That's a tough call. I had a Lady that Chaparoned my kiddos and drove them to activities. That was 1990-and I think I paid about $7.00 per hour. Now, I think $10.00 per hour would be good. You have the risk of the childs safety in a car too!

I have no idea what childcare cost now days.

Gayle

I really have no idea. But, I'd start with what you would charge out of your home as a base and build up from there. Figure how many miles per gallon your car gets and determine how many miles you'd be driving, multiply that by how much gas costs and then add some extra for your time driving.

I think it would also depend on how old the children are, if there is any household chores involved or anything else that might be extra.

Another thing to ask is, if the kids are sick at any time, will they be staying home with the kids, or do they want you to be there for that?
How about days when they're out of school?
What time do you have to get up to be there? I take it they'll be picking them up.

I have no idea what I'd charge, but I'd get all the T's crossed and I's dotted.
Leslie

Well, since I pay $17.00/day for someone to spend about an hour with my cat...I would think time spent with a child would be worth much more.

$25/day.

My daughter has a day care. Her full day flat rate is $725 a month for one child,25 per cent discount for a second child. Her people pay that in advance!
( WOW)
Since you are doing 20 hrs instead of 40 and driving, I'd as a base use half that, plus transportation. AND you need to make sure your insurance covers you so you are safe from any lawsuit if the child falls or injures themself; Or if you accidentally break something in their home. Then you need to check your car insurance and see if you are covered to transport them in your vehicle.
Having said all that, I don''t understand how parents afford day care! Kathy

The cost of childcare varies wildly from one place to another. In February, I was considering taking a child in my house for the summer. I put out an ad saying I was charging $60/day, and I got a kazillion emails, so apparently that's a good rate for around here. Before I got a chance to call anyone back, I found out I was pregnant and decided not to do it.

Could you maybe ask around? Make some phone calls to find out how much people pay in your area? Do you have any friends who hire a sitter or anything?

Well the government rate for mileage is .50 a mile so I wouldn't let them pay you anything less than that for the mileage. I think that daycare prices are pretty proprietary so I would see what the prices are around you.

It is 4 hours a day, with one hour (approx) getting there, sitting with the kiddies, driving the kiddies, and then to get back home...right?

The first thing I would do, is get the total number of miles figured up, and thus the actual 'expense' you will have before 'making' any money for your time, and wear and tear. Maybe you could also start by asking your potential employer what she maybe had in mind, with all things considered, and then go from there. Don't sell yourself short. A responsible adult should get a decent wage for the responsibilities placed upon them. Will it involve having to put car seats in your vehicle? I think it is advised (not sure if it is the law) that children under 48 inches are to be in a booster seat in my state. All things to find out and consider.

Daycare services in someones own home can charge less because they usually have several children. This client is not looking for daycare, she is looking for a part time nanny.

Depending on where you live I would guess you should charge between $15 - $20 per hour plus mileage. Keep the mileage separate for your tax returns.

Didn't read the responses, but be sure to add in any extra you might have to pay in car insurance. I think it would be a good idea to ask your insurance agent if there is any addition coverage you might need.

Severl years ago in Canada, if you charged for driving anyone, anywhere, you had to have a special chauffers licence.

Since it would be at her home, you wouldn't be able to take on any more kids, so that really limits your potential income.

Also, what happens when one or both of her kids are ill? Would you have to stay there all day? You'll need to get every possible scenario discussed and worked out or you're going to end up taken advantage of, I think.

Good luck!

i have no clue...but I'd be checking around QUICK for what the goin rate is in your area!! you certainly don't want to undercharge and be taken advantage of nor do you want to price yourself right out of a job!! GOOD LUCK!! Keep us posted!!

I don't know what I would charge, but given the situation, I would expect to pay $20-$25 dollars a day. It is more about the cildrens safety and the parents comfort with what you are doing for them.
I probably could hire a much younger teen to do the work, but would I? Probably not. They need someone they can depend on to get thier children to school safely every day.

Trin

My daughter works in a day care center and makes just over $11 an hour. She also babysits and charges $10 per hour. she uses her own car and doesn't charge any extra for her travel time. But $10 an hour is it.

Main thing, check your insurance company first, and Dept of Motor Vechiles. Do you have to have any special license?

Oh, and I forgot to ask, if one of the kids gets ill at the Montessori, are you to be on call for pick ups? Because if you are, then you need to charge for all day. The more I think about it, you should anyway since you can't do anything else on their summer vacations etc. right?

It sounds like the kids are in school half-days.

I don't know about babysitting rates anymore, but a regular employee somewhere doesn't get reimbursed for gas to get to and from their job, so I don't think you should be charging mileage for that. Mileage to take the kids to/from school would be chargeable.

Are you in an urban area, or more rural? Big city rates are considerably higher than small city rates, so that should be taken into consideration. During the summer, when the oldest is out of school, my ex-DIL pays $250 a week for two children at a daycare.

