Need Help Writing a Policy

[Thriftylady]

I need some help with a policy. I have all SA kids right now, because that seems to be what is needed here. Due to the lack of licensed home providers in my county, a lot younger kids go to centers in other towns around here that are on subsidy. But, now I am getting calls (finally) for some younger kids, but almost all come with a SA sibling. Obviously, I only have so many spaces I can fill and stay in compliance. And, even if I got licensed I would only have four more spaces so I would still need a policy, I don't really have space for four more anyway.

So I have a couple of options. Any of them are going to require someone get dropped by the time school starts. I am just deciding how to go about it. So here is what I am thinking. If you have other ideas, I would love to hear them and I need a way to word whichever policy(ies) I end up choosing. So below are the options as I see them.

1. Give everyone the option of paying more to keep their space. Such as I have my nurse mom right now that pays me $55 per week per child during the school year. For this she gets to bring them on the days school is out without extra charge, and I am on call for nights and weekends (for an extra charge) she pays this willingly. So I could go to a rate like this for all SA kids, and let them weed themselves out. At the risk of losing more than I want.

2. Raise my before and after school rate. Those that really need/want it will pay it. I am thinking of going to a daily minimum of say $10 a day, but $50 a week seems high for a couple hours a day to me. But I know some providers here charge everyone $10 a day regardless if you need a half hour or 24 hours, so people are somewhat used to that. This would be an increase to the before/after rate I have charged.

3. Give first priority for B/A school slots to those who have a full time sibling enrolled. I would possibly then discount the $10 a day rate for B/A by a bit? Of course this wouldn't fill all my slots.

The goal here is to hopefully pick up at least two full time preK kids for the fall, and fill in as needed with the SA kids. I am just struggling with how to do it. I was supposed to have an interview for full time kiddos today that canceled and have another one set for tomorrow evening. I really need to figure this out. I hate being in this bind to figure it out, but then again, it is a good problem to have.

[daycarediva]

here is what I would do.

Give priority to the SA kids in your care with a younger sibling enrolled. You don't have to TELL them that unless you get a call and then I would just give a list of recommended SA places (here we have Y and the school aftercare)

Up your rates for before/after SA with a multiple child discount if they have a younger child enrolled (say 10% off the sa tuition)

My rates are 87.50/week for before and after school regardless of days used. I charge extra for half days and days off. They have to age up with me. I only accept children with a sibling in attendance OR a sibling contracted to attend in the near future.

My K dck has a 12mo sibling. I have a signed contract and desposit for my first available FT space after he turns 18m.

[Thriftylady]

here is what I would do.

Give priority to the SA kids in your care with a younger sibling enrolled. You don't have to TELL them that unless you get a call and then I would just give a list of recommended SA places (here we have Y and the school aftercare)

Up your rates for before/after SA with a multiple child discount if they have a younger child enrolled (say 10% off the sa tuition)

My rates are 87.50/week for before and after school regardless of days used. I charge extra for half days and days off. They have to age up with me. I only accept children with a sibling in attendance OR a sibling contracted to attend in the near future.

My K dck has a 12mo sibling. I have a signed contract and desposit for my first available FT space after he turns 18m.

We don't have any programs here. The other towns near us do, but we don't. That is why there is such a need here. I can't get near what you do for before and after care. The most I can pull for full time is $80 a week, and that is with early/late hours. The interview I have tomorrow is someone needing a 5:45 AM drop off. They first called last week and I am sure have spent the week checking out all the $50 a week places in our town. Because that is what most of them charge. There is one provider who charges $20 with an additional $5 per day for each sibling. I don't know how they can provide care for that rate. Most of them though don't provide meals, snacks, any arts and crafts or any learning stuff.

I have one that I may push out if this one signs on. Grandma doesn't really like my policies anyway, and the girl is not the worst child ever, but has totally upset the balance of my group. And I know grandma isn't going to want to pay me before/after rate, because she called me last spring and didn't like the rate. The issue of course as everyone has is that you can't have a full time paying slot taken up with a part time rate child. I guess I feel bad for thinking about "pushing" someone out. But I am just not feeling the love.

[AmyKidsCo]

I'd give priority to those with younger siblings.

$10/say doesn't seem high to me - we can only have BA schoolers a maximum of 3 hours per day so that's less than $4/hour.