Babysitting/Daycare rates???

[VanillaBean]

Hey all- just wanted to ask for what the going rates are for babysitting/daycare for one child(age 4) during school hours and then two children (4 & 7-8yr old) when there is no school? I have the opportunity to watch a child(4 yr old) and his brother when school is out that day but I have no clue what I should charge as a fair rate. I would probably be watching for 8-9 hours a day.

One possibility was $6 an hour for the 4 yr old and if I have both boys then just $10 an hour.

Any and all help and suggestions are very much appreciated.

Thanks A Bunch

[mom363546]

Up until Dec of 2007 we paid $15. a day to the local day care anything after closing time was $5.a minute. I live in the midwest these rates are probably low compared to some places. we averaged $250 -$300 a month in daycare expenses.

[mom363546]

I should also mention that included breakfast ( my daughter normally ate before she got there) lunch and afternoon snack.

[VanillaBean]

$15 a day seems very low. If I am to watch a child and serve lunch and probably a snack and provide activities which may include gas if we go to a park and/or art supplies and such-$15 a day is less than $2 an hour. Even a waitress working and not getting tips makes more. Hmm. I do appreciate your suggestion. It will help me decide my rate. Thanks so very much.

[Carly's Mommy]

A good place to go to get an idea is www.care.com

It's a cool site where people list themselves to be providers for child care, tutoring, pet care and senior care. You could click on child care and then enter some different zip codes in your area. Just select some people from the list that comes up and you can see what services they provide and what their rates are. FYI, someone who is certified in CPR or that does some light housekeeping, laundry, etc. is likely to charge more than someone who doesn't do those things.

[lizval99]

My kids are now 4 and 6 and I am finally done with daycare!!!!
My youngest will be in preschool in three weeks. I live in Ohio, and here I have paid between $20 and $30 per day per child. This included breakfast, lunch, and afternoon shack. The hours were 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. although my kids never had to stay for that entire lenght of time. The younger the child, the higher the cost. So, as they got older the rate dropped. I would guess that $20 per day, per child would probably be fair unless the kids were going to stay with you for an excessive length of time. If you are going to provide food, make sure that they don't need anything special because of allergies or picky eating. If they do need something special, ask the parents to provide it because it could get expensive!

Liz

[TrishaB]

I have my own in home daycare. The rates are different for different people. I charge a daily rate and a weekly rate. I also provide breakfast lunch and afternoon snack. If we go on field trips then the parent will pay for that particular activity. The rates around here range around $85-$100 a week for 1 child. That depends on the age as well. For a school aged child then it is usually cheaper if they are only part time. I hope this helps. If you have any more questions or need any help you can pm me if you need to.

[VanillaBean]

Thanks so much all of you