Question about Breakfast??// Morning Vent..

So I have a DCM, that drops her kids off and sometimes says they haven't eaten yet this morning... and this morning it was " oh we didn't have a chance for breakfast this morning...BUT here's the thing SHE WAS TEN MINUTES EARLY!!!:no::no:

and has been for the last three days!! very annoying.. I will be having a talk with her about that this evening, I was just sitting down to eat my breakfast and they show up by the time I get back to it its cold!! So not happening again..:no::no:

so this is the first family I signed on.. and when they signed on three months ago, we had this agreement that the oldest we would just pay for whatever care was needed.. However when he started to only come twice a week I was taking a big dip in income, which was about the time I found this forum!! so I wrote up a handbook ,she has still yet to reads or return it,( ill be having a chat with her about that tonight too) so here's the thing with breakfast, I had said at the beginning I would feed the kids breakfast but now that I have 2 other little ones in the morning and since writing up my handbook I do not do breakfast, its expensive and the kids tend to be picky, plus I do an early snack..

so my QUESTION IS THIS??:ohmy:

how much do you ladies charge parents for breakfast.. mind you this mom is only paying 25/day for her 3 yr old and 12.50 a day for her before and after school child.. so the 2 yr old gets two meals and 2 snacks and the older one gets just breakfast as mom doesn't want the kids eating after 3:30... These arrangements were made way before I found you lovely ladies and new what I was doing.:rolleyes:

and get this after mom leaves the child mentions something about being late cause they went through Tim Horton's...WHAT!!!! SERIOUSLY Dropping your kids off early. And not feeding them breakfast !!. I've also been having the feeling that she drops them off early and then goes home again before work at 9, I'm not completely sure but that's what I think, cause she's always dressed in different clothes when she comes to pick up the boys..

argh!! I wake up between 5-6am so I can make my child a nice breakfast before DCK come,, sheesh!! wash dishes and clean and get snack ready..

When I was using daycare for my son and I had school at 8;30 and I lived 30 minutes out of town I was getting up at 4;30 to get ready and make him breakfast and make sure he had a to go breakfast for daycare!! sheesh and on the days that I dropped him before or just after lunch I packed him a lunch too!! sheesh what is with parents these days!!! and I'm a young mom too this woman has at least 10 years on me!!!

okay rant done for now lol!!:woot:

I will definetly be saying something tonight

I do not do breakfast. If the kid shows up and hasn't had breakfast the parents must take the kid home feed him/her a non-sugary breakfast then come back. No food in the belly = not ready for daycare,

if you want to do breakfast and charge them for it, I would charge $10/day

As for showing up early either charge an early drop off fee or don't answer the door. For me if they really want to come early I just tell them my fee is $60/min. I am SO NOT a morning person. I get up 10 min before I open, you want me up earlier you will have to make it worth my time. This stops parents from coming early.

Bluerose-Typo? Did you mean $6 a minute? Or do you just really hate mornings.

I don't serve breakfast either per say but my am snack is at 8:30 am (I open at 7:30) and it is a bit heartier to ensure they are all topped up for the day. I tell all dc families to bring their children fed and slathered in sun screen ready for the day.

$25 a day? Are you making any money with this family? It sounds like you are working for very little especially when you are factoring in a breakfast.

that's how I've been feeling.. like I said they were my first family, like most newbies I was desperate for any family, but come September I am charging $3 more an hour and I have eliminated my before and after school care as it really disrupts are afternoon having to try and make it to the bus with 5 little ones lol!!

I would have sent her home. No breakfast= not ready for the day. I don't serve breakfast and don't want to. I have my own two kids to get ready and get on the bus. We have snack at 9am, all my parents know this and know there is no other food until scheduled meals.

I don't serve breakfast, but if a child occasionally comes with a healthy breakfast from home because they did not have time to eat for some reason, I am okay with giving it to them. This is because it works with my schedule. I open at 7:30 and my own kids usually eat at around 8am (they sleep until after the dc kids arrive) and my morning snack is at 8:30...so really like a second breakfast for many of the kids. My set-up allows me to have some kids eating breakfast while others play with no issues. The only thing I ask is that it comes prepared as I don't have time to be preparing breakfast for them all. Others arrive sometimes and parents say they didn't eat much in the morning, but because my snack is so early, it is not an issue...they can top up at 8:30 before we head outside. I think for you, the issue is that you originially promised to give them breakfast...so I can see where there is an issue with the parent. It is difficult to make changes like this because parents see it as not delivering what you had promised. I don't know where you live, but I cannot even imagine charging $25 per day and making ends meet!

