Daycare bookfair

[whtyger97]

What do you think of this?

My ds goes to a for profit franchise chain daycare for which we pay the equivalent of a mortgage payment.

Daycare is hosting a scholastic book fair and asks parents to volunteer to run it. School claims they are not getting any benefit (or minimal) and they are doing it 'for the families' but the books are cheaper from Amazon so I don't buy that argument.

Would you volunteer (I am not and have told the school how I feel) or am I missing something? Every day this week when I see the we need volunteers sign it rubs me the wrong way. An event for the kids i would help with but this, not so much.

 

[dzorn]

Yes they do make profit. If they take is as books they get 50% of sales if in money then think it was only 25% sales.

 

[whtyger97]

That's what I thought, they were like we get points for books, so less money they need to spend on books = more profit for owners.

I don't mind them making money, just don't ask me to volunteer my time

 

[smiths02]

My twins go to a private for-profit daycare as well. With twins, we are paying about $20K a year for daycare.
Anyhow, they do the scholastic book fair as well. However, they always have someone at the front desk, so that person just runs it, no parent volunteers. The reason my kids are in daycare is because I work, I can't volunteer.
What gets my goat is last year we were supposed to sell wrapping paper and this year Yankee candles, to buy "materials." Why not just charge us a "materials" fee or something? I'm not a sales person and my 3 year olds certainly aren't going to go door to door!

 

[smiths02]

That's what I thought, they were like we get points for books, so less money they need to spend on books = more profit for owners.

I don't mind them making money, just don't ask me to volunteer my time

I wish my daycare would just charge what they need to charge or ask for book donations. I have a million books for toddlers/preschool, and I really don't need them all. I also have toys, etc. I'd rather just donate than have to buy candles or books I don't need.

 

[scoutie]

They do make a profit, but the proceeds go back to the school. My son's daycare just had one, and I know the money they make will go toward teacher training, ipads, things for the classroom, etc. Essentially, things that will benefit the kids. Daycare teachers are woefully underpaid and I hate to think of them spending money out of their pockets to buy things for my kids. I pay $1200 a month for daycare, so I understand the struggle of paying so much money and still being expected to attend a fundraiser. I don't think when the daycare "profits" it means they are making extra money to give bonuses to administrators or anything. If it bothers you, you are well within your rights to not volunteer. My daycare has had four fundraisers, and I've participated in two of them, and ignored the other two.

 

[joannamet]

Elementary schools in my area host the Scholastic Book Fair twice a year and the kids love, love, love it. Don't know about daycare, though. The kids might be too young to really enjoy exploring the books and other stuff.

I wish my daycare would just charge what they need to charge or ask for book donations. I have a million books for toddlers/preschool, and I really don't need them all. I also have toys, etc. I'd rather just donate than have to buy candles or books I don't need.

DDs school had a 'Direct Donation' campaign this fall for the first time instead of a traditional fund raiser. This seems to be the trend. Personally, I didn't like it at all. I like that wrapping paper. There's no one in my family who is willing/able to hand over $50 or more for her school but they would often buy a few items to help out.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[Skippy918]

Our daycare has the book fair, but they don't require volunteers.

 

[scrapquitler]

What do you think of this?

My ds goes to a for profit franchise chain daycare for which we pay the equivalent of a mortgage payment.

Daycare is hosting a scholastic book fair and asks parents to volunteer to run it. School claims they are not getting any benefit (or minimal) and they are doing it 'for the families' but the books are cheaper from Amazon so I don't buy that argument.

Would you volunteer (I am not and have told the school how I feel) or am I missing something? Every day this week when I see the we need volunteers sign it rubs me the wrong way. An event for the kids i would help with but this, not so much.

They probably benefit in that they get free books for the daycare as a result. That's not so much of a benefit 'for them' as it is for the children. It's also a way to get books for your home library. If you don't like it, simply don't volunteer and don't buy anything. I've always been pleased with the prices at the Scholastic Book Fairs at our school, and I like to SEE the books before I purchase them, so for me, that's a plus that Amazon doesn't have.

 

[scrapquitler]

That's what I thought, they were like we get points for books, so less money they need to spend on books = more profit for owners.

I don't mind them making money, just don't ask me to volunteer my time

It's proably not saving the owners money on books, but I'd be pretty confident that it IS saving the low paid daycare teachers money on books because they probably all spend a fair amount of their own money buying supplies for the classes. If this helps them keep their own pay, isn't that good?

 

[whtyger97]

It's proably not saving the owners money on books, but I'd be pretty confident that it IS saving the low paid daycare teachers money on books because they probably all spend a fair amount of their own money buying supplies for the classes. If this helps them keep their own pay, isn't that good?

I agree day care teachers should not pay for supplies, the day care center (owners) should!

For the infant room the school brings in $72,000 per teacher per year, for the toddler room it is $84,000. I have no clue how much the
teachers are paid but let's say they are paid 60% which I'm guessing is high, that means their income is $43,000-$50,000 that would still leave $28,000-$33,000 (per every 4-5 kids) for overhead, supplies and profit.

I'm guess the older classrooms are even more profitable.

