 but will I be the only one who likes that number? If there is any info that I need to know before starting please let me know..

[Blackcat31]

I'm advertising for a drop in service and I keep changing information on the advertisement because of feed back from family and friends after printing 30 copies. I'm not really sure how this should work...if I say $7 an hour, do parents pay before or after?

ALWAYS have clients pay BEFORE services. You eliminate a ton of issues if your require payment ahead of time.

What if they're late?

Let's say you charge $7 per hour. I would require a minimum amount of time such as a 3 hour minimum. I would also require parents to pay an additional hour of care so if they need 3 hours they would pay you $28 ($21 for the care and $7 for late charges if needed) Sort of like a deposit just in case....kwim? If they arrive within their 3 hour time period, return the $7 they paid you.

Personally I would require ALL families pay a $10 (or more) deposit no matter what rate you charge....because late is late and that is annoying.

I always get paid before care begins. How much do I charge? $5,$7 or $10 an hour? I like the number 10 but will I be the only one who likes that number? If there is any info that I need to know before starting please let me know..

What you charge is completely dependent on your area. Some areas can support a provider earning $7 per hour for drop in care where others can net themselves much more so I would probably base it off the normal daycare rates in your area and just charge a bit more because it is drop in care.

[MarinaVanessa]

I do drop in child care and I have a drop in contract for ALL of my drop in clients.

I charge $5 an hour with a 4 hour minimum whether or not the child attends for that whole time or $40 for 10 hours and it is paid BEFORE services.

I do not reserve a spot for a child unless the spot is paid for in advance. They don't have to pay for it until drop off but they are taking their chances of losing the spot to another client that chooses to either stop by and pay or pays electronically. It's first pay, first serve.

If they are late then my late fee of $5 for every 15 minutes is charged and it must be paid at pick-up.

I'd find out what your local babysitters charge for babysitting and base your rates on that. I choose to only charge $5 an hour because I get paid more per hour than what my full-time rate is (when broken down hourly) and I want to be competive with babysitters. In my area babysitters come to your house and charge $7-$10 per hour so I can charge less, still get paid good enough to make it worth my while and still make it worth the parent's while (they drive out to me but save $2 or more an hour). if you charge more than a babysitter and they still have to drive out to your house they might not find that appealing.

[Mommy2One]

I'm advertising for a drop in service and I keep changing information on the advertisement because of feed back from family and friends after printing 30 copies. I'm not really sure how this should work...if I say $7 an hour, do parents pay before or after? What if they're late? I always get paid before care begins. How much do I charge? $5,$7 or $10 an hour? I like the number 10 but will I be the only one who likes that number? If there is any info that I need to know before starting please let me know..

As a parent, I personally would probably not use drop in care at $10/hr. With commute time and a half hour lunch break, I would need care for 9.5 hrs - that's $100 for one day. In my area, a lot of home providers charge that for a whole week.

My husband and I have sick time or vacation time we could use. If we both had very important tasks/meetings for work we would probably see if a grandparent, aunt or close friend would help for a day. Drop in care at those rates would be my last resort and then I would use the minimum amount of time (just going to work long enough to get done what absolutley needs to get done that day).

At $5/hr, it would possibly be worth it to me to appear reliable at work, to not to have to ask a favor of a relative, etc.

You also have to consider what minimum wage is in your area. In my state, minimum wage is just under $8/hr. Not even factoring in taxes, at $10/hr you could easily be charging more than what an hourly employee parent is making.

I think it's going to come down to a supply and demand question. Are there enough people in your area who are dedicated enough to their jobs, who are earning enough to pay $10/hr? Are those parents the sort that would already have their children in a pricey academy style daycare (for whom being shut down is presumably rare)?

How much do you need the drop-in income? Would it just be extra money, so you could afford to make $100-$200 here and there or would making $50-$100 every day be better?

[daycare]

I'm advertising for a drop in service and I keep changing information on the advertisement because of feed back from family and friends after printing 30 copies. I'm not really sure how this should work...if I say $7 an hour, do parents pay before or after? What if they're late? I always get paid before care begins. How much do I charge? $5,$7 or $10 an hour? I like the number 10 but will I be the only one who likes that number? If there is any info that I need to know before starting please let me know..

I do a drop in during the summer time and would be more than happy to share my drop in contract with you.

All of my families that use this service pay up front. If they are late picking up, or early dropping off, I then enforce the $1.00 per min fee.

I would also find out what the going rate is for drop in care in your area. here it is about $12.00 an hour.

[mrsp'slilpeeps]

I charge $30.00 for the day per child.

I make sure they fill out a drop in contract before they leave and I get paid before they leave their kids here.