After hours texting

[DCMG]

I guess I am different. First off I do not have a cell phone so I am not accessible via text and I was considering getting a cell but have decided against it. All of my families know that I don't generally answer my phone or check my email during the day as I am generally outside or busy with their children. I do want my families to feel that they can call me off hours to talk. Pick up can be quite hectic and I don't promote lingering so if they want to talk I always ask them to call me after their LO is in bed. I am a small business owner and want my clients to feel I am approachable for any issue concerning their child's care. It's five minutes out of my day and would prefer they talk to about anything that way when there are bigger issues they feel there is an open line of communication. Just my opinion!

[Lee-Bee]

Do you respond to all the texts? If you do then you are just encouraging them to text. Ignore them until business hours if they are unimportant. It's just part of today's life, people text a lot, they likely don't even think that hey this person wants daycare to be over at closing.

I don't mind after hours texts and emails. I don't respond to all of them. It only takes a second or two when I do respond. I am caring for their child, they chose home daycare for the personal touch. If responding to a few texts helps them trust in my daycare then so be it. They pay me a good premium for care here so I don't mind a bit of extra time to schmooze the families :-) I had a new family that had been here about a month when they kept their little one home sick one day. I sent a text at lunch asking how the child was feeling and saying we missed her child at the lunch table. The mom went on and on about how incredibly happy she was I thought to check up on her child, that she sees how her child is part of the group and on and on. It only took me a second to send the text but for what ever reason it meant the world to this mom. I now make sure I text when ever the child is kept home, I also check in on the others. A text only takes me a second but if it can mean that much to the family then it pays off in the long run.

That said, over all, my families are great and very respectful and don't send that many texts.