In-home childcare - A few questions for those who are providers

[stacim]

I am considering watching a 6.5 yo girl in my home 3 days per week. I have four children of my own and I homeschool (12, 9, 6 and 2.5) and this girl is being homeschooled as well. We are currently having some dialogue to see if we are a fit for each others needs, but I wanted to get some input from those who offer childcare in their home to make sure I cover all of the bases.

Some of the questions I have are:

1. How do you handle discipline?
2. What do you do if/when the daycare children and your children aren't getting along?
3. Do you expect payment when the child is absent due to sickness or planned absence (like vacation)?
4. Do you expect payment when you are sick and cannot watch the child or have an otherwise planned day off?
5. What other rules/expectations do you have in place for the child and the parents?
6. What is a reasonable daily rate for a 6.5 yo? It would be and 8.5-9 hour day and we are in the midwest.

What else am I missing?

TIA!

[lilyka]

1. How do you handle discipline? This would depend on the child. usually a correction is all that is needed with kids that age. otherwise i discipline them the same way i do my own and as if they were one of my own.

2. What do you do if/when the daycare children and your children aren't getting along? If it is a moody day or whatever I would put them to work in different places. if someone is not following rules then I deal with that (and that is often the reason for problems at this age). if it was a constant thing i would reconsider if this was really a good plan.

3. Do you expect payment when the child is absent due to sickness or planned absence (like vacation)? yes. I charged a weekly rate and that was the rate no mater what.

4. Do you expect payment when you are sick and cannot watch the child or have an otherwise planned day off? I gave myself a week of paid vacation which I tried to schedule over their vacation. Sick days i did not get paid for because they would likely have to pay someone to fill in.

5. What other rules/expectations do you have in place for the child and the parents? think of every little thing you need. write up a contract and stick to it. I had kids keep everything they may need at my house. a change of clothes, sunscreen. extra socks, hat, soap (I mostly had babies so brands were important to mom) extra anything they might need for the day, a light weight jacket/sweater, bug spray, emergency release forms and insurance all in a tub with their name on it.

Some things I just kept on hand . . .like a million pairs of gloves, hats scarves and socks for winter play, solid color t-shirts and sweats/leggings. nothing spectacular but they will do in a pinch and the size range is flexible.

be sure you have permission to cart her around. I am surprised by how many people expect you not to drive their child. if she still requires a car seat have the mom provide you with one you can keep in your car.


6. What is a reasonable daily rate for a 6.5 yo? It would be and 8.5-9 hour day and we are in the midwest. For a child that age in the midwest (depends on where you are in the midwest, obviously places like chicago and minneapolis would be more, places like omaha, kansas city and sioux falls would be in the middle and rural places would be less. I am sioux falls so I will start in the middle. adjust accordingly) for those hours I would start at $50 - $75 a day. be sure you clearly lay out what constitutes over time and how much that will cost. I charges $20 an hour for over time and billed in 15 minute increments. if you are supplying food I would add $5-$10 a day and if you are providing school supplies or curriculum I would charge for that separately.

[stacim]

lilyka - Thanks for the detailed responses! I am really try to think this through thoroughly and make sure I have all my bases covered.

[janasmama]

1. How do you handle discipline? I use gentle correction, usually less than what I would do with my own child. I try to follow the parents lead with this. For instance I babysit a 6 y.o. that can be sort of tantrum-y and his mom is in my opinion, permissive. He doesn't do it too often with my but I don't do much more than tell him he's acting inappropriately and he'll have to sit on the couch.

2. What do you do if/when the daycare children and your children aren't getting along? I tend to expect more out of my own children with sharing, etc. So I have to admit I usually require them to think of others and give something up or find something for the other person to have. The other people are after all guests in our house.

But, I do usually say "so and so can have that for 2 more minutes and then it's going to be your turn." I've never really had that fail, they are generally happy to make an exchange.

3. Do you expect payment when the child is absent due to sickness or planned absence (like vacation)? No. but I get paid each time the child is picked up. If I was doing it on a regular schedule like you I would request payment in advance and yes, there wouldn't be a refund for unplanned sick days but I probably wouldn't take payment for a planned vacation.

4. Do you expect payment when you are sick and cannot watch the child or have an otherwise planned day off? no.

5. What other rules/expectations do you have in place for the child and the parents? I expect that they follow our house rules. Sometimes having these posted in writing helps. Like having shoes off, no one in my bedroom, etc.

6. What is a reasonable daily rate for a 6.5 yo? It would be and 8.5-9 hour day and we are in the midwest. You will be teaching this girl, right? If so, then I would charge a higher rate. Probably something close to what a private school might be but discounted a bit. Off the top of my head...I'd say $500 a month. If you won't be teaching her then maybe $400.

If you are providing food and/or school supplies then maybe just add a flat fee. Like an extra $25-50 per month for food and $50 every 4-6 months for school supplies.

[stacim]

janasmama - Thanks for the detailed reply! Looks like they have decided to go another route, but I will refer back to these responses should I consider care for another child.