Anonymous wrote:OP here. $300 a week is nonsense. She is probably not licensed and taking cash, with no receipts provided. But then, you are saying she is having trouble filling up all her spots no matter the low price. Why would that be? If I follow you, she should be in high demand. And, you are saying that she has infants in the park twice a day this summer? That does not sound very comfortable considering the heat. I bet they are strapped in strollers for the entire outing. To tell you a little secret, I ran a group daycare home pre-covid where I already was charging $400 per week and was always full. $700 is probably a bit too much for most but I only need 2-3 families who would pay less than for a nanny, and still get nanny quality in someone else's house, with all covid precautions possible including testing. Also, I see by all the responses that yes, there is demand for under 2 childcare.

Are you a troll? Nobody can be this dense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who responded. I was thinking of charging around $700 a week with home made meals provided, for 9,5 hr day. Vegan option would be included. Does it seem reasonable to DCUM parents? With small group, it would be almost like a oversized nanny share, not a real "daycare". I think it will work for the parents who are very covid cautious but still want their child to socialize. I would appreciate any thoughts from parents living in Rockville/Potomac. Others, too.

$700 is a lot for an in-home, to be frank. The first one we were at cost $250/week in Aspen Hill and that was probably underpriced. The second one is a popular in-home in Silver Spring and they charged $340 per week last year with a small discount for potty-trained kids.

These prices included hot breakfast, lunch and snack. Parents only had to provide formula or breast milk.

Oh my in-home provided formula and milk once they turned one as well. You need to get on the USDA food program - is that only in Virginia?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who responded. I was thinking of charging around $700 a week with home made meals provided, for 9,5 hr day. Vegan option would be included. Does it seem reasonable to DCUM parents? With small group, it would be almost like a oversized nanny share, not a real "daycare". I think it will work for the parents who are very covid cautious but still want their child to socialize. I would appreciate any thoughts from parents living in Rockville/Potomac. Others, too.

No - I pay $350 in Alexandria - seems way too high to me. There were only 3/4 kids and homemade meals as well.

OP here. $300 a week is nonsense. She is probably not licensed and taking cash, with no receipts provided. But then, you are saying she is having trouble filling up all her spots no matter the low price. Why would that be? If I follow you, she should be in high demand. And, you are saying that she has infants in the park twice a day this summer? That does not sound very comfortable considering the heat. I bet they are strapped in strollers for the entire outing. To tell you a little secret, I ran a group daycare home pre-covid where I already was charging $400 per week and was always full. $700 is probably a bit too much for most but I only need 2-3 families who would pay less than for a nanny, and still get nanny quality in someone else's house, with all covid precautions possible including testing. Also, I see by all the responses that yes, there is demand for under 2 childcare.

My daycare has an opening for ages 2 and up. It’s 225 a week. Licensed, lots of references, very clean house. I’ve been in business over 25 years. Full preschool program hot healthy lunch and snacks includes. Your price is crazy.

OP, you are delusional if you think anyone will pay 700 for an inhome daycare in Rockville

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who responded. I was thinking of charging around $700 a week with home made meals provided, for 9,5 hr day. Vegan option would be included. Does it seem reasonable to DCUM parents? With small group, it would be almost like a oversized nanny share, not a real "daycare". I think it will work for the parents who are very covid cautious but still want their child to socialize. I would appreciate any thoughts from parents living in Rockville/Potomac. Others, too.

$700 is a lot for an in-home, to be frank. The first one we were at cost $250/week in Aspen Hill and that was probably underpriced. The second one is a popular in-home in Silver Spring and they charged $340 per week last year with a small discount for potty-trained kids.

These prices included hot breakfast, lunch and snack. Parents only had to provide formula or breast milk.

I think at this point you’re being dense. Even the daycares that provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, wipes, diapers and even formula are charging $400 on the high end. Nowhere near $700.

Go through the licensing process, take all the required courses, invest a lot of money into your home to turn it into a daycare. Open with those prices and I guarantee that will be closed after a couple of months because you won’t make it with those prices. Or, you’ll have to let your other superstar caregiver go.

I’m not the OP. I was just clarifying that my in-home provided food for $340 a week. No need to be rude.

You can’t charge $700 for what you are providing. I have a friend who does in home daycare in Rockville. She provides meals, walks to playground, has some stuff in her yard, she does a lot. She charges less than half of what your are proposing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who responded. I was thinking of charging around $700 a week with home made meals provided, for 9,5 hr day. Vegan option would be included. Does it seem reasonable to DCUM parents? With small group, it would be almost like a oversized nanny share, not a real "daycare". I think it will work for the parents who are very covid cautious but still want their child to socialize. I would appreciate any thoughts from parents living in Rockville/Potomac. Others, too.

