costs of daycare
By maxfashioned
@maxfashioned (188)
March 30, 2013 2:39pm CST
I have a small daycare in my home. I am pretty cheap and that has always made me feel good. Like I was helping other young families out. My rates have not changed in the past 10 years. Now I no longer feel good I kind of feel like I am allowing parent to take advantage. So should I raise my rates? To only new families? For everyone? What is the normal rate for daycare?????????
1 person likes this
16 responses
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
30 Mar 13
My 3 yr old is attending a local full time daycare which includes preschool classes. We pay $162/week plus an additional $100/month for her to go to phonics class.
1 person likes this
@dainy1313 (2370)
• Leon, Mexico
31 Mar 13
Hello
Max! I hope that you are fine. I´m perplexed and puzzled how you have not changed your rates in the past 10 years? Money is not the same.
You may do a little research about your competition. And then rate a bit below them.
You are doing an honest labor and it´s fair that you raise your quotes. It´s an honest mean of living.
Blessings Max... dainy
Max! I hope that you are fine. I´m perplexed and puzzled how you have not changed your rates in the past 10 years? Money is not the same.
You may do a little research about your competition. And then rate a bit below them.
You are doing an honest labor and it´s fair that you raise your quotes. It´s an honest mean of living.
Blessings Max... dainy
@dainy1313 (2370)
• Leon, Mexico
1 Apr 13
Hello Max, happy eastern! I understand you quite well, I know what it is being poor and feeling sympathy for people that have fallen on hard times. I know what is to feel rough times over your shoulders and wondering how you can´t buy a pair of new shoes as the ones you are supporting, and I know how you feel when that people that you support buy a new car. I know.
You have the right to raise your quotes because you (and me too) are looking to have a decent living, and honest one, and caring children is a lot of work. You need means in order to live with dignity and to care for them.
At my children´s school they offer a low quote a discount for those really rough cases of poverty. But they asign just one for grade. You can do something similar.
Good luck!
Blessings Max... dainy
Max, happy eastern! I understand you quite well, I know what it is being poor and feeling sympathy for people that have fallen on hard times. I know what is to feel rough times over your shoulders and wondering how you can´t buy a pair of new shoes as the ones you are supporting, and I know how you feel when that people that you support buy a new car. I know.
You have the right to raise your quotes because you (and me too) are looking to have a decent living, and honest one, and caring children is a lot of work. You need means in order to live with dignity and to care for them.
At my children´s school they offer a low quote a discount for those really rough cases of poverty. But they asign just one for grade. You can do something similar.
Good luck!
Blessings Max... dainy@maxfashioned (188)
•
1 Apr 13
Thanks for the kind words. I think I knew I needed to raise the price, I just needed someone to tell me that its alright.
1 person likes this
@maxfashioned (188)
•
31 Mar 13
My price is so low because I was happy to make just enough to stay home with my own children. My youngest starts school in the fall and I am thinking more about making a living rather than just getting by. I always feel guilty about asking for more money because I know that I can get by. I also feel bad because even though the parents have good jobs I know that things happen like divorce being a single parent. The times I feel taken advantage of are when they are always buying new things for their kids or taking vacations. Meanwhile I feel like I am bending over backwards to help them out. I hate that I see them spending money without a care and I have to save every dime. 1 of my charges has a new pair of shoes or a new outfit every week. Anothers parents have bought 4 different cars over the past year or 2, upgrading everytime. Another had just finished complaing to me that they were so broke and had to hunt deer or they wood have no food. Live in midwest, everybody deer hunts. A few days later they rolled up in a brand new truck. I have been poor before so I have a lot of sympathy for people that have fallen on hard times.
1 person likes this
@MoonGypsy (4606)
• United States
30 Mar 13
wow! i haven't done day care in years for my children. i can't even remember what the usual rate is. i think its 50 dollars a day for children over 4 and 75 dollars a day for children under 4. i may be really off. i think you should keep the rates the same for your old customers. these economic times might call for you to raise your rates slightly for new customers. it's a hard call.
@maxfashioned (188)
•
30 Mar 13
I make 50-75 a week. Thats 10-15 a day. It can be a pretty stressfull job.
1 person likes this
@maxfashioned (188)
•
30 Mar 13
How often do you think that it is okay to raise the rate. About 18 months ago I raised the rate for my current kids by just a few bucks. In the fall most of my kids will be going to school. I will need to find some more small kids. When should I start interviewing?
