Do You Count 4 Days As Fulltime?

[ATK]

So one of my families is leaving next school year bc mommy is having twins. She is not going back to teaching bc with three kids thats alot in daycare! I started interviewing to fill her spot. Currently I LOVE my setup of 3 daycare kids and my own almost 2 year old. It works really well and I dont see myself adding a 4th spot. I charge a $200 week flat rate and I was thinking of putting part time at $45 a day. I had a teacher family inquire and they seem perfect fit wise but they need only 4 days. I cater to teachers only which means I am open only when school is in session or teacher workdays. I get paid for state and federal holidays but I take all the longer breaks including summers unpaid. Its a great deal for me AND for the teachers so here is my question...

Do I offer them the 4 day spot and charge them $45 a day or just say since Im so small I prefer to fill my full time spots at $200 a week and that I will keep their information. If I offer them the 4 day spot I loose $20 week. How do most home daycares handle this? I clearly cant fill the one day with another child unless by a miracle I find someone. If I remember correctly when my kids were in daycare 2-3 days was considered part time and anything more was full time.

[jenboo]

So one of my families is leaving next school year bc mommy is having twins. She is not going back to teaching bc with three kids thats alot in daycare! I started interviewing to fill her spot. Currently I LOVE my setup of 3 daycare kids and my own almost 2 year old. It works really well and I dont see myself adding a 4th spot. I charge a $200 week flat rate and I was thinking of putting part time at $45 a day. I had a teacher family inquire and they seem perfect fit wise but they need only 4 days. I cater to teachers only which means I am open only when school is in session or teacher workdays. I get paid for state and federal holidays but I take all the longer breaks including summers unpaid. Its a great deal for me AND for the teachers so here is my question...

Do I offer them the 4 day spot and charge them $45 a day or just say since Im so small I prefer to fill my full time spots at $200 a week and that I will keep their information. If I offer them the 4 day spot I loose $20 week. How do most home daycares handle this? I clearly cant fill the one day with another child unless by a miracle I find someone. If I remember correctly when my kids were in daycare 2-3 days was considered part time and anything more was full time.

I have a lot of families wanting 4 days. I barely made the 4 day rate less than my full time rate.
4 days is $140 and 5 is $155

[finsup]

For me, part time is up to 3 days. Full time is up to 5. Full time rate is 150$/week regardless of if you come 4 or 5 days. Just keeps it easy for me.

[daycarediva]

I charge a graduated fee scale and I do advertise for the remaining openings at the same higher rate, I have always filled them. I have mostly full timers now and I actually make less this way.

5 days- 175
4 days- 160
3 days- 135
2 days-100
drop in-50

I have two part time families now. One is M/W/F and one is T/TH. That space is $235 vs every other FT space @ $175

When I interview or decided to accept a client into care, I offer them the space like this

Dcf,

It was lovely meeting with your family. Little Dude is adorable and I think it will be a good fit. The space available is a full time space, and the weekly rate is $X. Please let me know by X date if you're interested. The deposit equal to X and the first weeks payment of X would be due on X date to secure the space.

Prior to the little dude's first day.... and then discuss enrollment procedure, paperwork, what you need her to bring/verify schedule/allergy info, whatever the specifics are.

Best,
Provider

[ATK]

Daycare Diva I totally get what you are saying. Is it even possible to fill a ONE day spot though ? I mean I can see filling a 2 day or a 3 days but rarely a 1 day!

Ana

[daycare]

Daycare Diva I totally get what you are saying. Is it even possible to fill a ONE day spot though ? I mean I can see filling a 2 day or a 3 days but rarely a 1 day!

Ana

I am not saying it's not possible to fill that 1 day spot, but let me tell you from experience MOST kids can not swing a 1 day a week program. They never get acclimated to the group and they never get into the routine. It is too hard for a little child to do well one day a week. NO consistency.

I like the lighter load on Friday and LIke Diva, I also offer a lower rate if they come M-Th.

[LovetheSun]

I do!

I count 4days as a full time (so they get a $5 daily discount) but is because I think the 4 and 5 days have less advantages over the part time (3days weekly) between paying for holidays plus our vacation days and been unable to do any make up days I find it fair for them to pay less.

That said if the families were not paying for our holidays plus vacation I would not charge them less.

Ps: our contract does not include make up days but I do allow them sometime, if a other child is out of town or something

[ATK]

Lovethesun- so if my full time is $200 flat fee as do part
TIme is $45 a day where does that put this person seeking 4 days a week in your scenario?

Like I said before I give summers off unpaid,
2 week winter break unpaid (minus Christmas Day and New Years), 2 days surrounding Thanksgiving unpaid, spring break week unpaid. That's a significant amount of unpaid time for them per year when they are off AND still getting paid so I just want to make sure I'm smart about this

[ATK]

So in 52 weeks of the year they

Pay me 8 days that I am closed
Don't pay me 11.5 week that I am closed while they are off work

[Blackcat31]

I don't think of kids as full or part time but do things the way daycarediva does and offer rates based on the number of days a child attends.

Once they sign on at 4 days, that is the rate they pay whether or not they use all 4 days or not. If they need more, they pay for the additional days.

I offer rates like this:

5 days a week = $150
4 days a week = $125
3 (same) days a week = $100
3 (varying days) a week = $115


Anything less than 3 days a week for me is drop in...UNLESS I happen to have a set 2 days available each week then I would consider doing 2 days but otherwise, I normally don't offer regular enrollment (save spaces) for anyone attending less than 3 days a week.

My drop in rates are $40 per day and drop in kids can't attend the first or last hour of my day.

[TheGoodLife]

Did you quote rates at all? If not, I would not mention 4 versus 5 day schedules, just quote your $200 a week rate. If they ask/argue, state that your teacher rates are higher as you offer to hold the spot for so many weeks unpaid, more unlaid days than other spots, and that a 4 day teacher spot is $200.

[originalkat]

I would take them at 4 days &180 per week.

My rates are:
5 Days Per Week
Ages Birth-2 $725 per month
Ages 2-5- $525 per month
4 or Fewer Days per week
Ages Birth-2 No Part time rate available
Ages 2-5- $425 per month (I only offer a $100 discount for any schedule 4 days or less per week)

[Crazy8]

full time to me is 5 days a week - I offer rates for 2,3,4 and 5 days a week but right now only take kids for 4 days a week (I ended up with fridays off and don't want to give it up). For me its worth the $20 less to have a day with less kids so I would take them for the $180/week for 4 days. I feel like if you tell them they have to pay the $200 then they will start using the 5th day. If that's fine with you then tell them you only offer full time care but I am finding more and more parents are looking for ways to cut costs and part time child care is a way to do that - 90% of my calls are for part time schedules.

[melilley]

I do a pay scale like other posters do.

2 days is $70
3 days is $105
4 days is $130
5 days is $140

I was going to make 4-5 days full time at the same rate, but then I figured parents would bring them 5 days even if they only need 4. I like to have p/t kids and have a little break. (I like to have 3 f/t plus my son, and 2 p/t)

[melilley]

full time to me is 5 days a week - I offer rates for 2,3,4 and 5 days a week but right now only take kids for 4 days a week (I ended up with fridays off and don't want to give it up). For me its worth the $20 less to have a day with less kids so I would take them for the $180/week for 4 days. I feel like if you tell them they have to pay the $200 then they will start using the 5th day. If that's fine with you then tell them you only offer full time care but I am finding more and more parents are looking for ways to cut costs and part time child care is a way to do that - 90% of my calls are for part time schedules.

This is how I am....