Need some advice

[mustbenuts]

Have to say I agree with the other providers that her policies seem sound. You are lucky she gives up you till 11. I know some providers who want you there by 9. Good providers have thigns to done, a schedule or program to follow. Waiting around for a parent to show can really mess up the day. I don't allow pickups before 3:30 either. I cannot disturb the other kids' naps just to get up one child. I sounds to me like you are dealing with a seasoned provider who is trying to do the best for her business and run a great program for the kids in her care. You are bringing your child into group care so you need to be willing to follow the policies put in place for the good of the group. If you are not willing to pay for the spot then by all means look elsewhere but you will likely find that all the better providers will have very similar contracts.

[treeholm]

Lots of people have set times when you may drop off and pick up, often because of nap times. I would not want to wait for a child to come at 11 if we usually go to the park or the early learning centre from 9:30 to 11:30, for example. No drop off after 11 or pick up before 3:15 are reasonable time in my opinion. My contract is probably about 8 pages and is very "stuffy" but I wanted to make sure parents knew exactly what was expected before they signed the contract. I took the advice I received from more experienced caregivers very seriously. I also decided not to offer casual care for the reasons others have mentioned. I cannot afford to lose the income on days when someone might have a spot reserved but not need it. If a parent wants casual care, they would have to pay for any days that are "reserved" whether they need to use them or not. That is why so many caregivers won't do casual care... we just cannot afford it!

[Bugaboo]

Its pretty standard that you pay for stat holidays I do not pro-rate or refund for stats. I personally do not take paid vacation but I know many providers who do so that just depends on the provider. I have my sick days limited to 3 per year paid. (In 2011 I took 2 sick days and this year I have taken none). As for requesting you not to drop off or pick up within a certain time frame that is done out of respect for the routine set up for the benefit of the entire group of kids in care. If you are picking up/dropping off mid day you are upsetting the routine in place for the good of everyone. In your providers case 11am likely marks the beginning of her lunch prep (which she has to do while monitoring and supervising all her children- its no easy task!) Following lunch most providers do a "quiet activity" like story time then the children are off for nap- and nap time is SACRED. Its vitally important for the kids to get the rest and sleep they need and nap time is also the only time the provider has during the day to play catch up. Things like cleaning up, sanitizing, returning emails or phone calls from other parents, prep for tomorrow are all done during nap time. Once the provider is finished all that she uses the rest of nap time for her one and only break she gets all day long. I would not allow a parent to drop off/pick up within that time frame either on a regular basis either.

I do understand where you are coming from but unfortunately I don't think your provider is being unreasonable. It sounds like she is very professional and if she is as great with your child as it sounds like she is with business I'd stay with her-- those well rounded providers are hard to find and they are pretty incredible people.

[playfelt]

Most providers have a no drop off during naptime rule. Depending on the ages of the kids in care that can vary from 12 - 1 for going down meaning lunch is at 11:00 and then some not up till 3:30 Naptime is when the caregiver eats her lunch, makes afternoon snack, plans activities for later in the day or the next day and prepares supplies, comes on the computer like we are doing now and checks emails so she gets a little bit of adult conversation.

It is hard when you don't know what your day is going to be like and how it is going to flow. I like the freedom to do what needs to be done when and if I want to go to the park for a walk I don't want to be stuck home waiting for someone to arrive or walking the floor with a cranky child waiting for another parent to get here so there will be no door bells to disturb sleep, or serving a later lunch because we were busy having fun and then have another child arrive just before dessert and not have any extra planned for them because they were not supposed to be in care over lunch.

I get that you are looking for drop in care. The caregiver is looking for consistency so that all of the children know what to expect.

One word of warning I will point out is that the caregiver has made it clear she expects to be able to count on a minimum income per week and that is reasonable. I know you are not keen to sign the agreement accordingly but are you prepared for your caregiver to give you notice and fill your space with another full paying child. Just as at your job if the boss was giving you shifts and you were starting to pick and choose just the ones you wanted to do you would soon be replaced. The pay a daycare provider gets is their income and they have a right to know how much they will earn and to take the steps necessary to secure that income. The first step is to set up a minimum due contract with all parents so that a base income can be established. That is what she is asking.

[crafty]

As for the pick up and drop off I totaly understand your daycare provider. However I still undersand that you feel you should be able to drop him off and pick him up whenever you want. Why wouldn't you he is your child ? But at the same time your daycare is running a program and follwing a schedule based and centered around the children. I bet that at 11H00am she is getting lunch started, diaper change, hand washing and the kids are getting hungry and/or tired ... It's absolutely not the time to be answering a door to let another child in. Plus, mostlikely a that time your child will be well rested and just fed...he will not want to sit down for lunch he will be ready for play and not be able to follow the others. This is very disrupting in the program and difficult to manage.

