Good morning! Needing advice from fellow in-home childcare providers. I have a parent who is due to have their second child in a few months. She has asked if I will give them a discount as I currently watch their first child. I agreed, but do not know how much I want or should deduct. What do you do?
TIA!
When I used day care it was 10% discount for siblings or other children you are a legal guardian of.
My daycare (an actual center - not in home, but thought I'd throw it in FYI) gives a 10% discount on the older child. So my Son is $175 and my daughter is $151 before discount. All together it is $326 - less discount brings the total to $310.90 each week.... UGH that makes me depressed just thinking about it!
Most child care providers do offer a sibling discount but it is typcially a percentage or a set amount. The poster that only paid $15 more for the second child was getting a steal.
Most places have a higher rate for newborns/infants, do you? For example if infants are $125 per week, once they are potty trained it may drop to $100 or $110. So you could possibly offer a discount by way of charging the same for both.
You don't say how old the oldest child is or what your rate is so it's a bit hard to tell you how much for the second. You might consider, especially if the oldest will be going to school next year, charging for the youngest and discounting the oldest. Maybe even by way of not charging extra on no school, early dismissal, or delay days.
My only reference is the center we use and they offer 10% for a family discount. On a per child basis, it is more expensive the younger they are because of the teacher/child ratio requirements and needs of an infant vs toddler/preschooler.
My sitter charged $150 for 2-5 year olds, $200 for infants, and $100 for 5 and older, because they were in school most of the time, but this covered before/after/and no school days.
Don't look at the discount being on the infant, because it's not really. It's for the family payment. If you charge $150 for the older kid, and $200 for the infant, maybe charge them a total of $325 for the week for both kids.
I also know a lot of people do it on a family by family basis...so depending on how long you've been there, if you pay on time, etc...that makes a difference.
I'd say a 10% discount is fair.
I'm curious as to why people would think you should get a discount for having more kids attending. It's still more work for you. Someone will have to explain that thought process for me.
I charge $40/day for 1 kid and $30/day for each additional sibling. That way it's easy to break it down for occasions when only one of the siblings comes in.
A daycare place by me told me that when they start taking infants again this year they would give a 10% discount on the older child. Their usual rate is $165 for 2-5 yrs old, $205 for 0-12 and 185 for 13-23 months-- per week. Like others, an infant would cost more and if you are willing to give her a discount, let her know what the rates per child are and then the combined rate.
The in-home daycare my girls went to for a short time offered a 10% discount for the second child, but like the other posters have said - the price for infants was significantly higher to begin with. I think our lady charged $100 a week for ages 3-5, $125 for 1-2, and $150 for a baby.
My experience with home daycare was this.
We send my son peroidically to my daughters daycare (in home daycare) she charges us an extra $15 a day.
When my son was in an in home daycre it was $45 for him full day, or it was $60 for both full day.
So the home daycares in my experience seem to cut the second childs price in half? Which is reasonable.
I am not saying all home daycares do that.
daycare centers.. only give you a 10% discount on the older childs daycare cost.
In our old daycare I think it was 10 or 20% for the child that cost less. So they would pay the infant rate and then get a discount on the 3 yr old rate.
I would think anywhere from 5-15% would be a standard for a second child. But, honestly, I don't think this would apply to a newborn baby. Most places charge more for an infant! They are a lot more work!
I have a family with a new baby. I offered them a drop of $20/week total. This is >10%, but felt good to me. :)
I think in this instance what I would do is call around to other child care providers and ask them what they offer. That way you're not giving too much or too little.
I would discount the older one since infants do bring in so much more income.
