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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Just a Quick Vent:
Daycarelady1979 07:59 AM 10-30-2012
Why is it ok for me to work for LESS than minimum wage when it's not ok for someone who works at, let's say, McDonald's?? I would think the love & care your child receives at daycare would be more important than flipping burgers. I'm just sayin'...

{Nothing against Mickey D's employees...I worked there & loved it! Best times of my life I was just using it as an example.}

No offense to any daycare providers/parents either...someone just really burned my biscuits this morning asking about my rates. ($5 an hour is "way out of my price range" & "that's just not affordable"...REALLY?? WOW ) If you can't afford it, that's fine, I understand & I will help in any way possible (I even offered a discount!), but don't be nasty about it.

You need a service, I provide a service. Can't we all just get along??
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Blackcat31 08:13 AM 10-30-2012
Because technically after all is said and done, child care providers are making more than minimum wage. Not much but it is more.

I also think that if a family is working for let's say $10 per hour and child care costs them $5 and then taxes take another $2-3 and work expenses cost a few more, they are basically bringing home nothing.

I don't know what area of the country you live in but if I made $5 per hour per child, I would be in heaven! Average rates around here are half that.

What did the potential client say that was so nasty? I hate when people get nasty about stuff too, so now I am curious as to what she said that "burned your biscuits" ( that phrase btw)
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momofboys 08:18 AM 10-30-2012
I'm in Ohio too OP & my rates are only about $3/hr per child, actually not quite $3/hr but close, & I agree they are a little rude to imply it is unaffordable!
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SquirrellyMama 08:27 AM 10-30-2012
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Because technically after all is said and done, child care providers are making more than minimum wage. Not much but it is more.

Not all childcare providers are making more than minimum wage. It depends on how many kids you have. I am making much lower than minimum wage.

I wouldn't be able to make minimum wage in my area watching the 2 kids that I watch. Rates aren't that high.

K
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Blackcat31 08:30 AM 10-30-2012
Originally Posted by SquirrellyMama:
Not all childcare providers are making more than minimum wage. It depends on how many kids you have. I am making much lower than minimum wage.

I wouldn't be able to make minimum wage in my area watching the 2 kids that I watch. Rates aren't that high.

K
Sorry, I should have said "most" or "many".

However, my point was that providing child care rather than working outside the home (for min wage) obviously has its perks/benefits or most of us wouldn't be doing this.
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Daycarelady1979 08:42 AM 10-30-2012
I'm sorry, I haven't figured out the whole copy & paste thing yet, but I make wayyyyyy less than minimum wage. Especially on the full time rates! I do make more on part timers, but they don't pay me when they're not here, so the pay isn't consistent. They pay a little bit more on the hour because their spot isn't always held open, kwim?

For example, I had one full time kid here 50 hours a week...at the full time rate of $125, that means I was technically only making $2.50 an hour. Plus I provide all the food. I do get reimbursed from the food program but not THAT much.

If I break down my bottom line yearly income from my 1040, I'm making almost nothing on the hour.

Not complaining or starting any arguments, I'm totally blessed & happy to be able to stay home & do this job. I'm just saying...if you look on care.com & type in our zip code, the rates are MUCH higher than what I charge & that is for just a "babysitter" in most cases.

If my daycare was full & all the kids were here full time, then yes, absolutely I would be making more than minimum wage. But that's not the case right now, unfortunately.

Nothing but happy thoughts & vibes being sent to you all!!
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SquirrellyMama 08:47 AM 10-30-2012
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Sorry, I should have said "most" or "many".

However, my point was that providing child care rather than working outside the home (for min wage) obviously has its perks/benefits or most of us wouldn't be doing this.
I completely agree that there are many perks and benefits

K
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Daycarelady1979 08:48 AM 10-30-2012
I also agree
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daycarediva 09:43 AM 10-30-2012
I just figured out my hourly rate... $20.50. About $3.50/hr per kid. Not including summer breaks/days off from school. Then it gets bumped up to $23.50, and those are averaging my work week to 10hr days (some days it's more, some less).

