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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>This Is Just Frustrating
Thriftylady 09:30 AM 04-06-2016
There are two main places my advertising seems to work. The grocery store, and local facebook groups. I have two spots I need to fill they have been open since early Feb.

So yesterday a mom posts she needs care for an infant and a 3 year old Mon, Thurs, Fri and Sat. Hours would be 11 AM until between 3-6 PM, depending on her hours. Someone gives her a rate that is way to high for this area. She PMed me in response to my post to her thread and I give her a rate of $150 a week (for both) considering it would be full time and Saturdays at that. I really don't want the Saturdays but we could really use the money from filling these spots. I also messaged her my website to look over. So then this morning, someone has posted giving her a rate of get this......$60 a week! Of course mom is all over that. That seems to be the big issue I fight in this area. I just can't seem to find a way around it, and I don't feel like I can lower my rates any farther.

I am not sure if I am asking for advice or what lol. But I need to find a way around this.
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daycarediva 09:42 AM 04-06-2016
Do you have a facebook page? What are you offering to set yourself apart from the low ball rates?

For me, RAISING my rates helped to get clients. I had to find a niche in my area- and that was preschool. There were only TWO private preschools in my area that weren't connected to UPK. One is a montessori (which has recently come under fire and the reason why my waiting list is now 10 children deep) the other was a traditional preschool in a center.

Parents here did not like UPK, finding aftercare/transportation, the big center/developmentally inappropriate worksheets, no outside, etc. So I went organic, play based, crunchy granola.

Can you look into successful home daycares in your area, or centers, or whatever in your area to see what they offer and then market/change up things off of that?

I would definitely set rates, daily. If you must, you can add a sibling or multichild discount.

I would NOT respond to people seeking childcare. I would place your own ad in the groups marketing yourself. When you respond- they are interviewing you. When they respond to you, you are interviewing them.

be as professional as possible. I have a tour/interview. I lead it. I go over policies, I ask questions, I give a rundown of what I offer and then I allow parents to ask questions. I send them home with a cutesy binder of my enrollment process and when they could expect to hear from me.

It's also possible your area is just too saturated with sahm or illegal daycares to get anything worth your actual value as a FCC provider. Which STINKS!
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Unregistered 09:51 AM 04-06-2016
I know what you mean. When I was first starting out I came across the same problem when I was trying to fill my last two spots. My fee (here fccs charge by the month) was higher than someone in the same neighborhood. It took a few months but I finally filled the spots with great families. I made a website and Facebook page which helps a lot because interested families can see and learn about my program and contact me on there too. Many of my families ended up from referrals from current/former families and from my food program monitor who loves my space and program. Currently I still charge one of the higher rates in my area plus I cut down my hours to Mon-Thurs from 8-3 and I'm currently full. (I still constantly see the ads for the cheaper fccs). Hang in there it will happen and a great family will come along who appreciates you and your program
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MunchkinWrangler 10:07 AM 04-06-2016
I feel your pain! I actually, by getting frustrated with the SAHM's on craigslist offering the same rate or higher than me, put out a snarky ad about how my money goes towards being professional, regulated, and not for a weekend of shopping but back into my business. I've actually had a few hits from being honest instead of saying things people want to hear. The au pair rage is starting to happen in my area too, which burns me a little because it doesn't seem like it's for children, if you get what I mean. I have 2 spots open as well, that have been open since January. I wish us both luck as I refuse to negotiate my fees, especially for 2 children. I find people with multiple children are always trying to lowball the price, that basically makes it a 2 for 1 deal for them and no money for me.
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Thriftylady 10:13 AM 04-06-2016
I do have a website and a Facebook page. I am not sure I am using either to their full potential. I feel kind of dumb when it comes to using them.
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EntropyControlSpecialist 10:33 AM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
There are two main places my advertising seems to work. The grocery store, and local facebook groups. I have two spots I need to fill they have been open since early Feb.

