Hi. I'm a stay at home mom with two boys ages 20 months and 3 months. I started a home childcare so that I can stay home with them but be able to still bring in the income that I was bringing in from my job. I think that children really need that individual attention and loving care. I tried to charge $5 an hour for child care services, (I provide developmental activities as well as all their meals and snacks. I have a BSW and am certified in First Aid and CPR.) but I wasn't getting any children to watch. I have even tried $4 an hour, but it seems like most people are only willing to pay $3. I'm a little concerned because I know that I have to pay taxes on all of the money I earn at the end of the year (I provide receipts to the parents so that they can claim the expense as a deductible), and I also spend a lot of money on craft items, food and drinks. I guess I'm just wondering if I'm cutting myself short. So my question is for anyone who is in the childcare business or pays for childcare... what is a good and fair rate to charge? I'm not just babysitting, I have a daily schedule and the children participate in lots of activities, crafts, outdoor playtime, etc. I'm in the process of getting my license so I'm following all of the program rules for the state to be a licensed childcare facility. I've heard that the state pays over $5 per hour for those who have childcare vouchers. Thanks for your time ladies!!!
I personally like the per day charge. The rates I have seen are $25 - $30 for one child. Please keep in mind that a lot of factors go into deciding who someone is going to trust with their children. One of the things I noticed about your posting is that you have two small children of your own. Many people may feel that you already have your hands full and don't want to add to the mix, especially if their children are small.
my suggestion is that you should start by charging a daily rate instead of a hourly rate. I know that it doesn't seem like much at all, but really parents like myself look at an hourly rate as a timeclock that you have to race to beat. Also consider using craigslist.org, and mamasource to place an ad.
Try to join mom groups around the area, that will help you with networking.
hello! it has been a few years since i no longer ran a county certified day-care. at that time i received 20/a day per child(some people were receiving closer to 23/a day. i think a lot has to do with your area you live in or the area the children are from. families with 2 parents that have sucessful careers are more likely to pay about 30/a day. i have also some higher volume -lower cost with is very stressful on the provider! good luck! i am glad i stayed at home as much as possible until my children were in school! also- check into the usda food program, it is a reimburment for serving healthy meals-- google neighborhood childcare(i think it was puritas ave and w. 150 something-ish for more info on that(also a good all around source) M.
I agree - my provider charges a daily rate as well. I think our rate is $35/day.
I'm of a different mindset, however, as I believe in the quality advantage that my provider gives to us. I don't believe in paying our child's care taker less per hour than what minimum wage workers are paid. I cannot, for the life of me, think of a more important expenditure in my life at present than my child's care when I'm away at work. If I have to pay a bit more for quality care, so be it.
I have been upfront with my mindset on this with my provider and have told her that if she ever feels that she needs more money to provide that level of care for our daughter, to just ask. I'd much rather that she be satisfied with her compensation than dissatisfied and have my daughter pay the price (through the lack of educational toys or equipment, or having to take second stage to larger numbers of children, etc). This is not to say that we may not consider other options for child care if we feel that we're being taken advantage of, but that's our right as clients as well.
My husband and I viewed child care as one of the necessary thing that played into our preparation prior to becoming parents and something that we just didn't want to skimp on. Again, it's one of the most important things we pay for as we see it as a very important extension of her overall growth, development and education. Had we felt that we couldn't adequately provide for her, we would have waited to have a child.
$3 per hour is insanely low. I have girls in my neighborhood that are 15 and 16 and they charge $5 an hour!!! Maybe it is worth creating a cost structure by day and by week instead of by hour. We use an inhome sitter who also has kids and I know I'm getting a great deal at $30 a day (for 7 hours). But I bring my daughters lunch everyday and there are no structured learning activity or crafts, etc. If you are certified, etc., then you should be able to ask for more than $3 an hour - these are our kids for crying out loud.
