Can Part Time Daycare Work For Your Business?

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Many parents need full-time daycare for their children, but part time daycare can work better for some families. So what’s the difference between full time and part time daycare? And can offering part time daycare help your daycare business succeed? Check out more info on running a home daycare.

• Understand the key differences between full-time and part-time daycare options to choose what fits your business needs
• Learn how part-time daycare payment schedules (weekly vs. biweekly) work and what to expect financially
• Discover the main benefits of part-time daycare and whether it’s a practical solution for your situation
• Get practical tips for making part-time daycare work successfully with your business operations

In some cases, parents work part time or work non-traditional hours so they only need childcare when most daycare businesses are not available. You can fill a need in the community by offering different hours than most other providers do.

What Does Part Time Daycare Mean?

There are many options for offering part time daycare. You may be able to run a viable business only on school breaks and keep school-aged kids only. There are also providers that only keep teacher’s kids and only provide care during the school calendar. 

Many parents work shift work and they may be served better by a provider that is open 6 pm to 4 am or 2 pm to midnight. This can be a great business model as well if there is a need for it in your community.

What about regulations? If you only offer care for summers, spring break and Christmas break, do you have to be regulated? You’ll need to check with your state’s regulators. In Oklahoma you have to be licensed if you are open 15 or more hours a week. 

What about running an after-school program only from 3:15 to 6 and avoid DHS altogether? I love that idea. It may be part of my retirement plan.

How Many Hours is Part Time Daycare?

Part time daycare can also mean less than a full day. DHS considers part time from 0 to 4 hours per day and over 4 hours is a full-time rate for that day. But you have the freedom to set your own rates. 

I consider one minute to 10 hours full time – I don’t do part time rates for a day. I also don’t do part time rates for the week. So, if you contract with me for 1 hour a week, it’s the same as if you do 50 hours a week.

But charging different rates for part time daycare may work for you. It’s important that you set up a business plan for your home daycare and crunch the numbers to see what’s best in your situation.

I learned years ago that you have to be able to depend on your income, so I made my payment policies according to that need for my family. My kids pay whether they come or not, unless I take prearranged vacation days. This helps me to live.

Daycare part time: What You Need to Know

I used to not charge if the kids took days off, and I was always short on income to pay my bills. You have to structure something so you can pay your bills.

Once you decide your rates and what days or hours you will be open, you’ll need to set up a contract and go over it with your parents. They will sign that they understand what they are contracting for and you’ll both know what to expect financially.

For example, if you want to work only Monday through Thursday, or only 3 to 6 pm, be sure parents know and agree to that and everything will work out great.

Part Time vs Full Time Daycare

For many, the traditional full time home daycare hours of operation are 7:30 to 5:30, Monday through Friday. For years I worked 7 am to 6 pm, but that’s a lot of hours and hard to sustain. As I got older, I did 7:30 to 5:30, but still 10 hours a day is a lot.

It’s important to be firm with your hours. People always asked to come at 7, so I ended up working from 7:00 to 5:30. I HATE working late, so I changed my hours to 7:30 to 5:00 and that extra 30 minutes changed my life! 

I learned that most people who ask for 7, show up at 7:30 anyway, so I started saying no to the extra time. I would LOVE to work 6 to 3, but that doesn’t fit the needs of my community, so this is what I do for now.

Just remember that no matter what you offer, people will always ask for more.

Part Time Daycare Hours

Your hours for your business can be whatever you want them to be of course. You’re in charge. 

But making your business a financial success so you can support your family is an important part of running a business. You can love what you do, but you can’t do it for free. So, think about what you would be able to charge and how that would work into your family’s budget.

If you’re committed to offering part time daycare, consider starting your business with a partner. You could provide care with more flexible hours. 

For example, you can offer full time daycare, but only work part time. If you want part time days, you could contract your partner to work from 6am to Noon and you could work from Noon to 6pm. Or you could work M/W/F and your partner could work T/TH. There are many ways to be able to work less than the usual grueling 50 plus hours a week in home daycare.

Remember when setting your hours, not to ask your clients. If you did what everyone wanted or needed, you could work 24 hours a day. You are a human and have to take care of you. So set what you’re willing to do and stick to it. Don’t do everything for everyone else. Offer what you offer and stand firm.

Learn more about how to start a home daycare. 

Part Time Daycare Rates

Part time daycare rates are usually far higher than full time care. Many providers who, for instance, charge $30 a day for full time care or $150 a week, would charge $45 a day for part time care. So, if a parent needed 3 days of care per week, they would pay $135 a week.

Set your fees based on the average cost in your area. Try not to price yourself out of the market. But remember to make sure you charge enough to make a profit. Again, we can’t work for free. 

But you can offer a specialty of some kind and charge even more for your services. So, think about what you can promote that makes you unique.

Marketing Part Time Daycare

When you market your part time program, make sure you put special emphasis on the fact that it’s part time daycare you’re offering. Great places to advertise your home daycare would be doctor’s offices, libraries, and grocery stores.

There are a lot of moms who don’t work outside the home and would love to have a few days a week to get it all done without their kids in tow. They can schedule appointments and errands on the days they are kid-free. I never had any problem finding moms with a need for that service.

Remember that word of mouth is the very best way to build a business. Be professional in your dealings with others, and sell yourself on the daily by telling the world about what you do and why you’re so proud to be doing it. You’ll never wish for more business that way.

Remember, no matter what type of daycare you’re providing, a contract and payment policies are the most important thing for success. Charge a flat rate for whatever parents choose to contract with you (that works with what you’re offering) and stick to that whether they come or not.

