Would you Increase fee's or ask parents to provide a packed lunch instead?

Hi, well i'm in a bit of a predicament.

I haven't increased my fee's since I started childminding in June 2011. I have recently lost 5 mindees due to different reasons (manly moving house) so I really need to tighten the belt on the purse strings.

At the moment I charge £4 per hour this includes drinks/snacks/lunch/breakfast and most outings (only really charge for softplay and for older children if we go to zoo/farm in the holidays) i charge £2 for an evening meal but i only have one mindee for tea twice a week.

Childminders around here charge between £3.50 per hour to £4.50 per hour so i'd say i'm mid range on price but TBH most charge £4

Instead of putting my prices up i was thinking of just asking parents to provide a packed lunch, if i put my prices up to £4.20 then i would get an extra £1.20 per day where as a packed lunch probably costs me about the same so, do you think parents would prefer a price increase or to have to provide a packed lunch.

oh and any ideas how i could world this in a letter please

I personally like all the children eating the same abs u wouldn't have room in my fridge for lots of packed lunches so I would put up my fees.

Why don't you send a letter out asking opinions and go with majority ?

A word of warning''''''''''' I provide food within my charges always have and always will because on the occasions when parents have sent food with their child (I ask for this, for the first 2 weeks of a new baby/child starting so I can see what they are used to at home) on occasions it has proved a problem: there hasn't been enough, the food has been inappropriate and it can cause arguments among the children and also parents forget yes even in the first 2 weeks of care - it proved to be a headache and unworkable.

Your predicament is unfortunate - I always increase my charges every year in April no matter what for the last 4 years by £1.00 per day (I only do full days), however for over 6 years prior I never increased my rates, did hourly work and part days and I couldn't make a decent living! Now my business is good.

I would look at your business model now whilst you are thinking of implementing changes and see what would make your business sustainable - packed lunches won't pay the bills especially when you have to supplement them with proper food, forgotten food and when children just won't eat a stinky! sandwich - you will just end up giving them your food. I would definitely stay in control of the food. And look my charges - rates and sessions. :thumbsup:

£4 per hour is a good rate in my area and £2.00 for a meal is a lot imo, is the real problem that the children are just coming few/odd hours??
It doesn't seem right to penalize your existing customers because you have lost business and arn't busy, Don't get me wrong I empathize but to safeguard your business I would look at the bigger picture. Hope I don't sound a :censored:

i introduced food charges a few years ago due to increasing food prices. I told all parents they were welcome to provide a packed lunch and included my healthy eating policy but everyone decided they would prefer to pay the food charges:thumbsup:

I would justify an increase in hourly rates by telling parents that you haven't put your rates up since 2011 and obviously that fuel, food, heating and lighting costs have increased substantially in that time.

Or include breakfast and snacks in fees but start charging £1.50 for lunch and charge the same for tea so the parents whose child stays for both meals will only be paying an extra £3 a week for meals - I wouldn't give them the option of supplying own meals - as Koala says it is a pain, I have one child who has the lunches that I provide, but only stays for tea once a week and brings it from home. She can't understand why the other children have got different fruit and a home made cake, so I end up sharing out her fruit and adding different fruit to it for all the children and giving her a cake (for free).

Personally I would talk to each parent and state that as you haven't put prices up for x years and food prices have risen dramatically you are going to have to raise them £2.50 per day to cover food. (I provide a cooked meal for this so maybe less for a packed lunch depending on what you are doing)

Hello. This is my first post! I am starting the cypop 5 course next week and thought it would be a good idea to get some idea of what childminders charge. There are presently two minders where I live who are inundated with work. They charge an hourly rate of £5. Once qualified and registered I plan to charge the same rate, but should I charge extra for children who stay for dinner and if so, how much? I was thinking along the lines of £2 per meal as this is what I pay £2.20 for my child's lunch at school. I'm planning on picking up from our local primary school and serving high tea when we arrive back, but surely some children who stay until 6.30 7pm will need a decent hot meal. Any help from experienced cm would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.:). Ps I hope I'm in the right section here, sorry if not!

I was in this situation 18 months ago and decided to ask parents to supply a packed lunch. I discussed this with them
before deciding, but no-one had a problem with it.

It has benefits: no wastage of my food; fewer costs for me; no time wasted preparing food.

However, it is sometimes difficult to fit lunchboxes in the fridge and children don't always bring healthy meals (I raise this with parents if so).

I'm now toying with the idea of raising prices, but supplying lunch again, so that I can be sure children are eating healthily.

I spoke to the parents and decided to ask parents to bring packed lunches for there children, to be honest I will give an example of what is healthy and what is not it will be up to the parents to send. If there do send inappropriate things (choc/sweets) they will be kept until hometime and sent home again.

I will still provide snacks (fruit/cheese/breadsticks) and drinks.

I am going to buy an extra mini fridge for mindee's lunches, or maybe ask that parents supply a freezer pack in them as let's face it when kids go to school there lunch bags don't go in the fridge.

Tbh I'm just happy my parents are all ok with it as its so time consuming making a packed lunch for 6/7 kids in the holidays, it costs me a small fortune and my cupboards are always stuffed with things that are for the minded children.

Will see how it goes if it is too much hassle then I can always change back :-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nicadooby

I spoke to the parents and decided to ask parents to bring packed lunches for there children, to be honest I will give an example of what is healthy and what is not it will be up to the parents to send. If there do send inappropriate things (choc/sweets) they will be kept until hometime and sent home again.

I will still provide snacks (fruit/cheese/breadsticks) and drinks.

I am going to buy an extra mini fridge for mindee's lunches, or maybe ask that parents supply a freezer pack in them as let's face it when kids go to school there lunch bags don't go in the fridge.

Tbh I'm just happy my parents are all ok with it as its so time consuming making a packed lunch for 6/7 kids in the holidays, it costs me a small fortune and my cupboards are always stuffed with things that are for the minded children.

Will see how it goes if it is too much hassle then I can always change back :-)

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Be aware of the safety points around food: quote from http://multimedia.food.gov.uk/multim...inders0513.pdf

Certain foods need to be kept in the fridge to keep them safe e.g.
• food with a ‘use by’ date
• food that says ‘keep refrigerated’ on the label
• cooked food e.g. food you have cooked in advance or leftovers
• ready-to-eat food such as sandwiches, salads and some desserts

I interpret this as lunch boxes need to be in a fridge as they will probably contain some of the above - schools come under different regulations.

If you are going to buy a new fridge/ chiller to keep the lunch boxes in - is this financially better than providing sandwiches short term ( it appears short term finance since your numbers have reduced is the reason for this re think)?