Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I don't think that tiered rates according to ability is right. Kids develop at their own pace and if you do that you are going to create an entirely different kind of issues. You'll start seeing parents pushing their kids to do more so their rate changes You'll have parents of infants wanting to do potty training so their rate goes down and guess who is going to have to do all the extra work since they are in daycare all day?
I would consider whether or not the child is the right fit for your environment. If he is a lot of work then you have two choices....give him the extra time he requires and downsize your group so you are able to meet the needs of all the kids in care equally or let him go (term) if you feel he requires more work than it's worth or if it's at the expense of the other kids.
Charging rates based on age is common practice (not one I participate in) but I don't think it's right to charge according to developmental abilities. The pendulum swings both ways and like I mentioned above, that creates issues on the other end of things.
You can hire staff to help you out if one child requires so much more of your time that you aren't able to provide equal care to all or you can re-evaluate your willingness to continue caring for the child.
I have lots of families I love that are great daycare clients but bottom line is you are a group provider so you have an obligation to the group to do what's best for everyone and not just one.
Plus, how does earning a few more dollars per week, make caring for this child any easier? It's still work and work that needs to be done no matter how much you are being paid.
Also, developmental delays aren't always something that anyone has any control over so being financially "punished" for something you can't control seems very unfair to me.
