Why would I pay $50 for a day when my son is NOT in daycare?

Question

My wife says it's like a salary to the girl who runs the daycare and that if we went to a bigger place they would do the same thing, but if we need an extra day we have to pay MORE? If we arrive early or come late there's extra fees?!!?!?! Is this the same everywhere? I'm really not liking the daycare industry right now. I'm a car dealer and WE are always called into question for our practices - THIS is ridiculous!

I have a woman who comes and walks my dogs. If she doesn't walk the dogs, we don't pay her.

The woman who cleans the house. If she doesn't clean, she doesn't get paid.

The people at the restaurant where we eat, IF NO ONE SHOWS UP TO EAT THEY GET NO TIPS!!!

If someone comes here to buy a car and spends 2 hours with a salesperson, test driving cars, using his advanced factory training to help them decide what to buy, then LEAVE and don't buy anything... HE DOESN'T GET PAID!!!

They're getting paid for work not being done, and they're holding people hostage for a spot with them. I'm not talking about unreasonable requests, but if you're off that day and you're home and you don't need them... You shouldn't have to pay them. It's a ripoff!!!

I don't know how to respond to the answers I get directly, but the last person I saw is equating their SERVICE with paying for property.(mortgage & car payments, etc.)

I wish the daycare providers would admit they're taking advantage and preying on people. There should be standards.

The prices paid should be concurrent with the costs associated with care.

Answer 1

I have a good friend that does day care and she charges regardless if the child comes or not. They are only allowed so many children and then they are considered full. If people could just take the kids in when they needed/wanted to she would not be getting a steady income. Maybe either you or your wife could stay home and take care of the kids.
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I'm sure I'm gonna get bashed for this one, but if you can afford to pay someone to walk your dogs and clean your house then maybe one of the parents should stay home clean the house, take the dogs for walks, and take care of the person you I'm sure hold most precious in your life. You can always have a career, your kids aren't gonna be little forever.

Answer 2

You may think it is ridiculous, but, all the same, that is the way most daycare providers work. The reasoning is this: They can only keep so many kids. They base their income on that number and the money it provides. If your child doesn't show up, under your reasoning, she could lose say $50.00. What if she keeps 6 kids and none of them showed up that day? She would lose $300.00 that day. How would your finances look if you got paid like that? If you leave the child all day, the provider supplies snacks, beverages, and possibly one meal. Any day your child did not show up, the provider can not return foodstuffs purchased for use by your child. You at least owe them for that. As far as the "extra" time? You answered your own question. "We need an extra day, we have to pay more?" Indeed. It is extra, beyond what you contracted for. As a car dealer, if a customer wanted something extra, would they not have to pay for it? Arriving early? Extra. Otherwise, people would hound the provider to death. You want an extra day, the next person wants an extra day. If you have to think twice about paying, maybe you won't be so demanding of the provider's time. The solution would be for either you or your wife to relinquish your job and stay home with the kids.

Answer 3

The cost & rules of daycare are outragoeus. Do you have only 1 child? Because $50 per day is highway robbery. I live in PA & the average is $25 - $30 per day. But they also have the "pay for full time even if your child only comes part time" rule, & even make teachers pay for the entire summer when they're off. My suggestion would be to find a babysitter, maybe a stay at home mom in your neighborhood that you know & trust & try to work something out there. I stay at home with my son & I watch a neighbors 4 year old for $450 a month no matter how much they need me.

Answer 4

Unfortunately your wife is right. Daycare is very expensive. Yes, you have to pay even when they are not there for a day. It is usually a flat fee for the week. We could not afford traditional daycare, so we have a family member doing are child care and she only charges for days they are there. We are lucky! I would not have been able to go back to work without my sisters help! You could try finding a home care provider that only charges for the days your child is there, but they are very few and far between. They need to have a plan to pay their bills like everyone else. If you think about it $50.00 a day really isn't very much money, considering the child care provider usually has your child at least 7+ hours a day and feeds them and hopefully provides them with a safe loving environment.

Answer 5

It stinks, but it's pretty much the way it is. Most will give you a week vacation, though. They have to pay the staff, whether or not you are there & they have to make sure they have the proper staff to child ratio. Also their insurance rates are astronomical.

When my kids were old enough (over 2 and pottty trained), I was fortunate to find daycare at a church that included meals and did NOT charge me when the kids weren't there! I was so used to the standard daycare industry fees, that I just kept paying the regular amount. One day the director asked if I would please use my credit sometime soon - I had a couple weeks' worth & didn't even realize it!

Answer 6

That's how daycares are. You have a set days and times. You pay whether you are there or not. If you need extra time, they will not coincide it as make-up for a day you missed. I know it stinks, but that's the deal. I do have to say $50 a day seems like a lot though. I live in the Pittsburgh, PA area and I would think a day at daycare would be more like $30-$40 a day.

Answer 7

They are charging you for a spot in their daycare. If your son cannot be there all 5 days a week and only 1, they could be making money off of someone who CAN bring their child in 5 days a week. So they are charging you for your son not being there. Does that make sense??? If you make an appointment at the doctors and you don't make it, they charge you a fee for a "no-show" when they could have had someone else who needed that appointment or for the loss of work the doctor has to deal w/.

Answer 8

If your child isn't there they are losing $50 because you would expect to be able to take your child to the day care the next day if you needed to do so right? In order for them to keep that spot open ALL WEEK for YOUR child they have to charge you for when they are not there. If you don't like that then you can't expect there to be a spot in the day care the next day because they would have filled the spot your child left vacant the day before.
Let me put it this way...When you lease or rent a car you have to PAY for the entire time you have that care whether you DRIVE the car or not right? When you rent an apartment You have to pay for the entire months rent whether you are living in that apartment or not right? That $50.00 you pay when your child is not there is to make sure there is a spot kept open for when YOUR child returns. Many Day cares do allow day by day payements but the do not hold open any spots for those children. If you don't like this then keep your child at home.

Answer 9

That's how daycare works everywhere. If you take a day off you pay no matter what. You are paying for the spot. If you choose not to use the spot that's your business. The babysitter relys on that money to pay her bills and can't have people keeping their kids home and not making money. If she (babysitter) is sick or something then you shouldn't be charged for that day.

Answer 10

some daycares/preschools work like that, some don't. I had my son in one that was like that. His current one, we only pay for the days he's there. He goes 2 days a week, so on Monday we pay for 2 days. If he's sick and misses Tuesday, then we have a credit for the next week. They charge daily though, not weekly. This is why my son and once my unborn is old enough will attend this preschool over others.