Mothering Forum banner

What's the going rate for childcare?? (I'm in the northeast)

Tags
finances
859 views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  sunflower.mama 
#1 ·
Quick backstory: I have a friend that watches a couple of school age kids. Her youngest daughter and my youngest daughter are best friends (they are 5 years old).

My mom turns 85 this Decemeber and wants to take me and my three brothers on a trip. This requires me to find childcare for my three kiddos while I am gone. I asked thid friend of mine if she would consider doing it, but she won't tell me what to pay her (doesn't want to take ANY money, but that makes me uncomfortable).

My 11yo and 9 yo would get on the bus in the morning and take the bus to her house (3pmish), DH would pick them up by 6pm, hopefully. So three hours. My 5yo is in afternoon Kindergarten, so she would get dropped off at this friend;s house at 7:30 and be there until noon. Then go back there from 3:30pm until 6pm.

What should I offer to pay her for the five days??? I don't want to offer too little, but we are also not flush with cash, so I don't want to pay too much either...
 
#3 ·
So in a situation like this ( a full week of childcare) I would still calculate it out the same way? So...three hours a day = 15 hours = $150 for the week. Plus the extra hours in the morning for just one child (still $8-$10 an hour?). I was thinking $200-$300, so I guess I'm in the ballpark.
 
#4 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by cristina47454 View Post

So in a situation like this ( a full week of childcare) I would still calculate it out the same way? So...three hours a day = 15 hours = $150 for the week. Plus the extra hours in the morning for just one child (still $8-$10 an hour?). I was thinking $200-$300, so I guess I'm in the ballpark.
I would say yes. My cousin babysits for a family and she gets the same rate for one of the kids as she does if all three are at home. (for reference, the kids are 9, 11, and 14)

Some may debate whether the rate should be cheaper because the kids are coming to her.

I am in PA and my son's after school program costs $12 per day (for two hours) but that is operated by a not-for-profit.
 
#7 ·
My three year old goes to an at home daycare. The woman is licensed and has been doing this her entire life (and she may be 65+). She has 4 kids (a 6mth old, an 18mth old and two 3 year olds. She charges 30 dollars a day 8am - 5pm. I believe that a babysitter that comes to your house is different then someone that does daycare. I pay a babysitter around 8 dollars / hr (that is more then minimum wage and no deductions) and I round up (several dollars to 5 additional.).

For the person running a daycare from home the going rate in this area (CNY) is 30 dollars a day. (there are three in my neighbourhood, all charging the same amount.) In your case I might offer 15 / day for the half day and 10 dollars for each kid that does the before and after school care.
 
#8 ·
If it was me, I would write everything down at the $10 rate (or whatever rate you pick) and break it out by times. If she wants to say "hey, don't worry about Sally because they would play together anyway (or give me less)" that gives her the opportunity to speak up. For situations like this, I like to err on the side of being too generous in order to avoid hurt feelings.
 
#9 ·
You can find babysitter rate calculators online that take into account local factors like higher cost of living, but it sounds like you have a good figure in mind. I used sittercity's calc.
 
#10 ·
I'd be paying her for every hour they are in her care, since those are hours that she can't run out and do errands with her own kids only, etc. Even if the 5 year olds play a lot, you would never have a kid over every morning of the week, so I wouldn't treat them all like playdates. In fact, her flexibility and availability (you'd never find a sitter on short notice who you trust with this perfect availability) would make me want to round up after calculating the hourly cost, but that's just me.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top