Going Backwards...

[Reimel61]

For sixteen years I've had 2 weeks paid vacation, 10 paid holidays and 5 paid sick/emergency days and now I'm thinking of giving up my paid vacation time in order to make myself more marketable. Feel like I'm going backwards.

I don't have a dedicated space for my daycare but I do have a large space that I setup with bookshelves, toys, kitchen set and muliple sets of tables and chairs. I have great review letters that I share in my presentation to parents but haven't had much luck this last 5 months filling two spots. Also alot of parents want part-time. I don't really want to deal with juggling my schedule for part-time care.

Can anyone relate or is it just me??

[NeedaVaca]

Are you charging the norm for your area? I have the same paid time off and it's never been an issue. I also find that January is a great time for filling spots. I would look for other ways to get clients before doing away with your paid time off, I think you will regret it down the road. Also, I love part timers-I make way more money on them, I try to find a 2 day a week kid matched with a 3 day a week kid and they are both charged a higher rate so I actually make more money on what would have been 1 full-time spot. Make sure you are advertising in all the areas you can, how do you advertise?

[Cat Herder]

Can you add up your vacation days, multiply them by your daily rate, divide that by 52, then add that amount to your weekly rate and still be competitive for your area?

Ex. 25 days x $27 per day = $675/52 weeks = $12.99 per week. Round up to $15 per week for budgeting ease and offer "unpaid" vacations. Old rate $135, new rate with "unpaid" vacations = $150 per week.

If so, offering "unpaid" vacation for marketing is a breeze.

[Reimel61]

Are you charging the norm for your area? I have the same paid time off and it's never been an issue. I also find that January is a great time for filling spots. I would look for other ways to get clients before doing away with your paid time off, I think you will regret it down the road. Also, I love part timers-I make way more money on them, I try to find a 2 day a week kid matched with a 3 day a week kid and they are both charged a higher rate so I actually make more money on what would have been 1 full-time spot. Make sure you are advertising in all the areas you can, how do you advertise?

Yes I'm charging the norm for my area. I check with the local childcare referral agency in my area as far as rates. Advertising is with the referral agency and a FB group that was setup specifically in our county for DC providers to advertise and for parent who are looking for DC. I've heard some bad things from Craigslist so I've not ventured there.

I guess I'll have to rethink my position on part-time care. What are your part-timer families expected to pay as far as vacation time??

Thanks

[amberrose3dg]

Yes I'm charging the norm for my area. I check with the local childcare referral agency in my area as far as rates. Advertising is with the referral agency and a FB group that was setup specifically in our county for DC providers to advertise and for parent who are looking for DC. I've heard some bad things from Craigslist so I've not ventured there.

I guess I'll have to rethink my position on part-time care. What are your part-timer families expected to pay as far as vacation time??

Thanks

I would be worried about being burnt out and resentful if you are used to that time off. If you can swing it without charging I would do that. I know there are some parents that expect us to be open all day every day but we need breaks too!

[Annalee]

I might could resort to doing it like CH suggested, but I could NEVER go back to not having my time off.....My time off is a deal breaker for me and I like getting paid so I can budget getting a check every week....

[Reimel61]

Can you add up your vacation days, multiply them by your daily rate, divide that by 52, then add that amount to your weekly rate and still be competitive for your area?

Ex. 25 days x $27 per day = $675/52 weeks = $12.99 per week. Round up to $15 per week for budgeting ease and offer "unpaid" vacations. Old rate $135, new rate with "unpaid" vacations = $150 per week.

If so, offering "unpaid" vacation for marketing is a breeze.

I might be a little high if I did this. One parent is paying about this rate now. They were one of my last new clients and I raise my rate with new incoming clients (it's been a year now). It also so happens that they were comparing me with a center in the area that charges double what I do. So I looked good. It's also a distant relative and they wanted their child with someone they knew.

Thanks

[amberrose3dg]

I might could resort to doing it like CH suggested, but I could NEVER go back to not having my time off.....My time off is a deal breaker for me and I like getting paid so I can budget getting a check every week....

Exactly I cannot go without any time off! I am counting down week and half left until 12 days off.

[NeedaVaca]

Yes I'm charging the norm for my area. I check with the local childcare referral agency in my area as far as rates. Advertising is with the referral agency and a FB group that was setup specifically in our county for DC providers to advertise and for parent who are looking for DC. I've heard some bad things from Craigslist so I've not ventured there.

I guess I'll have to rethink my position on part-time care. What are your part-timer families expected to pay as far as vacation time??

Thanks

Part time families just pay their normal rate, set rate 52 weeks per year. I have had great luck with craigslist and facebook buy/sell/trade pages-In my area there are probably 15 different pages, they get high traffic and much more than the local daycare page-not all families even know about that but almost everyone is on the buy/sell/trade pages! Also look into Nextdoor.com, that is seen by quite a few people in my area.

[daycarediva]

I get a LOT of part time clients.

I charge more per day for them, all of my clients have different rates. My LOWEST daily rates are for FT M-F kids with a late drop off and an early/before 4pm pick up. That's 150/week.

My rates are based on days used (fewer days=higher daily rate) AND pick up time, I charge a 'base rate' and then an additional $5/hour part thereof after 4pm.

Eg. 4 days is 35/day so 140 for a 4pm pick up. A 5pm pick up would be 160/week.

3 days is 40/day so 120 for 4pm pick up. 135 for 5pm

2 days is 45/day so 90 for 4pm pick up. 100 for 5pm

1 day is 50 for 4pm pick up. 55 for 5pm.

I have a LOT of pt clients on alternating schedules. It makes for dealing with the crazy schedules easier if I am better paid for it.

Also, and I CANNOT emphasize this enough, SET SCHEDULES. Need a rotating schedule? You need to pay for FT care.

[Reimel61]

Thanks for all the input. I guess I didn't word things right. I didn't mean I wouldn't take the time off, just meant I wouldn't get paid for it any longer. I couldn't go without my vacation☺. Thanks. I will have to look into the other ways mentioned to advertise. I'm currently down $1200 a month since September and really starting to feel the impact. In 16 years I've never lost any to preschool. This year was the the first and I lost 2.