How Much to Charge a Friend for Childcare!

As an adult and it being 2 kids (hopefully you will try some learning activities with both, help w/ potty training the 2 yr old, meals, etc) I would say around $10 - $12/ hr. it will cost her more than that for 2 in day care or for any other sitter.

You either charge per hour... or a flat-rate each month, that is payable at the beginning of each month.

$10 per hour... is a low amount. Students get that pay.
You are a "Mom" with experience.
But she is your friend.
I would not though, go lower than $10/hour.

What does she pay now, for Daycare?

And, I would have mutual 'rules' on your care..... paying on time.... and if she is late for drop-off or pick-up, she HAS to let you know, ahead of time etc.
It is just courtesy and she is a friend... so friends should respect that.
AND are you supposed to provide meals or not? Diapers or not? Naps?
And what kind of care does she expect?
ie: teaching them school prep? Just watching them and their safety? Taking them out in your vehicle??? If so... then WHO is going to provide her kids' car-seats etc.?????
And if you take her kids out in your car.... you should have her sign a release-of-liability etc. Still. Even if she is a friend.

"Baby-sitters".... are really people who don't get paid much, considering what they do.... and it is very hands-on and laborious.

all the best,
Susan

when it is a last minute thing, a quick errand that is no biggy, but when it crosses over to a job? Then you have to figure out what you can live with so the friendship does not become strained. I have seen whole friendships crumble due to this exact same issue. Work everything out, to hours, expectations, what if one is sick, a back up sitter, who provides what...its one thing to want to be a friend, another entirely to find yourself in an unhappy situation with no good outcome. My suggestion is when in doubt, decide on an Hourly rate. Lots of luck to you!

I have kids the same age and I would say about $35-$40 a kid per day.

Wow, what a range of answers! Some seem too low and some seem too high! I'll just throw mine in the mix. We pay $64 a day for professional day care for one child. I like the fact they have insurance, games/outdoor play-yard, crafts, food, toys, other kids in same age group. If you can't provide all that, I would charge less. And yes, a small discount for your friend seems reasonable. Most importantly, you need to think the price is fair so you don't feel taken advantage of if you're tired of taking care of them 3 weeks into it.

I would settle on an hourly rate. That way your friend won't be tempted to 'accidentally' be late or whatever. Also, try to hammer our as many 'what ifs' as you can...for example: What if you're sick? Will she still need/expect you to watch the girls?

Some other things to consider:
Will you be providing meals? Driving them to school/activities? Potty training the 2yo? (if she's not already) Stuff like that.

Call other childcare providers and ask what they charge. Whatever you do, don't do it really super cheap just because she's your friend. You will resent it and become bitter. Maybe charge slightly less because she is your friend, but not much less. If she doesn't like it, that's too bad. She can pay more elsewhere. If she's the type that will get all upset because you charge her the regular rate, then she's not a good friend.

Every area has different general expected costs. For my two boys (2 and 4) I usually pay someone about $7 per hour since we only need care for 3-3 1/2 hours the days we need care. I paid $6 when it was just one of them, and when we have our third, I will plan to pay about $8. I "round" to $25 for the afternoons since some days I'm home a little early and some days I'm running a little late, because it is easier for me to pay a set amount and I've cleared it with caregivers. I paid my friend who watched my kids with her three the same amount that I now pay a student at my home.

It would probably be easier if the hours are not going to change to set a daily rate, and I think Tiphanie is pretty close--about $35 a day sounds pretty reasonable--not great for you, but as you said you are trying to help a friend. Make sure you plan ahead on what is included (are you providing all meals/snacks, etc.), and when you get paid. When my friend watched the kids she was okay with me paying her on my pay days since she watched them about 3 days a week. For the people who come to my home, I usually pay them each day when I get home. That's just from my experience that it is much more comfortable to plan that ahead of time to avoid any awkwardness. Oh, and if you're okay with it, let her know that she does not need to pay you on days you do not watch the kids. I always felt bad that I couldn't afford to, but my friend never expected it and we were clear about that from the beginning. That might be a relief for her. Just keep everything in mind that will keep anything weird from coming up since you're friends.