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
1 Apr 13
If you have not raised your rates in 10 years, you have not kept up with inflation and need to communicate this to your clients. If necessary, show them your utility bills from 10 years ago and your moist recent bills. What about taxes? Wages have risen for most. You may be providing a service for families that could not otherwise afford it, or you may be being taken advantage of. Only you can determine that. If I were you, I would raise the rates on new clients and maybe on those that I knew could afford to pay more.
@Pegasus72 (1898)
•
31 Mar 13
How much do you charge for daycare? For anyone getting paid by Social Services in our area you only get a 100.00 a week.
@maxfashioned (188)
•
1 Apr 13
$50-75 a week. I would love to make more. I am just too worried about losing some kids. In my town there are a lot of women deciding to do daycare from there homes. Most quit fairly quickly but there is always someone else popping up. It is pretty competitive. I have a lot of experience but I am not a social butterfly like a lot of the other women.
@Pegasus72 (1898)
•
7 Apr 13
I am social too which helps we just live in the country now. My child care was always full when we lived in the suburbs.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
1 Apr 13
if you raised it just a little, like $5, i don't think they'll balk at it. but i think it should be applied to all, old and new clients. now if your old clients think $5 is too high, they'll leave, but you yourself said there's always someone coming in. but if your old clients think it's well deserved after all these years, they'll stick with you. how low is your rate compared to others? to the one nearest you? and what do you do or what do you have that's different from them? you also have to appreciate what made your business last this long. be sure to inform everyone ahead of time.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
30 Mar 13
My daughter had a childminder that cost four pounds per hour. I changed her to a child minder that charges three pounds and fifty pence per hour. I like that one more since she lives just three minutes walk away from my bungalow.
I think you should only raise your fee per hour slightly to new families. I believe your old families should pay the same. You still need to help young and poor families out. There is a credit crunch and not many people have lots of money.
@thekelz (277)
• United Kingdom
30 Mar 13
I live in the UK and we sent our 18 month old son to nursery 3 days a week, and that costs us £37.00 A DAY. It seems to me extortionate, but it is the general going rate for where we live. The care and supervision is very good, and my son really enjoys it. For that price, we drop him off at 08:15 and pick him up at 16:45. He gets his breakfast, lunch and tea all cooked fresh by an on site chef.
10 years is a long time without increasing your prices. In that time the cost of living as gone up,inflation as gone up, so the bills you are paying must have gone up as well, so surely your profits must be less now than what they were when you started.
I would put the prices up but keep them competative, and write a covering letter to the families to explain why.If you have a good bond with the children you look after, then the parents won't want to upset the childs routine for a increase.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
31 Mar 13
the cost is certainly increasing as we can see and most importantly the day care is always on the boom without any doubt
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
31 Mar 13
I am not sure where you live, haven't checked yet but here in NC I charge $100 per week for Full Time Care. That is cheaper than most other in home daycare's in the area.
I recently raised my rates because I was too cheap, I was most definitely being taken advantage of. The thing is, the people that have used me on and off for years I do still let them have the rate they started with. All of the new families it is the new rates. I feel that is the fair way to do things...I want to keep my clients happy. =)
@vidhyaprakash_2 (7116)
• India
31 Mar 13
Hi friend, good to know that you are running a daycare center in your home, really you are doing a great job. As you mentioned you don't raised your rates for around 10 years, it is the high time to increase the cost of your service.
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
31 Mar 13
I would say its time to charge more. I did the same thing herein my cafe this week. i raised my coffee price for the first time in almost 2 years here. happy easter to you there.
@dagami (1158)
• Rome, Italy
31 Mar 13
the price would depend on which country you are in. in italy, private day care centers are very expensive.
i don't think the parents are taking advantage of you. as you said, you were the one who didn't increase the rates so they are just paying you what you asked.
ten years is a long time. usually there is always a slight increase every year, due to inflation. if you have made improvements and or offer additional services, then you have to ask for more. but before you fix the next year's rates, you should take into consideration the income of the parents of these children. if they are in the lower income brackets, then you're bound to lose some of them.
@XtremeGaming (742)
• South Africa
31 Mar 13
You should have brought the price up long ago. Double it
@mensab (4200)
• Philippines
30 Mar 13
if you see that there is no good reason for you to increase the rates, then do not raise the rates. if you feel good about the results of your day care, please do not change the rates. if you are not having difficulty of maintaining your standards, then do not raise the rates. what you can do is ask donations from those who have the capacity to give their excess money so that you can improve some of the facilities or materials.
