Most business owners are in denial when it comes to their finances. They think that if they work hard and try to be of service to their customers, the money will take care of itself. So congratulations on working with a business plan and a budget and having a known financial position. Still, at both lower and higher prices, you lost money. It doesn't seem fair, and it isn't.
People are incredibly bizarre when it comes to spending money.
Figure out a new and powerful way to market your child-care facility so that price becomes a nonissue. The price is always too high until the value is established. A Field Guide to Modern Marketing by Harry Beckwith. I'm convinced that people will buy at a significantly higher price than the going rate if you can tell them and show them why you're better, cleaner and more loving than the competition. If you want to stay in the child-care business, you must become a master marketer.