How to manage pick-ups/drop-off's in a tiny entrance way

I live in a bi-level with a small entrance way that has stairs going up and stairs going downstairs as soon as you walk in. There's very little space to put on or take off shoes and coats. Our backdoor leads into the kitchen so that's not a good entrance way either.

I'm trying to figure out how to manage pick-ups and drop-offs in such a small space. It would be ok if there's only one child at a time coming or going, but if there are siblings or if more than one family arrives at the same time, there's not enough room for everyone to put on their shoes or for me to talk to the parents. Plus, I worry about someone falling down the stairs if there's too many people in the entrance way. I thought of putting up a gate, but I'm not sure there's even enough room to open the gate. I'm also not sure where to put everyone's shoes and boots, especially during the wet or cold months. I currently have a small shoe rack, but it barely holds my own family's everyday shoes, not alone all the daycare kids.

Any suggestions for how to manage pick-ups and drop-offs, along with storage in a small entrance?

My door opens right into our kitchen and than you have to shut the door, open gate and come downstairs. It can get crowded (and door hits gate if not closed in time) if more than one is coming/going at same time but what can you do. Only a couple have siblings but they rarely come in thank goodness!

I currently have a coatrack on the wall and a boot tray for them and a bench with under storage for our shoes and our coats are hung on the wall leading to the basement.

Tomorrow however, I'm getting a new bench. It has 6 cubbies so each child will have a basket to throw their boots/mitts etc in and still hang their coats up. There should be a cubby for our shoes too. I'm hoping this will open the space up a bit more! We have two shoe shelves in the computer room (the ones that have closing doors, love it as they're hidden!!) for our extra shoes so they aren't in the way

Canadian tire and ikea are my go to places to look for organizational ideas...hope you find something that may work!

Can get over door shoe racks which could hang on wall. If needed, could put child's shoe/boot in grocery bag first. That free up floor space.

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/honey-ca.../6000195523989
http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/honey-ca.../6000195524010

can you move the cubby area to the bigger area up the stairs so the children are not hanging around the small area and may fall down the other stairs and it is less stress for you and more room to take off the coats and boots as the kids act up sometimes

Where is your daycare space? Can you just have them remove shoes and go to the daycare space to do coats and everything else?

Personally I would train the children to sit on the bottom step of the stairs leading up...with their feet on the landing. They would put shows on and coats etc while seated. But, I don't know that you can get daycare parents to have their child do this without a lot of work on your part.

Thanks Ladies! I like the idea of only worrying about taking off/putting on shoes in the entrance way (sitting on the bottom stair) and doing everything else elsewhere. And when possible, I want to have the kids dressed for when their parents arrive, so all they'll have to do is put on their shoes.

Thanks again!

I have hooks in my basement for all coats etc. parents/kids come in, shoes get left at entrance and they come down for the rest. Limits time at top of stairs.