Help! How much would you charge/pay? (Babysitting during summer)

[SLT]

Hi everyone! I need a little advice.

 

 

A friend of a friend needs childcare for her pre-teen son this summer- he has some medical issues, and she wants someone who is able to give shots (a few times daily). She also lives very close to my house- perfect!

It sounds like a good situation, but I have no clue what to ask as far as weekly fee. I am sure she will have an idea of what she will spend, but last time I was offered a daytime babysitting gig, the mom offered me what was essentially $2 an hour.

How much would you charge hourly (or weekly) knowing that she wants a nurse (which I am)? He will be over my house from 8a-6p, we will be doing activities (she will pay for the cost of activities), and I will ask that she send him with a lunch due to his medical condition.

Thanks in advance! I just don't want to under/oversell myself.

[bettyandbob]

first, I would call local day cares and find out what they are charging for weekly rates for 10-12 year olds.

 

Then, I would look at the fees for traditional local daycamps in the area that serve that age group.

 

Consider whether his presence means you will spend more on activities than you normally would because you feel obligated to special things a couple times a week. I know the mom is paying her child's share, but think about whether you are likely to partake more often.

 

Understand that unless are normally paid less than minimum wage, you will not be able to charge for your nursing certifications fully. She likes that you have the nursing certifications because she believes that will make you more conscience of her son's issues. Is it allergies? Will you be providing actual specialty care? If you are providing daily nursing care then you can inform her of the competitive nursing rates and back down from there.

 

Will the addition of this child make life more difficult or easier. Is he a decent playmate for your dc? If he is, his presence for the summer may make it more fun.

 

I'd set up clear boundaries for drop off and pick up.

[SLT]

first, I would call local day cares and find out what they are charging for weekly rates for 10-12 year olds.

 

Then, I would look at the fees for traditional local daycamps in the area that serve that age group.

 

Consider whether his presence means you will spend more on activities than you normally would because you feel obligated to special things a couple times a week. I know the mom is paying her child's share, but think about whether you are likely to partake more often.

 

Understand that unless are normally paid less than minimum wage, you will not be able to charge for your nursing certifications fully. She likes that you have the nursing certifications because she believes that will make you more conscience of her son's issues. Is it allergies? Will you be providing actual specialty care? If you are providing daily nursing care then you can inform her of the competitive nursing rates and back down from there.

 

Will the addition of this child make life more difficult or easier. Is he a decent playmate for your dc? If he is, his presence for the summer may make it more fun.

 

I'd set up clear boundaries for drop off and pick up.

 

Thanks for the input! A good camp around here is 110-200 a week. They do lots of weekly activities (though extra for special activities to the theme parks, etc), but the problem is they do not have a nurse available to give the medication.

The child is diabetic and will need to have his BG checked and insulin administered. I don't plan to get anywhere near my nursing salary working this summer- since it's 50 hours weekly, I was thinking of asking between $150-200 weekly. I hope this is not out of her ballpark... does that sound fair to you?

 

She said he is very quiet but well-mannered and likes younger kids. DS would have a great time playing with a playmate, and it would also encourage us to get outside more than we usually do- we have a great neighborhood with a park, a pond (fishing), a pool and lots more closeby. We could visit the library, park, etc. When DH is home and able to watch DS, I could take the child to one of local free/cheap movie times if he's interested.

It definitely will throw a wrench into our daily plans (we are VERY laid back, and DH has a weird work schedule), but I figure it is just 8 weeks and would help with our budget a ton. We really could use the money right now, and I would love to be able to care for a child while using my nursing skills!

[Ali in OR]

My respite care provider for my dd with medical issues gets $10.42 per hour from the state program that provides us with respite. I know that starts to get to a realm where you wonder what private party can pay that for so many hours a day, but that's really not much more than minimum wage.