No Mc'd's wages here.
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daycarediva 09:44 AM 10-30-2012
I also have to add that I definitely make more than all of my daycare Mom's. Especially since I don't subtract daycare costs and gas to/from work. I have discussed this with the ONE Mom who makes almost as much as I do (RN).
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Unregistered 10:03 AM 10-30-2012
$31.27 an hour here! If you are offering daycare services then yes,five dollars an hour is too much(unless you live in a expensive area) If you were a nanny offering one on one care that's a different story. If you are not running your daycare at full capacity that's not their fault.
I remember when I first opened my daycare i only had one full time and three part time.
Making $385/week or about $7/hour.I worked 55 hours a week and it was tough.
Now I make over $30/hour with 12 kids and an assistant.It will actually be more soon since I changed my closing time by a half hour.
Keep working at enrolling more kids and it will all work out.Good luck!
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EchoMom 10:04 AM 10-30-2012
I'm with Daycarediva. I also make $20.50 an hour, but have paid holidays off. But individually each kid is about $3.20-$3.50 an hour.
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SilverSabre25 10:14 AM 10-30-2012
Originally Posted by glenechogirl:
I'm with Daycarediva. I also make $20.50 an hour, but have paid holidays off. But individually each kid is about $3.20-$3.50 an hour.
See, I live in the wrong part of this darn city. Well, plus I have two kids of my own under 6. IF I were full (I'm not) with kids paying my full-time rate (ha!) I'd make $9.60/hr.

Although...I must ask...how are you calculating that wage?

I work ~10 hours/day so my weekly rate divided by 50 times the number of kids gives my $/hr.
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lovemykidstoo 10:18 AM 10-30-2012
I'm averaging about 16-19 an hour right now.

For the OP though, I agree if that is your rate and the person can't afford it then fine. They do not have to be rude about it though. All they had to say is I'm sorry, that is more than I can afford right now and leave it at that. No need for the person to get nasty.
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crazydaycarelady 10:25 AM 10-30-2012
It is hard to judge the rates or wages since we are all in different parts of the country.

OP - but, but, your not in this for the money.........it's cause you love kids so much, right? LOL
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Daycarelady1979 10:25 AM 10-30-2012
I'm sorry, I guess I don't understand. Minimum wage is $7.70. Someone calls & asks me how much I charge for part time daycare & I say $5.00 an hour...how is that too much?

5 bucks is too much for me to keep your child alive & well but $7.70 is a good amount to make your burger? I just don't get it.

No disrespect to anyone...we all live in different areas & have different rates. To each his own.
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Daycarelady1979 10:27 AM 10-30-2012
And yes, I do love kids!!
Like I said before, I am blessed to be able to do this job.
There are many benefits.
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NeedaVaca 10:41 AM 10-30-2012
To the OP, how many kids do you watch each week? Only one?
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Blackcat31 12:10 PM 10-30-2012
Originally Posted by Daycarelady1979:
I'm sorry, I guess I don't understand. Minimum wage is $7.70. Someone calls & asks me how much I charge for part time daycare & I say $5.00 an hour...how is that too much?

5 bucks is too much for me to keep your child alive & well but $7.70 is a good amount to make your burger? I just don't get it.

No disrespect to anyone...we all live in different areas & have different rates. To each his own.
Because the guy flipping burgers for $7.70 per hour isn't also flipping burgers for Burger King at the SAME time and making another $7.70 per hour.

You are looking at it like you are making less than minimum wage PER child. We all are. You can have more than one child so you are making way more than minimum wage because you have more than one child at a time.

I think that is where everyone in this thread got confused..... you need to look at your wages OVER ALL not just per child.
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lovemykidstoo 12:18 PM 10-30-2012
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Because the guy flipping burgers for $7.70 per hour isn't also flipping burgers for Burger King at the SAME time and making another $7.70 per hour.