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Originally Posted by torontokids

Bluerose-Typo? Did you mean $6 a minute? Or do you just really hate mornings.

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I meant $60 I REALLY HATE mornings. Its my way of telling parents that I will not open early. lol

My contract/policy book states that children dressed fed with clean hands and face ready to begin the day .... However since all my families arrive before 7:15 I offer to serve a healthy parent provided breakfast ...

I used to provide breakfast as part of the fee but also charged a couple dollars extra per day than others. It worked well as they all ate with my kids and often I skipped morning snack other than a quick drink. But what I found was kids were hungry when they got up and mom was giving them junk such as a granola bar to eat on the way over and then they didn't want to eat breakfast and then as a result were hungry mid morning. Went to a had to eat before coming and then did a 9 am top up so we could make it through till lunch and that worked much better.

Also be careful of letting them bring breakfast and not charging them for it because what you will get is a baggie of dry cereal and mom expects you to put milk on it and/or give a drink or you will get a piece of bread and told to toast it and put jam on it. I am not a short order cook sorry.

This is so true Playfelt! I had a mom show up with a package of instant oatmeal and told me to put milk in it and microwave it. I told her that if she wanted to send breakfast again it would have to be already prepared and ready to eat. I don't have time and it isn't my responsibility to provide breakfast foods!

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Originally Posted by playfelt

Also be careful of letting them bring breakfast and not charging them for it because what you will get is a baggie of dry cereal and mom expects you to put milk on it and/or give a drink or you will get a piece of bread and told to toast it and put jam on it. I am not a short order cook sorry.

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I don't do breakfast either. My contract states that they must have had a healthy breakfast before coming. I have my own kids fed by open, and all my families so far have managed to have their kids fed before coming.

If I was asked to provide breakfast as well, I would be raising my fees.

I don't allow outside food in my daycare. Causes problems with kids wanting to eat what they have, kids eating their food from home then not eating lunch, bringing junk food as we all have different definitions of what is junk (yes, I think Corn Pops is junk), plus allergies. No known allergies yet but setting the standards now.

Our a.m. snack is at 9 so I do not offer breakfast nor do I allow outside food. I had one dcm, the one that kneels before her king son, that brought dry cheerios in a bowl and wanted him to offer the other dck's the cheerios so that he could learn to share. Seriously? He's almost 4. I declined her offer as I said it would ruin their morning snack and reminded her I don't allow outside foor. The next day he came chomping on a banana.

I have never had any of the kids want what another kid has (maybe so far I have been lucky). All my kids come with either bagels, waffles, pita breaks, cereal, or oatmeal. The oatmeal o my gets water, I do put milk on the cereal but its only about once every two weeks, and the other items get cream cheese and jam ...all provided by the parents. They bring one or two weeks worth at a time so I choose what the child actually eats that day and the children also come with a small container of fresh fruit ... I find it really simple and I know they are actually eating a good breakfast , Better then the kids eating a cold pop tart in the car

You need to put your foot down. Make it CLEAR that you will not, under any circumstances, be feeding those kids breakfast. Do not allow this parent to off source HER responsibility on to you.

The next time she comes in and announces they have not eaten just look at her and smile and say, "Oh, dear, I guess they are gonna be hungry until snack time then" and walk away.

What parents do in situations like this is make you be the bad guy and guilt you into feeding those kids. Providers tend to give in "for the kids" but you just can't. They won't die of starvation between arrival and snack time and if they complain they are hungry tell them to ask their MOM why they didn't eat breakfast.

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Originally Posted by Judy Trickett

You need to put your foot down. Make it CLEAR that you will not, under any circumstances, be feeding those kids breakfast. Do not allow this parent to off source HER responsibility on to you.

The next time she comes in and announces they have not eaten just look at her and smile and say, "Oh, dear, I guess they are gonna be hungry until snack time then" and walk away.

What parents do in situations like this is make you be the bad guy and guilt you into feeding those kids. Providers tend to give in "for the kids" but you just can't. They won't die of starvation between arrival and snack time and if they complain they are hungry tell them to ask their MOM why they didn't eat breakfast.

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I think I had it happen ONCE. Mom told me on drop off that dcg didn't eat breakfast because she refused. I said that snack time was at 9:30. These were the same parents that tried the 10 minute early drop off. In both cases I put my foot down on the first offence, and it didn't happen again.

What is YOUR rule? Enforce YOUR rule! I serve breakfast at 8:30 and if children arrive before that time they are fed by me. If they arrive at 8:45 or later they must be fed because we don't eat again until lunchtime at 11:30 because we are usually outside all morning.