I need to try to find out current rates for our area. When you call another provider or a center for information, do you level with them and tell them what you are doing, or do you pretend to have a kid and be looking for care? I'm not a good pretender, so I haven't done anything yet, but I need to do it before the new contracts go out.

I thought about looking at their websites, but it appears that no one around here has a website.

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Could you possibly call your local R&R for a list of market rates?

I'm not a good pretender either....so I would just ask them straight out. I would be prepared though, for some to not want to tell you, and/or not be very polite about it.

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I go by what the R&R has listed as well as what the providers in my area charge.

You can do what most of the people do to me....

Phone rings...i pick up hello....how much do you charge and what does that include? I tell them they hang up.

I know it may feel bad and be wrong, but this way you don't have to go into detail about anything...

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I called the DFPS this morning. They referred me to the online list. Trouble is that none of them list their prices, just phone numbers and hours.

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I recently had someone call and let me know she was starting a daycare and asked about my hours and rates. I had no problem with letting her know. I talked to another area provider who said she was also called. She also let her know her info. We're all in this together in my opinion (easy to say when our area isn't too competitive).

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Yes! My area is very competitive! Someone called and complained About my lawn sign! So I had to remove it and they also complained about s
Another providers down the road, I checked to see if there is any new providers and there is one just down the road.....got their license 12/9.....sucks to have so many providers in like a 5 block radius.....

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That was one of my biggest fears. When we bought our house a few months ago I called to make sure if other providers were nearby if I would be limited in my numbers for enrollment since i was last to get licensed.....I guess they thought I was silly for asking! LOL

When I search online I know a licensed provider is about 5 blocks north of me. I also see a sign in the side yard of a house about 6-8 blocks west of me too. I'm not too concerned. I hope I'm in a convenient area to a lot of work places. It sucks they had you remove your sign. Maybe you should try to find out the scoop on their daycares or have a close friend of yours actually tour it and take notes and get back to you! LOL

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You can go to your state website and do a search for childcare rates. It will be an average for the year for a center, home, etc... but just divide it by yearly weeks of operation to get a weekly rate.

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http://www.naccrra.org/randd/data/docs/TX.pdf Try this. or google

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Just FYI, there is a law against daycare providers knowingly discussing their rates with each other. It was written in response to some providers who would raise their rates together, leaving parents to pay higher than average rates with no other options in thier area. Of course, it would have to be proven, and prosecuted which I wouldn't think is very common, but I just wanted to let you know.

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but my rates are public information....so how could this be??

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I have never heard of this law before...and even if it was I would imagine it would be state by state and not a federal law?

Sorry Daycare, I meant to quote the one you quoted.

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It is a federal law I believe. Tom Copeland can explain it better as I asked about it one time. A very silly law I believe but a law no less.

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I guess a lot of us are breaking it then. Oops!

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Our business is no different than any other business. Walmart sends people to other stores to "check their prices", then lower theirs 1 cent less, to beat their competition. I have never heard of anyone having a "town meeting" of daycare providers to "set" rates.

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This is from Tom Copeland's website: http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2011/...are-rates.html

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Drat, I forgot about that. I remember reading that now. So, the options are to be a lawbreaker or lie. I guess I'll just set my new prices and not wonder what anyone else is doing. I haven't found a single provider with a website around here. Thanks for reminding me Guest.

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The blog states that it IS legal to post your rates for the public but you aren't allowed to give them to a competitor.

I have shared my rates with many other providers. I do not view them as competitors because not only do we all offer different types of services but we all work different hours, schedules and in different areas of town so therefore are not my competitors.

I do not share my rates with the intentions of keeping equal to other providers or to manipulate the market so that parents MUST pay a specific amount everywhere they go.

We have providers in our town who offer services for 1/2 of what I charge and there are a providers who charge double what I do too so, there is NO price-fixing going on here, that's for sure....

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Yikes!!! I had no idea. I thought I was being helpful to a new provider. Lesson learned. Thanks for the heads up.

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Wow, I thought everybody knew about price-fixing. It's okay to share it all on here because none of us are probably from the same town even! It's when you sit down in a private room (or have a private phone call) with another provider and say "Hey, lets all raise our rates $20/week to $X so we'll all drive up the price of child care."

It's okay to call and yes, lie, pretending your looking for care or even say you're in college writing an essay on the cost of child care, LOL. It was very easy for me to ask friends/family what they paid and I looked on Craigslist and other online advertising sites and at the stores in town that hang up ads which normally would tell you starting rates right away.

