Price for before and after care?

[Anonymous]

Hello,
I have a neighbor who needs my help. She needs to drop off her 2 children (5,7) to me at 5:00am. I then will drive them to school at 8:30am. Then pick them up at 3:30 and bring them back to my house until 5:30. How much should I charge her?

[Anonymous]

For about 1.5 hours less per day and 7.5 per week, I pay $120 per kid. After are alone runs $90-$100 per kid and before care is $50 but doesn't start until 7 or 7:30. You get a deal when you sign up for both.

[Anonymous]

I would factor in food costs, since those are times kids will be very hungry. I'd also look carefully at how much of an inconvenience it is for you and how much she can afford. If it was a good friend I'd do $50/day

[Anonymous]

She's dropping off at 5 AM? That is not fair to the kids.

Must the kids be driven to school? Can they take the bus?

You should factor in the cost of gas into your fee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's dropping off at 5 AM? That is not fair to the kids.

Must the kids be driven to school? Can they take the bus?

You should factor in the cost of gas into your fee.

Did you consider that she doesn't have a choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She's dropping off at 5 AM? That is not fair to the kids.

Must the kids be driven to school? Can they take the bus?

You should factor in the cost of gas into your fee.

Did you consider that she doesn't have a choice?

Not the person you are quoting, but it is possible that she doesn't have a choice AND the situation is also not fair to the kids. The two factors are not mutually exclusive.

[Anonymous]

Looking at the hourly babysitting rate (paid to an adult) of $15/hr-would translate to $83 per day for 5 1/2 hours for two kids. As someone said work in food costs because I would assume breakfast and afternoon snack for the kids. Also, work out what happens when there are snow delays or early dismissals, calls for sick child pickup, half days, and teacher professional days. Also, what if one or both kids get signed up for an activity so you need to drop one off at 8:00 or pickup at 4:30 - do you still get paid the set rate for being flexible/on call because if the activity is canceled or is only 6 weeks of the semester etc, it isn't like you can make other plans.

[Anonymous]

You could request kids come with a packed breakfast and snack if that is easier for you. Also think about what happens if you are sick/need to travel etc. Does she have backup?

[Anonymous]

I would say $40 a day is fair.
Yes thats a low hourly rate but thats still $800 a month for childcare for school age kids.
Unless you believe she is super wealthy then charge more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She's dropping off at 5 AM? That is not fair to the kids.

Must the kids be driven to school? Can they take the bus?

You should factor in the cost of gas into your fee.

Did you consider that she doesn't have a choice?

Not the person you are quoting, but it is possible that she doesn't have a choice AND the situation is also not fair to the kids. The two factors are not mutually exclusive.

I was the person originally quoted. I honestly hoped the 5 AM was a typo. It could be that the friend doesn't have a choice, but as the PP says, it still isn't fair to the kids. The factor's aren't mutually exclusive. As we (hopefully) have learned, sleep deprivation is real in the MS and HS levels and there is no need to add it into ES. Maybe the kids could sleep for 2 hours at the neighbor's house.

[Anonymous]

Please re-read OP's post. The neighbor needs her help. If she could afford nanny rates she would just hire a nanny. If she could afford to drop off the children at her neighbor's just for the morning and then do aftercare she probably would do that.

If it were my neighbor and 1. she has to do it to keep her job and 2. I was a SAHM or worked from home and it wouldn't really mess me up too much and 3. the kids were pretty easy to take care of and 4. it was a short-term arrangement with a fixed end date I would probably charge very little if at all.

[Anonymous]

I don't see anything in OP's post that makes me think this arrangement would be short-term.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a job for a butler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please re-read OP's post. The neighbor needs her help. If she could afford nanny rates she would just hire a nanny. If she could afford to drop off the children at her neighbor's just for the morning and then do aftercare she probably would do that.

If it were my neighbor and 1. she has to do it to keep her job and 2. I was a SAHM or worked from home and it wouldn't really mess me up too much and 3. the kids were pretty easy to take care of and 4. it was a short-term arrangement with a fixed end date I would probably charge very little if at all.

We don't know the situation of the person asking for childcare. Is she asking because the morning hours are before childcare centers open, is she asking for convenience (next door) and knowing neighbor is reliable, or is she asking because she can't afford childcare at a center or hiring a babysitter? If this is a long term arrangement and strictly an issue of not being able to afford other childcare arrangements it only makes sense for OP to charge significantly less than what the person would pay a sitter or center if this is also helping out OP. Like if OP was already up at 5am because her kids are early risers and she would be at the school in the afternoon to pick up her own kids and this is one of the few ways OP can earn extra money within her given schedule ..then maybe 30/day. If this is truly a job, like now you have added responsibilities of being up before 5am and don't have flexibility that would normally be in your schedule, then you shouldn't charge an amount that is clearly doing someone a favor if you have to treat it like a job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please re-read OP's post. The neighbor needs her help. If she could afford nanny rates she would just hire a nanny. If she could afford to drop off the children at her neighbor's just for the morning and then do aftercare she probably would do that.

If it were my neighbor and 1. she has to do it to keep her job and 2. I was a SAHM or worked from home and it wouldn't really mess me up too much and 3. the kids were pretty easy to take care of and 4. it was a short-term arrangement with a fixed end date I would probably charge very little if at all.

We don't know the situation of the person asking for childcare. Is she asking because the morning hours are before childcare centers open, is she asking for convenience (next door) and knowing neighbor is reliable, or is she asking because she can't afford childcare at a center or hiring a babysitter? If this is a long term arrangement and strictly an issue of not being able to afford other childcare arrangements it only makes sense for OP to charge significantly less than what the person would pay a sitter or center if this is also helping out OP. Like if OP was already up at 5am because her kids are early risers and she would be at the school in the afternoon to pick up her own kids and this is one of the few ways OP can earn extra money within her given schedule ..then maybe 30/day. If this is truly a job, like now you have added responsibilities of being up before 5am and don't have flexibility that would normally be in your schedule, then you shouldn't charge an amount that is clearly doing someone a favor if you have to treat it like a job.

First of all OP i would not make a long term commitment to this. You might want to offer a very low rate for a couple of weeks ($10/hour - do not do it for less than this, do not undervalue yourself). Tell her in 2 weeks you will evaluate it and let her know if you will continue and if so what the rate is. Determine what would make it worthwhile to you. You will know better after a week or two. You do NOT *have* to take on your neighbor's problem. 5:00 am is really freaking early for getting kids up and out. No way should this be a long term thing.