A Matter of Money - Expenses

In my last post I wrote about the daily rates charged by various home based childcare providers but that barely begins to cover how widely net incomes can vary. I know some home based providers try to break down their income to an hourly wage and lament they earn less than minimum wage. I've also heard it said that unlike centre based ECE's whose wages and hours are set by their employer, home based providers have more control over their income, expenses and hours. For this scenario let's ignore the differences in number of spaces, the ages of the children in care, daily rates etc. Let's just consider how expenses and work hours can affect a home based childcare provider's income. What can be controlled and what can't be.

The Childcare Space - the building in which it is located. A portion of the cost of the childcare home's utilities, taxes and mortgage interest is considered a business expense but the amount is dependent on how much of the home is used for childcare and for how many hours per day. Do they have a large dedicated childcare space or shared childcare/personal space? What type of neighbourhood is the home located in (property tax rate)? Has the home been purchased recently or is it nearly paid off (mortgage interest costs)? Is the home large or small, old or new, energy efficient or old technology (utility costs)? All those factors will affect the total cost of operating the childcare home.

Does the childcare home have limited hours, offer flexible hours to accommodate parents working various shifts or maybe they are even 'open' 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Offering extended hours does not generally increase income - in fact, the net income could actually be lower. Drop off times for evening childcare are usually earlier than pick-up times for daytime care so enrolling one evening child and one daytime child will still require two spaces due to the period of time they overlap. The provider does not have all the children present at the same time which results in a longer workday and higher expenses too.

In short - more space & longer hours = more deductions and lower net income.

The Learning Environment - my personal favourite topic - the toys, equipment and furnishings in the childcare space. Is it set up as a traditional home - living room, kitchen, bedrooms etc - are there simply a few toys stored in a corner, spare room or a closet? Is the home larger than the family that lives there needs - an extra room or unused basement has become childcare space. Has the provider given up much of their personal space to create multiple classrooms?

Did the provider make no real changes to their own space and simply accommodates the children like part of their extended family? Did they convert a large space into an elaborate facility - purchasing expensive, high end equipment and furnishings designed specifically for commercial childcare facilities? Did they opt for more economical furnishings and take the chance they will need to replace things often? Do they design and make their own toys and furnishings using recycled materials - very little expense but a lot of 'unpaid' work hours.

How long has the childcare program been operating at this location? How long do they intend to stay in business? Does/did the provider have their own children who have outgrown items which are now used for the childcare program? Is this a primary or secondary income for this household? All of these factors will impact the amount the provider has already invested or is willing/able to invest in the space now or in the future.

The Programming - what types of activities do they offer? Structured or spontaneous? Formal instruction or free play? Do they have all the latest technology available for the children to use with purchased curriculum software? Do they have regularly scheduled field trips, hire instructors or attend group classes for music, recreation, or art? Do they use printed worksheets, packaged product crafts, or watch movies/TV? Some of the most expensive activities will require the least amount of provider time/effort.

Training/networking - does the provider regularly attend workshops, conferences and meetings with other educators? These types of learning opportunities allow the provider to increase her own skills and be less likely to need to outsource programming. However, they can also be expensive. For the home provider there is not only the cost of course registration but also wages for substitutes, lost income for closures, or additional unpaid time after regular work hours.

Supplies - what does the provider require the parents to send with their child? Certainly parents are responsible for sending personal items like clothing, diapers and possibly bedding for their child but some providers may also have an additional supply list. These periodic supply lists can include items such as tissues, sun screen, glue, paper etc much like annual school supply lists. Some even ask parents to supply grocery staples like boxes of cereal, crackers, pasta etc or to pay additional fees for some provider supplied items or services.

Meals - does the provider supply all or some meals or is the parent responsible for sending food with their child every day? Many providers supply snacks but some also provide breakfast/lunch/supper depending on their operating hours. If they provide meals do they buy/prepare food in bulk to save money? Do they purchase individual serving sizes and many processed items to save time? Do they seek out the best quality, organic products that can be found locally? Do they offer alternatives for children/families with dietary restrictions?

