I would either do a flat rate of $25-30 or pay per hour from the time school gets out until the time she would get back to school were she going there. ( So it puts her back at her starting point for going home.)

OP again - We've been at this daycare for ages, and the teacher knows she'd be doing it to help out in an emergency, not as a "convenience". It honestly doesn't surprise me at all she'd be willing to go out of her way once (or twice) to help out - there's a reason my kids really like her

Thanks for the insight - seems like twice the hourly rate would definitely be sufficient to make it worth her while and let her know I really appreciate the help.

Pay her $25 for the hour. That's more than enough for a ride home.

Putting car seats in and taking them out every time, that in itself is not a fun task. Surprised she agreed to this after her already long work day.

Yes, of course, you should pay them for the time it takes them to get back home/back to daycare again. And I'd certainly double their hourly rate for the entire task.

I would do it for $25 if the distance from daycare to home is not long.

OP again - yeah - it seemed really low when she said it (I flat out said I've never done this before and asked how much she would charge). She just quoted her per hour rate for 2 kids. Given how much her time would help me out, I'm totally fine with paying more - just wasn't sure *how much* more

$15 per hour for babysitting doesn't apply here b/c it is a limited task. you have to make it worth it to them if you want her available in the future.

I think $15 per hour for 3 hours is fine, but here I'd pay more for the task/convenience etc. you want the car seats installed properly etc. so this is more than just a little thing.

I'd pay $30+ for this, but we tend to pay high and then have high expectations.

The way the stars have aligned for next week, I may have to have one of the teachers at my children's daycare teacher bring them home at the end of the day once or twice.

I've asked how much they charge per hour, but I don't know how much time it will actually take. Given that it's a 20 minute drive, and they'll have to take the time to put 2 car seats in their car and take them out again, I was thinking I'd pay for an hour.

However, I'm wondering if that's fair ? Do I pay for the time it would take them to get home again, or some part thereof as well? So for example, if they charge $15/hour for babysitting, should I just give them $20 for the whole effort? Or pay for 2 hours?

She won't have to stay once she's dropped the kids off, if that makes a difference. Just bring in the car seats and bases (which we may or may not be able to help with, depending on how things work out).

I appreciate any insight!