For providers who do not do school aged children

[Crayola kiddies]

For those providers that do not look after school aged children or do school runs what do you do if you have siblings and the older child goes off to jk? Do you lose both children? I was just wondering how you handle that? Cause I really don't want to do before and after care as then I have to have a spot fir them during the summer and I dont want an empty spot from sept till June while the child is at school. But if the parent has another child do you just say so long? I can't imagine a parent wanting their children in different daycares.

[gcj]

Not all parents expect their daycare to also care for their school-aged kids. I guess it depends where you are and what their options are. But, I wouldn't....dependin g on your capacity, if you do before/after school, you can't take on another preschooler....??
It's all different here in QC because all schools have before/after school daycare for $7/day..so I guess I'm not the best help

[Bookworm]

I am just starting out, so I have never had this issue as of yet, however, I did just interview a couple who have a child who is starting school in september and a younger sibling. They are trying to get into after school care through the school and if that didnt work out, they said they would find someone near the school who did afterschool care, and keep the younger one with me. I'm sure that it is not too uncommon for that. I dont drive the kids and the only way I'm doing school runs is when my own daughter goes off to school next september.

[michellesmunchkins]

I don't offer before and afterschool care. Where I live the odds of a child being in the district for me to even take them to school is not likely. I don't like losing a space to a B/A school child. For me, I will keep the younger sibling if its possible. If the parent choses to move both children to another daycare then that's just a chance I take.

I can't handle the attitude and the mouth and back talk that comes with school age children. I find they influence and teach the little ones things I don't want them learning in my daycare. My patience for that age group is very very little lol.

I also can't be bothered to have to dress 5 kids up daily to do the school runs. Its way more work then its worth in my opinion. Most of my families like that we don't spend a chunk of our day doing school runs.

[Marie]

I have a brother and a sister...the brother goes to pre-school only in the mornings twice a week. On those days mom comes to pick him up and drops him off at pre-school, and then picks him up and drops him off at my house. We live in a small town where pre-school is about a 2 minute drive to/from my house and mom's work is about a 5 minute drive to/from my house. Mom never asked if I do school runs so it was never an issue, and I would have said no anyways seeing as I don't them.

[lilac]

I think if you set it out from the begining, that you dont do school care, then paretns know when the time comes that they'll have to find alternative care for the one in school. Some will be ok w having their kids at different daycares, others will not. So depending on the situation, you may very well have 2 spots to fill come Sept (the school age child and the younger sibling) but if you and parents agree upfront what is going to happen then you can plan for it....

[Mamma_Mia]

I am just starting out, so I have never had this issue as of yet, however, I did just interview a couple who have a child who is starting school in september and a younger sibling. They are trying to get into after school care through the school and if that didnt work out, they said they would find someone near the school who did afterschool care, and keep the younger one with me. I'm sure that it is not too uncommon for that. I dont drive the kids and the only way I'm doing school runs is when my own daughter goes off to school next september.

exactly to a T....lol even re: my own DD

[Crayola kiddies]

I have my own school age children and I have one that's just heading to jk in sept and all the rest are here for a few more years .....the bus comes right to my door so that's not an issue.... I have mine figured out but I have seen posts in which providers say they don't do school age so I guess it's just a chance you take if the parent pulls both kids .....then you have a spot to fill... Cause I would rather do full time then have to do a juggling act for summer.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I think depending on the area you live in it is actually the 'norm' for parents to have to juggle two different drop offs - one for full time daycare and another for 'school aged' daycare .... we cannot compete with the cost and ratios of 'before and after school only' programs run by licensed agencies cause, in Ontario anyway' they can have a ratio of 1:15 verses our 1:5 ratio and they can staff them for only the hours that they are needed aka 6-9 and 3-6 type things ... where as we sit there with an open space middle of the day and 'lost income' as a result if we were to just take a full time kid.

I have clients who've left their youngest with me and found alternate care for the older siblings and I have had people whose situation was just easier for them to move both kids because the younger sibling was going to be heading to school following year anyway so the clients found a longer term solution of someone willing to care for all three kids right away cause she was suppose to be coming back from a mat leave.

[apples and bananas]

I do take school age children along with their younger siblings. However, this fall my son will be going into all day schooling where the same age JK child I have will still be on the day on, day off schedule. So I kindly suggested to mom to look into the school program for before and after care and I am not much fun to a 5 year old boy. Especially when i'm chasing after one and 2 year olds all day. So I will stil have the younger brother and the older sibling will be in before after care at school. As for the summer... there are tons of camps and vacation time ect so I've let her know that I will fit him in during other parents vacation time and she's going to place him in daycamps the other weeks.