Clicky Poll - Daycares

[twotrue]

You all are going to have to suck it up and endure my countless questions about daycares as I start this business venture. Okay? Good. Because I see you all as my 'advisory panel.' ;D

Here's the first question.

[never2amazing]

Per week? We pay almost $700/wk for a non-eco friendly one!

[thiswillbe]

Sept 21, 2012 10:33:39 GMT -5 never2amazing said:

Per week? We pay almost $700/wk for a non-eco friendly one!

The question is how much MORE per week (what's it worth to you to have what's listed).

Plus, ours isn't strictly eco-friendly, but we do pay a premium for the local/fresh/organic food.

[ct]

I'm having trouble with the wording of the question (though I know why you asked it that way since daycare cost varies so much by area).

Would i pay more than the top daycare price in my area? No, probably not. Would I pay $25/week more than the median price for a fantastic daycare that also happens to be green/organic? Probably.

[thiswillbe]

I said up to $20 (so, $80 a month). I think if the difference were $100 a month I might pick the non-green/eco-friendly/organic/etc daycare over the one that is.

That being said, the green/eco-friendly part would be much less important to me than the organic part (assuming you're talking about the food being served to the kids).

[never2amazing]

Sept 21, 2012 10:37:46 GMT -5 thiswillbe said:

Sept 21, 2012 10:33:39 GMT -5 never2amazing said:

Per week? We pay almost $700/wk for a non-eco friendly one!

The question is how much MORE per week (what's it worth to you to have what's listed).

Plus, ours isn't strictly eco-friendly, but we do pay a premium for the local/fresh/organic food.

Thanks...I guess I got busted not wearing my glasses...oops!

[twotrue]

Sept 21, 2012 10:39:08 GMT -5 ct said:

I'm having trouble with the wording of the question (though I know why you asked it that way since daycare cost varies so much by area).

Would i pay more than the top daycare price in my area? No, probably not. Would I pay $25/week more than the median price for a fantastic daycare that also happens to be green/organic? Probably.

You personally. How much more would you pay? If you pay the median now, you'd pay about $25 more per week?

[ct]

I pay crazy right now (the top for my area). I wouldnt/couldnt pay any more.

[twotrue]

Sept 21, 2012 11:21:58 GMT -5 ct said:

I pay crazy right now (the top for my area). I wouldnt/couldnt pay any more.

See, I think I can do this for less than than the top. The avg center in our area is $207/wk. The top centers are $265wk. There are only 2-3 centers that I really consider top though. I have a lot of numbers to run still, but I think I can provide an eco-care sort of situation for about $240/wk. Basically 15% higher than average but less than the top of the line. Hopefully.

[ct]

that would be wonderful! definitely a big draw for folks to use you vs. the competitor.

But, i wouldnt sacrifice other things to make this a priority. Things like quality teachers, accreditation, and facility/classroom resources will always win out for me - in my mind, those are the things that make "top centers" worth their money.

Also, i'm so jealous of your average daycare prices!

[2brides]

Ditto, CT. I don't run a eco-friendly/organic (nearly typed orgasmic - damn, other thread) home so I wouldn't pay too much more for it in a daycare. But give me awesome teachers, a bright clean facility, a nice playground, and a fun curriculum and I am sold.

[seattlekari]

Ditto CT and 2brides. To me the other things are top priorities, but if you can pull it in the mid-range with all of those features AND offer green/organic then you'd have me sold in a heartbeat.

[kershnic]

So, I'd prefer a daycare where I send the food rather than they supply it. So I'm not sure how the organic would matter. Green and eco friendly would be a plus, but I wouldn't pay much for it unless I considered it an overall indicator of being in line with my values/priorities. (For example, would the organic people be more likely to approve of attachment parenting ideas/no screen time/etc.)

[hlke]

I think I'd be willing to pay up to $100/month, particularly if the daycare would accommodate cloth diapering. But a lot would depend on the overall cost of the daycare and the other features. I've already done a review (and freakish set of visits when I had time when unemployed) of daycares here and I'd be willing to pay a lot for low child:teacher ratios (3:1 infants, 4:1 under twos) and NAEYC accreditation. Just for reference, $100 is only about 6% of the going rate for good center-based infant daycare here.

[twotrue]

Sept 21, 2012 11:53:35 GMT -5 ct said:

Also, i'm so jealous of your average daycare prices!

Just remember that the pay in these parts sucks so it's all relative.