Good luck finding your perfect rate range.

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Could you have your friend or relative call for you?

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I could, and I'll probably end up doing that. But, I don't have any family or young friends here (I'm way too old to have kids in day care-my great grandson is almost too old). Maybe I can get them to pretend they are moving here or something.

I didn't see anything on Cl last time I checked but maybe I need to go look again. It's a small town so not a lot of places to look. I'll figure something out.

Thanks everyone!

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I base my prices on the publicly published price for the programs at the local school district. I do under cut them. I took the price for afterschool only subtracted %10 and used that for my before and afterschool rate.

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Doesn't your CCR&R publish a list of average rates for each county in your state? Ours does and I LOVE that they do because it tells up the average rate for family care as well as center care and even breaks it down to into infant, todler, preschool and school age rates and then tells us averages per hour, day and week. Setting up rates that are close to those is what most providers here do. I would check with your local CCR&R and see if they do this.

We get an updated average rate sheet one time per year and it comes in a newletter without fail each November so anyone wanting to raiseor change their rates has some info to base their decision off of.

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TACCR&R says the info for my county is unavailable.

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What county are you in?

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Hill county

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My licensor suggested I NOT put up a sign in my yard. First, she thought it was tacky (her opinion) but then she also said it was like a flashing sign saying "Here I am, alone, with kids" and said it could be a safety issue and an open invitation to crazy people intent on violence, ya know. She recommended not posting your address on any marketing materials also for that same reason. Of course, that's just for family daycare homes, not large child care centers.

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Just because someone has a sign in their yard about daycare does not IMHO suggest that they are home alone with children. Many proivders have assistants and partner providers working with them.

Also the toys alone in most people's yards coupled with the morning and afternoon traffic pretty much says daycare just as much as a sign.

I post my address on everything business related. I WANT people to know where I am. I refuse to live in fear of crazies....had enough be enrolled in my child care to not be afraid of the unknown ones.

I also think advertising with a yard sign is a very professional way to market your business and is not at all tacky.

Just so long as you are comfortable in what you do as well as making sure your city allows signs in yards.

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I have thought of this too. I thought of the pros and cons of having a sign or advertising your address.

Pro-
free advertising and no fear of it someone taking it down (exept in another case on here),

Helps you stand out from the other houses and daycares

People know where you are,

Neighbors will want to check you out before looking into other daycares that are further away.

Con-
Can be considered tacky (as metnioned above) or even desperate by some (no judgement)+

Some parents/ people looking for a job may think it is okay to just pop right in during the day-- I heard of a well known FCCP switching to a center in my town who gets college students popping in every so often to see if she is hiring (she complained to the ECE director to tell students to call first-- she has a yard sign) and some non-ECE students/non-parents at the college go into the CDC (they have a preschool/daycare) because they know kids are there and think it they can just play with the kids (but the front desk assistant won't allow them past the door ;-) )

More prone to home invasions- someone may think usually one woman home alone with lots of
kids)*

*The home invasion one is actually one of my biggest fears because most H.I.'s happen during the day time, though at the same time they may think the house is empty and try to break in anyway. So that one is a catch 22.
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+Also depends on if it a banner, a wodden sign/letters, or a lawn sign. Reactions may be different to each one. I knew one lady I took a FCC class with had a banner on her porch - she put it up after the class because I walked in that Area before and never knew their was a FCC their and recognized the name. I have seen a bunch of houses down the street with yard signs and one by an elementy school with a painted wooden sign over their garage door with the name and Logo (It was something like "Bumble Bee Daycare' with a Honey Bee) all in the same area but the population is low (less than 40,000) and their are a lot of other daycares in the area (over 20 FCC and several centers/churches/preschools).

I know a lady who has been in daycare/preschool for over 35 years and does not have a sign/banner in her yard and is almost ALWAYS at her max capacity and has 3 part time assistance! She lives in a high population town (almost 500,000) with a fairly descent amount of daycares (over 35 FCC's and a few centers/ SAC programs/churches/ preschools). She also hardly advertises and word of mouth is usually her best advertisement (thats why she's been in this business for so long)

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I agree.....how could it be tacky? It's a business and we need to advertise.

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I have a sign in my yard! It was suggested by licensor and the Fire Marshall to bring me some business, and it worked! Half of my parents stopped by to check me out because of my sign!

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