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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Does Anyone Do Strictly/Primarily Second Shift?
Hunni Bee 08:38 PM 07-06-2012
I want to offer a service that will compete here. A regular, run-of-the mill home daycare is not going to stand out in this city...

At the center I work at, we turn down a lot of parents wanting evening, overnight and weekend care. This is the capital, so there's several major hospitals, a ton of factories, all-night retail, etc. I'm pretty sure the demand is there.

The tag for second shift only turned up 3 threads, so I have some questions:

- Does it make sense to do only second shift? I really can't imagine doing both first and second, I'd be dead in a month ...does anyone have two separate sets of full time slots?

-Does anyone do half first, half second - for example, 12 - 12? Is that also suicide? Of course, no one would be allowed to stay 12 hours....unless they really paid for it.

-Do you take infants? and..

-Do you charge daily or weekly? What are your rates (if you want to share that info).

I don't think I'll mind the actual doing of second shift. I'm a night owl, DBF works third shift so I don't if I'll want kids in the house while he's trying to sleep anyway, and from what I can tell, second shift is way more laid back. And I'm kinda looking for a break from the hurly-burly of a daytime schedule.

Thanks!

Please forgive me if I said "second sh*t" anywhere, for some strange reason I kept typing that
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thatdivalady 10:41 PM 07-06-2012
I offer second and third shift. But I also have help. I do take infants and the rates are based on age, number of hours needed and time of day. I think it depends because it sounds like the need is there where you are. I would definitely explore it. My rates go from 150 and up per week depending on the above listed details.
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Hunni Bee 10:53 AM 07-09-2012
Just bumping this for the weekday crowd
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Childminder 08:40 PM 07-09-2012
I do first and second, Monday through Saturday. I charge $35 per day either shift. I started doing second to pick up extra income because of the economy and enrollment was way down so I was never full either shift till recently. I am also a night owl and no children of our own to deal with, they are all grown and gone.

I like that the shift is shorter because of them going to bed by 8:00. I don't like that most of the parents are single moms and work as bar waitstaff so I worry about drinking and driving. I like that the children are more like family members and I don't really have a curriculum to worry about. I don't like that the parents of the second shift tend to be more apt to daycare hop and end up owing me money. I also don't like that I have no social life at all unless I hire a sitter or take them with, not that I'm a big socialite but you get what I mean.
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Tags:new business, second shift, second shift niche
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