If your daycare provides meals...

memali26 · August 2012

If your daycare provides meals, how much extra do they charge? I watch one child in my home and will be providing lunch and eventually breakfast for her now that she's off purees. She's 18 months old. Her mom asked how much extra I wanted to cover the cost of her food, and I have no idea what to tell her. I'm afraid to overcharge, but even though she doesn't eat a lot, it's enough that over time it would make a difference in our grocery budget (especially produce). Any thoughts/suggestions?

drpayne · August 2012

Ours doesn't charge extra for meals (but it's an expensive place to begin with).

AsOctoberFalls · August 2012

Meals are included in the cost of tuition at our daycare center.

imeltice · August 2012

We send DS to a sitter that provides meals, she charges $5 an hour for two meals, we paid our old sitter $4.00 an hour and brought all of DS's food.

vigurl · August 2012

drpayne:
Ours doesn't charge extra for meals (but it's an expensive place to begin with).

LOL Exactly this!

RayRay007 · August 2012

Meals are included in our costs - $35/day.

Becm617 · August 2012

our daycare center orders lunches out, or we can provide our own. They charge $2.50 for each meal

Anne Mommy · August 2012

Our daycare provides meals in the cost of the care (once they are on table foods). We were told that from the beginning so we new the cost wouldn't go up. She charges $30 per day.

I guess it would depend on how much they pay now. If you charge about the same as other places in the area, I wouldn't increase. If you are a lot cheaper, then maybe. Also does the kid have any special food needs? the only thing different for DS is that he is on whole milk and the other kids (who are a little older) drink 1%. I asked if she wanted us to provide milk since it's just for him. If she eats the same stuff that your kids/you eat, I wouldn't charge more.

JenniCollins · August 2012

I have the same question. I just started watching twin 10 month olds and its amazing what they can eat! When they switch to whole milk they are going to give $5 more a month to cover milk (I only watch 2 days a week so won't need too much milk).

I am going to ask that she brings lunch one day a week that will feed all three (her kids and mine) and I'll cover food the other day. Also, she is going to bring in a bunch of snacks. I was also considering telling her it would be an extra $10 a month for food.

mrsjones06 · August 2012

Anne Mommy:

Our daycare provides meals in the cost of the care (once they are on table foods). We were told that from the beginning so we new the cost wouldn't go up. She charges $30 per day.

I guess it would depend on how much they pay now. If you charge about the same as other places in the area, I wouldn't increase. If you are a lot cheaper, then maybe. Also does the kid have any special food needs? the only thing different for DS is that he is on whole milk and the other kids (who are a little older) drink 1%. I asked if she wanted us to provide milk since it's just for him. If she eats the same stuff that your kids/you eat, I wouldn't charge more.

I agree that it depends on what they pay now. We pay $25/day for an in home daycare that includes breakfast, lunch & two snacks once they're on table foods. Our previous in home place provided lunch & snacks (we sent breakfast) for $30/day. My youngest has a dairy intolerance so for now I'm still packing all of his meals & providing almond milk.

memali26 · August 2012

mrsjones06:
Anne Mommy:

Our daycare provides meals in the cost of the care (once they are on table foods). We were told that from the beginning so we new the cost wouldn't go up. She charges $30 per day.

I guess it would depend on how much they pay now. If you charge about the same as other places in the area, I wouldn't increase. If you are a lot cheaper, then maybe. Also does the kid have any special food needs? the only thing different for DS is that he is on whole milk and the other kids (who are a little older) drink 1%. I asked if she wanted us to provide milk since it's just for him. If she eats the same stuff that your kids/you eat, I wouldn't charge more.

I agree that it depends on what they pay now. We pay $25/day for an in home daycare that includes breakfast, lunch & two snacks once they're on table foods. Our previous in home place provided lunch & snacks (we sent breakfast) for $30/day. My youngest has a dairy intolerance so for now I'm still packing all of his meals & providing almond milk.

She offered to pay more when she proposed me providing meals. I'm not looking to increase the overall rate, just trying to figure out a fair price per meal/week. She is paying me less than the centers in the area, and paying for meals will still be quite a bit cheaper for her.

Lotsofloveandkids · August 2012

Meals are included in tuition.

RayRay007 · August 2012

memali26:

She offered to pay more when she proposed me providing meals. I'm not looking to increase the overall rate, just trying to figure out a fair price per meal/week. She is paying me less than the centers in the area, and paying for meals will still be quite a bit cheaper for her.

I would say $5/day for lunch and two snacks would be fair.

lrn327 · August 2012

RayRay007:
memali26:

She offered to pay more when she proposed me providing meals. I'm not looking to increase the overall rate, just trying to figure out a fair price per meal/week. She is paying me less than the centers in the area, and paying for meals will still be quite a bit cheaper for her.

I would say $5/day for lunch and two snacks would be fair.

I would agree with this, particularly if you are providing milk. Ours is also included in our center DC but that is obviously no help with the question you asked!

memali26 · August 2012

lrn327:
RayRay007:
memali26:

She offered to pay more when she proposed me providing meals. I'm not looking to increase the overall rate, just trying to figure out a fair price per meal/week. She is paying me less than the centers in the area, and paying for meals will still be quite a bit cheaper for her.

I would say $5/day for lunch and two snacks would be fair.
I would agree with this, particularly if you are providing milk. Ours is also included in our center DC but that is obviously no help with the question you asked!

Thanks. I don't provide milk since she has a slight dairy intolerance (can do cheese, yogurt, butter, but not WCM) so I think we'll shoot a little on the lower side. Her mom is a friend, so I'm just trying hard to make sure neither of us is taking advantage of the other!

memali26 · August 2012

PinkLily1234:
We use a licensed in home and the cost of meals (breakfast, lunch, two snacks and milk) is included in tuition. We provide formula and jar food until our baby is eating what is served for meals (it was the exact same when we were with a center).
We pay $145 per week for in-home care including the food. I know she is reimbursed through the state food program for serving healthy meals (I had to sign something for it). Maybe look at your state food program, even if you aren't eligible to use it (not sure if you are licensed), for guidance on what to "charge". In MN it basically comes out to $2.25 per day reimbursement and I'm 100% sure the food costs at least double that since she cooks from scratch and provides all fresh produce. https://www.providerschoice.com/pages/usda/#cash

That link is helpful, thanks! I'm not licensed (former teacher watching a teacher friend's child ), so I can't do the program, but the guidelines are a good starting point for me to figure a fair rate.

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