If your daily rate was about $40-45/day (but less for full time - up to $185/week ft) what would you charge for before and after half day school care for 5-6 year olds (my usual group is 3 and under).

Hours would be 7:30-5:00pm but child would be gone for school from 8:30-11:30. It is pretty much 1 hr. in the morning, then up to 5 1/2 hrs. in the afternoon. Child will come in right before lunch, then will nap, etc. like the other kids.

I do not want to charge my full rate, I want to give them a bit of a break. What would you charge??

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They are still there a substantial time - maybe $30/day?

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Are you talking a child under regular SA? So this is a preschooler age child going to preschool?

I do NOT make rate changes for kids who go to lessons, classes or practices during the day and return. If they are under Kindy age, they pay by regular daily rate. The only break they would get is if they were picked up early and not brought back during the day.

I'm sorry, I know you weren't asking what I would do so I will offer a suggestion for what you want to do;
why not take your daily rate of $45 per day and break it into hours you are open (lets say 10) and figure that your hourly rate is $4.50. If the child will be gone from 8:30-11:30 then give them a daily rate of $31.50 (just subtracting the 3 hours of care they are gone).

If you don't want to give that big of a break, why not just give them 50% off those absent hours and charge them $38.25 and say the 50% is to hold the space while they are gone since you aren't likely to be able to fill it while they are not there.....kwim?

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For that I would charge %75 of my full day rate, for a full school day (5 hours or more not counting min days) I charge %50 of my full day rate.

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blackcat - it is kindergarten, our schools only offer half day kindergarten so it really isn't just a "mom wants to send them to preschool" thing.

part of the issue is I already have the child after school for $25/day. Probably should have done $30/day back then but felt like child was only here 11:30-4:30 and is a napper (12:30-3:00) so I gave them the break as she's only awake about 2.5 hours a day here! I'm thinking $30 is low/fair, $35 might be a little much for adding 1.5 hours a day to our current arrangement??

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Gottcha. We used to be half day Kindy here too but now are every day all day. Neghboring school district does all day M-R with no kindy on Fridays. Makes it hard for those parents to find care.

As far as charging $35 for the day, I would go with that because although she sleeps now as she ages, she will probably sleep less and I also think simlply accommodating a variable and flexible schedule like that does require a little bit of "extra" pay for the provider. I am sure you ARE worth it!

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Does the family know what the "other" family is paying? If not then no problem. If they do then say that is the "old" rate the "new" rate is. Also, does the "new" child nap if not then that could also explain the increase.

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Schoolies pay full rates with me. Their parents don't really notice a difference as they still drop their child off here in the morning and pick them up here in the evening, just like they did when the child was 2. What goes on in between makes no difference to them.(All my schoolies have been with me for years...most of them their whole lives!) And they want a place available for days when school is out and all summer of course. So they just continue to pay full rate. A spot is a spot in the day care, regardless of attendance or hours.

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Don't give them too much of a break. The break in schedule,especially if you have to take all the kids out to meet the bus is really a PIA, in my opinion. I really dislike being held to a preschool or 1/2 day kindy schedule. What about days he doesnt have school are you taking him the whole day? Make sure you factor that in there somewhere. When I did this, they had their rate and then any week where there were 2 or more days where they didnt have school they had to pay the full time rate.

For me I wouldn't take on ANY school ager unless it was for $9,999 per day and not a penny less!

I know I wasn't much help at all with deciding on a rate. Maybe you could sell the $35 to mom, that yeah it is a little on the high side, but the rate won't change if he doesnt have school that day?

Make sure you have a plan for summer too and mom/dad are on the same page! Some parents of school agers think that once school is over you contract ends.

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As far as the napping issue, you don't charge any less for your 3 and unders who nap, right? So I don't think that needs to be part of the equation for the kindy child.

I'd say go with either the hourly rate as Blackcat suggested, or do $35 if you feel like you have to give a break.

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I've had the child since September already and all has been going very well - this is just a change in schedule coming up where she will now come in the mornings - she currently only comes after school. Bus drops off at my door and my DS is going out the door 20 min. later for afternoon kindy anyway so we are always home getting ready for lunch at that time. It really isn't an inconvenience to me in any way. She pays extra for days there is no school or even shortened day (as if the kindy schedule can get any shorter, LOL) and that is my normal full day rate. She will go to school all summer aside from a week the end of June and a week or two the end of August. She will be off to school full days in September so will leave my care permanently at that time. There is no problem with communication with the family, they are great!

I ended up giving her a quote of $30/day. I already charge them $25 for afternoons so thought $5 for the 1 hr. in the morning was fair enough. And if there is no school its $10/day additional so that brings to my normal rate of $40/day.

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Awesome! Sounds like you got it all worked out! Sounds like you are both getting a deal!

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