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True, they wouldnt know either way, for all they know the parents could be paying me extra for the days their child is with me til 6 too.... I get caught up in the awkward and difficult conversation that I need to have with a parent and forget the 'common sense' of it all!! LOL! I do have something in my policy that would allow me to change something.... which of course I hadnt thought of...
Thanks!! :)
Jasp...
WHY are you ALLOWING them to pick up late? I know you don't want to think it's YOUR fault but you do have to take some responsibility for it.
Parents will ONLY treat you as disrespectfully as you allow them to.
YOUR time is important and valuable just like the dcparent's time is. YOU have to make it crystal clear late arrivals will NOT be tolerated.
I have a late fee policy of one dollar a minute. But you know, I rarely have applied it. And the reason is I make it very clear you can NOT be late. I have actually terminated a family for being late. I have a three strikes you're out policy.
These parents don't arrive late TO work so they obviously have the time management skills to be on time to pick up their kid from daycare.
Here's some food for thought.....
If a parent is only late FIVE minutes a day over the course of a year that is an additional:
21 HOURS a YEAR you work for FREE!!!!
Put your foot down and stop it.
When a parent arrives late at my house they come in and do the usual, "Oh, sorry I am late (followed by lame excuse)"
I simply look at them like this :mad: and allow for a period of awkward silence to ensue.
THEY KNOW I am not happy and they don't do it again.
Only YOU have the power to stop it.
I charge $1/minute, and let me tell you....they pick them up on time. I've had one or two late pick-ups,but they were extra-special circumstances, which I did not charge for. The parents offered, and I just laughed and told them that if it became a habit, they'd pay :p, but like I said, it's NOT a regular occurance when you charge $1/ minute. Here in Quebec, that's the average.....and it's right in the contract...
so I told this mom that we had swimming lessons tonight, she had to pick her up as close to 5pm as possible. She was here at 5 oclock sharp today. So I know she can do it, I'll speak up next time she is beyond our agreed time of 5:15...
In the meantime... I should get to our swimming lesson!
So my problem with the new family continued, and the other family started to become a problem as well... asking me several times a week now if they can pick up at 6, if not then they'd get someone to come get them.... so I put my foot down, and last monday, sent out a daycare wide letter informing my hours are changing, pick up is 5pm, asking them to have someone as back up incase they cant make it and offering a grace period if they are stuck til 5:15 but after that a late fee will apply.
The last one had been picked up by 5:05 all week! See... I knew they could do it! :) Thanks for giving me the info (and the guts) to do it!
yay! good for you!Quote:
Originally Posted by lilac
Parent(s) consistantly pick up after agreed pick up time, anywhere up to one hour late; but seem to be consistantly late in the morning agreed 7.30/8.30; arrives 11.30 to 12.30; it is driving me nuts, the poor child is so confused and sometimes arrives after our lunch time, sometimes right at quiet time!!! He doesn't understand why he needs to do something quietly at arrival when he is used to going outside, creating conflict between him and I. I assume he is sleeping in so isn't hungry until it is time to go to the park... not serving lunch again; more conflict? Parents feel because he is late it is okay to pick up late... too tired of parents. What do you think? thanks
WowQuote:
Originally Posted by Gails
when you say they pick up late - do you mean beyond your open hours or is it beyond their agree-upon time but still within your open hours?
I have a parent who generally picks up around 4. Sometimes the mom picks up at 3 though so when she occassionally comes at 4:30 it sort of evens out for me and I don't mind because I am open until 5:00 and have other kids here until 5 anyways.
However if they came to pick up beyod 5 I would be mighty miffed.
I think what I would do (and this is just me) is tell her that kids can tell time. They ca't look at the clock and say it is 9:15 but kids tell time by routines. They can time that they wake up have breakfast, that they get a snack, that they go outside, then lunch, then nap then snack, etc. The kids sort of know what comes 'next' and they can tell at pick up that first Sammy goes home an dthat means that next Molly and then it is my turn.
Kids cannot tell the time on the clock but they use 'markers' throughout the day and that is why routines are so important to them. I can ask the kids in my daycare...what comes next and they will say that it is snack time or nap time or whatever. They know.
So I would tell the parents that without a regular schedule/routine-- it seems to confuse their child's day. Just tell them that the child seems confused and has a hard time get acclimated each day and figurig out at which 'marker' point they are arriving because it varies too much day by day. Ask them if they think that you could nail down a more exact schedule because you think it could make the child's day much smoother
I am going through something weird like this right now...
Parents and I agreed during our interview that dad could pick dck up closer to 6pm on some Mondays, as his hours vary, and the mom works late every Monday evening. I agreed to this because mom was picking up before 5pm every other day, and I close at 5:30 - it was an extra favour.
HOWEVER - dck is now consistently being picked up at 5:30 now, despite her mother having the same hours at work. Dad always does pick up, and often shows up telling dck that "mommy is waiting at home", or "daddy went home and made dinner, so it's all ready".
Grr....I agreed to the late occasional Monday to accomodate their work schedule, not so that they could go home and sit around while I worked overtime for free! This is one of many reasons I am considering terminating them - just as soon as I work up the nerve...sigh.
This is why I try not to say when I close I ask what time will you be dropping off/picking up and then if it doesn't work for me I let them know. My hours are 7-5, one girl though on the dad's days doesn't get picked up till 5:30 same thing started getting out of control, I told them they needed to start being on time. I had another girl to that started happening with I almost quit in the spring because of the stress you need to tell them they have to be at your place for such and such a time change your hours even just say now I will be closing at 5pm. Good Luck it is hard but the stress was awful they were driving me nuts soo disrepectful!!