Do Kids Do Well in Part Time Daycare?

Kids will not adapt to daycare well if they don’t attend enough to get used to it. So, it may be better to do at least three days a week for the benefit of the children you serve. 

I have done a lot of mom’s day out type things in the past when I had kids that didn’t need a full-time spot. I would find other kids to fill the days they didn’t attend. And for some kids, it was very difficult to get acclimated to daycare in my home that way.

Some kids don’t have problems with separation anxiety, but some do. So, consider the child and their personality when deciding what to offer and what policies to put into place.

And for drop-off and pick-up policies, check this out.

Is Part-Time Daycare Actually Profitable?

Part-time care can be profitable, but only when the numbers work. A part-time child still occupies a licensed space on the days listed in the contract. If you cannot enroll another child on the remaining days, offering a deeply discounted rate could reduce your income without significantly reducing your workload.

Before setting a part-time rate, calculate:

• The income you need each week
• Your maximum licensed enrollment
• Food, supplies and activity expenses
• Additional scheduling and bookkeeping time
• The likelihood of filling the child’s unused days
• Paid holidays, vacations and absences
• How many children your space and routine can comfortably support

Compare the proposed part-time income with what that same opening could earn as a full-time space. Part-time rates often need to be higher per day because the schedule is less predictable and the space is harder to fill.

Part-Time Scheduling Models to Consider

Part-time daycare does not have to mean accepting any combination of days or hours. A structured model is easier to manage.

Set-Day Enrollment

Families choose fixed days, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They pay for those contracted days whether or not the child attends.

Two-Day or Three-Day Packages

Offer predetermined combinations, such as Tuesday and Thursday or Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Compatible packages can allow two families to share one full-time opening.

Half-Day Care

Offer morning or afternoon sessions with firm arrival and departure times. Remember that two half-day groups can create extra transitions, cleaning and paperwork.

School-Year Care

Provide care for teachers’ children or operate according to the local school calendar.

After-School or School-Break Care

Focus on older children during afternoon hours, summer vacation or scheduled school breaks.

The best arrangement is the one that meets a local need while protecting your income, personal time and program quality.

Questions to Answer Before Offering Part-Time Care

Before advertising openings, decide:

• Which days and hours will be available?
• Will parents choose their days, or will you offer set packages?
• Is there a minimum number of days required?
• Will families pay for contracted days when their child is absent?
• Can families switch days from week to week?
• Will unused days qualify for make-up care?
• What happens when a holiday falls on a contracted day?
• How will late pickup and early drop-off be handled?
• Will part-time families pay an enrollment or supply fee?
• How much notice is required to change or end the schedule?

Put every answer in your contract and parent handbook. Clear policies prevent misunderstandings and help families decide whether your program is right for them.

Should Families Be Allowed to Change Days?

Frequently changing attendance days may sound flexible, but it can create staffing, meal-count, activity-planning and enrollment problems. It can also prevent you from offering the unused days to another family.

A dependable policy is to require families to choose fixed contracted days. Additional care can be offered only when space is available and at a clearly stated daily rate. Make it clear that missed days cannot automatically be exchanged for different days.

How to Help Part-Time Children Adjust

Some children settle into care quickly, while others need more consistency. A child attending only occasionally may feel as though every arrival is a new beginning.

You can make the transition easier by:

• Requiring a consistent weekly schedule
• Recommending at least two or three attendance days
• Using the same arrival routine each day
• Encouraging short, confident goodbyes
• Keeping meals, naps and activities predictable
• Allowing an appropriate comfort item
• Sharing positive updates with parents
• Giving the child time to build relationships before changing the schedule

Providers should also be honest with families when an irregular arrangement is making it difficult for a child to feel secure.

When Full-Time Care May Be the Better Choice

Full-time care may work better when:

• You need consistent weekly income.
• Part-time schedules leave openings that cannot be filled.
• Frequent schedule changes disrupt your program.
• Children struggle to adjust because they attend too infrequently.
• Managing multiple families creates too much paperwork or confusion.
• Your community has a greater need for traditional weekday care.

There is nothing wrong with deciding that part-time enrollment does not fit your business. Flexibility is only beneficial when it is sustainable for the provider, the children and the families.

When Part-Time Care May Be a Great Fit

Part-time care may be a strong option when:

• Local families are actively looking for two- or three-day care.
• You want to work fewer days or shorter hours.
• Two compatible families can share one opening.
• You specialize in preschool, after-school or school-break care.
• Your rates cover the additional scheduling challenges.
• You establish firm attendance and payment policies.
• The arrangement allows you to serve families without exhausting yourself.

Common Part-Time Daycare Mistakes

• Charging too little because the child attends fewer hours
• Allowing families to change days without notice
• Holding unpaid spaces for absent children
• Offering more flexibility than the program can manage
• Failing to use a written contract
• Assuming two part-time schedules will fit together perfectly
• Ignoring the extra transitions and administrative work
• Setting hours according to every family’s individual request
• Forgetting to check licensing and subsidy requirements

A Final Reminder for Providers

Your daycare schedule should support your life as well as the families you serve. You are allowed to set hours, rates and policies that make your program sustainable. Offering part-time care can be a wonderful specialty, but you do not have to provide unlimited flexibility to be a caring provider.

Choose a structure you can maintain, explain it clearly and require families to contract for the space they need. A dependable program is more valuable than a provider who agrees to everything and eventually burns out.

I would also revise the specific Oklahoma licensing and subsidy statements before republishing. Those rules can change, so the post should link readers to the current state agency requirements rather than relying only on the older hour and reimbursement definitions.

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