 

[scoutie]

I have no clue how much the
teachers are paid

According to a few websites, daycare workers earn $12.64 an hour on average, or $26,300 a year. The median wage of preschool teachers in the daycare industry is $11.57 an hour.

 

[Nancyg56]

They probably benefit in that they get free books for the daycare as a result. That's not so much of a benefit 'for them' as it is for the children. It's also a way to get books for your home library. If you don't like it, simply don't volunteer and don't buy anything. I've always been pleased with the prices at the Scholastic Book Fairs at our school, and I like to SEE the books before I purchase them, so for me, that's a plus that Amazon doesn't have.

I love them! The kids that I care for school is having their event next week, and they kick it off with a grandparents day. We took the girls last Spring for their first attempt at this, and it was a lot of fun. The girls loved it, we really enjoyed it, and the teacher benefits a lot. There was no teacher wish list for this "presale" (grands got in a day early" but at the book fair each teacher has a wish list and if you buy one, there is a bookplate for the book that designates who it is a gift from.

I really think that many people don't mind volunteering, so if there is an option, it should be made available. I do not believe that any parent should be made to feel badly if that is not their thing. When my DGD was in preschool if a parent volunteered once a month there was a reduction in the fee, so I signed up. Now I enjoyed it and often filled in for other parents if something came up. As caregiver for Kady, I had time that many parents did not. One day I was the one who got sick so my DD filled in for me...she hated every minute. LOL! Baking pies!LOL! Teachers told her her entire commitment was fulfilled!

 

[puffkin]

Our daycare (which is a for profit chain center) doesn't do a book fair but does several fundraisers per year (candles, pizza kits, etc). The "spin" is they use it for extras for the teachers like pizza days, gifts during teacher appreciation week, etc. I rarely participate. Its not that I mind the things they are supposedly spending the money on, but I would rather just donate a food item or something like that for their appreciation week rather than go through a fundraiser.

Thankfully, they aren't real pushy with the fundraisers so it usually just ends up in the trash and we just don't participate.

 

[gwynne]

I'd probably volunteer a few hours, pick up a couple of paperbacks for stocking stuffers and call it a day.
If it bothered me, I wouldn't. I also wouldn't keep looking at the sign up sheet. I'd make my decision and move on.

 

[sunnyday123]

I have never heard of a daycare holding a fundraiser....that to me is ridiculous.

 

[cijay]

What do you think of this?

My ds goes to a for profit franchise chain daycare for which we pay the equivalent of a mortgage payment.

Daycare is hosting a scholastic book fair and asks parents to volunteer to run it. School claims they are not getting any benefit (or minimal) and they are doing it 'for the families' but the books are cheaper from Amazon so I don't buy that argument.

Would you volunteer (I am not and have told the school how I feel) or am I missing something? Every day this week when I see the we need volunteers sign it rubs me the wrong way. An event for the kids i would help with but this, not so much.

I'll go! I love volunteering! It's my drug. My mother got me into it when I was so little and I just love it.

I'm just now sure how they expect anyone to believe that they don't get any benefit from it. Why would they bother to hold it if they didn't? It's a huge project. I think it'd be fun to have a second-hand book fair instead and take donations but that too is a huge project and nobody is ever interested in belling the cat.

 

[barkley]

if it's run right a school or daycare can make a phenomenal amount from one of these-it's one of the largest fundraising campaigns our school does each year. i agree that most of the books are less expensive on amazon or when b&n's is having a sale, but i tend to try to go to the one at our local elementary school b/c there's usually some unique pencils, pens and erasers i end up grabbing as stocking stuffers.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I agree day care teachers should not pay for supplies, the day care center (owners) should!

For the infant room the school brings in $72,000 per teacher per year, for the toddler room it is $84,000. I have no clue how much the
teachers are paid but let's say they are paid 60% which I'm guessing is high, that means their income is $43,000-$50,000 that would still leave $28,000-$33,000 (per every 4-5 kids) for overhead, supplies and profit.

I'm guess the older classrooms are even more profitable.

Your math makes sense, and I see how you calculated it as I used to be a preschool teacher/summer camp director, but I can tell you firsthand that there is not one teacher at your school making more than $35,000/year, and I am aiming very high there becuase I don't know where you live and what the COL is like there. BUt I'll guarantee that the owner is making a nice 6-figure income!

When I was a lead teacher for the 3/4 year olds, and running the school-aged day camp in the summers, I was making the grand sum of $9.50/hour. This was between 2002-2007, so I am sure it is slightly higher how, athough knowing what I know, I am pretty sure I would only be making about $10 now.

My "perk" was two-fold, however: The school was walking distance from my house, and my kids attended for free, which boosted my "hourly value" up into the teens. and since I no longer had to drive an hour each way to my "real" job (the one I had before I quit to work at the school and be with my son all day who was two at the time, which was my compromise for not being a SAHM), it made it worth it. At the end of my run there, I had a school age kid, a toddler, and an infant in the daycare for free.

Now, not so much. My kids are well past daycare age, and there is no way I would work for $9.00 anywhere. But it was a different world back then...my priorities shifted from "being with my kids as much as possible when they were little and not paying in the thousands every month for daycare for 3 kids", to "Holy Cow! College for three kids is expensive and we need to start getting ready NOW!"

And, back to corporate world I went.....sigh.