Regional Variation in Fees

[button68]

I was just reading Kellys post about possibly increasing her fees and she was saying that £3.50-£4 per hour was the norm.

As I am just about to start I have been taking a keen interest in fees in my area and the top end appears to be £25 per day (8am-6pm). (Most CM's round her seem to do daily rate as opposed to hourly rate - I am still undecided which rate to use or infact what to charge!)

I realise that prices are bound to vary area to area (just like house prices), I am just amazed that it varies so much! :)

[katickles]

Hi Mandy

Thats what it slike where i live. Daily rates vary from £20 - £35 per day!?!

I have just worked my fees out so that i can include visits/outings etc as well as meals etc etc. Only thing i found was that i didn't want to price myself out of the market so i'm kind of middle ground for fees round here.:p

[bubbly]

The hourly rate where I am is £3.00 per hour

[angeldelight]

I have no idea what the rate is where I live

I have no childminders very close though

I charge £3 an hour

Angel xx

[ajs]

the rate where i live and there are about 35 - 40 childminders is £2.75 to £3.75 and i am the most expensive at £3.75 most are around £3.25 - £3.60
i include one meal but no groups although all the mums supply food at the moment not sure why though but i'm not complaining

[berkschick]

The going rate is between £3.50 and £4.50 an hour round here, I charge £3.50 an hour to include snacks and drinks, meals are extra.

Some places in London are £7.00 an hour :panic: :eek:

Love

Debbie

[chubbymummy]

most childminders in our village tend to charge the same

2-80 an hour 2-50 for sibling although we are putting prices up in april by 10p

[button68]

The lowest in my immediate area is £18 per day :eek: - there is no way I can compete with that.

I saw another CM on the CIS who takes the second child (sibling) for half price!!

[charlotte_lawton]

im a newly registered childminder in the northwest merseyside area and i am chargig £25 per day, i think the top price for m area is £30 an the lowest iv seen was £22.

xx cant immagine how anyone could possibly charge £40 per day :eek:

[oakie dokie]

here in the high peak the going rate is £3 per hour or between £25 and £30 per day.

hazelx

[Monkey1]

I do 3.00 an hour, 24 for a day including snacks and lunch.

£18 a day?.......I would of thought that would put parents off....you only get what you pay for!

[miffy]

Think it also depends on what competition there is - we have a nursery, two playgroups that do full day care and three after school clubs within a very small area. Also both primary schools take the children from 4years old.

When you consider that most of this is free or heavily subsidised it's no wonder we have difficulty competing sometimes.

My son's girlfriend has just got a job setting up an after school club - she has two staff and the most children she has at a session is 5, sometimes as few as 1 child. The club started in October. She says they have govt funding to cover all costs for three years! Makes you think!

Sorry I digress - round here the fees are from £2.20 to £3.00 per hour / £20 to £26 a day

Miffy xx

[Mickey Mouse Clubhouse]

Around by me the going rate is £3.50 to £4.00 an hour with no daily rate or weekly rate.

I charge £4.00 an hour and that includes food for over 1's and any toddler groups etc.

Lorraine xx

[mrsbumbles]

Where i live we have guidelines for rates of pay which is set yearly at the AGM, to encourage childminders in the area to charge the same hourly rate.so parents and carers choose their childminder on the quality of care offered rather than going for the cheapest on offer. At the moment our hourly rate is £3.50

[fionamal]

In my area the fees are from £3.50 to £4.50 an hour. I charge £4 an hour and £3.50 for sibblinings but thats including snacks and lunches and any trips.

[button68]

Where i live we have guidelines for rates of pay which is set yearly at the AGM, to encourage childminders in the area to charge the same hourly rate.so parents and carers choose their childminder on the quality of care offered rather than going for the cheapest on offer. At the moment our hourly rate is £3.50

That is SUCH a good idea and the reasoning behind it is fantastic :thumbsup:

[sarah32]

I charge £3.00 an hour, newley registered and wanted to fill spaces. Most childminders in my area charge about £3.20 - £3.50.

[Twinkles]

Wow! there is a huge difference if you add it up over a week. I think I am average for this area at £4 pr hour , I don't do discounts for siblings and the price includes most outings ( if we go somewhere more expensive I ask for a contribution ) it also includes meals and snacks. I do a daily rate of £30 for over 8's in the holidays. I know it is not unusual in this area to charge £5 pr hour.

[ma7ie]

Where I live, childminders charge about £2.75 per hour although a lot of childminders round here have set prices for full time children. One charges £65 for full time care which I can't compete with and wouldn't want to either. I always charge by the hour - £3.00 for babies under one and £2.75 for children over one.

Marie x

[Mollymop]

Where I live in CAmbridgeshire it is around £3 per hour. Some are £2.80 and others go up to £3.80, but the average is definatley £3.
I am going to charge £2.80, as I don't have to work and I know how expensive child care can be for some people.
But I will be charging extra for meals except brekki:)

[Rubybubbles]

I'm one of the lowest in my area at £3.60!

Going rate £3.50-£5 per hour (well have to pay for their posh houses somehow lol)

I include all trips and outings, I provide all snack/drinks ect, they bring packed lunch

[Lincsminder]

most people charge around £2.50 - £3.00 (Lincs coast). I charge £3 and do a wrap around care for £50 a week which is 8.00-9.00 and then 3.20-6pm including an evening meal. or £40 for after school only.
Caroline

[emma04]

Hi

I visited a web site ages ago that gave a rough guide to the rates for childminders in areas all over the country, but i can't for the life of me remember where i saw it...could have been on www.directgov.com or something to that effect or may even have been the ncma site.

I charge and hourly rate, daily rate and weekly rate, this differs for school holiday and after school care. (take a look at my website if you like, its all on there how i work it out):)

Unfortunately without knowing exactly what site to look at, i think it boils down to reasearch.... I found out what the nursery's in my area were charging (which is quite alot!!) and worked my pricing out accordingly. Charge what you think is reasonable.....but make sure its what you deserve!!

Hope you get it sorted!:)

[button68]

I was thinking £25 (8am-6pm to include lunch, snacks, drinks) then a CM at school said NO ONE round here charges that much (some do I've checked the CIS)

She said I only only charge £21. Turns out for that £21 get you 8am-4pm and bring your own packed lunch.

Her daily rate works out at £2.62 and mine .............. £2.50!!!!! she needs to get hereself a calculator ;)

[littletreasures]

Childminders where I live charge roughly £4-5 per hour. I charge an hourly rate of £4.50 per hour full time and £5.00 per hour part time.

Apparantly there is one childminder in my area who is supposed to charge £9 per hour. How she gets away with that I don't know!!

Jules

[Banana]

Dont sell yourself short!

When I first started I though I should charge £3 because a lot of minders around me chrge £3 - some charging £3.50 some £4 but some at £2.75. I went for £3.50 an hour and to be honest I think £3.50 is cheap, regardless of area! Why should location matter? minimum wage is the same all over the country and to be honest I think that a fairer system should be in place for childminders. I wish I could charge £5 an hour - the sad fact is that a lot of it comes down to price for parents because they have financial aspects to think about too.

I wouldnt worry about being new too much, dont make your prices cheap just becuase you are only just starting out. But yes, you do have to keep in line with other minders around you.

xx