Just thought I'd share...
 

I was perusing Craigslist this morning and came across an ad for childcare for the next county over from me - they were offering full days for $50 per week.

That's 83 cents an hour.

Does anyone else see the problem with this?! Ugh. :mad:

Yes and unfortunately it's happening all over. Moms get laid off of work or can't afford their daycare so they stop working or looking for employment and offer child care. Last year this time people were charging $140 - $170 per week. Now this year $85 - $100.

Yep. We have a bunch of people offering $100-120/wk around here, as well as giving 1-3wk free as a bonus to signing up. I don't understand how they make any money after meals, supplies, etc.

OH yes, there are quite a few providers in my area that offer childcare for $10/day. Some of them even provide meals/snacks at that price. I can't imagine that the care is very good--and given the writing level of some of those ads...yikes. Not someone I would want teaching my child--EVER.

Lol I know! I hate to sound like a snob but I wonder about some of the grammar on those ads! :confused: What kind of parent would actually answer an ad like that!?

Originally Posted by gbcc:
Lol I know! I hate to sound like a snob but I wonder about some of the grammar on those ads! :confused: What kind of parent would actually answer an ad like that!?

Also not to sound like a snob, but...the kind that doesn't know there's anything wrong with the grammar/spelling/punctuation/capitalization?

So, I couldn't help myself and I emailed this person. She told me that she "people are having a hard time, she stays home with her kids anyway and the extra money is nice". And no, that isn't her original spelling, grammar, or punctuation. ;)

These people don't realize that if they don't NEED the money, they're doing more harm than good by offering these low rates. It just burns me up.

Originally Posted by gbcc:
Lol I know! I hate to sound like a snob but I wonder about some of the grammar on those ads! :confused: What kind of parent would actually answer an ad like that!?

The ones who want cheap day care.

We all look down on these low cost providers but the truth is is that they ARE the day care providers of today. They are the most valuable child care providers in the US right now. Anyone who is willing to watch kids and not even break even much less make a living wage is going to be the most highly sought after provider for the masses.

I just dropped my rates $10 per week trying to fill spots, if I don't get a hit in a couple weeks I'll have to drop them more. I can't afford to do it, but some money is better than no money at all, it really, really sucks.

Originally Posted by nannyde:
The ones who want cheap day care.

We all look down on these low cost providers but the truth is is that they ARE the day care providers of today. They are the most valuable child care providers in the US right now. Anyone who is willing to watch kids and not even break even much less make a living wage is going to be the most highly sought after provider for the masses.

They also aren't childcare providers, they are babysitters. And if someone questions my rate I tell them that. They will say something like,... Well your rate seems high, I saw in the paper an ad for $?.$$ per week. I simply say, yes I'm sure you saw an ad from a babysitter for that much. I was uder the impression you were looking for a childcare provider. There are many types of care in our area. I am an early childcare educator. Here children are given opportunities for learning and exploring their world in a child centered environment by someone who has taken steps to learn as much as they can about how children grow and develop. I strive to provide a variety of things to enrich thelives of the children enrolled in my program including healthy meals, fun experiments in arts and music we explore science and language while taking time to get to know each child. If you are looking for a living room with a tv and a diet of processed foods, this is not the place for your child.

They usually agree at that point or move on to the cheaper care. I don't give it a second thought.

Originally Posted by laundrymom:
They also aren't childcare providers, they are babysitters. And if someone questions my rate I tell them that. They will say something like,... Well your rate seems high, I saw in the paper an ad for $?.$$ per week. I simply say, yes I'm sure you saw an ad from a babysitter for that much. I was uder the impression you were looking for a childcare provider. There are many types of care in our area. I am an early childcare educator. Here children are given opportunities for learning and exploring their world in a child centered environment by someone who has taken steps to learn as much as they can about how children grow and develop. I strive to provide a variety of things to enrich thelives of the children enrolled in my program including healthy meals, fun experiments in arts and music we explore science and language while taking time to get to know each child. If you are looking for a living room with a tv and a diet of processed foods, this is not the place for your child.

They usually agree at that point or move on to the cheaper care. I don't give it a second thought.

:eek: I don't say THAT cuz I am a babysitter.

I just say I understand it is expensive and they can easily find care that isn't so expensive. The services we offer aren't for everyone and I get that.

Originally Posted by nannyde:
:eek: I don't say THAT cuz I am a babysitter.

I just say I understand it is expensive and they can easily find care that isn't so expensive. The services we offer aren't for everyone and I get that.

This caught me off guard. I do not see you nanny as a babysitter.

Originally Posted by laundrymom:
This caught me off guard. I do not see you nanny as a babysitter.

I'm a babysitter and I'm proud of it. I don't have your skills or education on education. I've never had an interest in that. I like the simplicity of babysitting.

My business is built on:

a low child to adult ratio (one adult for every four children max)
lots of room (150 square foot of indoor space for every child)
the best home made food money can buy (fully organic home made meals)
awesome toys
RN with 31 years of experience in child care
SLEEP .... good quality deep sleep every day
exercise (1.2 mile hike every possible day weather permitting)

You offer:
early childcare educator
opportunities for learning and exploring their world in a child centered environment by someone who has taken steps to learn as much as they can about how children grow and develop
variety of things to enrich thelives of the children enrolled in my program including healthy meals
fun experiments in arts and music
exploration of science and language

BIG difference.

