Child Care fees - what is reasonable? - Page 2

[Just Kate]

The sitter we have enrolled the boys with for the summer charges $27 dollars a day for the first child and $18 dollars a day for each additional child. The rates around here seem to be between $20-$25 a day per child.

[nextcommercial]

I charge $25 a day PER child.

But, I honestly think even at that amount, it wouldn't be enough. This is my business, I have six full time kids @125 per week. It's a good living, and I am set up for childcare, and I already have most of my equipment.

With only two kids, it's a lot of added stress for not very much money. (especially for what she's paying you)

I know you are being very helpful, but it sounds like she's taking advantage of you. She was paying for low quality childcare and that's what you get when you don't want to pay for good daycare. This is one of those things where you often get what you pay for. You deserve to be paid what you are worth.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by SeekingSerenity

Wow. I really HAVE been giving her the deal of the century! No wonder she was upset when I presented her with the increase.

She said she could not afford $200 a week. I reminded her that on most weeks, the girls are only there 4 days, and unlike a daycare center I would not charge her the whole week if she wasn't there the whole week. She said she couldn't even afford $160 a week so she would look for someone else.

Well... she knows where I am. If what I've read here is any indication, she's going to have a VERY hard time finding anyone who will give her a better deal. She really, truly expects to find someone to babysit 2 girls full-time for $100 a week (plus a few lunches and all the snacks, not to mention no-extra-cost 13-hour Fridays).

She seemed pretty upset... I would hate to see this ruin our friendship and I have no idea why it would, unless, like a PP mentioned, she really was making up what she paid Miss K and was intentionally taking advantage here. I don't think that's the case, but I try to think the best of people until proven otherwise.

Definitely deal of the century! $50/week for full time+ per kid?? Plus a 13 hr day thrown in now and then??? No way. Even $160 was a major bargain for 2 kids. Look at your local county social services website. It will give you an idea of average. Ours is pretty spot on around here.

And from what you describe, it really doesn't seem work it to me.

ps. To give you an idea of rates around here...a friend of mine is expecting #2. Her MIL watches #1 one day a week. She intends to continue watching both babies one or two days a week. It's still cheaper for them to rent an apartment for her own mom and dad to live near them and watch the babies the rest of the week then to put both in the center they use. (I didn't even look at centers because they were more than my mortgage most of the time!!)

[c'est moi]

my neighbor and i share two nannies. they are in their mid-twenties and watch two toddlers.

one of the girls receives, $10/$14 per hour and the other girl receives $12/$15. the rates reflect watching one child versus watching both of them.

oh, and you should factor in that i only pay half of the double rate since the second child is my neighbor's.

[ccohenou]

At an NAEYC daycare, the full fees for a child under 3 are 198/week, so close to 40/day. However they are able to offer a sliding scale based on income so we pay more like 20/day. This is in the Midwest, fairly low COL. So yeah, 20/day per kid is plenty reasonable.

Most daycares are paid by the day if they accept part-time placements, or by the week for full-time, regardless of how much your kid is actually there. This also seems fair to me.

[azmomtoone]

I paid $100 / wk for 3 days of in-home care. Usually ~7:30 - 3:30.
Now pay $85/wk for 3 days in a daycare. Would be $125 for full-time (5 days). For 1 kid.

[snarky]

I pay $827 a month to send my 3 year old full time (5 days) to a child care centre. That's $40/day give or take.

[MacKinnon]

My best friend just recently went through the same thing, the rate the mom could afford to pay her was just too little to make it worth while. It's a hard balance, because you don't want to see kids in poor quality care, but the reality is that $25 for two children is absurdly low. In our state the reimbursement rate for gov't subsidized care is $2.50 an hour for preschool aged children, even that in a 50 hour week would be $125 per week per child. That is the absolute lowest you will ever, ever find. I see pricing structures run two ways, either a per day rate, or a per week rate. At our center the per day rate lets you pay for less time, so we pay for 8 to 5, not 6:30 to 6:00 because we don't need the extra early/late care. The weekly rate allows you the whole 6:30 to 6 time frame at no extra fee. We pay about $40 a day, which is the high end of normal for this area, $150 to $200 a week for a licensed center, $125 or so for an unlicensed at home provider, is probably the norm.

If she can't find alternate care, perhaps you could offer phasing in the increase? At a rate that seems fair to you and she can handle, doubling her child care bill in two weeks is probably not feasible, I know for us it wouldn't be. Good luck! You definitely deserve more pay!

[2happymamas]

We pay my sister $35 per day to watch our 15 month old DD. She watches her two days per week for anywhere between 7.5 and 8.5 hours per day. We provide all food, including snacks.

[SeekingSerenity]

This has all been so incredibly helpful. I did feel bad for even asking, after she reacted as though I'd slapped her or something. She still has not responded to my texts or returned my calls. I wanted to give her another week at her price just to allow her to find someone else without the pressure of having to have the girls with her at work and everything, and help her to realize maybe while she was looking that I really was giving her a good deal. I'm not getting "greedy" or anything, I think I was being fair! But it appears she doesn't see it that way. It made me pretty sad, and I had wondered if I really did ask for too much.

I don't think so, now. I think I was STILL being generous, quite honestly! Thanks so much for all your input.