Pricing child care

[bethy]

I wouldn't even do it for $250 per week but I'm not a kid person (except for my own kids) and am not in dire need of extra money.

If I had a close friend in crisis I would babysit for free for a week or two to help out.

OP you should just decide what amount would make it worth it to YOU and ask for that. This is a business proposition. How much she makes, how much others would want is not relevant. It has to be worth it to YOU or it's not worth bothering.

 

[sturowski]

Holy cow, I have never heard of daycare for $80 a week! We pay $250 pet child, changes as try get old but not by much... We still pay$450 for the two kids 3 and 5 for our daycare.. At home daycares where I live run around $200 pet child..

 

[ILuvTigger]

Wow, that is crazy! Happy to hear you are not going to take that on, definitely not worth it. All it would do is stress you out, which would cause problems at home, one with your husband, you would blame him for putting you in that position (thank god he realized it wasn't worth it), and you wouldn't spend quality time with your kids. As far as getting a live in nanny for $800 a month, I am sure she will find someone (not a felon or illegal), if all living expenses were included, car provided, and days/time off (not 24/7 hours).

 

[pigletto]

This should provide you with some perspective. My dd (15) helped out my sister for the summer. My sister has a sheep dog puppy who can't be left alone and she works long hours so my daughter would spend the day at her house with the dog. My dd was welcome to eat whatever she wanted, use her craft supplies, have a friend over etc. She just had to keep puppy company, take it for walks/play with it, and clean up after herself and puppy.
She was paid $20 a day.. for a dog. My sister decided on this number because it was 22 a day to board the dog and he wasn't happy there.
So people pay more to board their puppies than this woman was willing to give you to watch her child all day.

 

[ryka]

I pay my babsitter $150 a week and that is only for 28 hours a week. I provide all food, diapers and wipes.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I did babysit for a family at our church while they were going through a rough time and really couldn't afford childcare. My older dd kept the child for the first year of her life for free and we provided diapers. I kept her for the next year and a half for $50 and provided all food and diapers. We also transported their school aged child back/forth to school and kept her when school was out. But we didn't go into it for the money we did it to help out a friend. I ended up going back to work when dh lost his job. I have no idea what they pay now but she's had three babysitters in as many years.

 

[auralia]

If they had truly NEEDED help I would have helped. They make twice as much as what we do and just bought a new car and 30000$+ time share. I couldn't bring myself to pay for their luxuries with my sons time.

 

[susieq76]

If they had truly NEEDED help I would have helped. They make twice as much as what we do and just bought a new car and 30000$+ time share. I couldn't bring myself to pay for their luxuries with my sons time.

Amen. Put your child first.

 

[DOREEN1779]

If they had truly NEEDED help I would have helped. They make twice as much as what we do and just bought a new car and 30000$+ time share. I couldn't bring myself to pay for their luxuries with my sons time.

Never doubted that. Some people are just a wee bit unrealistic and self-absorbed. They believe there time is more valuable then others. I am very happy that you are off the hook and she secured a childcare facility. It sounds like she would have been a nightmare to deal with.

 

[mjkacmom]

You say that home day cares charge $80 a week, and yet you think you should get more? Sure, sitters who come to your home, and deal with just your children, get $10 an hour. You certainly don't make that if the child is brought to your home, when you have other children to care for.

I don't see why you should expect to make more than an established home day care business. Licensed centers always charge more than home day care. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. I know around here, private nannies get paid the most per hour, unlicensed home care gets the least.

 

[okeydokey]

You say that home day cares charge $80 a week, and yet you think you should get more? Sure, sitters who come to your home, and deal with just your children, get $10 an hour. You certainly don't make that if the child is brought to your home, when you have other children to care for.

I don't see why you should expect to make more than an established home day care business. Licensed centers always charge more than home day care. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. I know around here, private nannies get paid the most per hour, unlicensed home care gets the least.

An at home daycare has 6 kids that each pay 80 a week. This person was getting practically one on one care, and should be compensated accordingly. She wanted the OP to provide food and diapers too. She also said she didn't want to do it, and isn't doing it. She found the person someone who could take her child at 100 a week. I say she has gone above and beyond.

 

[trip]

She was paid $20 a day.. for a dog. My sister decided on this number because it was 22 a day to board the dog and he wasn't happy there.

So people pay more to board their puppies than this woman was willing to give you to watch her child all day.

