5 answers

In-home Childcare Prices?

Please help!! I am a stay at home mom who also watches 2 girls (they are sisters) 4 days a week. The older girl who is 5 will be going to preschool from 9:00-3:00 two of the four days that I watch her. I will have her beforehand for 1-2 hrs, bring her to preschool and then pick her up and have her another 1-2 hrs, possibly even 4 hrs after preschool. Does anyone else who stays at home watch children and have a similar situation? If so, what is appropriate to charge for the time that she is here and for me bringing her to and from school? Or, are there any moms out there whose child goes to a babysitter and preschool or school during the day? What do you pay the babysitter? I'm new to this so I don't know what to charge. I asked this question last week and only got one response. So, please, please, please give me some input. I don't know if it makes much difference, but I live in St. Peters (which is near St. Charles in St. Charles County for those of you who don't know). Also, what is normally charged to watch a potty-trained 2 year old? Thanks so much!!! You all are always so very helpful!!!!!!!

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More Answers

I also do home daycare and I have taken children to their preschools for their parents. I would charge $30-35 per day and that would cover gas, food, snacks.

Make sure you are covered on your homeowners insurance incase a child would get hurt. Some insurance companies won't cover and some will charge for a daycare setting (3 children). Make sure your covered on your auto insurance too since you will be transporting. You can lose everything if a child gets hurt and get sued.

Jen

$30/day is definetley on the high end. In my area it is about $2 - $2.50 / hour for in-home daycare (daycare is always less per hour than babysitting a a high schooler). The price depends on the age of the children and whether they are poty trained. I would charge 2/hour for the potty trained child, the same for her sister (minus the hours she is at school, plus a separate charge for the driving, check the miles, then the price of gas, then a little for your time/mileage).

Hello L.,
I know you are watching children in your home, but you still sound like you are doing pretty much the same thing that my best-friend does as a "nanny". When I break down what she gets paid, it works out to $50.00 per child, granted she is in their home and works on the childrens clothes and rooms as well as the other tasks.
I saw the other mom write $30.00 per child, so that gives you a general range. I do not think $30.00 is unreasonable because after all you are using your gas money and mileage on your vehicle.
Another way to come up with a figure is to think that if you were a teenager and you were baby-sitting you would be charging anywhere from $5.00 (for little responsibility) up to $10 (for more responsibility). Believe you me, you know you are sooo worth the $10.00 per hour. ( you could make an average and say $8.00 per hour )
Kudo's to you for being able to watch other's children.
I am a SAHM with only one child and I just could not go there.
Hats off to you. M. N.

Hi, I'm an in home provider as well. I have done the same thing in the past, and I always charge a regular day's rate. The parent needs to consider the time and gas you are taking out of your day plus this child is also taking up a space you could be filling by another child. As for the rates 25 for infants 20 for potty trained. I'm also in St.Charles.

My sister watches kids during the day. She will be driving one to preschool, but she would already be taking her daughter there so she kind of has a different situation than you. She charges $30 per day per child. If the child is there for more than eight hours she charges five dollars per 1/2 hour after eight hours. I know $30 is on the high end, but she was an elementary school teacher, is a parent educator (parents as teachers) and is infant/child CPR certified. She runs a structured day for the children. That is what the parents are paying for. I hope this helped.

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