So yesterday a mom posts she needs care for an infant and a 3 year old Mon, Thurs, Fri and Sat. Hours would be 11 AM until between 3-6 PM, depending on her hours. Someone gives her a rate that is way to high for this area. She PMed me in response to my post to her thread and I give her a rate of $150 a week (for both) considering it would be full time and Saturdays at that. I really don't want the Saturdays but we could really use the money from filling these spots. I also messaged her my website to look over. So then this morning, someone has posted giving her a rate of get this......$60 a week! Of course mom is all over that. That seems to be the big issue I fight in this area. I just can't seem to find a way around it, and I don't feel like I can lower my rates any farther.

I am not sure if I am asking for advice or what lol. But I need to find a way around this.
4-7 hours per day, 4 days per week, INCLUDING a weekend day? Whoever offered $60/week ($30/week for each child?!) for 16-28 hours of care per week, that are inconsistent, is likely to burn out. That's only $1.87-$1.07 PER HOUR. I would never!

Don't budge on a lower rate. Your rate you offered for TWO children is wonderful.

Utilize your Facebook as a platform to display what you do that is neat at your daycare. I can PM you mine so you can see what I do if you would like. My parents share the photos often and that is free advertising! Also, create a list of all the wonderful things your daycare offers, a sample menu, and your experience. Not paragraphs...just a list they can breeze on down. Since I created a 1 page list I get a lot of interest. I tell people to e-mail me for additional information (the list). The list tells far more than my website does.
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Unregistered 10:47 AM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
I do have a website and a Facebook page. I am not sure I am using either to their full potential. I feel kind of dumb when it comes to using them.
I use weebly for my website and is very easy to use. It has all my program info on there including my rates so only families who are willing to pay me rates contact me. Depending on what we are doing I'll post pictures of our activities or welcoming/saying goodbye to children at the end of the week or every two weeks or the end of the month on my website. Then I post on my Facebook page at least once a week pictures of the children having fun or share articles that are interesting/informative/helpful for families. Both my website and on Facebook I can track how many people visited and got engaged in what I post. I found when I kept both sites updated I got more interest because a lot of others kind of stop after their first few posts, and families share/like posts which their friends see and that works as my advertisement.
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Thriftylady 11:08 AM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by EntropyControlSpecialist:
4-7 hours per day, 4 days per week, INCLUDING a weekend day? Whoever offered $60/week ($30/week for each child?!) for 16-28 hours of care per week, that are inconsistent, is likely to burn out. That's only $1.87-$1.07 PER HOUR. I would never!

Don't budge on a lower rate. Your rate you offered for TWO children is wonderful.

Utilize your Facebook as a platform to display what you do that is neat at your daycare. I can PM you mine so you can see what I do if you would like. My parents share the photos often and that is free advertising! Also, create a list of all the wonderful things your daycare offers, a sample menu, and your experience. Not paragraphs...just a list they can breeze on down. Since I created a 1 page list I get a lot of interest. I tell people to e-mail me for additional information (the list). The list tells far more than my website does.
I would love to see your Facebook! I have added some stuff we have done, but I don't think I have done it often enough. For some reason I dread going to that one, logging in, doing it. Ug lol. But I guess I better get my backside in gear about it. Like yesterday I took my preschooler to Boonshoft museum in Springfield. I guess I should add some of the pics I took from there.
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Ariana 11:09 AM 04-06-2016
I have a website through GoDaddy.com (I pay $12 a month for my.com name and the website hosting) that is very well done and I am educated in the field plus I have experience yadda yadda. I tried setting myself apart from the pack by highlighting all of this in an FB ad and the admin of the page wouldn't even put it up for me. She told me I was highlighting my educaton too much which would alienate clients and other caregivers who are not educated How do you even begin to understand this logic?