[bettyandbob]

I live in a very high COL area. $200 weekly sounds more than reasonable. It is cheaper than any local daycamp that parents would be considering as a childcare option in the summer and you are covering more hours. The camps have an extra fee for "extended hours" for working parents who need to build in commute time.

[mytwomonkeys]

$150-$200 weekly is very reasonable. when i lived in atlanta & was single in college, i made $10 an hour babysitting. that was back in the 90's.

[Cera]

Something to think about...

 

If you are watching him in your capacity as a nurse (which it sounds like you are as you said she wants him monitored medically during the day) you really need to have malpractice insurance of some sort in case anything goes wrong.

 

eta: also, consider whether the mom wants to be able to claim the child care expenses on her taxes (which would require you to claim them as self employment income) and whether there are any regulations regarding licensing for private nursing care or child care providers in general.

[SLT]

So true about the liability insurance- not something I've thought about! Thanks for the input. Important things to consider!

[Ecclecticmum]

$150-200 sounds quite reasonable, but given the price of the local camps bottom area ($110) just think that she may only be able to afford round that area, so have a price (maybe start at $200 as your top price) and be prepared to come down if neccessary.

 

As far as laws/insurance, I don't know the go in your area, so you may have to check on that.

 

I know if it happened out here, and the person is my friend, I would just be counting the money I was giving her as a friend-reinbursment for her time, kind of like a thank you ('cause let's face it, flowers don't pay for the childs activities :p) same as if my child was going to a friends place and they were going to the amusement park, I would provide that parent with the funds to cover that plus a bit extra (that I wouldn't expect back) for "in case".

 

From my POV, I would love to have someone like you out here. Occasionally I need a break, and with two type 1 diabetic children & 1 SN, its just not possible. I have tried the commercial "systems" and really (and these people went through "diabetes" training workshops) was surprised at how little they knew and the fact they ignored simple protocols, health-issue wise, this was huge to me.

 

Having a nurse as a friend willing to take the kids every now and again, or (*dreams*) for summer fun would be amazing. I have a nurse friend, but unfortunately she moved two states away :( My mother is a nurse, but she also lives two states away.....perhaps thats the minimum for "Dealing" with me....must be divided by at least one state, ROFL.

 

I think its amazing you are offering, it would be lovely to actually have one person, who is also a friend, be able to listen, note and understand the concerns of diabetes, and be able to watch out for them (I even have trouble with hubby sometimes, giving injections in the wrong spot, letting Atlas & Eve outside with *no* shoes on, drives me barmy. I've been thinking of doing up pictorial injection sites picture and pictorial rules and putting them on the corkboard, perhaps a dry-erase laminated fingers so we can cross off where we have been finger pricking, in order to even divide it over the fingers and stop concentrating on certain fingers.

 

'Scuse any mistakes. I have a cold, and so does Eve, and shes asking me a ba-jillion questions whilst I'm writing this.

[zoobie]

Something to think about...

 

If you are watching him in your capacity as a nurse (which it sounds like you are as you said she wants him monitored medically during the day) you really need to have malpractice insurance of some sort in case anything goes wrong.

 

eta: also, consider whether the mom wants to be able to claim the child care expenses on her taxes (which would require you to claim them as self employment income) and whether there are any regulations regarding licensing for private nursing care or child care providers in general.

I agree. This could wind up being a much bigger "thing" than babysitting, unfortunately. The state agency that licenses nurses for your state should have some FAQ as to what is required for private practice.

[SLT]

Thanks for the newest replies! One thing to note though is she is not a friend- a mutual friend asked on a public forum if anyone was interested, and hooked us up. I don't know her or her son at all- that might make things easier if it were that way! Hopefully this works out, because we could use the money- but I don't want it to be too much trouble for our family, either.

Ah!

[happyhomemaker]

One thing to bring up and be firm about is *when* you will get paid. Make sure to get paid in advance for the week. People can get "forgetful" about paying for services already rendered. If they know you will only take the child after receiving payment, things will go much smoother.