I think you should base it on how much the average home daycare in the area charges and then reduce it by 15-20%. Make sure you talk about everything you can think of so there are no misunderstandings such as days off, late pickups, sick days (paid? what minor illnesses will you still care for them and what you won't), how much notice she needs for your absences, who supplies what, how much notice either of you will give the other if the situation needs to change.

I am paying a friend $75/day for my 1 and 3 year old (1x a week). It will be for about 9 hours.

For Fridays that I do not bring my kids to him, I still pay him the $75. For days that they cannot do it, I do not pay them.

He provides lunch, snacks and drinks. I provide diapers/wipes, extra clothes, a baby gate and playpen for my son.

Our home daycare provider charges $4/hour (for our 1 child), and provides meals & snacks. We provide an extra change of clothes (kept on hand at her house), diapers, & wipes, and any "special foods" for our little one.

Be sure to find out if there are any dietary or other restrictions--our little one is allergic to peanuts, and it takes a conscientious person to make sure there is no accidental exposure. Also, if there are allergies or other medical issues, get the protocol in writing (the FAAN has a good "action plan" you can download for food allergy emergency protocol).

It's not clear from your post if you also have young children. If you do, then I would find the going rate in your area and charge her about 65% of it. Not because you'll be doing only 65% of the work, but a good amount of time will also be spent tending to your children's needs. The going rate for a nanny assumes that the pay-er's children are getting 100% of the attention. If you don't have children of your own, I would go with about 90% of the going rate if she's a friend and you are in a bind. My guess is that works out to about $11-12 per hour. Do hammer out all of the details (sick days, when you get paid, vacation, late pick-up, meals, naps, etc) BEFORE you start, unless this is a friendship you don't mind losing.

Good luck.

I have a friend who asked me to watch her newborn. I also have a 7 yr old, 2 yr old and am 5 months pregnant. I said i would, but dont really want to. I decided $20 would be fair for 8 hours a day. Its not a lot but i wanted to help my friend out. For 2 kids i'd probably say $35 a day. HTH

I charged $10/hour when I was a Nanny for ONE child and I brought my own too. For 2 children - whether your own will be home or not - I'd think $12/hr will be fair. These children will be getting a lot more attention from you (even with your children home too) than they did at the daycare... so charge accordingly. You can always negotiate, but don't sell the hard work you will be doing for a friend short. Yes she is a friend, but you are doing a major job for her.

Hi Tina,

I've been in your shoes before too. I commend you for being willing to watch your friend's 2 little ones. That is very gracious of you. I watched a little 3 month old & charged $35 a day but the mom provided the food because she was still on formula. Because the kiddos are eating actual food, I would charge $60 per day for both of the kids. When my kids were in an in-home daycare, I paid $70 a day for them to be there.

Hope this helps,
K.

Hi Tina,
One question is, are you doing this more like a favor or are you needing work as well?
I would say, lean more toward the lower end ($8) if its a favor. But if you are trying to make a living, you can't work for free either you know?
Care.com has a "pay rate calculator" on the home page. All you do is type in your zip code, number of kids you would be caring for and years of experience you have watching kids, and it will give you the going rate to pay a babysitter/nanny. That will give you a rough estimate and then tweek it from there.

Hope that helps you some!

I would try to find out what the going rate for at home day care is and go with that. If you're doing it as a favor maybe go a little lower then the going rate but you want to make sure you are comfortable with the pay just in case this last longer then 5 months. I would guess it would be (low end) about $50-$60 per day for both kids.

You want to charge her enough that you don't resent missing the income that other customers would bring in (and you don't bankrupt yourself over helping her) and give her just enough discount where she would be spending a little less than she would if she went elsewhere.
Where that line is exactly I don't know. Is the time period firm? Would she need help maybe longer than 5 months? If it goes on for longer are you going to feel like she's using you? Will she be mad if her rates become your normal rates once her special contract period is up (and you should have a contract with an expiration date written up)?
Helping a friend is nice, but this is your business - your bread and butter.
It pays your bills and feeds/clothes your kids.
Be careful and it might turn out alright.

Find the going rate and give a 20 or 25% friends/family discount.