I totally understand how you feel when it comes to trying to compete with people who charge next to nothing....probably because they are breaking the law.
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LysesKids 11:14 AM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by Ariana:
I have a website through GoDaddy.com (I pay $12 a month for my.com name and the website hosting) that is very well done and I am educated in the field plus I have experience yadda yadda. I tried setting myself apart from the pack by highlighting all of this in an FB ad and the admin of the page wouldn't even put it up for me. She told me I was highlighting my educaton too much which would alienate clients and other caregivers who are not educated How do you even begin to understand this logic?

I totally understand how you feel when it comes to trying to compete with people who charge next to nothing....probably because they are breaking the law.
Do you have the old website builder(6.) on godaddy or the new one (7.)... I have had my site and .com so long that I have the 5 free pages still but now they are making me upgrade which I hate the thought of because once I start changing it I can't update the site until I finish switching it all over
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Ariana 11:20 AM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
Do you have the old website builder(6.) on godaddy or the new one (7.)... I have had my site and .com so long that I have the 5 free pages still but now they are making me upgrade which I hate the thought of because once I start changing it I can't update the site until I finish switching it all over
Gosh I have no idea! When did they make the switch? I just started using Godaddy in 2014.
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LysesKids 12:29 PM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by Ariana:
Gosh I have no idea! When did they make the switch? I just started using Godaddy in 2014.
They are forcing all the older people to the new builder in 5 months... I think it came out last year. I created my own site after I bought the .com eons ago, I didn't let them design it that's why it's such a pain. If they were to redo it with their people I guarantee you half my info would end up NOT being there when they finished (tons of policies etc). I actually just pay for the dot com every few years - my setup included the hosting & 5 free pages ( yeah it's that old) so that's why I don't want to lose the site - means I have to upgrade & fast.

I don't mind switching, but the new templates suck so I have to take the other option & literally start from scratch designing my perfect site, or I pay them to do it ( yeah not happening).
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Thriftylady 12:39 PM 04-06-2016
So I am currently using wix. I mostly like it. But is it really worth it to pay for a .com?
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Leigh 01:23 PM 04-06-2016
Don't feel bad about your rate-I think that doing it for $150 a week would be crazy. I'd charge $350 for that!
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Hunni Bee 01:23 PM 04-06-2016
I don't get it. Don't these parents CARE about the quality of care they're likely to get for $60/week??

I am both a teacher in a preschool and a DCM, and I would say 50% of the reason I work here is so I can afford to have my daughter in a quality environment. I've been doing this my entire adult life and I would like to go and try something else, but I know most likely I would either be working just to pay daycare so I could work, or I'd have to have my daughter in some place I felt unsure about.

For $60 a week you are turning absolutely no profit. Unless you have 10 or more kids. So what you end up with is a sahm who starts out with a bunch of promises, quickly realized she can't do any of that stuff because she either has too many kids or not making any money, and your kid eats ravioli and plays with her kids' toys until for a few months til she gets burned out or shut down. I've seen it.
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MunchkinWrangler 01:36 PM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by Hunni Bee:
I don't get it. Don't these parents CARE about the quality of care they're likely to get for $60/week??

I am both a teacher in a preschool and a DCM, and I would say 50% of the reason I work here is so I can afford to have my daughter in a quality environment. I've been doing this my entire adult life and I would like to go and try something else, but I know most likely I would either be working just to pay daycare so I could work, or I'd have to have my daughter in some place I felt unsure about.

For $60 a week you are turning absolutely no profit. Unless you have 10 or more kids. So what you end up with is a sahm who starts out with a bunch of promises, quickly realized she can't do any of that stuff because she either has too many kids or not making any money, and your kid eats ravioli and plays with her kids' toys until for a few months til she gets burned out or shut down. I've seen it.
Absolutely. Exactly.
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Thriftylady 01:36 PM 04-06-2016
Originally Posted by Hunni Bee:
I don't get it. Don't these parents CARE about the quality of care they're likely to get for $60/week??

