What To Charge..........Hubby Disagrees.......

[Unregistered]

I have a family that has been with me before, first time around the two older girls were with me for about 9 months and they have recently started back when their new baby sister was born. Left bc dad lost job. Have been back for about 2.5 months now. New baby is also in care.

My regular rate is 160/wk for an infant and $50/week for after school care per child and full time care for school age children is 100/wk.

I am charging $125/wk for the infant and $75/wk for both girls for after school. The baby is 4 months now and the girls are 6 & 8. Older girls cause no trouble at all and i really like them. Also my daughter stays over at their home sometimes, ( they moved down the road from us once they started daycare the first time) It became more of a friendship when the girls were not in care anymore, but now they are back in care and i was trying to give a good price, I know it is a lot to put 3 children in daycare.

For summer my husband insists I go to $100/wk per girl which would be my regular rate but seems on the expensive side for the rates i have been giving. I was thinking more like $75/girl

What sounds reasonable? I dont want to lose them......

[bunnyslippers]

Have you already agreed to charge them the 125/75/75? If so, it may be difficult to now increase what you are charging them.

I think you are giving them too much of a discount. That is $85 less per week than you should be making. Over a year, that is $4400! While I understand that you want to keep them and give them a break, I think you should at least charge your regular rate for the infant.

[LaLa1923]

I have a family that has been with me before, first time around the two older girls were with me for about 9 months and they have recently started back when their new baby sister was born. Left bc dad lost job. Have been back for about 2.5 months now. New baby is also in care.

My regular rate is 160/wk for an infant and $50/week for after school care per child and full time care for school age children is 100/wk.

I am charging $125/wk for the infant and $75/wk for both girls for after school. The baby is 4 months now and the girls are 6 & 8. Older girls cause no trouble at all and i really like them. Also my daughter stays over at their home sometimes, ( they moved down the road from us once they started daycare the first time) It became more of a friendship when the girls were not in care anymore, but now they are back in care and i was trying to give a good price, I know it is a lot to put 3 children in daycare.

For summer my husband insists I go to $100/wk per girl which would be my regular rate but seems on the expensive side for the rates i have been giving. I was thinking more like $75/girl

What sounds reasonable? I dont want to lose them......

You need to to what's best for your business. However, I think you're cutting yourself short. I would never charge $100 a week for an infant. I get $200-$225 for an infant. For me, it would depend on the days and hours. I know your friends, but this is not a charity. Unless this is the norm in your area (to charge so low).

[Unregistered]

My regular rates are actually a little on the high side for this area, our average for infants is around 135/wk average for toddlers is about 105/week and school age is around 90/week and my full time rates now are

160/infant
125/toddler
100/school age

I have seen lots of insanely low prices around here, im talking like 75/week for an infant, 40/week for school age, but we have SO MUCH competition. There are a couple hundred ads put on craigslist every day.

[Unregistered]

Have you already agreed to charge them the 125/75/75? If so, it may be difficult to now increase what you are charging them.

I think you are giving them too much of a discount. That is $85 less per week than you should be making. Over a year, that is $4400! While I understand that you want to keep them and give them a break, I think you should at least charge your regular rate for the infant.

I have not quoted summer rates yet

[Blackcat31]

Yikes!!! That is quite the discount!!! Why are YOU discounting them because you are now doing MORE work with more kids??

I "get" that you are trying to be helpful due to the fact that they have more children now but you are also doing more work....so the discount makes no sense to me personally.

I would NEVER lower my infant rate as they (infants) are the most amount of work and the easiest to replace. At least here. I may consider discounting the older kids' before and after school care but again I would never discount their summer care as they are more work in the summer.

I'm sorry but I agree with your DH. Charge your regular rates.

[itlw8]

The problem is not what you will charge in the summer but what you charge in the school year. You will still be giving a infant a HUGE discount. school kids eat a ton and use lots of materials. check around summer camps are higher.

I agree with hubby charge the going rate for the 2 school age this summer

Now I WANT you to refigure the discount.. you start with charging the first child full rate.... ( the infant) then take the discount off the 2nd or 3rd child. so you actually charge each school age 20 instead of 50 You need to do it this way so if the school age move on you will still get 160 for the infant.

