Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>I Need Some Ideas On How To Charge
daymommy 10:13 AM 02-20-2011
Lately I've been thinking that I need to change my rates/the way I charge. Right now I charge $25/day with contracted days (so each family has a set amount they pay each week). I'm open from 6:30am to 5:30pm. This worked when I first started, but now I'm starting to feel taken advantage of. Parents are bringing their kids right at 6:30 and pulling in the driveway at 5:30. It's frustrating because I provide care for our neighbor so I see when she comes home (4:00 at the latest, and a lot of days she gets home at 1 or 2). Occassionally she will have to work an evening, and then Dad picks up, but when she doesn't go in until 11 she still has Dad bring her at 6:30 when he leaves. It's not just them though... I have other parents to come right at 5:30 or later and then tell me about how busy Target was or how Shopko was having some really good sales. We live out of town and are on the way for all my families (they all still have about 1/2 hour commute to work) so I understand that once and awhile they may need to stop for something after work before picking up, but it has gotten to be an everyday occurance with a few of my families.

I know that since I'm charging by the day they are thinking that they are paying for the whole day so they might as well get the most for their money, so I was thinking I should change the way I charge to give them more incentive to come get their kids when they aren't at work. I really didn't expect so much of this problem when I started 2 years ago. When my son was in daycare I couldn't get to him fast enough after work! The most frustrating thing is when the parents who have their kids here for 11 hours every day tell me how lucky I am that I can be home with my kids.

How do some of you guys charge? Any ideas on how I could give them some incentive to pick up their kids? Should I switch to hourly?
Reply
Tags:rate increase, rate quote, rate sample, rates
Up