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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Teacher Clients - March and Christmas Break Charges?
childcaremom 09:57 AM 02-04-2014
I have seen a lot of ideas as to how everyone charges (or not) teachers for summer breaks.... but what about March Break and Christmas?
I am (hoping to) switching to providing care strictly for teachers' children.
I have decided to charge a holding fee of $200 for the summer months to guarantee their spot for September, payable by June 15th.
I am a little stumped about how to handle the wording around March Break and Christmas Break. I plan to not offer care over these weeks. I still expect payment every 2 weeks, as I've calculated tuition based on what I need to make in one year, divided over the school year evenly.
I'm trying to word my policy so that it is clear that they need to pay every 2 weeks, regardless of closures, but also that I will not be available during the school holidays.
I was thinking of something like this:
Tuition periods commence on September 1 and end on June 30. Pay periods are bi-weekly. Receipts are provided at the end of every month.
Daycare is closed and unavailable on the following dates:
*stat holidays (list)
*March Break (exact dates will vary from year to year)
*Christmas Break (exact dates will vary from year to year)
*storm days (in which your family of schools is closed)
Please note that daycare is available on PD Days and early closure days. In some instances, daycare may be available in the week prior to the beginning of the school year (eg: last week of August), allowing a teacher time to prepare his/her classroom. If this is something you are interested in, this must be arranged no less than 4 weeks in advance. I reserve the right to say no if this request cannot be accomodated.
I guess I'm wondering if I need to explain my rates any further than this. Would it be too much info for a client to know that I've factored out the school year tuition evenly over the full months of attendance? In other words, accounted for holidays but with expected, regular and equal tuition payments? I have already talked to a few parents and told them that they are charged every 2 weeks, including over holidays, with no payment over the summer. They are both keen to sign but I am wondering if I should handle this a bit differently in the future.
How do you handle this?
I am (hoping to) switching to providing care strictly for teachers' children.
I have decided to charge a holding fee of $200 for the summer months to guarantee their spot for September, payable by June 15th.
I am a little stumped about how to handle the wording around March Break and Christmas Break. I plan to not offer care over these weeks. I still expect payment every 2 weeks, as I've calculated tuition based on what I need to make in one year, divided over the school year evenly.
I'm trying to word my policy so that it is clear that they need to pay every 2 weeks, regardless of closures, but also that I will not be available during the school holidays.
I was thinking of something like this:
Tuition periods commence on September 1 and end on June 30. Pay periods are bi-weekly. Receipts are provided at the end of every month.
Daycare is closed and unavailable on the following dates:
*stat holidays (list)
*March Break (exact dates will vary from year to year)
*Christmas Break (exact dates will vary from year to year)
*storm days (in which your family of schools is closed)
Please note that daycare is available on PD Days and early closure days. In some instances, daycare may be available in the week prior to the beginning of the school year (eg: last week of August), allowing a teacher time to prepare his/her classroom. If this is something you are interested in, this must be arranged no less than 4 weeks in advance. I reserve the right to say no if this request cannot be accomodated.
I guess I'm wondering if I need to explain my rates any further than this. Would it be too much info for a client to know that I've factored out the school year tuition evenly over the full months of attendance? In other words, accounted for holidays but with expected, regular and equal tuition payments? I have already talked to a few parents and told them that they are charged every 2 weeks, including over holidays, with no payment over the summer. They are both keen to sign but I am wondering if I should handle this a bit differently in the future.
How do you handle this?
butterfly 10:20 AM 02-04-2014
I do something very similar to what you are trying to do here. 
My policies state that I follow the school district calendar for holidays and breaks. I have the following in my contract:
"This rate will be paid regardless if the child is here or not. The ONLY reason the full rate will not be paid is if I am closed due to illness or vacation. I will be closed the same holidays as the XXX School District. These holidays are paid days off, but I do not charge for the 1 FULL week that I’m closed during Christmas break. I also do not charge for the summer when I am closed. "
Reading it now, I could have made it sound a little more professional...
I charge the same every week except for the full week off during christmas break. (this year it was 2 full weeks off so I didn't charge for 2 weeks.) If I'm open a partial week, I charge the full rate.
My policies state that I follow the school district calendar for holidays and breaks. I have the following in my contract:"This rate will be paid regardless if the child is here or not. The ONLY reason the full rate will not be paid is if I am closed due to illness or vacation. I will be closed the same holidays as the XXX School District. These holidays are paid days off, but I do not charge for the 1 FULL week that I’m closed during Christmas break. I also do not charge for the summer when I am closed. "
Reading it now, I could have made it sound a little more professional...
