How do you structure you fee schedule for teachers? She will want summers off as well as breaks.

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My teachers have to pay 52 weeks a year just like the rest of my families.

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Teachers here pay the same rate 52 weeks a year OR they can take the yearly total and pay it over a 9 month period.

Some of my teachers pay all year and come all year and some choose to take the summers off so they divide their yearly rate into 9 months instead.

As far as non-school days or teacher vacations, they still pay and/or attend.

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I don't charge for my teachers over the summer. Something I have always done, they are loyal to me and come back year after year. I have thought of starting to charge a holding fee but not sure how much. My fear is they will want to start bringing them and I love having that little break over the summer. I think thats what stops me.

For any other breaks though-Christmas, Thanksgiving, Spring break-They do pay.

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I had a teacher interview a couple weeks ago. I told her she needs to pay for every week from start of school to end of school and then I would allow the summer off with her paying one or two days a week to hold the spot.

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I have had onnly teacher's families for the past 3 yrs. now and LOVE IT!!
I actually do a 2 week holding fee for the SUmmer to hold their spot for the Fall.

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I recently imposed a holding fee of 1/3 for school teachers during the summer. All were ok except one. She has three kids with me. Their comment was "we feel we should get something more for our payment" than a guaranteed spot in the fall. Has this ever happened to anyone? How do I handle it? I am already giving them a $50.00 week multi child discount.

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My teachers pay for half rate during summer, and can bring their kids half time if they choose. Christmas and Thanksgiving aren't charged because I usually close since I have so many teacher families. They don't pay for their spring break. It is the same rate structure I have for everyone, teachers don't get a special break. If one of my other families needs extended time off, they have to pay half their monthly rate and they get one week unpaid. I figured out what I have to have monthly to be able to pay bills and do what is needed and that is how I set my minimum. You have to do what works for you and your finances. If you can't afford to go all summer without pay, then you shouldn't offer it to them, figure out your minimum, tell them what it would be and stand firm.

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This is me and 99% of my DCF are teachers.

I don't charge for summer but do have a summer daily rate to encourage them to bring them once per week or so. I do charge 1/2 rate for breaks during the school year.

I have thought of charging a holding fee and not sure what I would charge. Basically bc they have been loyal.

I used to charge a daily rate and lost a DCF (teacher) bc I changed my fee structure to a pay for space.

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I also don't charge over the summer or for school breaks. I do charge a holding fee of two weeks and if they don't return the money is mine and if they do return it's used towards the 1st two weeks back.

So far, they've always brought their children a couple days a week over the summer (usually not over the breaks which is fine with me!) and while it is less money for me, it's also a nice break with my own kids since I have smaller numbers, so I don't mind at all!

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Half of my families are teachers/work for the university. I do not give them discounts for the breaks during the school year. Over the summer they can come half time, but still has to be at least 10 hours per week, to hold spot for fall.

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I am in this situation, and during the school year, I charge a flat rate, and during the summer I am going to advertise for summer care. I'll probably start doing that in a month or so.

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I do not offer any discounts during the school yr. Summer they have the choice of doing a two week nonrefundable deposit or come at least one day per week. They dont do either I fill their spots. I do try my best to fill in with school age kids but that is not a guarantee. I need my income and cannot wait two months or more for it.

I actually had n issue last spring where the mom/teacher tells me she is pregnant again. Baby was due June at the end of the school year. She wanted to take the whole summer off up to 6 months actually for leave. In which both children would return but she wanted a discount sibling rate for the newborn. THEN would take off again about five months later again for the next summer. When I told her I could not do this she got upset with me! I couldn't hold two spots for six months, give a huge discount for a newborn then lose them again for the summer five months later! Told her oldest had to come for those six months , she had to give me a deposit for the baby n no discount. She was shocked n unhappy n no matter what I said kept telling me to think about it. We finished the convo I closed the door.....and filled her spot. That was asking way too much! Then to get mad when I don't comply?

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You mean to tell me that you need to MAKE money?! That was asking way too much, and I would have done the same thing.

