Thinking of Making a Change...

[TaylorTots]

I'm full but per BlackCat's wonderful suggestion (made some time ago), I still interview when I'm full if I have a family that might fit in better.

I currently have 2 spots filled with 3 year old twin girls (3 days per week, $180 per week total). They will loose their spots in late January when a enrolled DCK's full time infant sibling enrolls (5 days per week, $145 per week). I love the family that is expecting and I want their infant - it's not a discussion. In the long run, filling both part time spots with full timers is much more profitable anyway

I have a 17m old (FT, $145 per week) and a 18m old (PT, $90 per week...this one will be FT soon). I am interviewing a 19m old (FT, $145 per week).

My current hours are 7:00-5:00, though all DCKs are picked up by 4:30. The family I'm interviewing needs care from 6:30-5:00. It means extending my current care hours by a full hour, and my daycare hours by a half hour. If the child/mother are a good fit, I'm open to doing so.

Does this sound like a crazy change? The concept of not having to do a preschool curriculum while watching toddlers on the side ....and having all kiddos be the same age.... is VERY appealing to me...

[Shell]

630 would be a deal breaker for me (not a morning Person), but I completely understand wanting all the same age, no juggling of curriculum. Go for it

[Unregistered]

I have always been committed to the idea of family daycare as a mixed-age group, like an old-fashioned family.
But the way it's heading, I was just looking last night at the licensing ratios and wondering if I could do an infant-toddler group and then send them off to preschool once they are 2 1/2.
It would be a smaller group for me, so less money, but also fewer expenses. I could sell a lot of my stuff and have more space. I could set up a special toddler soft area. (Already have a special infant area.) And it just sounds like a fun, less-stressful way to change things up right now.
I don't know if I will do it. It would be less income, and I feel committed to the children I have right now. But anyone new that I'd bring in, I could explain where I'm heading.

So yes, I understand the appeal

[jenboo]

I love that all my kids are basically the same age group.
I have 5 2yr old boys and a 9 month old girl. It makes the day easier in the sense that all the boys are on the same level of learning.
I would charge a little more for extending my hours to make it worth it and go for it.

[AmyKidsCo]

Personally I wouldn't extend my hours - 10 hours/day is plenty for me. And I like mixed age groups. But if you want a same-age group, then go for it! Just be ready for them all to age out of your program at the same time.

[cheerfuldom]

i wouldnt extend my hours. but if that is what you want to do and changes are coming anyway, I would rather try to get ahead of the changes and try to make them work to my favor. Make sure the interviewing family NEEDS those hours and are not just squeezing extra time out of you. What time do they HAVE to be at work? What is the drive like? What is the earliest that either parent gets off?

[TaylorTots]

The hour extension isn't a big thing in my mind as I am up getting my own kids out the door for school at that time anyway. Any kiddos that arrive between 7-730 free play until breakfast anyway. I wouldn't be waking up any earlier I guess. It DOES mean 11.5 hours of care for this toddler vs. the 9-10 per day I usually do for full time.

Also interviewing some people needing infant care around the same time as the infant sibling I will be taking (which means I would have 2 full time spots filled as I let the 2 part time 3 year old twins go when the time comes). But then am I putting myself back in the 2 age group category that is wearing on me? I think maybe I am just an "under 3 year old" kind of provider

[Play Care]

The hour extension isn't a big thing in my mind as I am up getting my own kids out the door for school at that time anyway. Any kiddos that arrive between 7-730 free play until breakfast anyway. I wouldn't be waking up any earlier I guess. It DOES mean 11.5 hours of care for this toddler vs. the 9-10 per day I usually do for full time.

Also interviewing some people needing infant care around the same time as the infant sibling I will be taking (which means I would have 2 full time spots filled as I let the 2 part time 3 year old twins go when the time comes). But then am I putting myself back in the 2 age group category that is wearing on me? I think maybe I am just an "under 3 year old" kind of provider

This is the reason I WON'T extend my hours. Depending on the kids, this can be easy, or it can be nearly impossible. I find that when I'm busy trying to get my kids out, this is when the dck's decide to fight, or cry or need a bottle, etc. And so my kids get to leave with the sound of other kids screaming/crying ringing in their ears.
And God Bless you, infants and young toddlers drive me batty!

[rosieteddy]

I just did this (opened half hour early)for a family.I didcharge extra fee.I am charging them 10.00 extra per day for the time.If you do it you should at least charge 25.00 dollers more.If they need it you should benifit for the time and aggravation.

[Blackcat31]

I'm full but per BlackCat's wonderful suggestion (made some time ago), I still interview when I'm full if I have a family that might fit in better.

I currently have 2 spots filled with 3 year old twin girls (3 days per week, $180 per week total). They will loose their spots in late January when a enrolled DCK's full time infant sibling enrolls (5 days per week, $145 per week). I love the family that is expecting and I want their infant - it's not a discussion. In the long run, filling both part time spots with full timers is much more profitable anyway

I have a 17m old (FT, $145 per week) and a 18m old (PT, $90 per week...this one will be FT soon). I am interviewing a 19m old (FT, $145 per week).

My current hours are 7:00-5:00, though all DCKs are picked up by 4:30. The family I'm interviewing needs care from 6:30-5:00. It means extending my current care hours by a full hour, and my daycare hours by a half hour. If the child/mother are a good fit, I'm open to doing so.

Does this sound like a crazy change? The concept of not having to do a preschool curriculum while watching toddlers on the side ....and having all kiddos be the same age.... is VERY appealing to me...

My hours are also 7:00-5:00 but I did make an exception for a family to drop off at 6:50 and an exception for another family (that works right to 5:00) be allowed to pick up NO LATER than 5:15.

So I did extend my day a bit but I don't mind because I get ALOT done being at work a few minutes earlier and I get a lot of things put away for the evening and tidied up for the next day those extra 15 minutes after 5:00 each day.

I also charged both families a stiff fee for those early/late minutes so it is worth it for me.

I can't say I would do it for every family that asks but when these two situations came up it worked for me for not.

If things change in the future, I won't feel bad because I always make sure people know that just because things work "for now" does not mean they always will and I won't negotiate when the time comes that it no longer works.

I think that the families both knowing I am allowing "special" for now helps because they know not to mess it up and push their boundaries....for fear of the whole thing suddenly "not working" anymore and them losing the service all together.

[toriskids]

An extra hour a day is 5 per week, 20 per month, 240 a year, and like most of us that work at least 10 hours a day, thats 24 extra work days on average.

I personally would say no thanks unless the money made up for those 24 days and I was ready to extend my hours (and take all that on with a new infant). Hopefully they would be punctual and not arrive after 5:00pm

I'm sure you can obviously tell I've been burnt in this kind of situation