Hours & Late Fee's Opinions ...

[rhondawarren]

We have just finished building our home and are all moved in. We have created a daycare onto our home and I am getting the room ready to open.

So ... we are now in a different location so I am working on rates, etc. So I have a couple of questions and could use some opinions

Hours -- Most people in our area are open from 6 am to 6 pm that provide child care. I was thinking about being open those hours too. Now ... for the question. Should I allow the parents so many hours during that time for childcare ... Like for example allow them any 10 hours during those hours. OR should I allow them to come and go anytime during the hours in which I am open?

Next Question ...

As for late pick up fee's ... What do you all normally charge for late pick up? Should I charge per minute late?

Also if I allow them so many hours per day like 10 hours per day and lets say their pick up time is suppose to be 5 pm. Should I charge a late fee starting after what is suppose to be there pick up time even though I do not close until 6pm?

I want to be sure I make this all worth it but am fair as well

[Brustkt]

Absolutely!

I am a bit spoiled and open at 7:30am and close at 4:30pm. I knew when I got into this business that I would not be open early or late. That being said, 6am to 6 pm seems more than fair to me... I would not however give each family 12 hours a day for childcare! That is crazy!
I think 9 hours a day is plenty(depending on high traffic areas) but 10 hours is WAY more than fair!

I charge after the first 5 minutes if no phone call. $1 per min. Per child.
If they let me know they are running late, etc.. And it isn't a habit...I'm pretty easy going. If you take advantage of me...?!!!
I have only had to charge a late fee one time...and I warned her first! She owed me $30 for being 15min. Late. (2 children)!
Once I enforced it, She was NEVER late again! I ended up watching the girls for 3 more years! She got over it!

[Brustkt]

Also, no I do not allow parents to come and go. It all depends on routine on whether or not they could pick up.

[Rachel]

Some people do contract and some do open hours. I personally do open hours but I work with an agency and that's the way they do it. I'm open 9.5 hours a day and they can use 5 minutes or 9.5 hours but do not come early (won't open the door) or late (fee).

In your situation I woudl probably do contract hours because otherwise you will have kids there until 6 even if mom is off and home by 5. So either I would put a premium on the hours after 4pm (like Blackcat does), or I woudl do contract hours. If you do contract hours then the late fee would start from when they are supposed to pick up, not from when you close. Other people have great wordings for this, so I'll leave it to them.

[jenboo]

I am open 7-530. Parents get a maximum of 10 hours a Day and they can come any time during those hours. I do not do contracted hours but everyone is pretty regular with their schedules. I often have days where the first kid comes at 8 so I've had a whole hour to prepare for the day. I love it.
Late fees start at 530 or the 10 hour mark. I charge $10 for being late PLUS $1 per minute per family. So 5 min late costs $15....i do not like working late.

[rhondawarren]

Some people do contract and some do open hours. I personally do open hours but I work with an agency and that's the way they do it. I'm open 9.5 hours a day and they can use 5 minutes or 9.5 hours but do not come early (won't open the door) or late (fee).

In your situation I woudl probably do contract hours because otherwise you will have kids there until 6 even if mom is off and home by 5. So either I would put a premium on the hours after 4pm (like Blackcat does), or I woudl do contract hours. If you do contract hours then the late fee would start from when they are supposed to pick up, not from when you close. Other people have great wordings for this, so I'll leave it to them.

Thanks everyone! That makes perfect sense! I think 10 hours per day is WAY fair too. A couple of girls I know that babysit do the 12 hours and let them come and go as they please during those hours. But to me ... like someone said if you give them that option they will probably be there the whole 12 hours. Its just how it is in most cases. I think 10 hours is very fair.

I am considering using a computer software program that they sign in and out from on the computer each day so any late fees would be calculated from that

[butterfly]

If I was starting in a fresh location, I'd switch to contracted hours. The open to close thing can be exhausting. It's always the worst behaved kids that are here open to close.

I don't charge late fees for late pickup. I term! Can you tell I've been burned by this in the past? ::

I like Blackcat's way of doing rates for contracted hours.

[rhondawarren]

If I was starting in a fresh location, I'd switch to contracted hours. The open to close thing can be exhausting. It's always the worst behaved kids that are here open to close.

I don't charge late fees for late pickup. I term! Can you tell I've been burned by this in the past? ::

I like Blackcat's way of doing rates for contracted hours.

I was thinking about being open from 6 am to 6 pm. Then during our initial interview going over the hours needed by the family and allowing them 10 hours during that time. But most of the providers around me are doing 6 am to 6 pm and allowing them anytime they need during those hours (even if it is all 12 hours!!) Which I think is insane! But I feel that I almost need to do that to stay competitive? What do you all think???

[NoMoreJuice!]

Stick with 10

Although I don't know the area where you live, I live in a major city and it doesn't take more than 30 minutes for any of my parents to commute to work from my house. So there is no logical reason for any of my parents to leave their children with me longer than 10 hours.

The only reason you will find parents leaving their kids with you for 12 hours a day is so they can go home and have "me time" and relax without kids for a few hours. You WILL come to resent that. When (NOT if...when) you find yourself resenting the fact that they are abandoning their kids for their own selfish time, you will have a really hard struggle to change your policy and make them sign new, 10 hour contracts. That's what I went through, anyway.

I never unlock my door before 7:30 am and all my kiddos are gone by 5:30. It's not so much a matter of trying accommodate every potential client's schedule as choosing what works best for you and only taking clients who agree to it.

Good luck with your new business!

[rhondawarren]

Although I don't know the area where you live, I live in a major city and it doesn't take more than 30 minutes for any of my parents to commute to work from my house. So there is no logical reason for any of my parents to leave their children with me longer than 10 hours.

The only reason you will find parents leaving their kids with you for 12 hours a day is so they can go home and have "me time" and relax without kids for a few hours. You WILL come to resent that. When (NOT if...when) you find yourself resenting the fact that they are abandoning their kids for their own selfish time, you will have a really hard struggle to change your policy and make them sign new, 10 hour contracts. That's what I went through, anyway.

I never unlock my door before 7:30 am and all my kiddos are gone by 5:30. It's not so much a matter of trying accommodate every potential client's schedule as choosing what works best for you and only taking clients who agree to it.

Good luck with your new business!

Makes perfect sense and you see it like I do. I figure if I "offer" 12 hours a day then 12 hours a day is what they will take. I have three children of my own and am 5 months pregnant so have an infant on the way.

I do live out in a small community so the commute could take up to an hour depending on where they work. We do live a little ways out. But I cant see the commute taking more than an hour one way.