Will your hours extend to all day, when school gets out for the summer? Will you be expected to watch the child(ren) all day if one or both get sick? Will they provide any necessary carseats/booster seats for when you drive the kids to school? What about school holidays? Will you be expected to tidy up the house, do dishes, start the laundry, etc.? What if there's a dr. appointment? Will they want you to take the child(ren) in for that?

Lots of things to think about. Also, as someone else pointed out, your potential income for taking on additional children is eliminated so that needs to be taken into consideration.

Having a sitter come to your home is a HUGE convenience for the parents. They don't have to get the kids up in the morning, dress them, fix breakfast, etc. If your intention was to make $xxx a week additional income by babysitting in your home, then that's where you should start your figuring. Plus, using your home as a daycare allows you to take a credit on your taxes for having a home business. You get credit for a % of your utilities, food, floorspace, etc. You won't get that kind of credit if you watch children at the parents' home. (but you also won't get the wear & tear!)

Thank you all so much for your prompt and valuable suggestions.
It is tricky because since the mother asked how much I expected over the phone, I'm certain she will ask first at the interview, and of course I don't want to either overprice or underprice myself.

The minimum wage in Ontario is $8.75 per hour, so I could earn $35.00 for 4 hours work anywhere here. I realize that technically I can't ask her to reimburse me for my gas mileage. But realistically, it will cost me about $60.00 to cover the 5 hours of driving each week to get there, taking her kids to school (yes it would mean putting 2 car seats in and out each day) and coming home. So I was thinking of asking for $300.00 per week and hoping she'll accept, but at least leave a bit of room to negotiate. I would not budge under $300.00 if I need extra insurance for my car. Do you think that's a fair expectation?

then later driving the children to their Montessori school, which is about a 25 minute drive from their home. At that point my day would be done, and I'd have about a 15 minute drive back home.

and

(yes it would mean putting 2 car seats in and out each day)
So after dropping them off, instead of having a 15 min drive home, you would have to drive the 25 minutes back to their house, drop the seats off, and then start your 15 min drive home.

I for one would hate the tussel of putting 2 seats in and out each day....twisting and possible hurting one's back...sigh.

sue...who protects her back every chance

Hi Sue, actually, their mother would be picking them up at the school after work. So although I do have to load their car seats in for the trip there, I'd just have to take the car seats out and leave them at the school, and just drive home from there. I think I'll tell her at the interview tomorrow that I'll have to check with my car insurance on Monday first to see if I'll need any additional insurance, before settling on an exact price.

I was wondering how you'd react to having those seats in your car all of the time.

When one considers the hassle of fastening in and removing kids' seats ... no way would I want to do that each day. And, if done daily, if improperly tethered and an accident one day ... trouble!

Would they provide an extra set for you to keep in your car?

I'd be charging for gas to their place, as well: this isn't a regular job where you work at the site, e.g. you couldn't ride transit, if it were available .... and hitch-hike with the kids to the school (in good weather)??

Maybe drive the kids to school in their car (seats installed ... no extra insurance problems, quite likely no extra licensing requirements, either: all kinds of employees drive their boss' kids to school in boss' car without any special licensing) ... and the lady drives yours to work.

You'd better hit the Montessori people up to give you a job there, as well. Actually, it might be something to consider, as back-up in case of staff being unable to come to work.

Any spouse/parent has become adept at telling stories, haven't they? (Now ... doesn't that sentence permit various meanings??).

As others have said - if your car .. check Ministry of Transport rules ... maybe need special licensing ... of car, as well as you. Insurance, too ... they're going to be restricting ... or sending you a bill!

Life do have its problems!

ole joyful

Hi again pick-up shopper,

Just had an idea ...

... check with Montessori as to whether another family or two live along your route, who'd want you to haul their kids, as well.

Know what ... I'll bet that privacy laws won't let 'em tell ya! You'll have to go to the school and hand out flyers, whatcha wanna bet?

Heck ... just buy an old small school bus and pick up for half a dozen families!

o j

WOW at 300.00 a week,i hope she has a very good job.Not saying you should do it for cheap,but if people are paying that kind of money for sitters/nannys,why do they have kids and work.Seems it would be cheaper to stay home til the kids are in school all day.JMO
Kathi

I understand the extra driving may be an issue, and of course, if you were going to have money coming in from having more kids at your home, you'd have to consider that, but generally, I would prefer to watch kids all day long at someone else's home, not mine.

First off, safety. I don't feel like living in a place where I can't keep my cleaners out or have to worry about choking hazards, blind cords, door knob protectors. I guess if your house is already kid proofed it may not be that big of a deal. You also need to consider messes and damages kids do to things. My kid just ripped our leather couch, not to mention the daily spills of koolaid, vomitting episodes on the carpet, or soccer balls kicked through windows. And, how (and when) did strawberry yogurt get on my dry clean only curtains? Did you ever find a little place on the wall where your kid likes to put his boogers (could be worse -- at least he's not eating them!)--but, hey, those dried boogies don't come off the wall without the paint going too! I say watch them at her house.

I don't know if they are in booster or infant seats, but boosters are really cheap (like $15). I would have her buy you a couple so you wouldn't have to worry about moving them around.