I am both a teacher in a preschool and a DCM, and I would say 50% of the reason I work here is so I can afford to have my daughter in a quality environment. I've been doing this my entire adult life and I would like to go and try something else, but I know most likely I would either be working just to pay daycare so I could work, or I'd have to have my daughter in some place I felt unsure about.

For $60 a week you are turning absolutely no profit. Unless you have 10 or more kids. So what you end up with is a sahm who starts out with a bunch of promises, quickly realized she can't do any of that stuff because she either has too many kids or not making any money, and your kid eats ravioli and plays with her kids' toys until for a few months til she gets burned out or shut down. I've seen it.
I agree with you. But in this area you don't have to be licensed. So that is what you get, a lot of SAHM's who really are not running a business or looking at quailty standards. I just don't understand why parents keep going for it.
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Unregistered 02:23 AM 04-07-2016
What the heck? I charged $60 a week for two 25 years ago and I lived in a tiny, rural town. Thats crazy and so frustrating.
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Thriftylady 04:30 AM 04-07-2016
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
What the heck? I charged $60 a week for two 25 years ago and I lived in a tiny, rural town. Thats crazy and so frustrating.
Well I am in a tiny rural town, but this isn't 25 years ago!
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LysesKids 05:13 AM 04-07-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Well I am in a tiny rural town, but this isn't 25 years ago!
Thrifty we have the same here... SAHM's or older Grams that think it's ok to charge 60-75 week for FT care and that's in a major city, not my area which is 15-20 minutes away. I charge double what some of these people are charging & thank goodness I'm full with a wait list. I still see the same people advertising for kids and almost all of them charge less than I do (like they never fill their spots or they have high turnover).

I weed out the "daycare hoppers" by making people check out the website before contacting me. Saves a lot of headaches
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Thriftylady 05:20 AM 04-07-2016
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
Thrifty we have the same here... SAHM's or older Grams that think it's ok to charge 60-75 week for FT care and that's in a major city, not my area which is 15-20 minutes away. I charge double what some of these people are charging & thank goodness I'm full with a wait list. I still see the same people advertising for kids and almost all of them charge less than I do (like they never fill their spots or they have high turnover).

I weed out the "daycare hoppers" by making people check out the website before contacting me. Saves a lot of headaches
Yeah I see what you are saying. I have two really good families right now who realize I am providing great care at an awesome rate. I just wish I could get one or two more kiddos. We are much better off than we were a year ago when I was struggling to get any kids. But one or two more would help so much. Especially during times like the last month or so. We have been in one of those phases where vehicles keep breaking down, trucking industry is a little slow for some reason so hubby's miles are down. You know how it is sometimes. We are surviving, but I am so tired of just surviving!

I am stepping up my facebook postings on my daycare page. I am not sure how to make sure it actually reaches the people it needs to reach though. It is set to public, I liked it on my regular page, so it shares to there. I do use the advertising sometimes, but have never gotten any calls from it. Not sure if I should try again or not. I wasn't posting on it much, but the last two days now I have put up pics.
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LysesKids 05:48 AM 04-07-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Yeah I see what you are saying. I have two really good families right now who realize I am providing great care at an awesome rate. I just wish I could get one or two more kiddos. We are much better off than we were a year ago when I was struggling to get any kids. But one or two more would help so much. Especially during times like the last month or so. We have been in one of those phases where vehicles keep breaking down, trucking industry is a little slow for some reason so hubby's miles are down. You know how it is sometimes. We are surviving, but I am so tired of just surviving!