What other tasks may a provider be willing to pay someone else to do? Bookkeeping/accounting? Cleaning? Again, this is a matter of making a choice between higher expenses/lower net income or longer work hours/higher net income. A provider may not feel it is necessary to pay high premiums for disability insurance and benefit packages if they have a spouse with coverage. If childcare is the main or only income for the provider's family then this insurance may be essential - or the premiums may be beyond the possibility of their limited budget.

So yes, home based childcare providers do have some control over how much or how little they spend on operating expenses for their childcare facility and how much they leave for salary. I think what is more important to note is WHY the providers are making the choices. Maybe the provider enjoys cooking for the children in her care or maybe she knows the food she gives them is the only healthy food they will get that day. Maybe childcare is the only income for this provider's family and the budget is too tight to afford any 'extras' for the program. Maybe the provider enjoys working with children but the second income isn't a necessity for her family - she spends more on her program specifically to lower her taxable income.

A long time ago I was told that childcare centres spend about 80% of their income on wages for their staff - I assume that number is still fairly accurate today. Maybe home based providers should try something similar.  Stop trying to take what little money is left after expenses, dividing it by the hours they work and complaining that it is not a livable wage. Instead, try counting 80% of your total gross income as your salary and pay the appropriate taxes on that income. Then take the remaining 20% and use it for your program expenses. Then you can start complaining about how little you money you have to operate a quality childcare program.

A Matter of Money - Home Based Childcare

The first post in this series was 'Motivation', the second was 'Centre or Home'.  For this third installment I want to focus strictly on the financial side of home based childcare - the income. Home based childcare incomes can vary greatly dependent on your neighbourhood, the ages of your own children and the children in your care and the type of program you offer. First let me define the types of home based childcare:

Family Child Care - located in the providers home - may have a maximum of eight children, of whom no more than five can be under the age of six, and no more than three may be less than two years of age. The child care provider's own children are included in these maximum numbers. All FCC homes must be licensed and inspected but they have the option of being funded or unfunded - more on that later.

Private Home Day Care - is also located in the caregivers home but is not licensed or inspected. They may offer care for a maximum of four children under the age of 12, with no more than two children under two years of age including the caregivers own children. If there are more than four children in the home at any time the home must be licensed. Unlicensed homes are never able to receive any type of funding from the Province.

Group Child Care Home - A group child care home is run by 'two' licensed providers in one of their homes. A licensed group child care home can accommodate as many as 12 children under the age of 12, of whom no more than three may be less than two years of age. These homes also have the option to be funded or unfunded.

Now let me talk a little about income.

Unlicensed/private home day care providers are free to set their own childcare rates - they can choose to charge hourly, daily, weekly or monthly. They can offer discounts to parents with more children. They do not have to charge all parents the same rates and 100% of their income comes directly from the parents using their services. They can be trained or untrained. They have absolutely no regulations regarding their childcare space, equipment, hours, or programming.

Licensed providers who operate funded programs receive an annual operating grant to supplement their income. A funded provider may not charge any parent - subsidized or not - more than the maximum, government set, daily childcare rates. Set rates for trained providers are slightly higher than those for providers without their ECE II/III classification.

These maximum daily rates have only increased by about $2/day in the past 20 years. The rate that parents pay for before/after school care is only eighty cents per day higher than it was when I first opened my childcare home in 1997. These daily childcare fees are kept low to ensure that childcare is affordable for low/middle income parents. Funded providers receive wage increases primarily through increases to operating grants. Current grant amounts work out to about $2/day for school-age children up to $6/day for infants.

Licensed providers - either family or group - may also choose to be unfunded and then - like private providers - they are also able to set their own childcare rates. Unfunded licensed providers may accept subsidized families but the maximum subsidy payment is usually far less than what the provider's regular rates are. The provider may require subsidized families to cover the additional costs but it is unlikely that the families could afford to.

