# Of Hours a Child Should Be in Daycare/Cost

FWIW...I would pay a nanny/daycare/day camp $75 per day per child.
That's pretty standard around Chicago.

Since you've already begun caring for children, I would think that it might be best to inform your clients that in 30 days, or 2 weeks, or whenever seems fair, new policies are going to be implemented.

Inform your clients that your rates will be increasing. Say something like $25 for 8 hours, plus $5 per hour for every hour after that. And an hour is a portion of an hour. If a child stays for 8 hours and then 30 extra minutes, or 20, or 45, they pay the $5.00. If you want you can have a 10 minute grace period. Give them a fair warning.

And then clarify your meal plan. Breakfast, lunch and two snacks should be an extra $5 per day at least. It should be separate from the care rate. Also, there should be an extra charge for accepting a child straight out of bed who needs their morning routine (face washed, clothes changed, diapers changed, etc).

Put everything in very clear, concise writing, and have people sign it. State when payments are expected, and state what your non-payment policy is. And be strict. And be consistent across the board. It doesn't matter if it's little Bailey or anyone else.

You might also remind parents of what kind of care their children receive at your home. If you're insured or licensed or trained in CPR or have a degree or anything, remind them of that. Remind them about the meals and snacks (hopefully they're fairly healthy).

I'd just add that the mother's salary is not the point. You charge what is fair. The grocery store doesn't reduce their prices because she can't afford it, or raise them because she can. Neither should you. You also have to act as if you have no idea what she makes - just because you have a daughter who works there doesn't mean you are entitled to this info. So take that out of the equation.

If you are feeding 2 meals and 2 snacks, and making less than $3 an hour as others have pointed out, you aren't running a business. You are helping people out in exchange for their spare change.

If you have written specifications already, or a contract, great. Simply give her a new copy and let her know you will be enforcing it. If you have already put something in there about extra costs for late pick-ups, great. Print up an invoice for late charges.

If you have not done this, then write one up but give it to ALL parents so it's not personal. Indicate what you pay for/provide, and what THEY provide. Establish extra charges for late payments (say when payments are due), and additional services such as providing food when the parent doesn't, diapers when the parent doesn't, and changing. Indicate that children are expected to arrive ready to start their day, and that includes being dressed and out of their overnight diaper, and having a spare set of clean clothes on hand for messes and accidents. Every day care, preschool and kindergarten requires a change of seasonally-appropriate clothes, usually in a shoebox labeled with the child's name.

Put in whatever your policy is for vacations and snow days and so on.

Establish a system whereby a warning is given for non-compliance with the contract, and that 2 weeks notice will then be given before you fill that child's slot with someone from your waiting list.

Please use standard language (you can find plenty on line) and absolutely have someone look it over who is a terrific proofreader! You don't want any spelling errors in it at all, because it looks unprofessional, and you are trying to upgrade your image here.

Some childcare providers are super relaxed about this stuff, and others run them just a like a daycare where parents can get billed for every extra 5 minutes. Decide which suits you best. Then be consistent between all parents.

You can be a flexible person and still not be a pushover. When you say a mother is bringing her child 10 1/2 hours a day, you're saying she's in charge. But it's your business.

If you've allowed this to happen over time, it's more awkward to address, but you still can.
Ask "Is there a reason you're not able to get here at pick up time?". If she says she works late or gets stuck in traffic, you say "I understand, but I will need to charge extra for my time.".

Nothing unreasonable about that.

Tell her how many diapers you need a week. My daycare would attach a note to diaper bag that said "Need diapers/wipes" when we were down to our last ten. I appreciated that.

This lady might be a scatterbrain. She may not intend to take advantage. That's why you have the same rules for everyone. Approach it like that. Don't make it personal. This is a business. You just say "This is awkward, but I would appreciate you paying me the first of the week. Those are my terms". No explanation necessary.