You are looking at it like you are making less than minimum wage PER child. We all are. You can have more than one child so you are making way more than minimum wage because you have more than one child at a time.

I think that is where everyone in this thread got confused..... you need to look at your wages OVER ALL not just per child.
That i right. If I just looked at what I was making for 1 child per hour I would be depressed You have to add all the kids together. Plus so many people don't make too much per hour and can't afford to pay $5.00 per hour. A person working at McD's may make $7.70 per hour but how much are they actually bringing home? Just because someone can't afford $5.00 an hour, does not mean they don't feel their child is worh that if that makes sense.
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daycare123 12:25 PM 10-30-2012
I make 8.30 per hour that's with 4 full time kids
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EchoMom 08:24 PM 10-30-2012
Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
See, I live in the wrong part of this darn city. Well, plus I have two kids of my own under 6. IF I were full (I'm not) with kids paying my full-time rate (ha!) I'd make $9.60/hr.

Although...I must ask...how are you calculating that wage?

I work ~10 hours/day so my weekly rate divided by 50 times the number of kids gives my $/hr.
I'll PM you
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thatdivalady 06:27 AM 10-31-2012
Maybe I'm just a little down because our numbers are insanely low right now. But, playing devils advocate....

I make more money as a therapist than I do doing daycare. Plus my income at my job was pretty stable and set. In daycare I can lose a child at any time and/or not recruit enough. I have my reasons for getting into it and I do acknowledge the benefits. But at this point, I still have to work an additional job to provide for my daughter and pay bills.

Okay, $5.00 per hour may be a bit much but if that's the provider's rate you don't have to be nasty about it, you can just not go with that provider.

To the previous poster, no it's really not the family's "fault" if you are not full but it is a reality for many providers that they are not.

Don't mind me, I'm just so annoyed with parents calling about daycare, and then stating that the rates are too high. I post the rates freely on the website and whatever medium I am using for marketing so maybe that's the source of my irritation. Especially when they do get rude and say with an attitude that "it's too expensive." But you want weekend care for your child, or you want those non traditional hours that barely anyone provides... I guess I agree with everyone who posted

*end rant*
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lovemykidstoo 06:59 AM 10-31-2012
Originally Posted by thatdivalady:
Maybe I'm just a little down because our numbers are insanely low right now. But, playing devils advocate....

I make more money as a therapist than I do doing daycare. Plus my income at my job was pretty stable and set. In daycare I can lose a child at any time and/or not recruit enough. I have my reasons for getting into it and I do acknowledge the benefits. But at this point, I still have to work an additional job to provide for my daughter and pay bills.

Okay, $5.00 per hour may be a bit much but if that's the provider's rate you don't have to be nasty about it, you can just not go with that provider.
To the previous poster, no it's really not the family's "fault" if you are not full but it is a reality for many providers that they are not.

Don't mind me, I'm just so annoyed with parents calling about daycare, and then stating that the rates are too high. I post the rates freely on the website and whatever medium I am using for marketing so maybe that's the source of my irritation. Especially when they do get rude and say with an attitude that "it's too expensive." But you want weekend care for your child, or you want those non traditional hours that barely anyone provides... I guess I agree with everyone who posted

*end rant*
That's what I said in my first post. The caller had no reason to be nasty about it. A caller can simply say politely no thank you.
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daycarediva 07:46 AM 10-31-2012
Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
See, I live in the wrong part of this darn city. Well, plus I have two kids of my own under 6. IF I were full (I'm not) with kids paying my full-time rate (ha!) I'd make $9.60/hr.

Although...I must ask...how are you calculating that wage?

