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How exactly does contracted hours work? What are the pros and cons?
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Everyone does theirs a little differently. I do mine like this:
Each family has a contract in addition to the handbook. The contract breaks down the pick up and drop off time for each day and the weekly tuition for those hours. Contract also states what extended day and late fees are if a parent arrives or picks up outside of their contracted hours.
Pros: I can easily plan our day and activities as I know when each child will arrive and depart. I can also plan my evening and evening appointments as I know when I will be done each day. This prevents unnecessary early closures.
Cons: I think I have lost clients over this. Many in my area just want to come and go as they please and will generally leave their children in care from open to close. -
Would there be a difference in tuition if one family needs care from 8-4 and another family needs care 7:30- 5:30?Comment
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Right now I am open 10 hours and families are allowed to contract for up to 10 hours so I offer no discount for picking up early. In the summer I will be restructuring and will move to a tiered plan where tuition will be based on pick up time. There are a few providers on here who already do tiered tuition based on drop off and pick up times who will be able to offer more help then I
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Not in my home there wouldn't... 7 hrs or 10 it's the same rate. I have a baby scheduled 8:30-4, one 8:30-3, one 7:30-5:30 & one 9-5; everyone of them pays the full rate regardless.
Now if a client want occasional OT, they ask & pay extra hourly rate... if it's permanent extended hours then I totally rewrite contact for up to a 12 hr day, however I have to be able to verify they actually need it all the time. Like the family that has an Army dad & a mom is a surgeon... they had a 60 hr contract most of last year but then little miss aged out. They transfer every few years & had no family and the extra $$ was worth it because they were good clientsComment
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My families choose a 3, 4 or 5 day a week option.
I apply the corresponding rate.
Then they choose pick up time (latest they need each week since I only bill weekly and not daily).
I apply additional fees for pick up time after 3:00.
I do not care what time a family drops off, I only care what time they will be picking up.
A family that attends M-F 7:00-3:00 would pay less than a family that attends M-F 9:00-4:00 because of the earlier/later pick up time.
Care is available to each family during their contracted times ONLY and any care outside of that time (before or after) would be additional fees. If the care is arranged ahead of time, fees are minimal but if the family simply shows up early or picks up late without notice, the fees are pretty steep and are limited.
After 3 late/early drop offs or pick ups without prior arrangement they are termed immediately. I don't work with families that don't respect my time as valuable.
Using contracted hours allows me to know exactly when I am done working each day and allows me to schedule things outside my job. Contracted hours also allows parents to have control over how little or how much their weekly child care expense is.Comment
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My daycare is open from 7:30am to 5:30pm
My pay structure is:
$X for up to 4 hours
$XX for 4-8 hours
$XXX for 8-10 hours
When families sign up they choose how many hours per day they want based on their chosen drop off and pickup times. I base my late fee on those times as well.Comment
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I do contracted hours but I have one family who contracts me for the latest possible time and happily pays a higher price for it, but then picks up anywhere from 1. 5 hours early to one minute early. It's a different time every single day so my afternoons are shot as far as activities go. I have a small daycare so it's not a huge deal but I thought my contracted times would save me this hassle. I guess I should just be thankful that she pays the whole price. Do any of you address this issue with parents?Comment
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I've found the cost difference between the time she normally picks up and the time she contracts for has to be high enough to encourage the earlier pick up.
If it's only a few dollars a week, the incentive to pick up early isn't there.
For me an extra hour for a later pick up time (per day) would cost the family almost $50-60 more per week....and I guess the way I look at it is if they still contract for the later pick up, it's worth it for me even to stay for one child.
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I don't have contacted hours and am flexible with drop offs and pick ups. I do ask parents though who vary a drop off time to text that dsy let me know when kid will be there. That way I know to make them snack or not, have outdoor cloths ready (will have snow pants ready inside for parent yo change kid into if I'm outside), or know to hzve a craft start after kid arrives or end before they do. I do the same for pickups that vary. I just let parents know that I need said info so I can plan our day. That yes I do have a open door policy and there welcome to come pick up kid any time. But eith warning I'll make sure their not pulling a crying toddler out of an activity they are doing. I have a small group so we do crafts, outdoor time, story time at diffrent points in the day.Comment
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