What Should I Charge? - Minneapolis,MN

I was a nanny (not live in) for about 3 years. I worked 5 days a week and made $400 a week. But I was there from 7am-6pm. And it was 10 years ago.

Don't forget the cost of living in MN is MUCH higher than most other states. I'm a SAHM, so I never paid anyone. I can't help you there. Good luck. Just make sure you are competitive and not under-sell yourself.

I THINK MN allows you to watch one other family, unrelated, up to a certain amount of TOTAL kids in the home. I think your situation qualifies, but look into it. And definitely make sure you keep good records of what she pays you and your costs for tax time.

Below is a link to the Oklahoma pay scale for child care. When a person accepts state assistance for child care they get what the state pays for that child. For instance, if you were in Oklahoma, operating a home child care that is certified as a 1+ STAR home you would be paid, again, by the state if the parent qualified:

2 yr. old, home provider, enhanced area (Big city), full time, 1+ STAR.
$17.25 per day.
After school care, daily rate in school and out of school, year round same pay daily.
$12.75

So, for a 1+ STAR home with a care giver that has credentials, a license, a state contract for taking care of kids that qualify for state child care assistance payments, they would get $30 per day for both kids. That would include all food, all gasoline for transportation, etc...everything.

Since you are a just starting this I am assuming you are not licensed. That's probably okay but you need to call the local state child care office and find out if it's legal for you to do this without a license. Most states do allow you to watch kids in your home up to a certain number but some say no, like Oklahoma. It is illegal to watch kids in my home without a license. Any children other that those related.

So, if it is legal for you to do this then you must take into consideration you have no training in this field...not putting you down, you are qualified to do this, just people who work in child care are required to do 20 hours of education per year to keep their certificates and credentials. They have to go to classes, be certified in CPR/First Aid, all kinds of requirements.

That is the basis for my suggestion to you about how much to charge. Since you won't be as qualified as a licensed home care provider I don't think you should charge her as much as they would be paid.

If you like this type of work and are interested you might pursue getting a license and starting a home child care business. It is very rewarding and you can write off all kinds of things for taxes each year. The phone, a portion of your utilities, car costs and gasoline for transportation, wear and tear on your home, the list goes on and on.

http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/2E81F###-###-####-487B-...

I would charge no less than $175 per week.

Well, I paid $150/week for my 2 year old and $15 a day for my other kids before and after. If it's just after, maybe charge fer $175/week? Consider though if you will be providing meals, activities, etc. Are you liscenced? That will make a differece too.

It is in your home so is cheaper than if you went to her home. This question is really area-specific so I advice looking around CraigsList or asking others what their inhome daycares charge. In my area, I would guess a reasonable rate for this would be $165 a week. Full time daycare for the 2 year old would be around $150 a week ($30/day) and you are only watching the girl for an hour (and she is being dropped off at your house) so this tacks on just a few extra $ per week. Now if she is only working 4 days a week, perhaps you want to charge on a daily rate vs. weekly rate - I would say $35/day.

Updated

It is in your home so is cheaper than if you went to her home. This question is really area-specific so I advice looking around CraigsList or asking others what their inhome daycares charge. In my area, I would guess a reasonable rate for this would be $165 a week. Full time daycare for the 2 year old would be around $150 a week ($30/day) and you are only watching the girl for an hour (and she is being dropped off at your house) so this tacks on just a few extra $ per week. Now if she is only working 4 days a week, perhaps you want to charge on a daily rate vs. weekly rate - I would say $35/day.

call a day care like Kindercare to find out what they charge per week and do half to 3/4s of that ...you get to stay home, you don't have to drive...

I would check your home owners insurance as well as any county laws about watching children in your own...if she plans on writing your charges off as expenses on her taxes, you will have to claim those funds as well...

There are several moms on here who own and operate an in-home day care facility. Hopefully, they will see your message and respond!

GOOD LUCK!!

I am thinking that $40 a day is fair for the days you the daughter for an hour or so. On the days you have daughter such as non school days I would charge $70 a day.

I have two kids and babysit one full time inmy home, from 7-4 daily and I charge $150. I used to pay $200 a week for daycare for my daughter and I really needed my friend to choose me for daycare so I lowered the price a bit. I think it's reasonable. I think I would charge $175 for adding the other child after school. :)

When I worked FT about 5 years ago, my daughter went to a sitter's house from the age of one to almost three. She was there from about 7:30-4:00 and I paid $60 per day. That was considered a good deal compared to what the daycare centers charged. And it did not include meals, I packed her lunch. Sounds like everyone else who has responded thinks it should be lower than this.