How Do Your Infant Rates Compare To Preschooler Rates?

[AcornMama]

Backstory that I'll probably make too long:
I've been advertising my fcch as a preschool/daycare combo ideal for ages 3-5, with 2yos considered on an individual basis. I received an inquiry today from a mom who said my ad was "amazing" and wanted more info, as she's looking at going back to work and will need part-time care for her daughter.

Her daughter is 8 months old.

I really want to focus on preschoolers, as that fits in well with homeschooling my own. However, in the two months I've been open, I've only been able to enroll one full time preschooler, and one just 2 days a week. I live in a small town. I get inquiries, but I'm either too far away or too expensive.

I'm not sure I even want to take on an infant. I'd have to rework my space and schedule. But I really need to enroll more kiddos to make this worthwhile.

As I ponder this, I need to think about possible tuition rates. How much more do you all charge for infant compared to preschooler? I'm not asking how much you charge, as I know there's a lot of regional differences. I'm just wondering how much higher, generally, are your infant rates. Like, do you charge about 10% more? 20%?

I called my area centers and poked around a lot online when setting my preschool rates. Instead of doing all of that all over again, I'm thinking there's probably a reasonable percentage I could use. Does that make sense?

[Cat Herder]

Does keeping infants lower your ratio? If so take what you could make ($$ x maximun slots w/o infants) and divide it by the slots you have left (- slots lost to infant ratio).

EX. My normal ratio is 6. 6 x $120 wk = $720

My ratio drops to 4 with majority infants. So:

$720 / 4 = $180 week.

[Moppetland]

Mine is about 11% more. I try to stay with what my states child care assistance program would charge. I don't want to go below that.

[Blackcat31]

Preschoolers have options. They can attend and pay for 3, 4 or 5 days options.

Infants/toddlers can attend as little or as much as they want but the rate is one flat weekly rate. About $20 more than the fulltime preschool rate.

Infant care is limited here and taking kids under age 2 lowers our ratios so the spaces are billed at a premium.

[butterfly]

I charge the same for infant and preschool. I too would rather not take infants.

[Laurel]

same for both

[AcornMama]

Does keeping infants lower your ratio? If so take what you could make ($$ x maximun slots w/o infants) and divide it by the slots you have left (- slots lost to infant ratio).

EX. My normal ratio is 6. 6 x $120 wk = $720

My ratio drops to 4 with majority infants. So:

$720 / 4 = $180 week.

Ratios don't work that way here. Basically, I can have 5 preschoolers and 3 school agers. There is no technical limit on the number of preschoolers. That only comes into play if I go for the voluntary star rating system.

Legally I can have as many infants as I want, as long as I don't exceed 5 kids that are under school age. Not that I want to enroll 5 infants.

[Leigh]

I am charging 54% more for 0-12 months than I do for 12 months and up. I, too, don't like taking infants, so I decided to make it worth my while to do so. I haven't yet signed up an infant at this rate (I won't have an opening until next September), but I get at least a dozen calls a month for newborn care. I know there are nowhere near enough caregivers to take care of all of the newborns around here, so I guess if they really need care, they'll pay for it.

[Cat Herder]

Ratios don't work that way here. Basically, I can have 5 preschoolers and 3 school agers. There is no technical limit on the number of preschoolers. That only comes into play if I go for the voluntary star rating system.

Legally I can have as many infants as I want, as long as I don't exceed 5 kids that are under school age. Not that I want to enroll 5 infants.

Forgive my ignorance, but then, why would you charge more for infants? :confused:

[Leigh]

Forgive my ignorance, but then, why would you charge more for infants? :confused:

I can't speak for the original poster, but infants are a lot more work, and where I live, infant care is much more in demand. I also have to purchase formula for infants, do much more after-hours work (more disinfection, more carpet cleaning, more laundry-I supply blankets, burp cloths, bibs because I don't like getting dirty stuff from parents). With infants, I often have to have coverage when we go on field trips, as well (well, maybe I don't HAVE to, but I don't like taking babies along to the zoo and places where the other kids need closer supervision). The main reason I am raising rates for infants is simply because I CAN...why not make as much money as I am able to? God knows that this job already doesn't pay so great for what we put into it!

[AcornMama]

Forgive my ignorance, but then, why would you charge more for infants? :confused:

Ha, not your ignorance, but mine! In my case, it might not be necessary. I just know others charge more. Certainly some do because of ratios. Others probably do just because of the extra work of infants. I would think you'd be purchasing extra supplies on an ongoing basis as well.

Maybe in my case it wouldn't make sense to charge more. I'm just trying to think through things before I respond to this mom. I also just don't want to short change myself. I know centers charge more for infants. But then, they have the ratio and employee issues.

[AcornMama]

I can't speak for the original poster, but infants are a lot more work, and where I live, infant care is much more in demand. I also have to purchase formula for infants, do much more after-hours work (more disinfection, more carpet cleaning, more laundry-I supply blankets, burp cloths, bibs because I don't like getting dirty stuff from parents). With infants, I often have to have coverage when we go on field trips, as well (well, maybe I don't HAVE to, but I don't like taking babies along to the zoo and places where the other kids need closer supervision). The main reason I am raising rates for infants is simply because I CAN...why not make as much money as I am able to? God knows that this job already doesn't pay so great for what we put into it!

Ha, looks like we were posting at the same time. You put what I suspected (more work, more expense) into better words than I did.

[SSWonders]

I charge the same for both. Instead of giving them an infant rate and then lowering it when they get older, the rate they have when they start is the rate they will have for as long as they are in my care. Every couple of years I raise that rate slightly.

[Cat Herder]

Ha, not your ignorance, but mine! In my case, it might not be necessary. I just know others charge more. Certainly some do because of ratios. Others probably do just because of the extra work of infants. I would think you'd be purchasing extra supplies on an ongoing basis as well.

Maybe in my case it wouldn't make sense to charge more. I'm just trying to think through things before I respond to this mom. I also just don't want to short change myself. I know centers charge more for infants. But then, they have the ratio and employee issues.

Oh, no judgement... lovethis Really, just curious how others think and manage money.

I set my rates across the boards to a set $$$ goal per month to begin with. :::: I raise them as my needs change.

Personally I view the infants as my bread and butter since they tend to stay longer. I have never had a parent pull out a kid I had since birth, I usually have them 4 years. (free preschool district)

Plus: I get to teach them from the start so no fixing problem behaviors later happyface For me it is much, much, much easier than taking a two year old who has already been through a few providers, IYKWIM ::

[AcornMama]

Personally I view the infants as my bread and butter since they tend to stay longer. I have never had a parent pull out a kid I had since birth, I usually have them 4 years. (free preschool district)

Plus: I get to teach them from the start so no fixing problem behaviors later happyface For me it is much, much, much easier than taking a two year old who has already been through a few providers, IYKWIM ::

Nice perspective.

I've wanted to focus on preschool, since I'm also busy homeschooling my own. It's seems easier to set the preschoolers to work with a project while I'm helping mine with spelling. Not sure how I'd do it with infants also. Though I did manage to homeschool with my own infants, so I know it's possible.

As much as I'd rather be full with preschoolers, the reality is that I need to fill some spots. Otherwise I'm setting aside a lot of time and energy that could go into my own kids for one full-time preschooler, and one that's only here 2 days a week. Financially, it's not a good return on my investment.