I work ~10 hours/day so my weekly rate divided by 50 times the number of kids gives my $/hr.
I have 5 kids (full with my one under 5) and they all pay $175/week.
Then two before and after school kids who pay $75/w each

175x5=875
75x2=150
=1025 % 50=$20.50/hr
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daycarediva 07:50 AM 10-31-2012
I guess I could get technical and add in summer care, after hours care, fees (some of my parents have regular ones) and my 2 weeks of paid time off per year. When my DS ages out of ratio in June, I will be adding in another $175. I am also reducing my hours by 5/week at the new year (parents all aware and ok with it) all of which is going to make my hourly $$$ go up.
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Cat Herder 07:53 AM 10-31-2012
TBH, If I told someone here I charged $5 an hour per child, I'd get laughed at. That is more than 2x the going rate for our region.

If you are inline with your region, just give it back to them.

"Oh, well if you qualify for subsidy, the rate goes way down. I can provide you an application if you'd like."
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Daycarelady1979 10:26 AM 10-31-2012
Just to be clear, I'm talking about $5 an hour for DROP-IN care...such as PART TIME...such as an hour or two when needed. Not consistently. NOT an 8 or 10 hour day of care. You all still think that's too much??

How much would you pay a 'babysitter' per hour if you went out for the night w/ your hubby? Probably much more than that, I would think!

Doesn't really matter anyway, I guess...I told the mom good luck & to try calling the local CCRRA and to have a great day. I'm not going to argue about my rates for self-pay.

BTW- One parent said "That's all?!?" when I told her 5 bucks an hour & signed her kid up right away for before/after school care. She wanted to pay me twice that amount!

I guess each person {each family} is different.
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lovemykidstoo 10:33 AM 10-31-2012
Originally Posted by Daycarelady1979:
Just to be clear, I'm talking about $5 an hour for DROP-IN care...such as PART TIME...such as an hour or two when needed. Not consistently. NOT an 8 or 10 hour day of care. You all still think that's too much??

How much would you pay a 'babysitter' per hour if you went out for the night w/ your hubby? Probably much more than that, I would think!

Doesn't really matter anyway, I guess...I told the mom good luck & to try calling the local CCRRA and to have a great day. I'm not going to argue about my rates for self-pay.

BTW- One parent said "That's all?!?" when I told her 5 bucks an hour & signed her kid up right away for before/after school care. She wanted to pay me twice that amount!

I guess each person {each family} is different.
I have a dcg that gets off the bus here. I have her anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hr and I charge her $5.00 a day.
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EntropyControlSpecialist 10:35 AM 10-31-2012
My husband and I both work here and we make about $28.00 an hour combined. But, our early hour we do nothing with the children beyond getting them comfortable on their cot and our extended hour we do nothing with the children beyond getting out new toys for them to play with. So, technically we make about $34.00 an hour for actually working. We recently bartered our services so we aren't currently bringing in the same amount for the next year.

I understand it's different for others, though.

When I offered drop in care (briefly), it was $6.00 an hour. So, no I don't think $5.00 is too much!
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EntropyControlSpecialist 10:37 AM 10-31-2012
Originally Posted by Daycarelady1979:
Just to be clear, I'm talking about $5 an hour for DROP-IN care...such as PART TIME...such as an hour or two when needed. Not consistently. NOT an 8 or 10 hour day of care. You all still think that's too much??

How much would you pay a 'babysitter' per hour if you went out for the night w/ your hubby? Probably much more than that, I would think!

Doesn't really matter anyway, I guess...I told the mom good luck & to try calling the local CCRRA and to have a great day. I'm not going to argue about my rates for self-pay.

BTW- One parent said "That's all?!?" when I told her 5 bucks an hour & signed her kid up right away for before/after school care. She wanted to pay me twice that amount!

I guess each person {each family} is different.
Absolutely! I had one family BALK at the $6.00 for the extra hour (extended day care) each day, and another family that claimed it was a bargain and they are so happy that we offer it so cheaply! The family claiming it is a bargain makes far less money than the ones that were OFFENDED that I would dare charge $6.00.
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Tags:minimum wage, parents - disrespect, therapist, vent
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