Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Surprised At Prices In My Own Search
momofboys 08:34 AM 06-17-2011
I accepted a nanny position for the fall & in so doing am seeking out before school care for my school-age boys 4 days a week. I will need care for them about 5 hours total a week (1.25 hrs a day for 4 days). I won't need after-school care. I found some providers who told me they would only charge $5/child (or $10 total a day) & then one who just told me they would charge $15/day per child ($30/day). I think the $5 is almost too cheap but I am surprised that someone would expect $30/for a little over an hour for 2 kids. Here in Ohio school-agers don't count toward any of your daycare numbers. I'm just surprised at the variety of prices!
Reply
Blackcat31 08:45 AM 06-17-2011
I'll bet you the prices are a reflection of how much work each provider thinks school agers are and how well they fit into that provider's program/daily schedule. Seems as though feelings about caring for school agers have just as much variety.
Reply
Pammie 09:44 AM 06-17-2011
Actually you are incorrect about Ohio's regulations.

Children aged 6-14 who are unrelated to the provider DO count in the ratio/roster.

Refer to ChildCare Type B Home Rules
5101:2-14-16 Group Size for Professional Certification as a Type B Home Provider

So even though your guys would only be at the home daycare for 1.5 hours/day, they are taking a roster space while they are there.
Reply
cheerfuldom 10:16 AM 06-17-2011
The difference is probably those that follow the guidelines by state (keeping their ratios limited) and those that don't. There also might be a difference from those that let the kids just watch TV or run wild and those that provide a snack, craft, homework help, etc. I would ask more questions about what specifically you are paying for and what their ratios are. $5 is ridiculously low.....suspiciously so if you get my drift.
Reply
wdmmom 10:49 AM 06-17-2011
I don't think $5.00 is a legit amount....I would think more along the lines of $5.00 per hour per child.
Reply
momofboys 11:49 AM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by Pammie:
Actually you are incorrect about Ohio's regulations.

Children aged 6-14 who are unrelated to the provider DO count in the ratio/roster.

Refer to ChildCare Type B Home Rules
5101:2-14-16 Group Size for Professional Certification as a Type B Home Provider

So even though your guys would only be at the home daycare for 1.5 hours/day, they are taking a roster space while they are there.
I was referring to when they were MY children in my care. . . since I do/did childcare in my home- my own kids ages 7 & 9 didn't count & actually the lady who came to register me through the county told me the same thing. Is it different if you are certified? That's odd that she would tell me incorrect information. Or I guess what I find odd is that the kids wouldn't count if they are related to you but do count if they aren't related. Seems like a huge discrepancy in the numbers. I guess what I mean is if they are your own kids & don't count over a certain age what difference does it make if they are yours or not?
Reply
Country Kids 11:50 AM 06-17-2011
It shows you how childcare is vastly different arround the country. I charge for the month $75.00 for before or afterschool care-$150.00 for both. Anything above that and you have a hard, hard time getting children. We have a place (Boys and Girls Club) though that offers afterschool childcare for the year for like $50.00 and they do all sorts of camps and such. So usually no one has afterschool kids because they all go there.
Reply
momofboys 11:50 AM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by wdmmom:
I don't think $5.00 is a legit amount....I would think more along the lines of $5.00 per hour per child.
I had 3-4 providers tell me that same price!!!! And it is only for an 1 1/4 hour so maybe that is why I got so many that told me $5/day.
Reply
momofboys 11:56 AM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by cheerfuldom:
The difference is probably those that follow the guidelines by state (keeping their ratios limited) and those that don't. There also might be a difference from those that let the kids just watch TV or run wild and those that provide a snack, craft, homework help, etc. I would ask more questions about what specifically you are paying for and what their ratios are. $5 is ridiculously low.....suspiciously so if you get my drift.
I am sort of offended by your comment b/c I do/did provide quality childcare but mostly only catered to one family at a time. I never broke any rules/regulations. I did preschool learning time with with my son & the other little boy I watched. We did crafts/played outdoors, went to the library. But the prices in my area just are LOW. I charged $10/day for before & after & about $22/day for all-day care. These are the normal rates. Just b/c one area of the country is cheaper doesn't mean the provider provides poor care.
Reply
jojosmommy 12:07 PM 06-17-2011
I charge more for school agers even when they only come a little bit. They disrupt the day and often bring home lots of unwanted sickness that then infects my little ones. I rarely/almost never have sick kids when there are no school agers around but as soon as I take one all my kids start getting stuff again. Schools are germ factories IMO.

Also, in my experience older kids are more needy. They listen less and demand more.

Im sure some providers are charging you for a space not an hourly rate. I paid $40 per week for my son to be in care for 4 hours on two seperate days b/c he took up a space.
Reply
cheerfuldom 12:08 PM 06-17-2011
I agree with you. Price does not always indicate quality but I do think sometimes it does. I was just throwing out a few thoughts there. Don't know why that was offensive.
Reply
sharlan 12:21 PM 06-17-2011
I think $5 a piece for morning only care would be acceptable. Your children will be dressed and fed, all the provider will have to do is see to it that your children get to school on time.

