TTO queries

[kellyskidz!]

Hi all, had my first TTO enquiry today and am wondering how to charge
Does anyone else feel a little guilty charging for sch hols, especially 6week hols!
The fees would be around 110 pw so in hols that'd be about 55 but it seems a lot for not working at all?! 55 per week and 6 weeks off, thats over £300 in 6 weeks hols for doing nothing! Is this normal lol? i dont want to say that and insult her if its way too high
Do most of you charge 50% reduction in hols? And do any of you offer sibling reductions also?x

[VeggieSausage]

I don't charge for holidays at all.....if you charge then you have to offer the place if they want it and I like to have less mindees in the holidays....

[sprinkles]

I think it depends. I have a little one who is tto and mum asked to pay a retainer so she has the option to send her in the holidays if she needs to. Obviously if you took on a holiday only one that took up that space you would no longer be able to charge a retainer.

It's your business so charge as you like. I think it would depend on how busy I was - if I was happy to be quieter in the holidays then I wouldn't charge retainer because if you charge you have to be prepared for parents to send the child if they want to.

[kellyskidz!]

I don't charge for holidays at all.....if you charge then you have to offer the place if they want it and I like to have less mindees in the holidays....

if you charge 50% off in hols do you have to offer the place at that rate. Or if they say we'll fetch them in the hols do you then charge full? Arghh I'm stressed, dont know what to do. Considering not charging..but then 6 weeks is a long time to go without the money x

[scottishlass]

When I had a lo tto I just charged a higher hourly rate and then nothing in the hols xx

[Leela]

I do charge half rate for school holidays and I don't feel guilty about it. You are holding a place and loosing money as it is, the parents or your clients are getting paid during the holidays. What does happen is that having paid half rate parents are free to use up those days so I have one mum who goes to the gym or does chores for a few hours and it means the little one stays in touch with me during this time. I have another family who never need to take up the service during the holidays but paying half rate has never been an issue for them. Don't say that you are doing nothing, that unused space could have been earning you a full time fee.

[sprinkles]

if you charge 50% off in hols do you have to offer the place at that rate. Or if they say we'll fetch them in the hols do you then charge full? Arghh I'm stressed, dont know what to do. Considering not charging..but then 6 weeks is a long time to go without the money x

You would top up to full fee...they would take the pee if they thought they were getting it for half fee!!! And I certainly wouldn't be working for £1.75 per hour!! Another idea is either charging higher fee and not charging for holidays, or working out how much it would be over the year (so term time plus retainer for holidays for 52 weeks minus however many weeks holiday you are entitled to) then divide it by 52 so you're being paid the same amount each week (this means parents can spread the cost over the whole year instead of paying more during term time than holidays and means you're being paid while on holiday too).

[samb]

I charge a higher than hourly rate sessional rate for term time only- so before school and after school with/ without meal. Then they book ad hoc hours in holidays if needed. If none needed none booked. I'm lucky that so far its been ok for me.

[kellyskidz!]

I charge a higher than hourly rate sessional rate for term time only- so before school and after school with/ without meal. Then they book ad hoc hours in holidays if needed. If none needed none booked. I'm lucky that so far its been ok for me.

How much higher, if you dont mind me askikng? I charge £4 per hour or £30 per day so what would you charge overall to cover hols?x

[Mummits]

I think people get confused by retainers. If you charge a partial fee (say 50%) and call it a retainer, you have to be able and willing to offer the place if the parents top up the amount to full fees for the days they use. On the other hand, if you simply say that you are taking six weeks holiday over the summer, and that you charge half fees for your holiday, you obviously do not have to be available. Equally if you say you charge an amount equivalent to half fees over the holiday to reserve the place for the following term, you do not have to be available in the holidays. So in other words if you would quite like parents to top up the fees and use the days, call it a retainer; otherwise don't. Or you could just charge a bit more in term time and nothing in the holidays.

[kellyskidz!]

I think people get confused by retainers. If you charge a partial fee (say 50%) and call it a retainer, you have to be able and willing to offer the place if the parents top up the amount to full fees for the days they use. On the other hand, if you simply say that you are taking six weeks holiday over the summer, and that you charge half fees for your holiday, you obviously do not have to be available. Equally if you say you charge an amount equivalent to half fees over the holiday to reserve the place for the following term, you do not have to be available in the holidays. So in other words if you would quite like parents to top up the fees and use the days, call it a retainer; otherwise don't. Or you could just charge a bit more in term time and nothing in the holidays.

I would like them to top it up in hols, i dont mind working through school hols as my own daughter is off so its great for her to have kids to play with
Mum is a student though so will be off all hols so im guessing she wont need any childcare at all through 6 weeks
Hard knowing how much extra to charge to cover school holidays though, dont want to rip her off, or to short change myself either. Tough business this TTO lol x

[Mummits]

School holidays are one quarter of the year - so you need to charge a third more per hour to cover them in the sense of earning the same as if you had worked year round. So if you normally charged £3 you would need to charge £4 (which sounds like a big hike). But if you mean how much extra would you need to charge in order to make the same as charging half fees in the holidays, it would be a sixth more - so 50p more an hour in this example.

[Mummits]

Sorry - cross posting all over the place there.

So, if you charge £30 a day, you would need to charge £35 to cover holidays at half rate, but as I said, if you want to encourage parents to top up and use the holiday dates, you would be better charging a half fee retainer.

[samb]

How much higher, if you dont mind me askikng? I charge £4 per hour or £30 per day so what would you charge overall to cover hols?x

Sorry I don't mean I charge enough to cover not working in the hols I just mean I wouldn't want to work for such short hours for just an hourly rate. So based in your charges above I would charge from 7:30- school drop off including a breakfast £10 or from 8:15-school drop off £6. If they want any time between 7:30-8:15 they pay the higher charge and any time after 8:15 the lower charge. Then after school would be from school pick up- before dinner (5) about £10 and with dinner til 6 £15. I then charge my usual hourly rate for holidays but am thinking of upping my ad hoc rate next year.

[scottishlass]

I charged £1.50 more per hour when I had a term time only mum who was at college xx

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I charge all term time plus 1/2 term time rate in holidays

[Miss freckles]

I have three tto children

I charge an extra pound an hour, then they pay nothing in the holidays, works out the same fee for someone who pays a pound less an hour all yr round.

[kellyskidz!]

Thanks all! Mum happy to pay half fee in hols so going to go with that xx