The only way to discourage DCM from leaving her child in your DC for more than what you are willing to care for the child is to either not allow it and say that you simply won't do it or you charge premium prices for the extra hours like you've been doing with the extra hour you stay open for her.

For example: I charge a flat weekly rate for both FT and PT and then I have the option of drop-in care at a daily rate or an hourly rate. Both FT and PT are very specific as to how many hours the fee covers.

FT is 4-5 days a week, no more than 50 hours a week and no more than 10 hours per day.
PT is no more than 3 days a week, no more than 30 hours a week and no more than 10 hours per day.

Both are based on CONTRACTED DAYS AND SCHEDULE.

Any time beyond their contracted hours is charged at my drop-in hourly rate, any extra days they need beyond what they are contracted for is charged at my daily drop-in rate. Any time that is before or after my opening or closing time is charged at my hourly drop-in rate (if they contacted me before and I agreed to do it) etc. Any time that they are late and did not discuss it with me is charged $5 for every 15 minutes (or part thereof).

So for example based on the assumption that your client is with you FT 4 days a week with 2 days a week needing an extra hour beyond my closing time (overtime), she was late 30 minutes to pick up (picked up at 7:30pm) because of traffic and she needed to bring her for an extra day (her day off) this is what I would charge her (based on my rates):

4 days a week is still FT so $160 per week.
2 hours a week of overtime $10 per week.
30 minutes late to pick up $10
1 extra day added.......... $40
......................................$220 for that week

Of course you would charge her based on what your rates are but I would definitely charge her more for the extra drop-in day unless she regularly needed the day in which I would have her sign a new contract with her new schedule. You need to make is so that leaving her for so many extra hours is not worth her while and she is turned off of wanting to leave her for so many hours per week.

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