What about early days or school holidays?
Reply
dEHmom 12:30 PM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by momofboys:
I was referring to when they were MY children in my care. . . since I do/did childcare in my home- my own kids ages 7 & 9 didn't count & actually the lady who came to register me through the county told me the same thing. Is it different if you are certified? That's odd that she would tell me incorrect information. Or I guess what I find odd is that the kids wouldn't count if they are related to you but do count if they aren't related. Seems like a huge discrepancy in the numbers. I guess what I mean is if they are your own kids & don't count over a certain age what difference does it make if they are yours or not?
it bothers me a lot when your own kids don't count. here where i am, unlicensed limit 4 kids including your own (2 under 2yrs, and 2 over 2yrs) when they hit 13 they don't count because they are old enough to babysit.
licensed it's 8 kids including your own.

for the ones that their own family doesn't count, what if you had 12 kids? how is it ok to take on 4 more unrelated kids, or however many.


oh and here, for licensed providers, SA are $5 for before school or $5 for after school. That's the set rate by the government.
Reply
momofboys 12:33 PM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by sharlan:
I think $5 a piece for morning only care would be acceptable. Your children will be dressed and fed, all the provider will have to do is see to it that your children get to school on time.

What about early days or school holidays?
Only offensive in the way I took it to mean that just b/c you are cheap you provide poor care. Not sure how else I was to take that. I really can;t help the way prices are in my area.
Reply
sharlan 12:48 PM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by momofboys:
Only offensive in the way I took it to mean that just b/c you are cheap you provide poor care. Not sure how else I was to take that. I really can;t help the way prices are in my area.
Not sure about this response.
Reply
Blackcat31 01:30 PM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by wdmmom:
I don't think $5.00 is a legit amount....I would think more along the lines of $5.00 per hour per child.
I no longer provide care for SA children in the a.m. during the school year, however when I did I would only have charged a client $5 for the 1.25 hours OP is asking about. My thoughts on that are that at 1.25 hours for 4 days per week that adds up to 5 hours total for the week and making $20 ($4 per hour) for only 5 hours total is easy money...

Now, if this was afternoon care I can honestly say my rate may have been a bit higher since after school, the kids always seem to be running at 110% and soooo full of energy. While at the same time my energy level is dropping....

But either way, I do not see anything wrong with $5 per morning that she was quoted.
Reply
Pammie 01:41 PM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by momofboys:
I was referring to when they were MY children in my care. . . since I do/did childcare in my home- my own kids ages 7 & 9 didn't count & actually the lady who came to register me through the county told me the same thing. Is it different if you are certified? That's odd that she would tell me incorrect information. Or I guess what I find odd is that the kids wouldn't count if they are related to you but do count if they aren't related. Seems like a huge discrepancy in the numbers. I guess what I mean is if they are your own kids & don't count over a certain age what difference does it make if they are yours or not?
You are right, that a PROVIDER'S children do not count in your ratio if they are age 6 or older. It's the NON-RELATED children that DO count in your ratios until they are 14. It's no different for Type A or Type B daycare homes - certified or not. That's how Ohio has set the regulations
Reply
momofboys 01:47 PM 06-17-2011
Originally Posted by sharlan:
Not sure about this response.

I only meant that it slightly offended me b/c almost ALL the providers in my area are that cheap. That price was close to what I charged, I just had no idea that most other prooviders in my area were even cheaper. Just being cheap doesn't mean that you provide poor care. The OP stated she found the price suspiciously cheap & assumed the provider used the tv & did nothing extra. As a provider who charged close to that amount I felt offended b/c I provided very good care & went over & above. I was just trying to state that simply being cheap doesn't equal poor care, it has to do with where you are located. Some of the prices you ladies charge would be much higher than what anyone in my area would be able to afford.
Reply
cheerfuldom 01:54 PM 06-17-2011
okay you totally misunderstood my post. So big fat disclaimer here.....SOME people who charge less do so because their care is very minimal. NOT all inexpensive providers are like this. I never said that inexpensive equals poor care but SOMETIMES it does indicate that. My main thought was that if you feel that some providers are very low while others are a lot more, then investigate what you are paying for in each case. SOME providers that only charge a tiny amount do so because they are not following state regulations and have no plan for the kids other than keeping them alive till mom picks up. SOME NOT ALL. Hopefully that clarifies my thought.
Reply
daycare 02:19 PM 06-17-2011
I can agree with this
There are two DC is my City that I know of that are not licensed. In CA you cannot operate a DC with more than one child from a different family without a LIC.

The ladies running theses non LiC are charging 25 a day per kid while everyone else is charging 50-60 a day. I have no clue how this lady advertises on line and dots not get caught. I once read her ad on crags list that said unlimited openings.

Most of the time you get what you pay for.. But not all of the time.
Reply
AfterSchoolMom 05:31 AM 06-18-2011
I charge $60 per week, per child for before or after only care...so $12 per day, per child, whether they're here an hour or three hours, they still take up a space. That's the norm for my area though, and I offer a special situation in that I do SA's only and no littles. I'd NEVER do it for $5.
Reply
Tags:nanny, school-age
Reply Up