cost of family day care

[clare076]

just wondering how much you pay for family day care
Is it a set rate regardless of the hours attended or do you pay by the hour
what is the average daily rate?

[visitor1]

It depends on what your CCB % is.

DD1 goes 2 days a week, It doesnt cost alot. We are on a set contract so regardless if she attends we still have to pay (unless its a public holiday or the carer cant have her due to reasons). Anything before and after a certain time attracts a higher hourly rate ( i think its before 7am and after 6pm) at my FDC.

DD1 goes 930am-430pm Mon and Fri.
Our hourly rate is about $6.75 but im not 100% on it.

[Karina]

Our Family Day Care place charges per hour as well.
Our rates, before any CCB is applied are:
$6.25/hour for children under 1 year old
$6.00/hour for children 1 year and over.

Then they deduct your CCB entitlement from that, so you end up paying a little less per hour depending on your CCB%.

[clare076]

the family day care I checked out was charging $45 for the day regardless of how long you had your child in for they never offered an hourly rate. So if I put her in for 4 hours it would still cost me $45. that is before the CCB of course, does this sound right? They did mention that if I left her on public holidays or after / before a certain time I would be charged more.

[Karina]

Maybe differnt places just have different fee structures.
Is the $45 based on a 10 hour day? How long can she be there for the $45? The CCB is added up per hour I think (maybe not?). I know the long day care centres near me charge a flat rate regardless of the number of hours she is there.

Our FDC charges a little extra if she is there before 8am or after (i think) 6pm. Or it might be 5pm. I cant remember. Its 50c extra, but the extra is only charged for the time she is there outside the 8am - 6pm window. So if she is there from 7:30 till 4, then the normal rate is charged for the time from 8 until 4, then a extra from 7:30 till 8. I hope that makes sense!

[mollycat]

hi, i'm a familiy day carer in NSW, most carers are de-regulated and charge different fees they feel their service is worth - they might also have their schemes admin levy in that fee. Try ringing around a few different schemes in your area and get a few names, you may find a difference in fees. But remember, the cheapest isn't always the best. Some carers are more qualifications then others, or more experience, but you need to go with what you are comfortable with. In my area, the average cost is $4.50 per hour, plus an admin levy to the scheme. The regulations are the same as centres use, only it is held at a family home, in a smaller group setting. Hope you find a carer that will become part of your family for many years.

[canberramomma]

My FDC used to cost me $5 per hour or $50 per day. As I had two in care full time, it was very expensive, but cheaper than the CBC they had previously. I don't know if that's just indicative of the prices in ACT as places are at a premium in both systems.

[AnyDream]

It differs from area to area, I pay twice as much (after the childcare rebate) here in the ACT than I did in SA - best to contact your FDC coordination office and ask there.

[shaza12345]

i am a family day care carer as well i depending on which scheme the carer is with each carer have different fee i charge $5 per hour and 35c admin fee. that fee goes by each childs individual contracts and if there do any addition hours out side there contract i charge a casual rate of $6 for every hour and every parents end total for the week is different it depends on the ccb, how many hours they do and how many children they have in care. so every carer is different and all depnds on the scheme as well. hope that helps

[Amity]

Gosh you guys have it good!

My FDC is 10 hours per day, so 40 hours per week (XH has them on Wednesday). I supply food, drinks, bottles, nappies, wipes, everything.

And I am currently paying $75 per child per day prior to CCB.

Mind you, I was lucky to actually be able to get them into FDC... there are over 1600 children on the waiting list in my council area.

[*LovemyKids*]

OMG divvy that is so expensive. I do realise that you are lucky but that is really expensive. I am a family daycare provider as well.

Nikki

[clare076]

thanks girls
just another question

will they refuse to have my DD if I only want to put her in for a few hours at a time, won't they have preference for children that will be in for the entire day? I know they are only allowed to take a certain number of children so surely they would prefer them in for as long as possible.

[shaza12345]

clare

sharon again it all depends on the carer i have a baby that only comes to me 2 days a week and only a few hours in the afternoon and for me thts good gives everyone a bit of a break but again all carers are different

[Pandora]

Does it work like long day care where you pay regardless of whether you actually go or not?

[shaza12345]

sharon again with me only if there not coming because the parent calls to say there not coming if its because the carer cant work that day then no u dont get charged. u do get charged for public holidays wheather u come or not if it falls on a normal rostered day.

[Kitt3n]

clare - its not usually up to the centre, but up to the individual carer.

when i ws doing it, i would have rathered an "8 hour kid" than a short drop off - but then again another carer might be happy to take on a little one for just a few hours.

[mollycat]

Depends on the individual carer as to the minimum hours she/he charges for. Our scheme used to have a minimum of 4 hours per day, but when we deregulated a lot of our carers changed, some still have 4, others 6 and others 8. I don't mind the 6 hours, as i can fit schoolies in before and after and pick up extra income. I have had a few children in for only a few hours, between shift working parents, one parent would drop off on their way to arvo shift and the other would pick up when they finished for the day, parents still pay for the minimum hours, and depending on your income (and the subsidy you get), it is often not to expensive. School aged children are dearer as they get less subsidy.

Most carers will charge a "holding fee" if you want to keep the place you need to pay for it, when not being used (sometimes this is a % of your fee other times it is your normal fee). If you look at it another way, if you didn't go to work today, you were sick, would you expect sick pay??? is you were entitled. This is the carers income and often they can't fill a place at the drop of a hat.

We also charge for roster days, which we are entitled to, however we cannot charge for days that we don't provide care, ie, if we are sick or on holidays.