Good luck :)

People who work an 8 hr work day with an hour lunch would need childcare for approx 10 hours (or slightly more) depending on commute time. I'm one of those people so restricting it to a 9 hour day doesn't seem practical as a standard.

What the parent is paid is irrelevant. It is reasonable to reevaluate your rates (I don't know what is customary where you are). It is also reasonable to expect the children to come ready to start their day and with the necessary parent supplied items.

how much the mother makes is not relevant.
you are underpaid and resentful. surely that's reason enough to make a change.
of course you have a right to be compensated for extra hours and extra work.
i suggest you need some bolstering in your confidence if this simple fact is causing you to reach out for so much validation.
this is your business. treat it as such.
khairete
S.

$25/9 hours = $2.78 per hour. That seems really low to me.

You are running a business. Your rates should be different depending on the age of the child and you should have set hours with fees for any time over that. Normally the fees are huge to discourage people from being late. So you need to write a new contract, have your families sign it, and be prepared for some of them to leave if they don't like it. But cover your bases.

I also don't want to be rude, but it's none of your business how much the mom makes. You have no idea what her other expenses are in life, what her deductions are, or where she has other commitments. It's flat out not your business.

The market rate varies by area so you have to see what providers in your area are charging for similar services and scale up or down accordingly. I can tell you that 15 years ago, up to 9 hours of childcare in a daycare center cost me $65 a day for one child. I pay my after-school sitter $25 for 2 hours of care for two boys ages 10 and 11 who are often not even home when she's here (they go to friends' houses, she drives them places, etc.). So my gut is saying that you are grossly underpaid, but where I live, everything is more expensive than it is most places.

If you search for this, you'll find similar questions with answers that you will find helpful. I think one may have been as recently as last week. The gist of it is that you need to treat your business as the valued resource it is. Charge a reasonable rate (don't undercut the market), outline very clearly what your services do and do not include, set your hours along with a penalty for late pickups (the centers I used charged $1 per minute after a certain hour), put everything in writing and have your clients sign it. Those who value your services will accept the terms of the agreement or not. If they don't, that leaves room in your business to bring in clients who are more willing to pay you what you're worth and abide by reasonable schedules, etc.

I don't understand. You are running a business and providing a service. Didn't you have a contract or some other signed document when you took on this child stating your daycare policies, rates, hours, expectations, what's to be provided, etc? That way when someone is late or doesn't provide necessary supplies you can simply bill them at the end of the month? It seems to me that's how every daycare and preschool I've ever used has worked.
If you aren't going to be a childcare professional (with clear, upfront and well documented expectations in place) then you won't be treated like one.
Take your business seriously, for both your own well being and that of the kids.

Time to set some ground rules for your business. The going rate near us is 50$ a day with 5$ extra for each 15minutes over the agreed time. The teenagers that watch my daughter charge 10$ an hour. I think you are under charging.

Are you a home sitter who does this 'under the table' so to speak? Do you pay taxes on your income and give each family a statement at the end of the year for their taxes? I'm asking this because I feel it reflects on what you can charge. If you are an up and up business, then you need to research what other daycare places charge and charge more accordingly. If you are under the table then people will pay you and treat you as such. That makes the difference between 'daycare' and a babysitter. If you are not licensed, you could be breaking the law with how many children you are watching in your home at one time.

If you are a licensed child care provider then you need to draw up contracts stating your rates and terms and have every parent sign them.

My daycare charged $40/day. More than you are charging but:
- every teacher had an education degree
- it had a curriculum including exposing kids to Spanish
- it was open 7am until 6 pm so up to 11 hours of care was included in that price (and no guilt trip questions about 'why is your kid here so long')
- it never closed. If a teacher was sick, they got a substitute.
- plus all the things you list (food, etc)

So, I think you should see how what you are offering compares with daycares that charge more before you decide you are underpaid. You cant expect to charge a premium if you aren't offering all the same extras.

