After School Rates

[mac60]

Just wondering, 2 kids, after school care only, approx 45 min to 1 hr. Is $60 too much for both?

YWCA is $90 per week for 2 and other center is $75 per week for 2.

[TBird]

Originally Posted by mac60

Just wondering, 2 kids, after school care only, approx 45 min to 1 hr. Is $60 too much for both?

YWCA is $90 per week for 2 and other center is $75 per week for 2.

I haven't had an SA in a long time but $60 sounds way low to me for two kids??? I'll wait for the after school experts to weigh in on this one....

[familyschoolcare]

I would charge $180 for two children on school days and $330 for winter break, presidents week, spring break and summer. However, that is a little less than the on site school programs rate for the school district I provide transportation to/from. So apparently the cost of child care in my area is more than yours.

[cheerfuldom]

The usual charge here is $60 a week per kid for 2 hours or less of care. Doesn't include if full day is needed within the week. If you really want the family and you know what other places charge then it makes sense to go a tad lower than their charges.

[momofboys]

Mac, that sounds very fair. I am in the same state as you, so basically you are charging about $12/day total for the 1 hour (or $6/kid). I would consider even rasing it to $15/day total for both or even doing a flat fee of $70/week if you are afraid of it being too high.

[mac60]

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.

[sharlan]

I understand your hurt feelings. I'm sorry the family had such a low regard for you.

Our local school only charges $35 a week for afterschool care. The kids are encouraged to stay until 6 or 6:30, can't remember.

I have one SA starting on Monday, I'll be charging his mom $5 an hour, in $5 increments. 1 hr $5, 1 hr 15 mins will be $10.

[mom2many]

I thought your rates were extremely low and it is terrible that mom did this to you.

I have several SA and charge $150/wk per child---$30/day for before & after school care. I drive them to and from, so they are paying for the transportation service as well.

They pay the same rate for in service days & vacations as well.

I have never charged an hourly rate for SA. As far as only using an hour...I always explain that they are paying for a spot.

The YMCA on the school site charges the same rate that I do and many parents love having a home atmosphere for their child. I give them a nutritious snack and help them with their homework...then they have free time to play!

[VTMom]

I am so sorry they did that to you after all those years. I would be really hurt too. I don't think your rates are off at all either. I charge $50 a week per child for after-school care and part time rates for before and after school.

[Country Kids]

Wow! I can't believe that rates are that high around the country for SA kids. I charge $75 for before or after school care and $150 for before and after school care. That is considered high for my area. We have a boys and girls club that charges $50.00 for the entire school year and put everyone out of business for the after school care that was needed.

[VTMom]

Originally Posted by Country Kids

Wow! I can't believe that rates are that high around the country for SA kids. I charge $75 for before or after school care and $150 for before and after school care. That is considered high for my area. We have a boys and girls club that charges $50.00 for the entire school year and put everyone out of business for the after school care that was needed.

Per child or for two? Just curious...

[DCMom]

I charge $110/wk for school age. This includes before and after school, school off days and a guaranteed spot for the summer. The rate does not change in the summer. All of my school aged kids have to have younger sibs here full time. Once the youngest sibling starts school, they all move on to other care arrangements.

I've never had a problem keeping my school age spots full because our on site after school care is expensive at $25/day for before and after and $40/day for school off days.

[lilrugrats]

I charge $45 a week just for after school. Here that is about 2 hours most days then 4 hours on wednesday. ( we get out so early on wed here) once a month it is about 5 hours with a lunch( i charge $10 extra for that day). So for about 12 hours most weeks is $45.

I picked them up from school (same as my own kids school), and when they had days off school they were not to assume that they had a spot. They had to ask, unless they wanted to pay a full time rate each week. I have a few kids who leave by the time they get home so it works out. Otherwise I would charge alot more!

[mac60]

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.

[VTMom]

I wonder if they had something else lined up and maybe felt guilty about it? Instead of being honest, they decided to try to make you out to be the bad guy? Just a thought...

[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]

Originally Posted by mac60

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!

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]

Originally Posted by mac60

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". ***, 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. ***. 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]

Originally Posted by 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". ***, 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. ***. 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!