Putting up my Fee's after Xmas :-0 HELP!!!

[maryp0ppins]

Hi all,

I was thinking of sending out letters after the New Year. Ready for pay increase come April 14'

I'm about 50 - 75p cheaper than other childminders in my area, soooooooooo how do I word a nice polite letter :)

I've not had a pay rise since I started 7 years ago.

Parents WILL grumble for sure, I'm moving house in Jan so I'm guessing they'll be thinking bigger house higher bills bla bla bla but I was thinking of putting them up before we found our new home!!!!

HELP xxx

[munch149]

I understand why you want to put them up but I find it so much easier to put it up for new custom. I have a policy that i will not put up fees for current clients. I however have increased my fees and one of my mindees are on the higher rate as they are reasonably new. Don't have any problem with this and means I can up my fees whenever I want without the fallout. One parent recently got caught out tho. They left back in August (originally just so they could not pay for holiday care but then found another person to do childcare.) now they want to come back and have had their fees put up. It can put people off doing things like this which is good.

[hectors house]

This is the wording I used on a newsletter last year about increasing fees, I gave them 3 months notice and I managed to fill my 2 spare days with existing parents increasing days. Everyone was fine with the increase, if you have any spaces I would charge new rate immediately and give notice that existing mindees fees will increase from April.

Sorry folks, but due to the every increasing costs of gas, electric, petrol, food, etc, and the fact that I have not put my charges up for 4 years!, I will be increasing my hourly rate from £3.60 to £3.75 from the beginning of September. For most of you this will mean an increase of less than £1.50 a day. For anyone wanting to increase their child’s days I will postpone the increase until the beginning of March.

[Simona]

Why don't you put in your contract that 'fees will be reviewed each year in April'?

If you then have to increase them parents will have been warned well in advance...if you decide to keep at same level then that is a bonus.
I have had that in my contract for 20 years and never had a problem.

[loocyloo]

Why don't you put in your contract that 'fees will be reviewed each year in April'?

If you then have to increase them parents will have been warned well in advance...if you decide to keep at same level then that is a bonus.
I have had that in my contract for 20 years and never had a problem.

I have that and usually put my fees up every other year, whilst pointing out I didn't put them up the year before! Never had a problem either.

I usually say about the increase in my January newsletter and put it on the bottom of all invoices from January onwards, asking parents to talk to me if this will cause any problems.