ETA: I agree with others that a 10 hour daycare day is not unreasonable. If a person works 9-5, they need childcare from 8-6 at least - which is 10 hours. Many people have longer commutes or jobs that require them to occasionally stay late, which easily pushes in to the 10.5 hour range. And the mom's salary is none of your business.

I paid $35/day when my son was in daycare and that was 7 years ago. I brought my own formula and later meals and snack. The facility provided wipes and tissues. If my son woke before we left for daycare, then he was fed and in day clothes when dropped off. But I would have been very annoyed if the daycare provider expected me to wake my son early so it would be more convenient for her. Currently (fourth grade) I pay $22/day for his after school program which runs for two hours.

ETA: My son was in a daycare center and they had no specific clothing requirements. I am perhaps confused, but when my son was an infant he slept in a one piece outfit with a sleep sac and spent the day in primarily one piece outfits (without the sleep sac). Not really sure what the difference between a 'daytime' outfit and a night time one is. He didn't wear actual pajamas until he was probably 1-1/2 or a bit older. As for the clean diaper - kids pee while they are in the car on the way to daycare, while you are carrying them in to daycare and once they arrive there as well. A clean diaper is not a requirement for drop off.

Since it showed up twice I'm copying and pasting my answer to both of them.

People who don't work in child care often don't have any idea how child care works.

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I"m trying to point out HOW child care works.

Think of it like this.

If you have an employee that is supposed to be at work at 8am do you expect her to walk in the door at exactly 8am? To take her coat and boots off and get her purse put up and stuff? To not actually do anything until 8:15/8:30? Or do you expect that employee to be settled in their workplace and ready to start work at 8am. That's normal. That means they need their kiddo to be in child care no later than 7:30 so they can get to work and get ready for their day.

Then if you work them for 8 hours and give them a half hour lunch break, they get off at 4:30...that's good. But they have actually been at work for 8.5 hours. How do you think they can have their kids in child care for less than 8.5 hours? It's impossible.

Did you ever work 8-5? That is 9 HOURS at work then add your travel time to and from the provider!

There is no way a FULL time employee can leave their child only 8.5 hours and work full time. It's at least a 9 hour day in child care. Usually more if it's in a larger town. Rush hour traffic, wrecks, getting to work and getting ready to start work on time, etc...

For a full time employee who is both dropping their child off in the morning and picking them up in the evening those kids have to be there well over 9-10.5 hours per day.

Mine were almost all in from 7:15am to 5:45pm because mom/dad needed a few minutes before 8am to sit down, go through mail, check messages, go to the bathroom, get their day's work ready, etc...then get off work and drive to child care. That's 10-10.5 hours per day.

My personal opinion.

If you are open until 6pm every single parent has paid for that day and they have the RIGHT to leave their kids in your care until closing time EVEN if they get off work at 3pm.

This parent has PAID for your time. They have paid for a day of care, open to close. You have hours of operation. If she's late, after closing time...not when YOU think she should pick the kiddo up, closing time... she pays the late fee. If she's within your hours of operation she doesn't have to pick them up even if she's at home. She has paid you for your time.

Your hours of operation should be posted on your contract with the state for your license if you have one. They should also be posted in your parent area on the bulletin board.

Parents work, they get off work when they get off, they might have errands to run when they get off, they have paid for your time and they are entitled to use it.

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As to you providing food.

Babies 12 months old and younger:

Parent provide formula and diapers and wipes. Babies eating food can eat table food from the kitchen. In centers the babies often eat food from the kitchen that is ground or chopped up.

If this mother is not bringing enough formula for her infant then you need to ask her to bring a container of it to leave there. You can let her know when she needs to bring another one. If he's out he doesn't stay. Period. He has no food/formula? You can't starve him all day, she should have brought another container. Give her as much notice as possible. She might not have cash to run down to Walmart and get another can at 7am on the day he needs it.

As for all the other kids you care for, you are supposed to provide all food and drinks, anything consumed by the kids. NO extra charge, it is part of the money they pay for a full day of care.

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Now, as to your charge per day.

