please can you look at my fee's rate :)

[sharonmanc]

I have changed them about a thousand times, and am hoping that this will be it. The average in my area is £3.50 per hour or £25 per day but without an evening meal with just starting out I want to be competative but not underprice myself. the before and after school prices are in line with my local school which is at the end of my street.

I am on the border of oldham and manchester

Fees
I charge £3.50 per hour
I charge £16 for a morning or Afternoon session
Am session7.30am-12.30 pm
PM session 1-6pm
(however I may be able to accommodate other times)

minimum of 6 hours (£21) if the care falls over the middle of the day (i.e. 10am – 2pm) as I am unable to fill a full time place.

The day rate of £28 applies for 10 hours of care between the times of 7.30am and 6.30pm, if more than 10 hours is needed then the hourly rate of £3.50 will apply for each extra hour you need.
Weekly full time fee (Mon - Fri) 10 hours of care per day £120
Any hours outside of core hours are charged at the hourly rate.

There are minimum fixed rates for before/after school care which include breakfast, snacks and/or light tea.
Morning from 7.30am £4.50
Evening until 6pm £8
Before and after £12

Weekend care is charged at £4 per hour or £35 per day

Fees include ALL food and snacks from 12 months onwards, payment to toddler groups and activities, and loal outings


what do you think??

[Ali56]

I think you are selling yourself a bit short, I hope you don't mind me saying that, but if you have a child all day then you are only earning £2.80 an hour! Then if you add in what you spend on the child-food, drink, toddler groups, craft materials etc you aren't going to be making much.
I live in the south west so can't compare our prices to yours but I charge £4 an hour, no session or day rates. late fee's are time and a half, as are weekends. I can still choose whether to accept part-timers or not, or charge an enhanced rate for fewer hours. Makes it easier for me to calculate changes/overtime and also to accommodate the NEG(free hours for 2/3/4 yr olds) in my bills. Nurseries here charge £5.95 an hour and so I'm still quite cheap in comparison.
Same applies to before and after schoolies and I charge a minimum of 2 hours then as that covers snacks and tea too.
Your session times sound okay, if that's roughly what your other local minders charge. Hope that helps :)

[boxtree7]

I'm am currently trying to increase my prices - I think I would charge more for after 6.00 pm collection. I am in the North West and that's the price range I want to get to. I don't think you ever stop feeling your not charging enough !!

[AgentTink]

Are you really sure that you are happy to charge £120 for the weekly charge. if a parent was to use the 10 hours everyday for 5 days then if they paid you by the hour it would be £175. At your day rate. Parent would be getting 50 hours care for £2.40 per hour.

I made the mistake of charging a cheaper full timer rate to get the business but then regretted it when the parents would drop at 8 on the dot and collect just after 6 even though one of them was as at home across the road from 330 due to the older child finishing school. Some parents mentaility is we have paid so we will use. I have now changed to hourly rates and this family has changed the hours to 8 til 4 each day, and I will be a £1 better off each day on my hourly rate.

Also think about your am session which is 730 til 1230. For the cost of £3.20 per hour you would need to give breakfast, snack and lunch to the child. Is there a reason you are giving a discount on short sessions? If your rate is 3.50 per hour then for 5 hours this would £17.50.

These are just some food for thought please feel free to ignore any of the suggestions if you are happy with your charges :)

[sharonmanc]

This is really making me think, please keep your comments coming I am worried about out pricing myself, but at the same time dont want to be working for nothing, the childminders in my area keep their prices are closely guarded secret :) have even looked at profiles on childminder to get an inkling as i just want to charge in line with others but no luck

[sharonmanc]

this is what the nursery that has just set up close to me charges , just found this info as have been lookign for a while Full Time Place
8:00 to 18:00
0-2 Yrs - £150.00
2+ Yrs - £142.00
Daily Rate - £31.00 Per Day

Sessional Rate
AM – 8.00 -13.00
£20.00 per session
PM – 13.00 -18.00
£16.00 per session

Early drop offs from 7.30 am and late pickups until 18.30pm can be
arranged subject to availability and a small fee.

[AgentTink]

This is a very cheap nursery, I'm my area in Liverpool, our day rates for local nurserys are £40 upwards, so I can get away with charging £32 for a full day as I am still a bit cheaper.

I certainly wouldn't go much cheaper than this nursery, what you need to remember is that a nursery environment is not for everybody.

[sharonmanc]

Thanks, yes it is a cheap nursery, my area is not the most affluent, and their are an abundance of childminders, but I know not all of them are good childminders, and i know people will pay for quality childcare, so I am trying to aim somewhere between the nursery and other childminders in the area.

[miffy]

Some of your fees seem very cheap to me - £4.50 for care from 0730 until 0900 including breakfast, wouldn't be worth my while.

Miffy xx

[sharonmanc]

Hi Miffy,

I was trying to be on a par with the before and after school club at my local school which is at the end of my street, but looking at it myself now it seems too cheap

[Mouse]

Hi Miffy,

I was trying to be on a par with the before and after school club at my local school which is at the end of my street, but looking at it myself now it seems too cheap

I wouldn't try to compete with them. Breakfast & afterschool clubs aren't ususally out to make a profit, so can afford to be cheaper.

Is the nursery near you a private one or a sure start/childrens centre one? If they are newly opened they may have had funding to offer reduced rates.

I would try to set your rates nearer those of the nursery. Set it at the higher end of the scale. It's much easier to reduce your rates & show it as a special offer than it is to start off low and try to increas it at a later date.

[sharonmanc]

Hi Mouse yes, the nursery is private, and I was thinking that there rates are on the low side, think I will charge my hourly rate for before and after school, maybe thi seems more realistic Morning from 7.30am £7.00, Evening until 6pm £10, Before and after £15.

I ccant seem to find any childminders who charge more than £25 per day, but sayign that alot of childminders have ring for details on the blogs etc, so they could be, at our training they said the average was £25 day rate, so i dont think i could charge much more than this.

[Zoomie]

I don't compete with the breakfast / afterschool. Its not worth my while, although the children I do have, come earlier because I am able to offer flexibility, but I do charge a premium rate for the unsocial hours and my normal rate for normal hours. I also have one child who stays later than afterschool club, but I will be giving notice come the summer because it works out to be a very long day for me (and in Sept my own DD starts at a different school so I can't be in two places at the same time).

[Niki78]

Im in the East Midlands and i charge £3.50 per hour between 7.30am - 5.30pm Any hours before or after this are charged £4.50 per hour to make it worth my while. Meals are extra unless they do a full day but that is the only discount i offer. All children are charged the same and parents are billed each month.

I have been asked if i would take a child for one day because the parents are stuck and was wondering what to charge. When i worked in a nursery they charged an occasional rate to people who didnt have set hours so was wondering whether to do that as i could end up spending most of the day calming the child.