I am stepping up my facebook postings on my daycare page. I am not sure how to make sure it actually reaches the people it needs to reach though. It is set to public, I liked it on my regular page, so it shares to there. I do use the advertising sometimes, but have never gotten any calls from it. Not sure if I should try again or not. I wasn't posting on it much, but the last two days now I have put up pics.
See my CL ad and all my hardcopy advertising has links listing my webpage & my FB page; I never put my # or email in the ad... if someone wants more info they have to click one of the 2 links ( or type it in if gotten off a flyer). Both the Website & FB page have a contact page or link that sends me that persons info, then I call them. I update my menus almost everyday on FB and that is were I put up new pic's etc. I'm limited to 4 kids and all my littles are under 2 years old all the time (my specialty)
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Thriftylady 05:51 AM 04-07-2016
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
See my CL ad and all my hardcopy advertising has links listing my webpage & my FB page; I never put my # or email in the ad... if someone wants more info they have to click one of the 2 links ( or type it in if gotten off a flyer). Both the Website & FB page have a contact page or link that sends me that persons info, then I call them. I update my menus almost everyday on FB and that is were I put up new pic's etc. I'm limited to 4 kids and all my littles are under 2 years old all the time (my specialty)
Okay it is probably my resistance to social media change, but all that linking sounds complicated! I am not really using CL anymore. The closest "site" is 50 miles from me. And I have found people around here just don't use it much. I did get one person from it last summer though. And every time I post there, I get scammers! Maybe I will try it again though. I keep hoping a new site with less spammers will come along. CL seems to be crawling with them. Every time I post I get the "well I am moving from another country but if you send me your info I will send you a nice fat check".
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LysesKids 05:58 AM 04-07-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Okay it is probably my resistance to social media change, but all that linking sounds complicated! I am not really using CL anymore. The closest "site" is 50 miles from me. And I have found people around here just don't use it much. I did get one person from it last summer though. And every time I post there, I get scammers! Maybe I will try it again though. I keep hoping a new site with less spammers will come along. CL seems to be crawling with them. Every time I post I get the "well I am moving from another country but if you send me your info I will send you a nice fat check".
That's why you don't list a phone or email for contact on CL... I list my website address only; no spamming lol. I learned that years ago. The weblink works on other online advertising also so my personal info doesn't go out to people that don't need it. I'm a single person ( kids grown & gone) if I don't stay full I don't pay bills because it is only me.

Having a website has really been a lifesaver because I can link it to any online ad including local stuff. We have a FB page in each county here that has allowed people to sell stuff or advertise small business like childcare... see if your area does that.
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Thriftylady 06:07 AM 04-07-2016
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
That's why you don't list a phone or email for contact on CL... I list my website address only; no spamming lol. I learned that years ago. The weblink works on other online advertising also so my personal info doesn't go out to people that don't need it. I'm a single person ( kids grown & gone) if I don't stay full I don't pay bills because it is only me.

Having a website has really been a lifesaver because I can link it to any online ad including local stuff. We have a FB page in each county here that has allowed people to sell stuff or advertise small business like childcare... see if your area does that.
We have several FB pages here to buy and sale. I use them a lot. But it seems that a lot of people who want "cheap" care hang out there lol. I do post on them often. I am going to try later and see if I can do a CL ad and hook it to my web page! Never tried it before, but surely I can figure it out.
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childcaremom 06:19 AM 04-07-2016
It is hard to compete with that.

I have focussed on what sets me apart from other daycares. Then I raised my rates. I am among the highest in home daycares in a small town. I go through gluts but so does everyone. I tend to fill my spaces before others do, though. I focus on what I offer that others do not and highlight those things. A lot.

I have a website but don't use it to it's advantages. I use weebly which is very easy to navigate. I do use my facebook page a LOT. I am very play oriented but it is easy enough to highlight the activities that the children are doing and present it in an interesting way. I get a lot of comments about it.

I advertise all the time on kijiji, even if I don't have openings. That way I have a base to draw from if something does open up. I refresh my ad every month or so so it is not always at the top but rotates enough that I can get new interest. I use fb to advertise only sporadically. I also have started not responding to people looking for care, but rather post my ad, very unwordy but heavy on pictures, and let people contact me.

Is there a niche that you could fill in your area? Is there a certain clientele that you could cater to? It's super hard when people are doing it for a hobby or just some extra cash. They never last long but it sure makes it hard to build a client base.
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