I have been a home daycare provider fo 5 years. I'm curious as to what most mom's think of at the top of their list when looking for a provider. It seems that when people call me for daycare 95% of the time the first questions is what do I charge.
When I started my daycare my thought was, as a former working mom, that I should provide care for others based on what I really wanted when my child went to daycare. I wanted a safe, clean house. A provider that didn't watch a bunch of kids. I didn't want a daycare like the one my nephew was going to. She had about 9 kids & they stayed in the basement all day. I wanted activities, outdoor play, and learning. I wanted a provider my children loved and who loved my children.
So I set out to have my vision of pretty darn good daycare. I have a nice large playroom with lots of toys, puzzles, blocks, books, computer, music, etc... I ordered a preschool program. I bought smocks, paints, make my own playdough. The problem I seem to find is that most people I talk to don't seem to care. I literally have had parents tell me that their child just likes to watch tv, so just turn on cartoons & they'll be fine. Of course, I have spoken with parents on the opposite end of the spectrum too. Parent's who want you to turn their child into a genius. They want you to be the "perfect" surrogate parent. They would like you to teach their children a foreign language, how to read by age 3, be an artist, a musician, nutritionist, philosopher, nurse, etc.. All for $2 per hour. I try my best to do everything I can for every child I care for. I nurture them, do lots of fun activities with them, teach them, and I have been lucky to find children and parents who appreciate that. But, more often than not, when speaking with prospective families they are really not interested in anything we do. That's just all a nice added bonus, but "what do you charge".
I have a very good friend that started a pet sitting business. She has to turn people away. I find it ironic because she charges $35 per day to walk a dog three times for 20 minutes each visit. She has a waiting list. If I told the people who call me $35 per day to care for a child 8-10 hours a day or more they'd act as if I'm insane. I know this because I have told many people that amount over the phone. Usually, the only question asked & then they hang up never to be heard from again.
I guess I'm just frustrated. People say they really want good childcare, someone they can trust, someone who cares about their child. I am blessed to have cared for children of those types of parents. More and more though it seems the only inquiries I get are solely based on money, not quality of care. I cannot tell you the number of people who have asked me if I would be willing to take $130 a week for 55-60 hours of childcare. That is less than $2.50 per hour. I realize that having to pay for daycare is a big expense for most families, I paid for dc in the past. What are people really looking for - money or quality?
My neighbor is a dc provider she has no room for daycare, a very small house. She has the children sleep on her living room floor in a sleeping bag. She smokes and has cats. She is not shy about telling people that she does no activities with the kids. They sleep, eat, & watch a lot of tv. She has a booming business.
EDITED TO ADD: I AM NOT IN THIS FOR THE MONEY. If money was my motivating factor I certainly wouldn't have chosen daycare. I have made every effort to make a great place for kids because I love to spend time with children. My complaint is that some people seem more concerned with saving $10 a week than getting a reliable, loving, educational environment for their child.
I wrote this this morning because, I had my third call in a month from someone looking for daycare starting the next day solely based on the cost. They didn't even care if they met me before bringing their child here. I find that amazing. As long as the price is right I'll bring you the most precious things in my life without knowing one thing about you. Granted most people wouldn't do this, but this is my third call in a month.
I charge just a very small amount more than the providers around me. I charge $10 more a week based on the fact that I do activities that cost me money. I provide healthy meals. I don't watch a gaggle of children so their child can get individual attention. I know not all parents are like the one's I'm complaining about. It has just been my experience lately that most calls I have received have inquired about one thing, price, and that is it. People go to starbucks or a fast-food restaurant and don't give a second thought to the money they are spending. Some of those same people aren't willing to pay the cost of 2 mocha latte's to have activities for their child to do at daycare. I know price is a huge factor, but I think that parents have to realize that any added services a provider offers like preschool programs, crafts, healthy foods, etc... all cost her money.
When I was looking for daycare, the most important thing to me was to find out why the provider was doing daycare. I wanted my son to be with someone who truly loves children. I also wanted a clean and safe environment and some activities. The cost was the last thing I asked about. Everyone I talked to was charging about the same amount.
