Dropping off too early?

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02-13-2015 09:09 AM
Beanie

Dropping off too early?

So I open at 7:00am. I have 2 daycare parents who have to catch busses to get to work. These busses are at 7:00 so they had asked to drop the kids off 5-10mins max before 7 so they could catch said bus. I agreed and as my contract does state early/late pick ups beyond 10 minutes will be charged a fee. For the first 3 months or so DCM abided by that rule and was here never more than 5 minutes early 90% of the time. other DCD said he needed the extra few minutes but almost always drops off at 7:00. Now DCM is starting to arrive earlier and earlier and on average is walking in at 6:45-6:50 every morning. She apologizes and is aware she is before the even early drop off time and says she will try to keep it within the 10 minutes allowed. This has happened even when she is not going to work and staying home for the day....still 15 minutes early so..... not to catch a bus..... I know this is a no brainer and i should just start charging her the fee if she walks in that early but a part of me wants to take away the early option that I gave and lock my door till 7:00. Catch a later bus, not my problem. Has anyone else had experience with giving an inch and parents taking a mile? Should I just change my contract times to meet the needs of my families?
02-13-2015 09:29 AM
5 Little Monkeys

I would just stick with the rules you have in place and charge accordingly. They will either pay or show up later.

If you don't want to open earlier than 7am than I don't think you should even have a fee because it implies that it's an option as long as they pay the fee. If you want, just send out an email to everyone stating that your door will now be locked until 7 and earlier drop off is no longer an option. I understand that sometimes late pick ups can happen beyond parents control (traffic, trains, road conditions etc) but early drop off is a choice they're making.

To answer your question, no, I haven't really had parents abuse the special requests I sometimes accommodate for them. I am very firm and clear on the new arrangement and outline the new cobsequence that would come if they overstep the new rule. For example Im done at 445 but when one dad has to pick up (mom got new job) he can't get here until 450 sometimes. I thought about it and would rather do 450 than them having to leave for a later dc so I agreed to this but they know that the late fee will be applied after that. Dad is almost always here around 447 so it hasn't been an issue.
02-13-2015 09:32 AM
Suzie_Homemaker

Easy - Open the door. Ask if they have the fee for dropping before 10 mins, if not, ask them if they will bring at close or if they want to wait until you open.

I think you are working the 6.50 to 7.00 for free and the fee is only if they come even earlier? If that right, tell them that you agreed only because they were using public bus and they keep coming earlier even when not working so they had broken the agreement and it's not available any more. They have to come at 7am during business hour. You tried to help them out by giving that extra 10 mins but they are taking more and more and not paying the super early fee so they have lost that since they aren't following the terms.
02-13-2015 01:00 PM
babydom

I don't allow early drop offs. I'm not a morning person and 7am is already pushing it. Haha. My door stays locked till 7. Even if someone knocks at 655 or 658 i don't open it till 7. Just like going to a store that opens at 9 and u arrive at 850 cuz ur in a rush is the store going to open for you? Business hrs are business hrs :) may sound silly not opening my door for two minutes. But I have had to many cases where I gave that inch and low and below someone's knocking at 645.
02-13-2015 01:31 PM
AmandaKDT

Quote:

Originally Posted by babydom

I don't allow early drop offs. I'm not a morning person and 7am is already pushing it. Haha. My door stays locked till 7. Even if someone knocks at 655 or 658 i don't open it till 7. Just like going to a store that opens at 9 and u arrive at 850 cuz ur in a rush is the store going to open for you? Business hrs are business hrs :) may sound silly not opening my door for two minutes. But I have had to many cases where I gave that inch and low and below someone's knocking at 645.

So they just stand on your doorstep and keep ringing the doorbell? I haven't had this happen before, what happens when you finally open the door? What do you say to them?
02-13-2015 02:10 PM
JennJubie

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmandaKDT

So they just stand on your doorstep and keep ringing the doorbell? I haven't had this happen before, what happens when you finally open the door? What do you say to them?

Yes. That's what I've done. I open at 7:30, I had a family that showed up early a couple of times, and I let them in, but explained to them that they needed to wait until 7:30 next time, I would not open early. The next day, they tried coming early again. They rang my doorbell, and I finished getting ready just like I would on a normal day. When I came down and opened my door at 7:30, they were shocked, and they said "We were knocking." and I said "I was busy getting ready. I make sure that I am ready to open at 7:30" They never came early again.
02-13-2015 02:13 PM
JennJubie

Quote:

Originally Posted by babydom

I don't allow early drop offs. I'm not a morning person and 7am is already pushing it. Haha. My door stays locked till 7. Even if someone knocks at 655 or 658 i don't open it till 7. Just like going to a store that opens at 9 and u arrive at 850 cuz ur in a rush is the store going to open for you? Business hrs are business hrs :) may sound silly not opening my door for two minutes. But I have had to many cases where I gave that inch and low and below someone's knocking at 645.

It's not silly. I wait right down to the minute, because you're right. You open that door two minutes early, the next day they'll be five, then ten, then fifteen. No other business would open it's doors early because someone was standing there.
02-13-2015 02:23 PM
kindertime

This is something I am seeing more and more. Not so much "give an inch, they'll take a mile," in your case, but the parents who drop off their kids "on time" or early when they aren't even going to work. Understandably, everyone has doc. appointments, errands, etc., and may need time without the kids, but when they drop off in their pajamas in the AM and at pick up in the PM, but the kid has had a full day at DC, what is that?

If it's bothering you as much as it would bother me, you might consider specifying that you will only accomodate this need on work days.

Thinking about it a little more, I guess I can see if they are paying $30-$40/day, or more, there's an argument for it, but I'm in QC and my parents only pay me $7.30/day. So I really don't understand it!!
02-13-2015 02:33 PM
AmandaKDT

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindertime

This is something I am seeing more and more. Not so much "give an inch, they'll take a mile," in your case, but the parents who drop off their kids "on time" or early when they aren't even going to work. Understandably, everyone has doc. appointments, errands, etc., and may need time without the kids, but when they drop off in their pajamas in the AM and at pick up in the PM, but the kid has had a full day at DC, what is that?

If it's bothering you as much as it would bother me, you might consider specifying that you will only accomodate this need on work days.

Thinking about it a little more, I guess I can see if they are paying $30-$40/day, or more, there's an argument for it, but I'm in QC and my parents only pay me $7.30/day. So I really don't understand it!!

shouldn't matter how much they pay, they are taking advantage and getting care outside of the contracted hours. That is so sucky, I hate dealing with early/late pick up stuff, it makes me feel disrespected.
02-13-2015 03:21 PM
mickyc

I have in my contract that my door will remain locked until 7:30. It is open though as my husband leaves for work at 5 and leaves it unlocked.

I had a family show up 10 minutes early once a few years ago. That last 10 minutes is when I eat my breakfast and feed my daughter hers. The family came in, she apologized for being early and said she didn't realize what time it was. I said to go on down to the daycare space but that I would be down in 10 minutes. So she sat downstairs with her children while I was upstairs. I took the full 10 minutes too. When I went down she again apologized and I then reminded her I open at 7:30. She never did it again.