I do not have my teachers pay over summer as I fill those spots with school aged kids and run more of a "summer camp." Gives me a break from the littles and makes for a nice change. I don't have them pay for breaks because mostly I take them off too (hubby is a teacher so that's when we go away) or because I prefer a lighter load. I charge slightly higher prices to make up for that though.

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Is your holding fee used towards care in the Fall when they return? That's how I do it, but if they choose not to come back, they lose the money - there is no refunds for the holding fee. Obviously I'm out the money I would have made if they attended, but with two kids and a two week holding fee, it's not too bad. Plus I get some easier days over the summer, so that part makes it good for me.

I don't offer a discount to multi-family kids that attend, so IMO your teacher is already getting more for her money! I don't offer a discount like that since honestly I provide the same care, spend the same money on meals and her children are here for the same hours so why should I offer a discount!?

I would simply say you have to pay the fee OR I will look for other children to fill the spaces and if the spots are not available come Sept., I'm sorry, but I need to continue to make an income for my family.

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So are you saying that you don't charge teachers but you still allow them to bring their children a couple days a week and then you apply any holding fee towards their return care? That seems like a win-win for them.... not so much for you. Did I misunderstand that?

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I only watch teachers kids due to my choice. My husband is a teacher, we have a busy active family and all my kids are in sports year round. I work 7:30 am to 4:30 pm at the latest and take summers and school vacation days off. I LOVE IT!! I started with friends kids who were all teachers too on purpose. I look at each teachers schedule and actually figure out how many days I will care for their child. I have 3 school districts to work with. I am now in my 3rd year. Learned something every year about how to do it better and smarter. The first year I did not charge for sick days/ snow days or "Grandmas's coming to visit" days. Bad idea, lost alot of money that year.
Then came maternity leave issues, ugh!! These teachers were not used to paying for sick days nor maternity leave so this has created a problem and even more so since I am friends with them too. Double edged Blessing and Sword :-) I did address the sick day and snow day etc... issues by actually giving every family 10 free days/ subtracted that from the total and asked for them to pay year round. I get a pay check in the summer and I am not working. 10 free is alot, I know and thinking of decreasing it. But since they all came from other daycares not charging at all for sick days I was worried I would loose them. It also includes if I have to close because my own kids or I am sick. I now have a maternity leave issue to deal with again and am worried about how to handle this with these families. UGH!! No one around here charges for Maternity Leave and I want to at least charge 1/2. I have bills too ! They get payed for their Maternity Leave, I should too. I wanted to keep everything informal, no written contract and just a verbal agreement, and for the most part has worked out well, thinking my friends won't screw me over....but feel I have to kind of justify my every move and request. Hmmmm.

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This. I get paid from the day they go back to school until the day they are done for the year, here or not. They only pay what they use in the summer. I do charge a two week holding fee for summer, but let them use it for the first two weeks they are back in the fall.

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I charge everyone the same. Every age, part time or full time, I have 1 weekly rate. The only thing not paid is if I close for an emergency or illness.

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Yes, I think you did misundertstand! I charge them for whatever days they do decide to bring them. Last year one family brought their children 2-3 days per week over the summer, they paid for that, plus left me the holding fee which was applied to the first 2 weeks back. I also charged them the p/t rate for care on the days they came, since they are only attending p/t over the summer.

Hope that made better sense!?

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I understand charging for maternity leave, and I would charge too. However, the teacher might not be getting paid for maternity leave. I had my first baby while teaching, and I used all my sick days to cover some of my time. The other days came out of my check as unpaid. Unless the teacher planned for the pregnancy and has disability insurance to get some of the pay, she's not getting paid for her maternity time.

I want to start watching teacher's children only if my husband gets a well-paying job. I won't charge for summers other than a holding fee because I want to spend the time with my own children. I plan to charge more per week than I normally charge to compensate for not charging over the summer.

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Whew! Yes. That makes sense to me now. I didn't realize you still charged for days in care during the summer plus the deposit. Much more profitable than what I originally thought! Lol.

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