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How do you approach field trips? Do parents pay the cost? If so, do you get their "ok" before planning it? I want to go to a pumpkin patch and it's only 5 bucks a kid. I can take it out of their tuition and it wouldn't be a big deal. If I ask them to pay...what if a parent doesn't want to? Thanks!
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Depends on what your policies say. Mine just says that we take occasional field trips but doesn't reference anything about cost. Most of ours have been free but on my permission slip there is a space for cost. We went to the movies this summer and although the movie was free, snacks were not. For cost, I just put that popcorn money was optional.
I think that if a parent didn't want the kid to attend the field trip for whatever reason (cost too high, doesn't want child to ride in the car, thinks their child will be attacked by a zebra at he zoo, etc.) then they should find alternate child care for that day at their own expense. Unless, of course, the provider has an assistant that can stay behind and watch the kid that can't go. -
My clients usually pay for field trips although most of ours are free. At Christmas we go to a bakery and make gingerbread houses & cookies. It costs $10/kid and is probably our most expensive field trip. In the fall we go to an apple orchard for a tour and it costs $3/child but they get a wagon ride, a couple hours to play, a small bag of apples, a pumpkin and a cob of popping corn. Last Christmas, during the school holidays we went to a movie but I was able to find some BOGO coupons so the cost worked out to $4/child and that included popcorn/drink. In the spring we go to to McDonald's for a fundarising thing. It costs $5 for lunch and we play at the playland for awhile. We go to an indoor playground occasionally and that costs $4/child. However, I only charge the parents if I've planned the trip and provided ample notice. If I decide on a Tuesday to go somewhere on a Wednesday then I pay the costs out of my pocket, often the parents me back on the Friday but I don't expect them to at all. Occasionally we'll go to the library or somewhere and I'll suddenly decide to grab a pizza to share on our walk home instead of making lunch when we get there. I pay for that because it was due to my laziness that I chose to get a pizza.Doing what I love and loving what I do.Comment
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I also have the parents pay for the more expensive field trips but I look for things that we can do for free so we have very few field trips where the parents have to pay extra. Most of our field trips are to the library, Barnes & Noble for reading time, the children's science museum, the children's art museum, the fair (on dollar day), friends farms etc. I always pack lunches and such so food is not an issue, that way if we go somewhere the parent's only have to give their child money in case they want to buy a souvenir.
When we do things that cost money I try to do things that cost only $5 or around there. The movies (on Wednesday for matinee you get the movie, a drink, popcorn and a candy), the zoo ($6 admission for kids), the train ($5 per child and it's Thomas the tank engine in the Spring or an old fashioned train to the pumpkin patch in October (they get to go to the petting zoo and a hay ride, if they want a pumpkin it's extra). Most parents don't mind the extra $$ here and there as long as it's educational. They welcome it. I have some parents that volunteer to take the day off and come along for the trip even if the day is still paid. They love the little trips that we make.Comment
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