I bolded the above statement - it really makes one stop and think.

 

[mjkacmom]

An at home daycare has 6 kids that each pay 80 a week. This person was getting practically one on one care, and should be compensated accordingly. She wanted the OP to provide food and diapers too. She also said she didn't want to do it, and isn't doing it. She found the person someone who could take her child at 100 a week. I say she has gone above and beyond.

The OP said that home daycare in her area runs about $70 - $80 per week. The OP appears to have 2 children of her own, 1 being a baby, so no, this child would not have 1 on 1 care. Granted, in my area, the cheapest home care runs about $25 a day, and wouldn't include diapers or food. Most run about $40 per day.

I never said she should do it - sorry for posting before reading every thread. There is no way I'd take a baby in all week for only $80. However, if I decided to make extra money by doing childcare in my home, I wouldn't expect to be paid significantly more than the going rate in my area (which the OP claims to have been offered). And with 5 kids, we have awesome toys in the home, and in the yard.

 

[meggiebeth]

I would probably go for 115- 125 dollars a week, no less. Getting paid $1 something an hour after food and diaper expenses are accounted for isn't worth it. I think that is way too small a rate.

Good luck

 

[bellaally]

Depends on the child, if she is difficult then no it's not worth it not for a dollar. If she wants you to feed her charge twenty bucks more, or you can tell her to bring her prepared meals( not just food so you won't have to cook) and absolutely she has to bring diapers. Also let her know you can't babysit her daughter if she is I'll because then you risk your kids becoming I'll.

 

[sherry7]

........How much would you charge an hour for this. In our area a center day care runs about 600-800$ per month while homes run from 70-80$ a week......

The above quote is from your original post. I think you answered your own question. If the "going rate" for a home daycare in your area is $70-$80 a week, then you should base your rate on that. Your suggested rate of $4 an hour for 50 hours a week equals $200 a week. While I think that actually sounds reasonable for a 2 year old child, no one is likely to pay you that if other people in the area are providing a similar service for only $70 or $80.

For what it's worth, I pay $28 per day for my 2 year old DD, in a licensed day care center. I provide meals, diapers, and wipes, and they provide 2 small snacks a day. She's there from 6:45 to 4:45, so 10 hours a day. In my area, that is the average daily price for toddler care at a licensed center, give or take a buck. From what I've heard, child care rates vary greatly depending on the part of the country.

 

[patsal]

My 17 year old gets $80 for two days 8-2....she has two kids one 10 one 7. I think that a few dollars an hour is crazy and I wouldn't do it for that little. That was the hourly rate for babysitting in the 80's. Childcare is expensive and if she were using a center she would be putting out a lot more. For an hour before and an hour after school back in the 90's my kids cost me over $600 per month.

 

[mjkacmom]

My 17 year old gets $80 for two days 8-2....she has two kids one 10 one 7. I think that a few dollars an hour is crazy and I wouldn't do it for that little. That was the hourly rate for babysitting in the 80's. Childcare is expensive and if she were using a center she would be putting out a lot more. For an hour before and an hour after school back in the 90's my kids cost me over $600 per month.

The OP said a center would be around $600 a month for fulltime care - I don't know anyone who paid $600 for 2 hours a day! I believe before/aftercare here is $125 through the schools, and in this area, sitters run about $10 - $12 per hour (when they come to your home, less than half that when the child comes to the sitter's home).

And my dd got paid more per hour sitting for 2 kids per hour than your 17 year old here.

 

[bpesch]

$80 a week for 50 hours, not a chance. That isn't even remotely competitive price wise. And I've never heard of a day care supplying diapers. Nope, I think the woman is trying to pull a fast one here. Do your research, I think you'll find that her price is way, way off!

 

[AlliF75]

In Southern NH I am currently pay $160 for one child - I only work 4 days/week. The home daycare hours are 7:30-4:30 and it includes snacks and lunch. When my DD was an infant I supplied formula, baby food, diapers, and wipes. My daycare has a max of four children at any given time. I'd rather pay a little more for the lower ratio. The large centers around me easily run $200-250 for a full week. I guess it all depends on your area and what the market allows for. If it were me I would not do it for $80/week, it will just complicate your life. I agree with several PPs, perhaps if she sees that she will be getting more one on one care, she could at least agree to over the $100 mark (still a bargain for her in my eyes!).