In Oklahoma children in home care get about what you're charging per day for infants. $25-$30 per day for babies based on the providers level of education, what they offer in the way of pre-school curriculum, infant massage, stimulation and how they play with the kids during the day, if they have a purchased lesson plan that is for the age of child. Having a babysitter compared to a teacher than has lessons planned and has invested money in toys and things that improve their level of care AND that gives them the ability to achieve higher ratings and receive more pay per day.

For toddlers it goes down to about $23-$26. Age 3 it's about $20-$22, age 4 is about $18, and down to about $11 for school age kids per day.

PER DAY. I would imagine Missouri is about the same as far as income levels and such.

So if you're charging $25 per day you are right on the mark of what everyone around you is getting. You should call around and ask for prices though. See what other providers are charging, both home and center options.

All in all, child care cost is comparable to what you are currently charging. You "could" go up another couple of dollars per day but you would likely be out pricing yourself if you go up more than that.

I think you know the answer.

Also, I happen to pay the teen baby sitter more (per hour) for the random 4 hours once a month than a person who will get a regular full time payment. You have more than one child, so you are not a nanny nor a babysitter who goes to the home (totally different rate).

What kind of a mother leaves a child with a daycare that long? There is something going on in the mother's life that is not positive for this baby. If he is there in the nighttime diaper in the morning and leaves 10 hours later, it makes me think the mother does have much awake time with him/her.

I would cancel this child if the mother makes $30 an hour and can't have the decency to pay on time and provide what is expected. It is one thing if she was living in poverty, but $30 an hour in the midwest should allow her afford this daycare.

Do you charge $25 a day and allow someone to drop off once or twice a week? Or are these people expected to commit to a 5 day a week schedule? So do you get $125 a week? I ask because some people (nurses or firemen) may not need you every day and that could impact your income. I would charge $40 a day or $30 a day if committed to 5 days a week.

Check out SitterCity.com to find out going rates in your area.
Your rates seem very low to me.
17 years ago a commercial daycare was charging me $169 per week for infant care - these days I don't think I could find a rate that low.
Have people sign a contract with you (spell everything out, renewed annually or every 6 months) and charge $5 per MINUTE for a late charge.
That's right - 10min late is an extra $50 - that should get their attention.
If you are not paid, refuse to babysit them again until they are paid up and if they are chronically late, insist they pay in advance.
If worse comes to worse - you'll have to fire people who can't follow your rules.
You are providing a service and running a business - so run it like a business.

Since it showed up twice I'm copying and pasting my answer to both of them.

People who don't work in child care often don't have any idea how child care works.

****************************************
I"m trying to point out HOW child care works.

Think of it like this.

If you have an employee that is supposed to be at work at 8am do you expect her to walk in the door at exactly 8am? To take her coat and boots off and get her purse put up and stuff? To not actually do anything until 8:15/8:30? Or do you expect that employee to be settled in their workplace and ready to start work at 8am. That's normal. That means they need their kiddo to be in child care no later than 7:30 so they can get to work and get ready for their day.

Then if you work them for 8 hours and give them a half hour lunch break, they get off at 4:30...that's good. But they have actually been at work for 8.5 hours. How do you think they can have their kids in child care for less than 8.5 hours? It's impossible.

Did you ever work 8-5? That is 9 HOURS at work then add your travel time to and from the provider!

There is no way a FULL time employee can leave their child only 8.5 hours and work full time. It's at least a 9 hour day in child care. Usually more if it's in a larger town. Rush hour traffic, wrecks, getting to work and getting ready to start work on time, etc...

For a full time employee who is both dropping their child off in the morning and picking them up in the evening those kids have to be there well over 9-10.5 hours per day.

Mine were almost all in from 7:15am to 5:45pm because mom/dad needed a few minutes before 8am to sit down, go through mail, check messages, go to the bathroom, get their day's work ready, etc...then get off work and drive to child care. That's 10-10.5 hours per day.

My personal opinion.

