How Do I Approach A Parent About Raising My Hourly Rate?
 

I need some advice on telling my DCF that I need to raise their hourly rate from $5 to $10 an hour.

Do I tell them that it just makes scence because their kids eat more than $5 worth of food?

How do I do this?

Don't bring up details about food or anything else....that opens the rate change to a discussion about how much the kids are eating and blah, blah, blah. If you have to charge $10 an hour, write up a change to their contract, give them the change, give a deadline of when the agreement has to be signed, returned and then go into effect. If they don't sign the agreement, then an automatic "two weeks notice" goes into effect. There is nothing to discuss here. They sign and live with the change or they move on to a new daycare.

I agree with Cheerfulmom. If you have already decided to raise your rates then doing it that way leaves no room for a discussion or negotiation.

Just to add though, $10 to me seems a little high. Maybe in your area child care is higher? I'm in So CA and FT in my area runs for $160 a week for 50 hours which translates to $3.20 an hour. I do drop-in child care and those clients pay higher rates than anyone and I charge $5 an hour.

$10 an hour in my area is the starting salary for a young nanny and a baby sitter will run you about $7 an hour. I think it's great that you're able to charge that much for hourly care!

But these kid are only here for 2.5 hr every 2nd wed and 1.5hr on tues. I need to make something.

I cannot charge weekly and in my area they dont charge for sick days, holidays ect.

In that case, take away hourly all together. Charge a half day or full day rate. I charge $20 for under 4 hours and $40 for a full day (drop in rates).