$700 is a lot for an in-home, to be frank. The first one we were at cost $250/week in Aspen Hill and that was probably underpriced. The second one is a popular in-home in Silver Spring and they charged $340 per week last year with a small discount for potty-trained kids.

These prices included hot breakfast, lunch and snack. Parents only had to provide formula or breast milk.

I think at this point you’re being dense. Even the daycares that provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, wipes, diapers and even formula are charging $400 on the high end. Nowhere near $700.

Go through the licensing process, take all the required courses, invest a lot of money into your home to turn it into a daycare. Open with those prices and I guarantee that will be closed after a couple of months because you won’t make it with those prices. Or, you’ll have to let your other superstar caregiver go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who responded. I was thinking of charging around $700 a week with home made meals provided, for 9,5 hr day. Vegan option would be included. Does it seem reasonable to DCUM parents? With small group, it would be almost like a oversized nanny share, not a real "daycare". I think it will work for the parents who are very covid cautious but still want their child to socialize. I would appreciate any thoughts from parents living in Rockville/Potomac. Others, too.

$700 is a lot for an in-home, to be frank. The first one we were at cost $250/week in Aspen Hill and that was probably underpriced. The second one is a popular in-home in Silver Spring and they charged $340 per week last year with a small discount for potty-trained kids.

These prices included hot breakfast, lunch and snack. Parents only had to provide formula or breast milk.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who responded. I was thinking of charging around $700 a week with home made meals provided, for 9,5 hr day. Vegan option would be included. Does it seem reasonable to DCUM parents? With small group, it would be almost like a oversized nanny share, not a real "daycare". I think it will work for the parents who are very covid cautious but still want their child to socialize. I would appreciate any thoughts from parents living in Rockville/Potomac. Others, too.

$700 is a lot for an in-home, to be frank. The first one we were at cost $250/week in Aspen Hill and that was probably underpriced. The second one is a popular in-home in Silver Spring and they charged $340 per week last year with a small discount for potty-trained kids.

Anonymous wrote:Isn't MD required ratio for under 2, 1:3. 2:5 is not so much less

A single family child care provider can be licensed for up to 8 children two of those being infants under 2 years old. Even if she had multiple assistants those are the ratios.

In order for her to have more infants that assistant would have to take many hours of training and same courses as the licensed daycare provider and become something called an additional adult. Only then can that family child care have 4 infants under 2 but no more than eight children. There is somebody also called a co-provider but I would have to refresh my memory on what that means.


Nobody is going to pay you $700 a week for daycare. You are delusional if you think that’s the case even with your masters degree. I think the reason you’re looking to charge that much is obviously because you’ll have two people salaries to pay but it’s unrealistic, sorry. You might be able to get away with $400 a week and that’s stretching it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to those who responded. I was thinking of charging around $700 a week with home made meals provided, for 9,5 hr day. Vegan option would be included. Does it seem reasonable to DCUM parents? With small group, it would be almost like a oversized nanny share, not a real "daycare". I think it will work for the parents who are very covid cautious but still want their child to socialize. I would appreciate any thoughts from parents living in Rockville/Potomac. Others, too.

For reference, we paid $375 per week for our infant at an in-home daycare with homemade meals and 10 hr days. I think you’ll find most parents looking at in home daycares will balk at that cost. I agree it might appeal to parents gravitating toward a nanny share, but I’m not sure how you would market that and find those families.

It doesn't appeal to me. I'm in a nannyshare and it is two children in a home with a yard, not 4-5 kids in a townhome.

Also, a nannyshare in rockville would probably cost slightly less than 700 a week! If you pay 650 a week, that is 33,800 a family or 67,600 for the nanny.

Anonymous wrote:I so much appreciate all the responses! We have gourgeous playground 2 min walk from us, and yes, backyard for water and sand play. I do have master's degree and yes, will be one of caregivers. Centers would not come even to close comparison to my proposed services. Many parents dislike the centers, and for good reason too. We would have Music tpgether on site, and other enrichment activities included.

There is a daycare provider down the street from me. I'm in the city of Rockville. She charges $300/wk for infants. Her rate includes breakfast, lunch, and snack. I don't know if the food is homemade or organic. She lives a 2 minute walk to the city park and I see her and a helper at the park 2x/day. She has between 4-6 kids with her every day and she's open 7-6. For $400 more per week, I would need to understand what I'm getting for an additional $400/week.

Ratios exist to make parents feel better. Group size matters much more, as well as caregiver' s personality and experience.