Part-Time Schedule

[QueenBee]

For (full-day) part-timers where you split a full-time spot into 2 part time spots...are consecutive days or alternate days schedule better ie (1 child) Mon/Tu & (2nd child) W/Th/F; or (1 child) M/W/F and (2nd child) Tu/Th? And why?

[Springvalley]

We don't do part time at our center because of not knowing who was coming what days plus it makes planning difficult!

[Blackcat31]

I think it depends on the kids. Some are easy and adjust to every other day while others definitely need those consecutive days.
I charge by the week now BUT when I did offer part time care I offered it M,W,F or T, Th, F as I had several other families that only worked M-Th so I had Fridays available.

NO MATTER how you decide to offer part time care, here is my advice . Take what works for you and leave the rest.

NEVER offer part time on a parents demand....only offer what YOU want to offer and what works for YOU or you will always be switching days up and moving things around to appease a part time family that in the end is simply trying to pay the least while getting the most.

ANY day that includes lunch and nap is considered a full day here as those are the hardest/busiest times of my day.

Parents that choose an option that includes M will always ask about holidays since most fall on Mondays and you will forever be moving days around so they can avoid paying.

If a parent needs access to all the days of the week, they need to pay for full time care. Otherwise everyone would enroll as part time and use/pay only for what they want.
YOU lose out on any of the above scenarios in most cases.

Make sure you offer part time at a cost of atleast 1.5X more than what full timers pay. It's only fair since in reality it's the full timers that keep us in business.

[GirlMomma]

DD goes to pre-k two days/week and we pay $80 a week for those two days. If she were to go five days a week, it’s be $165/week.

Make it worth your while! Parents will pay it if that’s what they want.

[QueenBee]

I ran into that problem with the holidays falling mostly on Mondays and feeling the need to give a makeup day which, because I was full, I had to wait until a child was out on vacation/out sick. That WAS a hassle.

[Alwaysgreener]

For (full-day) part-timers where you split a full-time spot into 2 part time spots...are consecutive days or alternate days schedule better ie (1 child) Mon/Tu & (2nd child) W/Th/F; or (1 child) M/W/F and (2nd child) Tu/Th? And why?

I do whatever the family needs. Before lockdown in 2020, I had two brothers on Monday only, two brothers Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday, brother and sister Tuesdays and Thursdays, and two boys on Monday and Wednesday plus my son who was almost two at the time.

I loved it because the first three days of the week I had a completely different group of kids and then Thursday repeated Tuesday. I was able to repeat whatever I made or did on Monday on Tuesday, so I had less planning.

Currently I have the brother and sister on Tuesday and Thursday, one girl on Monday Tuesday Wednesday and one girl the whole week.

My preference and what I like best can change from child to child. My Monday Wednesday child before the lockdown would have been much better child if he had been here 2 to 3 days in a row.