We are very happy to have our new teacher. There has been some talk of other schools in the area giving tuition free or at a drastic discount. We are a small co-op preschool who is barely getting by. But we also would like to be fair and to keep our teacher happy. Any ideas Please Help!
2006-11-12 07:56:16 · 6 answers · asked by Christina 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Preschool
When you hired the person as a new teacher, didn't she sign some kind of a contract agreeing to salary and benefits? If so, then reduced or free tuition is already off the table. If you were going to adjust her daughter's tuition as part of her employment, that should have been part of the agreement when you hired her. If she was concerned about having to pay her daughter's tuition, I'm sure she would have mentioned it to you before her employment was finalized. If it makes you feel better, simply approach her and discuss what you posted here- that you're aware that other pre-schools do this, but that you are not in a position at this point to offer discounts because of being a small school. Let her know that if things change financially for your school in the future you would be willing to offer such a thing.
2006-11-12 08:20:51 · answer #1 · answered by Wondering 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most in the area where I work also give either a 50% discount in tuition or free. I realize that being a small co-op that each child is an income source, and you want to make sure that you can meet your costs and pay your teachers. From a teacher's perspective, tuition can be high... especially since childcare professionals tend to make low wages compared to the kind of work they do. With that in mind- you know how much you pay your new teacher.... if she was on her own with the child, could she afford to pay the tuition on what she makes? If your answer is that she would have to pay 1/4 of her pay or more in order for her child to attend, then you need to give her a break in tuition. But, you can't make this decision on a case by case basis... you must be fair to all incoming employees who may have children they'd like to have come to the center. Research shows that something like 75+% of childcare professionals have children. Most childcare professionals get into the job because they have children, and either they decide that the job is their calling, or they want their child to have someplace to go while they are working to benefit the family. Some 10-20% of these staff are single mothers. A single mom, working in the childcare field, can barely meet monthly bills, let alone tuition for preschool. This is why many single moms choose to work in childcare... free childcare so they can make some money. So, evaluate your payscale, and see if your new staff could make tuition on less than 1/4 of her income... if not, perhaps you need to set a more lenient policy for staff who have children attending, and give them a price break.
2006-11-13 16:53:48 · answer #2 · answered by dolphin mama 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have a choice:
Keep the teacher and give her daughter free tuition, which means that your teacher will probably stay with you a long time and will never miss work because she couldn't get someone to watch her child or because some babysitter showed up late.
Keep the teacher, don't give her daughter free tuition, but also keep in mind that she will probably be absent/late more often as she would need to make separate arrangements for her daughter's care.
I think it's worth it to have a reliable teacher. Not only that, but she will probably perform better in the classroom, because she'll want to provide a positive role model to her daughter. Her daughter will also be easier to care for, since having "mom" onsite means that she won't act up.
2006-11-12 08:00:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have hired her, of course her daughter should get a discounted, if not free tuition. Is one more child really costing you much? If so, charge the new teacher just what if costs to have the girl in class.
2006-11-12 08:00:17 · answer #4 · answered by veus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you give her a discounted rate it must be considered part of her salary/benefits. Would this be part of a standard standard employment package for your other staff members?
2006-11-12 09:24:45 · answer #5 · answered by Badkitty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a 25% discount is more than fair -
2006-11-12 07:59:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