Long Island New York Mom Needs Your Help And Suggestion. Thank You. ?
Hello. Thank you so much for reading this post. I am interested in opening a preschool in my home of no more than 3 children. I have experience as a homeschooling parent and know that I can prepare the children for kindergarten.
What do I charge per hour? Should I charge a tuition per month? How does this work. I will be introducing wonderful unique learning programs and school trips. Should I charge extra or just include it. I really want to be reasonable but fair to me. Thanks so much for your help. I truly appreciate it.
I would charge per month or, for a preschool program, even per term or for the whole year. Call around to other preschool programs in your area and find out what they charge (you may have to pose as a potential parent to get the information you want). Remember, parents are paying for their place in your program, so you should charge tuition that is due even if children are are absent. Be sure to make up a contract that parents sign – keep it formal to protect yourself.
I think you should make up a budget of what it would cost for you to run the program: your salary, daily costs, special programs, field trips, etc. and compare that to what other programs charge and do. If you can do all those things for a cost that’s not too much more than most programs, then include it. Otherwise, you could figure out apx. what you’ll be spending on trips or special programs, divide it by the number of children and charge a Special Programming Fee and/or Field Trip Fee. Most parents don’t mind paying extra for that sort of thing!
Also, make sure you have checked licensing regulations for your type of program, too!
What you should do is gather up information on all of the surrounding day cares in your area- see what it is that they are charging (and how they are charging) and then make a competitive decision based on how you believe the quality of your business compares to the others.
Research, research! You might even get some good ideas and inspirations visiting the other day cares! Good luck!
If you take a third child you will need to have a day care license if the program is three or more hours. Call the Child Care Council of Suffolk or the Nassau Day Care Council for information. Most preschool tuition is inclusive of any teaching activities.
You should do a survey in your area to find out what mother’s are looking for. Good Luck!
I would visit some of your local preschools and see what they charge and then maybe go lower if you feel it is unreasonable. Field trips can be charge extra or you could just have a flat fee at the beginning of the month that is for extracurricular activities. If it’s only you working there I would make it part of the tuition (be sure to let parents know what the tuition is comprised of). If you are going to have a few staff members I would make it optional (those who can’t afford the extras can stay at the daycare). It sounds like you have a good thing going. I would avoid charging by the hour because that opens you up to parents who take their kids out as much as possible to save money here and there giving you a very unstable income. I would do it weekly. Set guidelines like, tuition is due Monday. There must be a 2 week notice before withdrawal (you may even consider a enrollment fee of one or two weeks tuition that is refundable if the notice is given but will be there for you so you are not without income when you have parents that never show up again) Offer part time. If the child comes 3 or more times a week they are full time, less they are part time. Have a handbook. It’s harder sometimes for parents to take in home daycare seriously, especially that small, so being upfront and being as professional and consistent as possible from day one is crucial. Good luck!