It is rare for a licensed provider in a higher income neighbourhood to choose to be funded. Many of them can charge rates that are double or even triple the amount of the subsidized fees and operating grants combined. Even unlicensed/private home providers can often charge rates that are considerably higher than the combination of parent fees and operating grant that a licensed, funded childcare provider earns. In some upscale areas the rates can be $80/day for care for preschool children or $25/day for before/after school care and due to the demand for childcare services these providers are still able to fill their spaces.

This is not the case in lower income areas where many families are partially or fully subsidized. Single parents, students, those you work various shifts, don't have reliable transportation etc will all have fewer childcare choices available. Even in middle class neighbourhoods some families 'temporarily' place their children in childcare homes with higher rates - just until they find something more affordable.

Funded childcare centres are considered 'Not for Profit' but all home childcare providers are considered self employed and therefore 'for profit'. Many home providers feel that funded homes should also have the 'not for profit' status because we have no control over our childcare rates. Most of us have chosen to operate a funded home because we feel affordable childcare is an essential service.

I've heard it said that family childcare providers have options to increase their income but I don't believe that should include limiting access to quality childcare to only those who can afford it. This post is long enough already so in my next post I'll discuss the expenses related to home-based childcare and some of the things home providers can control.

A Matter of Money - Motivation

I have often been reluctant to join in the fight to demand higher wages for ECE’s – not because I don’t value what we do but rather, because I love my job. I think that my reluctance to complain about wages stems from contentment – for me it doesn’t feel much like work. The money is not what motivates me to be a licensed family childcare provider.

Before I opened my childcare home I volunteered in nursery and kindergarten classrooms and ran a recreation program for the children in the housing development where we lived – basically I was ‘working’ for free. Being able to earn an income by doing something I truly enjoyed was an added bonus. In all honesty, if I won a lottery I would still be a family childcare provider – but I would be able to offer the program of my dreams.

Yes, I know ECE’s earn far less than workers in other fields with a similar amount of education but compared to the years my family spent on social assistance this feels pretty comfortable. Yet, without the additional income that my husband earns as a school bus driver I know we would have difficulty paying the bills on my income alone. There are many things we would like to do but don’t do because we lack the funds to do them.

According to the descriptions over at PsychCentral, for me family  childcare is not a job, or even just a career – it is a calling.I’ve been called ‘altruistic’ – I had to go look up the meaning of that because it wasn’t a word I’ve ever used – and would definitely never use to describe myself. Actually, I would probably have to say that sometimes I feel selfish for enjoying my job. Yes, there are some aspects of being a family childcare provider that even I don’t relish. There are some days when I’ve had enough and I just want the day to end, but would more money change that? I don’t think so.

So, let’s say I couldn’t be a family childcare provider and had to choose a different job – I would expect more money because I would not enjoy my job as much. In fact, there are some jobs that no amount of money would make me want to do the work. Some jobs that would require such an enormous amount of effort to just show up that even a huge salary would not make it worthwhile. Yet, other people do those jobs so something must motivate them – and maybe it is the money – maybe not.

So, since we’ve already established that I might not the best spokesperson for the ‘Early Childhood Educators need more money’ argument, let’s talk about why I started writing this. When I hear ECE’s constantly lamenting about how hard their job is, how unfair it is that other people get paid more to do less work, making lists of everything they don’t get paid enough to do, my first thought isn’t “You deserve more money”. My first thought is “Maybe you need to find another job.”

Bracing for backlash.

Yes, I do think that ECE’s are underpaid – remember, my ECE wage comparison was social assistance benefits – it took me three years working as a family childcare provider before my income surpassed the need for an income supplement. I do think that the job we do is extremely valuable and that higher wages would help childcare programs attract and keep qualified staff. But – we are trained to speak positively to the children so why speak so negatively about your career?

Tell me what would make it better. How would more money positively affect the job you do? What would a higher wage for you mean to your program, the children in your care and their families. What would you do with more money? Please, don’t attack those who are on your side and doing their best to make a little go a long way.