OT Question

[MommyMuffin]

I have a family that is looking for very PT care, 330 - 6. My other kids will be gone by 530. This family also said that they might need care until 700 on some days. This will really cut into my family time but I need to do it for financial reasons.
I charge 3.50 an hour right now, so on the nights they need overtime care...what do I charge? When she signs that contract can I say that I am only willing to work OT 2 times a week? They said maybe 1 time a week but I know how it goes and I dont want it to turn into an everyday thing. I would need to feed her dinner on those nights I'm sure too.

[Unregistered]

I have a family that is looking for very PT care, 330 - 6. My other kids will be gone by 530. This family also said that they might need care until 700 on some days. This will really cut into my family time but I need to do it for financial reasons.
I charge 3.50 an hour right now, so on the nights they need overtime care...what do I charge? When she signs that contract can I say that I am only willing to work OT 2 times a week? They said maybe 1 time a week but I know how it goes and I dont want it to turn into an everyday thing. I would need to feed her dinner on those nights I'm sure too.

As far as overtime rates are concerned, what is it worth to you? If it's not worth the extra $3.50 you'd be getting if you charged her at your regular rate, you have to decide what makes that extra hour worth staying open for without making you feel resentful about it.

As far as the number of days you are willing to do this and whether or not you will be expected to serve dinner, discuss this with her and have it written into the contract so it doesn't become an issue for either of you. Same thing as above -- how many days of doing OT will make it worth it to you financially but not cause you to feel resentful about giving up family time? That's where you need to draw the line. If she needs more than you can offer, she will need to go somewhere else.

[katie]

I have a dcg that leaves at 4 on Tues and Fri. On Monday her mom gets off at 5 but pays me an extra 10 dollars for 5-7 care (guess she needs some "me" time.) Sometimes that also happens on Wednesday. The extra money is nice, but sometimes it's not worth it b/c I've had her all day (and you would have other kids I'm guessing since the a.m.) It makes a very long day for me and my kids. I do serve her dinner so that's 3 meals that day. She usually gets very tired and cranky. It does cut very much into your family time. You have to be very careful about it not becoming regular since they seem not too sure about which days or how much they will do this to you. Since you are extending your hours to do it make it worth your while and charge enough, like 10/hour so it is very expensive for them to do it since you are making an exception. Then they won't take advantage of you b/c believe me they will!

[MarinaVanessa]

When I break it down I get paid $3.10 an hour for a FT. I close at 6pm. Anything after that is considered overtime for me regardless whether the child is here 10 hours or 1 hour, for any time after my closing time (or part therof) I charge $5 an hour (which is still cheaper than what I used to charge when I was younger and just babysitting). I think that somewhere along those lines is fair. If you want to make sure that this family doesn't try to stay that late often you could put it in their contract that they can stay until 7pm a certain number of days a week and no more than X amount of days per calendar month etc.

Assuming that that she doesn't have a set schedule of the days she'll leave her kids with you until 7pm you can also add that it has to be pre-arranged and agreed to by you in advance and could even have a minimum amount of notice. This way it's not whenever she feels like it, it's more based on her needs AND your needs and availability also. You can also try to get her to agree to something that you like, like one day a week until 7pm every other week or something like that. Whatever you feel like doing. Just make sure that it's spelled out so there isn't any confusion.

Like the previous poster said, include things such as meals and whether or not they will be included, activities they will be doing (I let my families know that any time that I care for a child after business hours or weekends is pretty much free time and they participate in whatever my family is doing including TV time, errands etc.), whether you'll follow a schedule etc. Lots of options here so make sure it's something that you both will be happy with.

[Live and Learn]

If they are saying they only need once a week I wouldn't offer twice a week.
7pm?.....ugh! That is a long day for you be sure to ask for plenty! Minimum wage per hour after 5:30. Be very clear about the rate...will you charge one rate when they are their until 6:00 and another when they are there til 7:00.
it might be easy for them to let the 6:00 pickup slide later and later. It might be best to have the one late night just worked into your weekly price with them. That one late night a week has to be agreed on at least a week ahead of time on a day that works for you and them .....not just them. Be sure to get enough for that later time...Good Luck.

[momma2girls]

I have a dcg that leaves at 4 on Tues and Fri. On Monday her mom gets off at 5 but pays me an extra 10 dollars for 5-7 care (guess she needs some "me" time.) Sometimes that also happens on Wednesday. The extra money is nice, but sometimes it's not worth it b/c I've had her all day (and you would have other kids I'm guessing since the a.m.) It makes a very long day for me and my kids. I do serve her dinner so that's 3 meals that day. She usually gets very tired and cranky. It does cut very much into your family time. You have to be very careful about it not becoming regular since they seem not too sure about which days or how much they will do this to you. Since you are extending your hours to do it make it worth your while and charge enough, like 10/hour so it is very expensive for them to do it since you are making an exception. Then they won't take advantage of you b/c believe me they will!

I am totally with you!!

[momma2girls]

I would never do this, my 9 or 9 1/2 hrs. a day/5 days a week is enough for me anymore. If you really don't mind doing it this late, make sure it is well worth your money, such as $10.00 per hr. after your closing time or something like that!!!