If you are open until 6pm every single parent has paid for that day and they have the RIGHT to leave their kids in your care until closing time EVEN if they get off work at 3pm.

This parent has PAID for your time. They have paid for a day of care, open to close. You have hours of operation. If she's late, after closing time...not when YOU think she should pick the kiddo up, closing time... she pays the late fee. If she's within your hours of operation she doesn't have to pick them up even if she's at home. She has paid you for your time.

Your hours of operation should be posted on your contract with the state for your license if you have one. They should also be posted in your parent area on the bulletin board.

Parents work, they get off work when they get off, they might have errands to run when they get off, they have paid for your time and they are entitled to use it.

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As to you providing food.

Babies 12 months old and younger:

Parent provide formula and diapers and wipes. Babies eating food can eat table food from the kitchen. In centers the babies often eat food from the kitchen that is ground or chopped up.

If this mother is not bringing enough formula for her infant then you need to ask her to bring a container of it to leave there. You can let her know when she needs to bring another one. If he's out he doesn't stay. Period. He has no food/formula? You can't starve him all day, she should have brought another container. Give her as much notice as possible. She might not have cash to run down to Walmart and get another can at 7am on the day he needs it.

As for all the other kids you care for, you are supposed to provide all food and drinks, anything consumed by the kids. NO extra charge, it is part of the money they pay for a full day of care.

******************************************************
Now, as to your charge per day.

In Oklahoma children in home care get about what you're charging per day for infants. $25-$30 per day for babies based on the providers level of education, what they offer in the way of pre-school curriculum, infant massage, stimulation and how they play with the kids during the day, if they have a purchased lesson plan that is for the age of child. Having a babysitter compared to a teacher than has lessons planned and has invested money in toys and things that improve their level of care AND that gives them the ability to achieve higher ratings and receive more pay per day.

For toddlers it goes down to about $23-$26. Age 3 it's about $20-$22, age 4 is about $18, and down to about $11 for school age kids per day.

PER DAY. I would imagine Missouri is about the same as far as income levels and such.

So if you're charging $25 per day you are right on the mark of what everyone around you is getting. You should call around and ask for prices though. See what other providers are charging, both home and center options.

All in all, child care cost is comparable to what you are currently charging. You "could" go up another couple of dollars per day but you would likely be out pricing yourself if you go up more than that.

On January 31st. I asked a babysitting question. (Babysitting for my neighbour)If you look up that date, you'll see responses from my question too. A lot of great info from everyone! I'm going to also read all of the new responses that you get. I can't give you a response I feel comfortable with because I'm learning! :) CONTRACT!!!!

if it were a daycare center and not an in home daycare the parent would not be allowed to bring their child straight out of bed. a clean diaper and a play outfit would be required. they would be allowed to dropoff after 6 am and have to pick up before 6 pm. the late pickup fees start at 6pm period. they would be required to provide enough formula for the length of time the child is at daycare, as well as enough diapers and wipes. any other food would be provided under the cost of care.

i suggest you give a notice to all parents, write up a contract and make a handbook of rules that parents need to follow. and have all parents sign off on the new policies. and you can increase your rates when doing so. where i am from its like 50/day for an infant, 40/day toddler 30 for 3 and up and discounts for multiple children.

I'd say you are being used. You need a firm contract with your terms and rules.

My 21yr old daughter has a job on Mondays only ( 2-7) for a 3 and 6 yr old, picks the 6 yr old up from school and prepares dinner and she gets $15/hour paid on the day of service.

She did not set the rates or rules... The parents did that. Granted, she does drive about 30 minutes each way to their home.

We pay $75/day per child at our center, and that only covers from 8-3:30...anything before that or after that is an additional charge. We also have to pack a lunch. Boy, when I write this down it doesn't sound like we're getting a great deal :). So, yes, $25 per day seems very low. On the other hand, I wouldn't say anything about the diaper/jammies situation...that might seem petty for the 2 minutes it takes to change a diaper and put on some clothes. Good luck!