Daycare.com Forum
View Poll Results: How do you handle your hours of operation?
Contracted Hours (Work Hours + Reasonable Commute)
20
57.14%
Open/Close Hours (7am-5pm; 8am-6pm; etc)
11
31.43%
Mix/Other
4
11.43%
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Contracted Hours VS Open/Close Hours
littlemissmuffet 08:51 AM 01-24-2012
I know this topic has been done to death, but I just want to SEE the numbers when it comes to contracted hours vs open/close hours. I switched last year from open/close to contracted hours and recently had a parent comment about how she's never heard of such a thing 
The majority of private in-home childcare providers I know do contracted hours... and now I know why, since I switched 
The majority of private in-home childcare providers I know do contracted hours... and now I know why, since I switched
littlemissmuffet 10:16 AM 01-24-2012
Thanks for the votes so far, ladies!
littlemissmuffet 03:26 PM 01-24-2012
So far, excluding my vote - it's even! Did anyone here start out using regular open/close hours and then swtich to contracted? How did your clients feel about it? TIA!
pfund2233 03:58 PM 01-24-2012
I had open and closed hrs then went to contracted this yr. Parent's were cool with it. 
e.j. 05:11 PM 01-24-2012
I do contracted hours but they aren't necessarily just "work hours plus commute time". Parents contract for the hours they need/want for whatever reason. If they use fewer than they contracted for (illness, weather issues, vacation time....), they still pay for those contracted hours. If they need more hours during any given week, they just pay for the extra hours as long as I have availability.
dave4him 05:15 PM 01-24-2012
6-6 though most of the time they get left around 7:30 and picked up by 5ish
Mary Poppins 05:50 PM 01-24-2012
Originally Posted by littlemissmuffet:
So far, excluding my vote - it's even! Did anyone here start out using regular open/close hours and then swtich to contracted? How did your clients feel about it? TIA!
Yep and they were all very understanding when I explained it was to prevent some from leaving their kids 10-12 hours a day and how that affected both myself and the kids. So far, excluding my vote - it's even! Did anyone here start out using regular open/close hours and then swtich to contracted? How did your clients feel about it? TIA!
I love contracted hours and will never go back!
saved4always 06:17 PM 01-24-2012
When I set up an interview with a new potential family, I always ask what hours they are looking for. If they don't fit into my life, I don't even interview. If the hours work for me, I put those times on thier contract if they decide they want me to provide care for their child. So I guess that would be their "contracted hours". And they all know that I do NOT want to have kids here after 4 p.m. so they are really good about being on time. 
littlemissmuffet 08:53 AM 01-25-2012
Originally Posted by ALM:
When I set up an interview with a new potential family, I always ask what hours they are looking for. If they don't fit into my life, I don't even interview. If the hours work for me, I put those times on thier contract if they decide they want me to provide care for their child. So I guess that would be their "contracted hours". And they all know that I do NOT want to have kids here after 4 p.m. so they are really good about being on time.
This is how I started doing things a few months back! I am loving it. All but one of my old families are totally fine with it - but I have one who doesn't seem to understand. Whatever.When I set up an interview with a new potential family, I always ask what hours they are looking for. If they don't fit into my life, I don't even interview. If the hours work for me, I put those times on thier contract if they decide they want me to provide care for their child. So I guess that would be their "contracted hours". And they all know that I do NOT want to have kids here after 4 p.m. so they are really good about being on time.
Thanks for all the votes and responses!!