They will take up a f/t opening this summer so you will really shoot yourself in the foot to take less Yes 20 to 100 is a big jump but it is full day care not just an hour after school

[Blackcat31]

I just read your other posts about your area being competitive and the rates offered by other places being much cheaper but you have to consider whether or not this family would be willing to leave you just for cheaper rates or if they really like your program enough that they are willing to stay.

I know it gets hard when other providers are offering cut throat rates but IME, it's best to value yourself and the services you offer and choose a price/rate that works for YOU and stick with it.

If you go cheaper just because others are, you are going to find yourself cycling through a herd of daycare hoppers who just keep moving from one care to another every time someone offers a rate .25 cents cheaper than you.

[bunnyslippers]

I would stick to your rates. They must be famiar with what you charge, as they were previously in your care. Don't sell yourself short. You set your rates for a reason. Stick with them!

[mamac]

I would stick to your rates. They must be famiar with what you charge, as they were previously in your care. Don't sell yourself short. You set your rates for a reason. Stick with them!

I totally agree.

Why do you feel that you are charging too much just because they decided to have 3 children? Stick with your regular rates and if you still feel that you'd like to do "special" then maybe offer a token discount of $5 per child or something.

I originally set my policies with a sibling discount but I will no longer offer that when I open. They're not getting discounted care, are they? (Thanks BC!)

[MarinaVanessa]

I personally wouldn't offer them that much of a discount ... I actually don't offer any type of sibling discount at all. If you feel like you need to give some type of discount because you are afraid that the family will leave you why not have an idea of what you want to charge and ask the family what they think is a FAIR price for 3 kids while keeping in mind the cost of food that they will each eat, activities that they will all participate in, supplies that they will use up (toilet paper, paper towels, utilities, water, cleaning supplies etc.).

You might find out that they are willing to pay you more than you were initially thinking about discounting them.

[Cradle2crayons]

If you are charging the after school 75 a week then certainly you need to go to at least 100 a week per kid. Or I may be confused ... Are you only charging 75 a week for both girls after school? Either way you need to go up on those rates girlfriend!!!

[Cradle2crayons]

Ok now I see that 75 is for BOTH girls after school. I personally do sibling discounts so what about a compromise.... Actually do the contract to show the regular price of 100 per kid for summer care... Then give x amount of discount so mom realizes she's getting a great deal... But you aren't getting a loss to watch them

[AfterSchoolMom]

Infants and SA's are the two highest needs groups, and require WAY more work IMO. You deserve the full rate for each child! However, if you really feel like you need to discount, that's your decision - but I certainly wouldn't discount as much as you have been, especially for the summer.

Are you charging $75 a week TOTAL for both girls, or $75 for EACH girl?

[Unregistered]

Infants and SA's are the two highest needs groups, and require WAY more work IMO. You deserve the full rate for each child! However, if you really feel like you need to discount, that's your decision - but I certainly wouldn't discount as much as you have been, especially for the summer.

Are you charging $75 a week TOTAL for both girls, or $75 for EACH girl?

$75/week for both, they are here for 7.5 hrs/week which didn't seem bad at the time, thats like $10/hr, so $5/hr per girl, I dont normally figure rates by the hour (and it is still a flat rate if they miss care) but when i was figuring their price I did take into consideration that they would not be in care very long each week.

That being said the baby is here 10 hrs a day which breaks down to $2.50/hr which is way low but i am not good at changing rates once i agree to it. Im not even sure how to go about changing the baby's rate considering i quoted her as full time already.

I was considering bringing the baby up to $150/week and then have the girls at $85/pc for the summer which would be $320 vs the 125/100/100 that my husband wanted which is $325 but when the girls go back to school keep keep the baby at 150 and charge $85/week for both girls after school, which would make the school time rate at $235 instead of the $200 they pay now.

Hmmmmm..... I have price increase "rights" in August anyhow stated in policies so maybe just go to the regular $50/girl then.........