After School Rates

[mac60]

Oh I am sure this was planned. I am just not sure why they didn't give me any notice. And seriously, I was paying $65 per week for schoolage care for my own kids 13 years ago.....so I find it hard to believe that asking $55 per week for 2 kids 13 years later for the same school age care is out of line. Sometimes, I just don't get it. It is hard to believe the way some treat the people who have cared for their children more of their waking hours than the parents.

[mom2many]

This person even told me they did not like having to pay whether or not their child was here. Oh gees, most people that I know charge this way, and the centers here do to. I have charged this way for 12 years. Why is it so many want what they can get for little or nothing. So not right. I need to learn my lesson here as I am always more concerned of pissing someone off than doing what is fair to me. Seriously, I can't get over that someone would think that $11 a day is too much for 2 kids for after school care. I am beginning to think that some people must think we should be paying them to watch their children.

My heart goes out to you. I live in a high cost of living area, so my rates reflect that. If a parent tried to tell me they thought I was charging too much or didn't agree with paying for a spot regardless of whether they used it, I would not budge. This is your livelihood, so don't feel like you need to be taken advantage of and charge less than what you deserve!

[Unregistered]

My school age rate is 40 for before school, 40 for after, 80/week/child. However, my family of 2 school-aged girls pays me 105 each (great parents!) And when there are extra hours they pay at my daily rate, not my school-age hourly rate which is way less.
On the other hand, my neighbor just lost 2 school-age kids. She's had the family for 8 years. Has given them many breaks in price recently. Charged the school ager less than her rate in order to keep the full-time sibling (who was paying 10 less than everyone else). Now that both will be in school, she quoted them $10 less EACH per week than her rate, and they countered w/ the fact that she charged less than that last year for the one in school - and then gave 2 weeks notice.
I suppose this is like any other business. You may get people who think your prices and value are great and they'll shop w/ you and recommend you to others, and there those who will just want to spend as little as possible at all times, no matter the quality.
Bottom line is that it hurts when we think we're helping raise the kids and we love them - and the parents are all about the money! Take the kids away - never mind the fact that this child would benefit from coming back from school to the stable loving environment he/she's been in since birth - toss a lot of changes at the kid all at once and hope for the best!

[PitterPatter]

Well, at this moment I am very very pissed. The mom asked me at pick up what I would charge, I told her between $55. She says "They will only be here an hour or so".

She just called me. Told me they were done. Her "friend" will drop the kids off and pick them up from school, no 2 week notice, no nothing. Just I am sorry such late notice. She though my price was high. I told her that the Y would charge $90. She told me that her co worker pays $25 per week for 2 kids before/after school. Really????? So, once again, I got screwed in this business. I was to have their kids fulltime this past summer, and they dropped to 2 days a week, then they pull this.

So seriously, what do parents want from us. It is not worth $11 per day to have a safe place for your children to go to after school, or for when school is cancelled. Really? Let them drive their $35,000 vehicles and live in their fancy houses. I am so over these kind of people. Mostly I am hurt, I am guessing they had this planned all along. I had their son for 7 years and their daughter for 5, and I am not even worthy of a 2 week notice. Gees, kind of sad I think. Feeling so hurt and frustrated right now.

OMG! That is awful! I would expect some sort of bond after so long. She could have at least asked for what she thought was reasonable. Maybe discussed it. At the very least she should have given proper notice. How incredibly rude and thoughtless! I am sorry they left you feeling this way, I would be feeling the same.

I guess in today's world the almighty dollar is more important than the safety and peace of mind knowing your children are being properly cared for. A lot can happen in an hour. The parent is forgetting that! Oh and BTW $55 would have been fine here!

[momma2girls]

I did charge $20.00 per week per child, for just before school- 1/2 hr. - 1 hr. daily.
That was WAY too cheap!! No way, never again!!
YOu definately have to make it worth your while!!
I have went up on my B&A school children- $40.00 for before or after school per week, for one child.
$60.00 for before and after school, for one child.
It is defintely not worth doing for anything less!!!

[mac60]

As the weekend has went by, I seem to get more angry over this whole thing. I always thought highly of this family, never payment or pickup issues of any kind, ever. Always nice, kind, in every way.....I guess in the end, we sometimes find out how/what these people truely feel/think of us and our career of a childcare provider. They don't think of us at all. In the end they don't care that we have cared for their children for 7 years/5 years. Cleaned up their puke, dirty diapers, made their son a special pancake lunch, sent home pancakes because he loves them, I could go on and on.....In the grand scheme of things, Parents really don't care about us at all. Well, most parents anyways. Honestly, the way this family ended our daycare relationship calling and being done on a Thursday night with no notice, totally blows my mind. I don't understand, pry never will. And she even had the gull on the phone to cry and say "Well if we see you at the store I hope there are no hard feelings and we can talk, and maybe we can stop by and see you sometime". Ugg, please don't. You showed me what you really think of me, the care I gave your children, and my business.....You don't care, and I think that hurts the most. ugg. I wish I had a set of balls and had the guts to tell her just how she hurt me, how I am sure she had this planned, and how she failed to pay her 2 weeks notice.....But I won't, I won't say a word, I will just go on, and I so hope their new "daycare service stay at home mom" falls thru....oh how I hope.

[mom2many]

As the weekend has went by, I seem to get more angry over this whole thing. I always thought highly of this family, never payment or pickup issues of any kind, ever. Always nice, kind, in every way.....I guess in the end, we sometimes find out how/what these people truely feel/think of us and our career of a childcare provider. They don't think of us at all. In the end they don't care that we have cared for their children for 7 years/5 years. Cleaned up their puke, dirty diapers, made their son a special pancake lunch, sent home pancakes because he loves them, I could go on and on.....In the grand scheme of things, Parents really don't care about us at all. Well, most parents anyways. Honestly, the way this family ended our daycare relationship calling and being done on a Thursday night with no notice, totally blows my mind. I don't understand, pry never will. And she even had the gull on the phone to cry and say "Well if we see you at the store I hope there are no hard feelings and we can talk, and maybe we can stop by and see you sometime". Ugg, please don't. You showed me what you really think of me, the care I gave your children, and my business.....You don't care, and I think that hurts the most. ugg. I wish I had a set of balls and had the guts to tell her just how she hurt me, how I am sure she had this planned, and how she failed to pay her 2 weeks notice.....But I won't, I won't say a word, I will just go on, and I so hope their new "daycare service stay at home mom" falls thru....oh how I hope.

I totally get what you are saying. I have had dcks over the years that I had invested so much love and attention to and it is never easy when they move on.

In most cases, the parents do show their appreciation, but there have been a few that act like they simply hired a service and I was "merely" doing my job. They fail to realize how emotionally I get attached to their child. I don't think they are capable of understanding what it takes to be a good provider and it does hurt to feel like you were just used and treated so inconsiderately.

I always try to do my best to keep it in perspective though and remember that their child will leave with some happy childhood memories and that I've given them a safe, nurturing environment that will impact their lives in a positive way...regardless of their parent's shortcomings!

I know this is upsetting, but don't let this get you discouraged!