You are a professional child care provider and educator. I am a babysitter.

There are a lot of different approaches to the care of kids that turn out great kids. My kids turn out great and I'll bet yours do too.

I guess We have different definitions. I see a babysitter as someone who sits with kids. Offering nothing but supervision When you provide a service on an on an ongoing basis with contracts, regulations, policies and rules,.... You become a professional provider. Not a sitter who is just doing it until something else comes along.

Originally Posted by laundrymom:
I guess We have different definitions. I see a babysitter as someone who sits with kids. Offering nothing but supervision When you provide a service on an on an ongoing basis with contracts, regulations, policies and rules,.... You become a professional provider. Not a sitter who is just doing it until something else comes along.

I think the difference is the amount of education you offer in your program.. specifically what activities that are adult generated and adult participated. From your posts it sounds like you do a LOT of education with their daily care. You have been succesful finding clients to pay for that. There are a lot of providers out there who can't find the client base to pay for anything but very basic babysitting.

It all comes down to what they are paying for. There are a LOT of ways to successfully raise kids and one of them is just watching them while the parents are at work and having them free play, eat lower quality foods, watch tv, stay inside... and care that is the EASIEST possible for the adult. There are a lot of parents who just want to pay for THAT. They may like to have the kind of enviornment you have or I have but they would only take it if it were free above the cost of simple babysitting.

Many generations before us have had kids from birth to five be cared for by simple babysitters and the kids did fine. The most important things are supervision, cleanliness, a loving adult, food, and safety. There's a huge demand for simple cost effective care where the adult doesn't make much and the enviornment the kid is in is just basic utilities, processed cheap foods, cleanliness etc. It may not be the BEST but for a LOT of families that will do.

I guess my point is that there is a big market for babysitters and especially in this really tough economic climate many Americans just have to do with that. The parents can make up for a LOT for free by spending a lot of time with their kids, taking their kids education into their OWN hands, taking the time to buy and make home made foods for their meals, get them outdoors every possible day etc. The child care provider is just a part of the child's day.

I don't knock babysitters who offer plain simple basic supervision and care. The parents who use their services can take over the "extra" more expensive parts of the child's care and make sure they have what they need to be successful students and good kids.

Originally Posted by nannyde:
We all look down on these low cost providers but the truth is is that they ARE the day care providers of today. They are the most valuable child care providers in the US right now.

Sub-par Daycare is sooo NOT valuable to me. I would go into major debt before I'd use a low-class Provider.

Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
Also not to sound like a snob, but...the kind that doesn't know there's anything wrong with the grammar/spelling/punctuation/capitalization?

I agree! lol. The kind of people who are just as illiterate as the one placing the ad. May they wallow in their ignorance. :lol:

Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I just dropped my rates $10 per week trying to fill spots, if I don't get a hit in a couple weeks I'll have to drop them more. I can't afford to do it, but some money is better than no money at all, it really, really sucks.

I can't even get the phone calls in the first place!! And you're right ... it SUCKS!!! :(

Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I just dropped my rates $10 per week trying to fill spots, if I don't get a hit in a couple weeks I'll have to drop them more. I can't afford to do it, but some money is better than no money at all, it really, really sucks.

Originally Posted by Joyce:
I can't even get the phone calls in the first place!! And you're right ... it SUCKS!!! :(

I'm right there with you both! I got an email inquiry today - first one in months!! It's for 2 kids, and mom says, I know you charge $110/week for one, but I can't afford more than $300 every 2 weeks. The sad thing is that I'm actually considering it. I would be "losing" $48/week, but then again, I can't lose what I don't have to begin with, right?

Originally Posted by Joyce:
Sub-par Daycare is sooo NOT valuable to me. I would go into major debt before I'd use a low-class Provider.

This reminds me of a story from a couple of years ago. I took my son to the ice cream shop for desert one night and we were behind in line from a Mom and her two little kids who were two and four. She ordered the kids supper of burgers, fries, and pop. After they ate they had ice cream. Her total came to 26 something.

My son and I sat down at a table next to her and he was playing with the older kid so we got to talking. We visited about our jobs and I told her I did child care. She told me she has her kids in day care close to where I live and the provider charged her 135 a week for BOTH kids. I was like :eek: She asked me what I charged and I told her how I do rates and that the lowest paid kids in the house that left by three were 125. If they left when she got off of work it would have been 150 per kid.

She just smiled and said she knew she was getting a GREAT deal and was very happy with her provider. She could never pay so much for day care.

The truth was that her cheap provider made it possible for her to blow a full day care paid day for BOTH kids on one take out supper with desert. She didn't see the irony of her spending a days wage for her provider who did ten hour days for TWO kids for the price of her treat food.

Yes... cheap providers are valuable. Even if the parent CAN afford more it doesn't mean that's where they want their money to go. I'll betcha her provider would have loved to have had an extra 26 bucks that week but instead that money made for an easy meal and something to do for the family that the kids definitely liked.

You may not value it but considering the really high number of cheap providers out there I would say a lot of folks do.

Depends on one's definition of the word "value", and in what context it is applied. When applied to a child, it can only be synonymous with good quality.

In my opinion.