As for the pick up it pretty much is the same story. Some of my kids are still napping and they NEED it. I am preparing snacks and doing potty time. I can not get one child ready for pick up and not disturb the others. Once in a while I will allow early pick up or drop off for a special reason and that is made clear to parents. I would not allow pick up before 3h30pm every week either.

That,s the daycare point of view. You may not agree with it, I remember when I had a child in daycare I questionned it as well. Now beeing on the other side of the fence ...I totaly get it. Imagine having 5-6 kids in care in your house ...You need a predictable routine to make sure the day go as smoothly as possible.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I agree Sunnydays .... much of my practice, polices and procedures are the same and are guided by the Day Nursery Act and years of experience and practice in 'regulated care' even though I am no longer there because they are sound practices that work to promote 'calm learning space' for all!

I should also clarify that while my drop off and pick up times are before 9 and after 3 as well that is for 'normal' day to day practice ... I do offer clients flexibility for unforeseen circumstances like Dr appointments that cannot be made at another time and so forth that are the 'exception' to a normal drop off or pick up time and prearranged so that it affects the program in a minimal nature ... aka if we have a plan for a field trip and the client needed to drop off late they would meet us AT the trip to drop their child off and if they needed to leave early from nap time I would have their child nap in an area that would not disrupt the others to wake them early ... but I would not want to do that DAILY because it becomes stressful to balance those competing needs of the children!

[sunnydays]

Yes and I would also add that I also do allow parents to drop in unexpected to check on their child (as long as they take the child with them when they leave)...although I do prefer it not be at naptime. This is to ensure that parents are able to check up and know that their child is safe and well-cared for at all times. I've never had a parent actually do it, but I did it when my child was in daycare. However, that would not be a daily or weekly thing...just once in awhile especially in the beginning. I remember that my daycare provider had an 11am drop-off rule too when my son was in care...I didn't fully understand it either at the time and it wasn't all that convenient for me, but I followed the rule out of respect for her as I figured she had the rule for a good reason. i wish I had been able to come on here and have the benefit of all these other providers to help me understand! I think it can be hard to understand what it is like to be a daycare provider if you haven't done it...I really congratulate you for coming on this forum and learning from all of us and taking the time and effort to try to see the other side. I would encourage you to come back for any other questions or support as this forum has a bunch of really knowledgable and experienced providers who can help with all sorts of issues

[crafty]

Yes and I would also add that I also do allow parents to drop in unexpected to check on their child (as long as they take the child with them when they leave)...although I do prefer it not be at naptime. This is to ensure that parents are able to check up and know that their child is safe and well-cared for at all times. I've never had a parent actually do it, but I did it when my child was in daycare. However, that would not be a daily or weekly thing...just once in awhile especially in the beginning. I remember that my daycare provider had an 11am drop-off rule too when my son was in care...I didn't fully understand it either at the time and it wasn't all that convenient for me, but I followed the rule out of respect for her as I figured she had the rule for a good reason. i wish I had been able to come on here and have the benefit of all these other providers to help me understand! I think it can be hard to understand what it is like to be a daycare provider if you haven't done it...I really congratulate you for coming on this forum and learning from all of us and taking the time and effort to try to see the other side. I would encourage you to come back for any other questions or support as this forum has a bunch of really knowledgable and experienced providers who can help with all sorts of issues

EXACTLY ! Well said !

[dodge__driver11]

7:00 Dayhome OPENS/Arrival (If needed earlier can be arranged this is a general opening time)

7:00-8:30 Free Choice Play

8:30-9:00 Story/Song

9:30-10:15 AM Snack/After Snack Wash Up

10:15-10:30 Potty/Diaper checks

10:30-11:00 Art/Planned activity

11:00-11:15 Educational Activity, IE: Alphabet, Number's, Colours ETC

11:15-11:30 Potty

11:30-12:30 Lunch

12:30 Nap/Quiet Time Story

1:00- 3:15 Quiet Time

3:15 Wake up

3:30-4:15 Snack/Wash Up

4:15-5:00 Outdoor play (Weather Permitting)

5:00-6:00 Free Choice Play/Pick Up

6:15 Supper Served if needed*

This is what my schedule looks like.... I will accomodate late drop offs as needed, but only occasionally, My policies sound VERY SIMILAR TO HERS. Supper is only served when evening care is offered or signed up for.

[sunnydays]

If you have a chance, please take a minute to read another post that was just posted titled "Crying at naptime-how long?"...it is actually funny that it was posted next to this as it really illustrates the problems with late drop-offs! You will see what your child will potentially go through at naptime if he is dropped off too late...it's really not good for the poor baby!