I charge the same every week except for the full week off during christmas break. (this year it was 2 full weeks off so I didn't charge for 2 weeks.) If I'm open a partial week, I charge the full rate.
butterfly 10:23 AM 02-04-2014
I also make sure I had out a school calendar for the year with each enrollment too. I have a few SAHM that use my services too, so I want to make sure eveyone is on the same page. (I also have a couple teachers from other districts that have slightly different holiday breaks, but I make sure they are aware which school district's schedule I follow.)
childcaremom 10:49 AM 02-04-2014
So March Break, yes you charge? Christmas you don't charge for the week? But if schools are open for a few days then you would charge for the full week?
Christmas Break here usually works out to 10 days off total. But that covers Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, in those days off.
I mean, I think it seems like I am getting paid for 3 weeks of holidays, but I'm not. I just figured the total amount of salary I need, then spread it evenly over the entire time period. I figured it was easier for me to just charge the same amount each and every two weeks and figured it was easier for them to budget that way, too.
Is there a professional way of saying that, or do I even need to? Just put it out there and let them agree or not to it?
Maybe if I said:
In the interest of simplicity, childcare billing for the school year is bi-weekly at a set rate of $xxx. Receipts are provided at the end of every month. Payment is set by enrollment, not attendance, therefore if your child is ill, absent, etc etc blah blah blah. March, Christmas and Summer breaks are accounted for in the setting of tuition rates.
And then list closures....
Christmas Break here usually works out to 10 days off total. But that covers Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, in those days off.
I mean, I think it seems like I am getting paid for 3 weeks of holidays, but I'm not. I just figured the total amount of salary I need, then spread it evenly over the entire time period. I figured it was easier for me to just charge the same amount each and every two weeks and figured it was easier for them to budget that way, too.
Is there a professional way of saying that, or do I even need to? Just put it out there and let them agree or not to it?
Maybe if I said:
In the interest of simplicity, childcare billing for the school year is bi-weekly at a set rate of $xxx. Receipts are provided at the end of every month. Payment is set by enrollment, not attendance, therefore if your child is ill, absent, etc etc blah blah blah. March, Christmas and Summer breaks are accounted for in the setting of tuition rates.
And then list closures....
butterfly 10:59 AM 02-04-2014
Originally Posted by childcaremom:
So March Break, yes you charge?Yes. Christmas you don't charge for the week? correct. But if schools are open for a few days then you would charge for the full week? Yes.
Christmas Break here usually works out to 10 days off total. But that covers Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, in those days off. Same here.
I mean, I think it seems like I am getting paid for 3 weeks of holidays, but I'm not. I just figured the total amount of salary I need, then spread it evenly over the entire time period. I figured it was easier for me to just charge the same amount each and every two weeks and figured it was easier for them to budget that way, too.
Is there a professional way of saying that, or do I even need to? I personally wouldn't get into all that with the parents. If they ask, you could tell them, but really I feel like it's none of their business how I figure my rates. They can take it or leave it if they don't like it.Just put it out there and let them agree or not to it? Yep.
Maybe if I said:
In the interest of simplicity, childcare billing for the school year is bi-weekly at a set rate of $xxx. Receipts are provided at the end of every month. Payment is set by enrollment, not attendance, therefore if your child is ill, absent, etc etc blah blah blah.
And then list closures.... I don't list out all the closures. I just state that I follow the school district calendar. The closures can and will change from year to year and if I forget or choose not to update my handbook, I don't want to get shot in the foot. That's just me though...
see responses above in color So March Break, yes you charge?Yes. Christmas you don't charge for the week? correct. But if schools are open for a few days then you would charge for the full week? Yes.
Christmas Break here usually works out to 10 days off total. But that covers Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, in those days off. Same here.
I mean, I think it seems like I am getting paid for 3 weeks of holidays, but I'm not. I just figured the total amount of salary I need, then spread it evenly over the entire time period. I figured it was easier for me to just charge the same amount each and every two weeks and figured it was easier for them to budget that way, too.
Is there a professional way of saying that, or do I even need to? I personally wouldn't get into all that with the parents. If they ask, you could tell them, but really I feel like it's none of their business how I figure my rates. They can take it or leave it if they don't like it.
Just put it out there and let them agree or not to it? Yep. Maybe if I said:
In the interest of simplicity, childcare billing for the school year is bi-weekly at a set rate of $xxx. Receipts are provided at the end of every month. Payment is set by enrollment, not attendance, therefore if your child is ill, absent, etc etc blah blah blah.
And then list closures.... I don't list out all the closures. I just state that I follow the school district calendar. The closures can and will change from year to year and if I forget or choose not to update my handbook, I don't want to get shot in the foot. That's just me though...
childcaremom 11:08 AM 02-04-2014
Ok. Gotcha!
I just edited my response above that my rates account for the breaks.... but I think I will leave that out of the policy book and just verbally tell the parent if they ask about that.
Thanks!
I just edited my response above that my rates account for the breaks.... but I think I will leave that out of the policy book and just verbally tell the parent if they ask about that.
Thanks!