New cm...How much of a "reduction" do I charge for a sibling???

[MummyCee]

A few tips from some cm veterans would be a great help...cheers

what are you charging for first child?
Id normally charge 50 less for second (i cahrge £3 per hour full time £4 part time.HTH

thats 50p less BTW

I don't give a reduction unless both are under 5 and come all day 5 days a week.

So far I have said no sibling reduction. The only reduction I do is for evening meal £3.50 or £5 for 2 children. I only did that because £7 to feed 2 children felt far too steep.

If they pay all the cost themselves I will maybe do a discount of 25p per hour for the eldest child.

If they are getting the 80% paid by tax credits then no I don't discount.

£3.50 for an evening meal? wow, that's steep!

my cm charges 50p less for second child

Yes I guess £3.50 is steep but food is expensive and they get a good quality meal and dessert plus plenty of fruit juice etc. I am new to cm and really didn't know what to charge. My hourly rate is only £3.30 so instead of adding an extra 50p per hour for example and then say food is included I do it seperately so parents have the choice.

Thanks guys...So it looks like a 50p reduction is o.k?
In regards to charging for the meal take into account a primary school meal in London is now £1.95 for school lunch!!!
As cm's we are providing fresh meals and snacks throughout the day!! So I agree food has to be taken into account when charging, given the soaring food prices we are forced to pay in the supermarkets.

I don't offer a reduction at all.

I do not offer sibling discount either.

MmmyCee - no need to offer a sibling discount, after all they take up a full place. Just because some of us do, doesn't mean all do your business, your choice!

Nice lady from OFSTED who did my intial inspection told me to play my cards close to my chest with regards to charges and then let them know your fees when you know what they want. That way you can charge more if you feel you need to to make it worth while.

sorry i'm going to gatecrash here and ask a really random question. is it ok to charge more than the people in your area are charging. for example childminders in my area are charging £2 an hour without adding on any extra for food or outings. but i'm not sure i can afford to do that. or would it be a really silly idea to raise my prices above what they are charging? does this make any sence? i'm so confused

oh annd they offer a 50p sibling reduction, seriously i dont know how they do it!

£3.50 for a meal is outrageous, does anyone take you up on that?

I no longer charge less for siblings as a) they take up a full space and b) they can actually be harder if they fight etc.

As for meals, I used to charge £1.50 for evening meal and nothing else the rest of the day. I no longer charge for my evening meal and just put as expense so less for the tax man!! £3.50 is outrageous imo but good for you if they actually pay it. School dinners here are £1.85ish.

As for if it's ok to charge more than others in the area.....of course you can, you can charge £50 an hour if you want to but of course no one would pay that . Basically it's up to you but you have to think about the fact people may go to the cheaper person and therefore you may struggle for business. Just do your research first and see how many childminders have vacancies in your area.

HTH

My DD's school is starting hot school dinners after half term at £2.70.

Re my £3.50 charge for meal, I don't promote the fact I am prepared to offer a meal and have the price quiet high because i don't want parents to really. I only feed 2 after schoolers and as they are siblings I decided to charge £5. Their mum was so grateful as previous childminder was not prepared to feed them. I have to buy extra juice, food, etc plus the hassle of trying to cook a meal and look after 5 children at the same time. I know it's expensive but £5 for 2 school age kids who eat lots only is £2.50 each. The hourly rate in my area is £3 to £3.50 per hour I think this is too low personally but can't price myself out of the market so have gone with £3.30 and plan to increase it each year.