I was lucky to find a wonderful provider who teaches as well as watches my son. I have noticed that he is more advanced with his letters, numbers and colors than his cousin who is the same age. Some of this I attribute to the provider's work with him. Our provider also works with the kid's manners. My son is great with "please" and "thank you" and he is only 2 1/2.
It sounds to me like the daycare you are providing is what a working Mom would love to find. I am sorry you are having trouble finding parent's who deserve your services. When I was looking I subscribed to the YWCA's childcare list. I am not sure what is involved in getting listed with them but you might want to look into it.
Hang in there. There are Mom's out there who will appreciate what you provide.
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C.S.
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I think the way you have your daycare set up, is a great benefit to anyone who is there! I currently have my children in a daycare that is set up similar to what you describe. Cost was a factor, but I loved what she offered so much, that I slowly went to her. =) I moved my younger son there first, and had my mil watch him on fridays. Once she had more room, I moved my second son there. Nothing's perfect.. every place has their flaws.. but I have been with 4 different places (my oldest is only 5.5) and space, relatively clean (but definitely able to get dirty with the kids) and structure are really important. A loving environment where the kids become part of the family, is just really a great thing!
I hope that you start getting parents who realize what you offer. I know that my current sitter costs more than one of the other ones I went to, but my kids weren't bringing home anything! No papers, no structured activities. I have also paid just as much for a sitter, who DID let the kids watch tv when they wanted. But what good is that for anyone!
There are people out there looking for quality care.. and of course, we all need it to be reasonable. I don't know what your rates are, but the place I am at, set up similar to yours is as follows:
Infant - 3, $32 a day.
3-5, $29 a day.
Grade school is $25 a day, or $5 per hour I think for after school only?
The second child gets a $5 a day discount as well.
C.
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M.C.
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I read your comments and I guess I'm shocked at the calls you're receiving. I'm currently in the process of trying to find a full time day care provider for my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I've never had to leave her with a stranger before so while cost is important to me, my daughter's safety and well being is more important. I'd rather pay a little bit more to make sure that my daughter is being cared for and treated as I would treat her myself. You sound like someone I would like to meet with. If you're interested and have openings starting in March 2007 for a 2 1/2 year old, I would like to meet with you.
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J.F.
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C.,
From what you've said, you sound exactly like the type of childcare I'd want for my children. I want them to be safe. I want a very clean house. I want them to be taught -- not a foreign language, but age appropriate things like letter, number, writing and reading, but in a fun way. I want lots of activities. Art and experiments. Outdoor play and socializing with other children.
Currently I have my 3.5 yr old and my 2 yr old going to Chesterbrook Academy 3days/week. They are thriving and learning so much. It really amazes me how much they are learning. And that puts me at ease because I know that they are getting the things I want to provide them during the day but am unable to.
Money is definitely an object. I pay lots of money for them to go to Chesterbrook, but in my experience I'm not paying any more than I would for a place like KinderCare -- a place that I found to be dirty and not a place for learning. Unfortunately, because money is an object, I'm actually having to (temporarily) take my kids out of preschool since I'm unemployed and looking for another job. Finding a job that will allow me to put my kids back in Chesterbrook is important to me because of the quality of care I feel they are receiving.
I really never considered putting my kids into a private, home daycare provider because of horror stories and there just not being a way to really know what's going on with no other supervision. That's just me. I guess maybe I'm paranoid. But if I were looking, what you said would sound great to me, and I'd have no problems with $35 a day.
One last thing -- as a mother of a child with food allergies -- this is an area of major concern. I refused to put my kids into daycare/preschool at a place that didn't instill complete confidence in me with food safety. With food allergies so prevalent these days, becoming familiar with all aspects of food allergies and being able to tell parents that you are able to handle these situations and how, may help. Just my $0.02.
Good luck.
-Jen
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D.L.
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As a single parent having a 3 year old son that i have to have in day care, i just wanted to say that while quality is very, very important to me, price is high up on the list as well. Some people charge more than I can afford on one income so i do have to pay more attention to that. lucky for me there are people out there who do this job because they love kids. Its not about just being a business and making money. they really care about the kids. I don't expect the person watching my son to make him a genius but I want him to be safe and somewhat active. With things the way they are these day...yes people want someone they can afford.
