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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Charging to Hold a Teachers Spot Thru the Summer
mac60 05:05 AM 05-04-2010
Just wondering what others do to hold a teachers spot thru the summers when they are off. I am thinking 1/2 rate per week, then they can bring the child 2 days per week for that rate if they choose. What do some of you do in these situations.
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momofboys 05:09 AM 05-04-2010
I care for a teacher's family but have not implemented a summer holding fee. I do plan to have her sign paperwork before the end of the school year. She has already told me she plans to use me this fall but things do happen & I want some insurance that they are coming back. I'd say your idea is a good one though, especailly if she can bring them to care a few days each week. I'm fairly certain it would not fly with this family though. Dad is very adamant about not paying for days they don't use. But I totally think it is appropriate. I'm just happy about getting a summer break, in fact I am counting the days!
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momma2girls 05:26 AM 05-04-2010
I actually do a 2 week deposit to hold it. THis only goes to hold their spot.
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AfterSchoolMom 05:31 AM 05-04-2010
I'd do a deposit along with the signed paperwork, make it nonrefundable, and make it large enough that they'll think twice before making other arrangements at the last minute.
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DBug 05:36 AM 05-04-2010
I do half-rate, with a $100 cancellation fee. I'd do the same for a teacher's family.
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melskids 06:03 AM 05-04-2010
i dont charge the teachers to hold their spot for the summer, (which is a HUGE bonus to them) only because i fill the spot with school agers during that time. it gives the teachers a break , and i make the same $ either way. this , of course , is just what works for me.
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Memc2001 06:39 PM 02-09-2014
I also do not charge teachers during the summer months. I fill in their spots with school age kids to make up most of the loss.. I know other providers here that charge 50% during summer months to hold the spot. It would be a bit of a challenge if I depended on infant rates though.
I like summers, much more laid-back with the older kids.
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Jack Sprat 11:19 AM 02-10-2014
I have one teacher dck. I will hold her spot for half her weekly rate and she can bring dcb for two days a week at that rate. Similar to what OP stated. If she chooses not to hold the spot then she takes the risk of the spot being filled. That is the norm for our area.
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Stepping 01:26 PM 02-10-2014
I have one teacher family and charge full rate over the summer.

I don't see it as charging for care that I am not providing. They are choosing not to use care that they have paid for.

They are more than welcome to drop off their child during the summer months as they have paid for the spot.
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Annalee 01:48 PM 02-10-2014
Originally Posted by Stepping:
I have one teacher family and charge full rate over the summer.

I don't see it as charging for care that I am not providing. They are choosing not to use care that they have paid for.

They are more than welcome to drop off their child during the summer months as they have paid for the spot.

This is how I charge as well.
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MarinaVanessa 02:09 PM 02-10-2014
I know the original thread is old but I wanted to add my two cents in here.

For me, holding a spot for someone that wouldn't attend, anyone, without payment wouldn't work for me (I prefer not to do school age so filling a spot with a school ager temporarily over a summer or break wouldn't make sense for me). I also wouldn't want to lower someone's hours temporarily and guarantee them full time when school started again. Financially it doesn't make business sense to me.

That being said here are the options that I offer to teachers. Keep in mind that I don't particularly like caring for school agers (although I have made exceptions) and that I prefer not to care for the children of teachers because of their work schedules.
  1. Sign a regular full/part-time contract and pay weekly regardless of attendance just like everybody else
  2. Sign a drop-in contract and pay the higher rate. Pre-pay/reserve your days well in advance with the understanding that if I find a regular full/part-time client to fill the spot I can do so but have the option to pay for only the days needed
  3. Change the contract (with appropriate notice) from full to part-time during summer months/school breaks o even terminate the contract entirely and then once school starts again sign another full-time contract. Also with the understanding that I will try to find a full-time client to fill this space and the space may not be available again when needed.
  4. Have the child care payments adjusted similar to how teacher works.

The way I see it is a teacher works about 9 months out of the year and the way it works in my area is that teachers get a choice as to how they want to get paid. They can get larger increments which are paid only during the months of the year that they work or they can choose to divide their salary throughout the year in 12 months.

The last option I give above is me getting paid the same amount per year *just like teachers) but adjusting the payment amount so that the teacher only has to pay during the time that she works. Teachers get paid a salary based on working 9 months of the year whether they choose to get paid 9 or 12 months of the year but I only work 12 months of the year so I would want clients that pay 12 months of the year.
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Tags:2010, deposit, holding spot - fee, holding spot policy, spots
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