I don't think $300 a week for two children is out of line at all given the responsibility and restrictions put on your ability to take on more children.

What does surprise me are posters who think that taking on the responsibility of two children is worth less than the same hourly wage one would get for working at a fast food place.

Kathi it is a age old question why a woman would choose to work rather than stay at home with her kids after childcare expenses,work clothing,transportation,hair and nails are taken into account. The actual contribution to the household income is negligible in some cases. I can understand the professional woman who earns a healthy income but so many are working jobs that that barely break even on the costs of working.

Personally, I think she's crazy to ask what you want or expect. I venture a guess this will be her first time doing things this way. I'm betting she realized this is what she needs and is going for it but for her own sake, she'd better get a clue. She is much better off stating how much she is willing to pay, and either people accept or reject it. I don't know how many employers don't operate on a pay scale or at least a starting rate. Just my thoughts and I know it is not your concern.

Your concern is how much to charge her. You're thinking $300 a week, and I think that is outrageous. First, you are not paid by any employer for transportation costs to work or home from work, so why would you charge her for that? I don't know how $35 a day (at 8.75 per hour) plus 25 minutes worth of gas amounted to $300 a week. $10 per hour, which I think is fair, is $200 a week and maybe throw in an extra 20 a week for gas for the 25-minute trip five times a week. Above that would be any additional you have to pay for insurance, which shouldn't be much on a monthly basis if you have a good driving record.

I also don't understand how she'd be expected to pay for loss of income, being that you are accepting employment with her rather than becoming self employed in your own home. Either do that or don't, but she is not responsible for your decision. If it were me, I would take the job because I really don't want several children 8 or 9 hours a day. Your decision might depend on how much money you want to bring into the household, and perhaps you don't mind what I prefer to avoid. I think your own daycare is a really great idea for someone who doesn't mind doing it. At any rate, the decision is yours but not her punishment.

As far as the car seats, I'd make it a requirement that she has to furnish two for your car. No way would I want to be bothered with those twice a day to leave them at the school for when mom picks up the kids. Nevertheless, it is part of the job and part of what you will be paid to do, so either take it, leave it, or tell her she has to buy two car seats for your car.

IMHO I would not take the repsonsibility of having someone else's children as passengers in my car on a regular basis. You are taking a big risk. No money is worth it.

The liability of driving someone else's children around would stop me dead in my tracks. Mrsmarv is right.

My DD#2 pays $500. a week to a nanny that comes 4 days a week, plus they pay all of her car expenses and give her enough extra in cash to pay her income tax. You can find something else!!

Again, I think wages in different states and different towns vary wildly, so where you live has a lot of bearing on the question. And maybe I read through too quickly, but you should absolutely include your gas costs for driving the kids to the school in your request.

The most I ever paid for daycare for my two daughters was $250 a week. I paid $150 for one child, and offered the DC provider $250 for two. Her pay never changed, but the hours went down as they entered full time school,etc.

Hi again, all. Bestlawn, I maybe shouldn't even have mentioned the drive to and from the job, because it made it seem like I am 'charging' her for that. I realize it is MY expense, but it was mentioned only to explain that I have to factor in the cost of gas (in my private thoughts) that I'd use doing childcare outside my home, to know if the salary would be anything comparable to what I could make watching two children in my home, with no driving involved.

I live in the Toronto area, and straight babysitting wages (no meal preperation, or transporting to school required) here are generally $10.00 per hour, even if you only have one child. Out of curiosity, I looked up the tuition for the Montessori school the children will be attending, and it is $18,000 per year per child, for a full day program. The mother wants to enroll her two girls, from 1:00 til 6:00 each day. I'm not sure how much she'll be paying for those hours, but that's an astounding amount of money to pay for a 3 and 4 year old, in my opinion.

Anyway, today I went on the interview. Just FYI, the house is close to the million dollar range, and had a Jaguar and a Lexus in the driveway. During the interview, the mother said I'd be responsible for making the children breakfast and lunch, and driving them to the Montessori school. I thought she might ask a little about how I planned to spend time with them, wondering whether I'd take them to the park occasionally, or do crafts with them or whatever. But she didn't ask anything and just seemed concerned that they'd have a way to get dropped off at the school after lunch. I was most surprised that she never asked me anything about my driving record (spotless, but I could be unlicensed for all she knew) and said she only uses booster seats for her two kids. Her 3 year old is very petite and cannot possibly be legally heavy enough to be out of a car seat yet. So I was starting to get a really bad feeling before we even talked wages. I had decided that even if the pay was satisfactory, I'd have to insist she get a proper car seat for the youngest or I'd refuse the job. So....when she said her childcare budget was $8.00 per hour, (for feeding 2 meals to 2 children and transporting them daily to their Montessori school) that clinched the non deal! Minimum wage her is $8.75, so it became obvious that she was budgeting all her money to get her children a great start in education, but was not too concerned about safety, and cared little about how the first half of her childrens' day would go, while in my care. It definitely wasn't for me!