Question to All Providers

[Little Star75]

So I have learned from most of you providers stating about slots. When you enroll a child, do yo give the price based on the hours or do you have a flat rate? Reason why I'm asking is because one I'm curious and two I recently read a few threads stating "if parents are off work early they should pick up their child or a late fee will be assessed"
For example, I have a flat rate of $150 a week for dcb who's mom works 9-5:30 I know sometimes DCP gets off as early as noon. If she's paying for that slot until 5:45 should I be questioning her? No, right?

[Childminder]

IMO,the time is paid for, tis none of my business where she is or that she got off early as long as she can be reached in an emergency.

[Happy Hearts]

I personally don't give a hoot what parents are doing during their contracted hours. They even have no problem telling me about their bike rides, lunch dates and getting their hair done. I smile, tell them that I'm glad they had fun and hand them their clean, happy, nurtured child back.

[blandino]

Originally Posted by Little Star75

So I have learned from most of you providers stating about slots. When you enroll a child, do yo give the price based on the hours or do you have a flat rate? Reason why I'm asking is because one I'm curious and two I recently read a few threads stating "if parents are off work early they should pick up their child or a late fee will be assessed"
For example, I have a flat rate of $150 a week for dcb who's mom works 9-5:30 I know sometimes DCP gets off as early as noon. If she's paying for that slot until 5:45 should I be questioning her? No, right?

BOTH . It's super tricky. I charge a flat rate.... but I would like to start using a scale based off that flat rate (as Nannyde does).

So my rate right now is $150.00 a week. I am contemplating charging

140.00 for those leaving by 4:00
145.00 for those leaving by 4:30
150.00 for those leaving by 5:00
155.00 for those leaving at 5:30

I charge a flat rate, but still do expect parents to come based on their work hours. Even though they are paying the same rate as everyone else, I view daycare as care for your child while you are at work. Plus, I want consistent hours from all my parents.

[Patches]

Originally Posted by blandino

BOTH . It's super tricky. I charge a flat rate.... but I would like to start using a scale based off that flat rate (as Nannyde does).

So my rate right now is $150.00 a week. I am contemplating charging

140.00 for those leaving by 4:00
145.00 for those leaving by 4:30
150.00 for those leaving by 5:00
155.00 for those leaving at 5:30

I charge a flat rate, but still do expect parents to come based on their work hours. Even though they are paying the same rate as everyone else, I view daycare as care for your child while you are at work. Plus, I want consistent hours from all my parents.

I would love to do somthing like this eventually!

[blandino]

Originally Posted by Patches

I would love to do somthing like this eventually!

I really want to, so that way parents can't use the argument that they are paying the same rate as the other families . I think it would really help to support contracted hours. Maybe this coming school year...

[Patches]

Originally Posted by Little Star75

So I have learned from most of you providers stating about slots. When you enroll a child, do yo give the price based on the hours or do you have a flat rate? Reason why I'm asking is because one I'm curious and two I recently read a few threads stating "if parents are off work early they should pick up their child or a late fee will be assessed"
For example, I have a flat rate of $150 a week for dcb who's mom works 9-5:30 I know sometimes DCP gets off as early as noon. If she's paying for that slot until 5:45 should I be questioning her? No, right?

Right now, I charge a flat rate. They have contracted hours, but it's basically just to help me plan for my assisstant. However, I do charge an overtime rate if they need more than 10 hours a day, but it's still a flat rate that is determined when making the contract. I have on DCM who always gets off early on Fridays and always picks up early on Fridays except for one time when she called to ASK me if she could pick up later (which was still within her contracted hours) Point being, it would be nice if your DCP would pick up early when she got off early. Not always going to happen, though. IMHO, no, I don't think you should question her.

[Patches]

Originally Posted by blandino

I really want to, so that way parents can't use the argument that they are paying the same rate as the other families . I think it would really help to support contracted hours. Maybe this coming school year...

I think you're right on the money there! Mybe once I have a big turnover, I can make some changes like this. I don't really feel comfortable doing it to my current families.

[blandino]

Originally Posted by Patches

I think you're right on the money there! Mybe once I have a big turnover, I can make some changes like this. I don't really feel comfortable doing it to my current families.

Ditto. We are losing 5 children in May, and have 6 waiting to start in August - so it might be a good time for it. Or at least maybe start with all the new clients. I want to sit down and figure out how much of difference it would be for each family.

I don't know how my current clients would respond if I changed it now. I have one parent who would be paying $30.00 more a week - so I don't know that I would feel comfortable changing their rate that much. Maybe just with new clients ?!?

[nanglgrl]

Originally Posted by blandino

BOTH . It's super tricky. I charge a flat rate.... but I would like to start using a scale based off that flat rate (as Nannyde does).

So my rate right now is $150.00 a week. I am contemplating charging

140.00 for those leaving by 4:00
145.00 for those leaving by 4:30
150.00 for those leaving by 5:00
155.00 for those leaving at 5:30

I charge a flat rate, but still do expect parents to come based on their work hours. Even though they are paying the same rate as everyone else, I view daycare as care for your child while you are at work. Plus, I want consistent hours from all my parents.

I started doing this after Nannyde posted about it. I had wanted to raise my rates but decided instead to keep my rate the same (the average rate for my area) for 3:30 pick ups and raise it for 4:30 and 5:30 pick ups (the 5:30 pick up rate was on the high end for my area).

I was surprised to find that so many of my clients only needed me until 3:30 or earlier but were keeping their children at my house from 7:30 am until 5:30 because those were my hours. Some of them did need later hours but were able to have friends/family pick up so they could stay here. When I changed my rate I only lost one family (I wanted them to leave) and everyone else went to 3:30.

Now I get off at 3:30 and make as much as I was making working until 5:30. Another thing that happened was all of my clients arrive between 7:30 am and 8:00 am and leave between 3:00 and 3:30 pm. So no more waiting.

[Little Star75]

Thanks for the replies, I agree with all of you. I don't think I would question her. I was curious because I saw a post earlier that stated that, wondering why the parent didnt pick up dck if DCP got off early. I don't care either

[canadiancare]

It is really nice to know a parent has an afternoon off and chooses to grab their child early and make a special day of it BUT if they don't it really isn't any skin of f my back. I am working anyway from 06h30-16h30 and they pay me 35$ a day for that.

I don't charge late fees because I have parents who are never deliberately late for pickup but I wouldn't hesitate to comment if a parent was late and had take out or groceries in the car.