As many others have said, when a parent arrives for pick-up, I take the child to the door (the other kids are gated off in the playroom), chat for about a minute while the parent dresses the child and then they leave. Sometimes I do leave the parent alone if another child needs me in the playroom. I can see down the stairs to my playroom from the front entraceway, but if I couldn't, I would literally pass the child over and run back down as it isn't safe or fair for the others to be left alone. I guess it partly depends on the lay-out, but I don't let the parents in past the front entranceway.