Late Pick up

[gravy_train]

I would be really irritated if I was in your situation. I personally don't think your late fee is high enough and I think you should talk to her in a calm but firm way and explain that your closing time is firm and that it is not fair to you, your children or her child when she doesn't come on time. Explain that you work a very long day and it is not fair to you to be left wondering at the end I everyday whether or not she will be on time. You have the right to make plans in the evening without having to worry about whether a client will be on time. What if you were going out or had company coming over? It sounds like she thinks she can be late and pay the fee and that solves the problem, but I think you need to let her know that it is not okay. Mind you, if you are okay with increasing your hours for her the tell her that but definitely charge extra and set that schedule in advance.
My late fee is $20 per every 5 minutes of lateness and that is to act as a deterrent. I have had one parent about five minutes late in a year and she texted me 20 minutes before I closed to let me know she had been caught up at work. Personally, my evenings are very hectic once school and my kid sports start and I have to run a tight schedule to avoid being late for my own family obligations.

[torontokids]

You have all given me lot's to think about. I agree with a lot of what has been said. My girls are little and they are done by 5:30 (they are usually in the bath by 6). My daycare is separate from my home and it is a TV free program so I don't really have the option of a TV program or starting my dinner unless I bring them upstairs which I don't want to do (it's hard enough keeping my daycare clean let alone my house and daycare).

This little girl is 14 mos old and she is tired/done as well.

I will see if mom is on time tonight and speak with her about finding someone else to do the end of day pick up if she can't make it for 5:30. I may also look into raising my late fee. I haven't had anyone abuse it so I hadn't been too concerned about it previously.

[gravy_train]

Torontokids- my set up is the same and although I love having my workspace separate it means I am not able to prep dinner as well. I LOVE my slow cooker and through Pinterest an other online groups I have found several good recipes. I really prefer taking a bit of time in the morning to throw everything in the slow cooker and then it's finished when I am done work and I can just concentrate on enjoying my kids.

[Busy ECE mommy]

The late fee is too low to be a consequence for the parents. My parents get 1 warning for up to 5 minutes late, and after that it is $20 per child, per each part of 30 minutes, even if they're late by 1-2minutes. That's the same amount we were paid as staff in a licensed centre when parents were late. I make sure each parent has 2-3 emergency contacts that can be used for pickups, so there is no excuse if the parent themselves can't get there.

[Cadillac]

Hey
I'm in Toronto too and this is what I do

Because TTC and Traffic can be a HUGE issue, parents are going to be late. It's just the way it is here.

If you call or text me and let me know, the charges continue at my regular charge because sometimes life gets in the way and I don't think clients should be punished because there was yet another accident or another delay on ttc.

However, if you do not let me know? it's a buck a minute (after about 5 minutes grace) because I let the kids know their parents are coming and then I have to deal with sad babies because mom is late.

Hope that helps

[Judy Trickett]

Hey
I'm in Toronto too and this is what I do

Because TTC and Traffic can be a HUGE issue, parents are going to be late. It's just the way it is here.

If you call or text me and let me know, the charges continue at my regular charge because sometimes life gets in the way and I don't think clients should be punished because there was yet another accident or another delay on ttc.

However, if you do not let me know? it's a buck a minute (after about 5 minutes grace) because I let the kids know their parents are coming and then I have to deal with sad babies because mom is late.

Hope that helps

No, parents should not be "punished" for lateness out of their control. But that does NOT mean YOU shouldn't be compensated. If you worked overtime you would get overtime pay. Period.

We can not be expected to take on the problems of every single family or parent in our care. That's NOT our job and you will get burned out and resentful with that sort of thinking. So, while they might not be at "fault" for being late they still have to be responsible for YOU working later to care for THEIR child. And that equates to money. They still need to pay for being late.

[Cadillac]

We can not be expected to take on the problems of every single family or parent in our care. That's NOT our job and you will get burned out and resentful with that sort of thinking. So, while they might not be at "fault" for being late they still have to be responsible for YOU working later to care for THEIR child. And that equates to money. They still need to pay for being late.[/QUOTE]

We can't be expected to take on their problems but I guess I just have the thinking that 15 minutes is no big deal. I'm still getting paid. If they call and tell me, no problem. I don't have the type of parents that mistreat that theory. its few and far between so I understand that shit really does happen. if its a cycle then we extend the hours so they have the time they need to get here.

Hasn't anyone ever been late? GOD!!

[playfelt]

I used to get a lot more phone call warnings of lates before we went to the no cell phones while driving ban for sure.

[torontokids]

So I spoke with mom and we discussed the lateness. We had a rational/human conversation about what is getting in the way of her being on time. There were a few factors including an increased work load, loosing track of time and new construction on her route. I asked if a 5:30 pick up time is reasonable for her and what the winter will look like. She felt it would be fine once she gets things figured out. She spoke to her boss and they are understanding of her needing to leave at a certain time and she is going to set an alarm on her cell phone so that she can remember to leave work a little earlier. I felt positive about the conversation. I think I might still increase my late fees however I am not in a hurry.

[Cadillac]

Glad you worked that out.