Pick Ups/Drop Offs

[ottawamommy]

How does everyone feel about parents coming at different times for pick ups and drop offs. I have a dcm who I recently spoke to about coming on time because I got sick of waiting around for her in the morning. She started coming 15 mins later and then 20 mins etc. I just asked and said "oh I noticed you have been coming in later and later if you don't want to follow your contract hours we will switch to 7:30 as I need families to follow their contract hours". She started picking up on time for the most part was now started being 1o mins. late.

Does this bother anyone else? I don't like to have my pick ups overlap because some kids will cry in the morning and if more then one crier gets dropped off it's just a circus. I also don't like drop offs over lapping because I like to spend at least 5 mins taking to parents and feel very rushed if I have a pile up at the door.

How does everyone else feel about this?
The parent who is late told me the other day next week she needs to drop off early because of work. What you all be okay will this.

[Lee-Bee]

In my opinion as long as they show up before a set time (that is clearly noted, usually morning snack) they are free to come when they come.

BUT it is your daycare and if it isn't working for you then make it known what your expectations are. If they had asked you open early and are now coming late then I would make it clear you will no longer open early as they have inconvenienced you and are clearly not in need of it.

Do you actually talk to every parent for 5min in the morning? I would find that the kids that are prone to crying would just cry more if you stood and talked to their parents you are delaying their quick exit and making it more difficult for the child! Here, the children that cry (usually during transition) do best with a very quick hand to hand pass off.

[BlueRose]

I tell my clients they can drop off between 7:30 and 8:30am, if they are not here by 8:30 I have the right to refuse them care for the day. I don't mind if they all show up at once or if they show up one by one, as long as they are here by 8:30am so I can do the school run and get on with my day. Pick up is the same they have between 4:00pm and 5:30pm school months or 3:00pm and 5:30pm summer months to pick up their kids. I love it went they are all picked up at once. If they need to pick up earlier they need to contact me to let me know.

[babydom]

I'm not a drop in centre. I have set times. They must all be here by 830am as I have morning activities. If they can't they are to text me and I will tell them where we are and they drop off there. We don't sit around and wait for anyone it's not fair to the kids waiting or fair to me being late for our activity like playgroup. They all must pick up by 5pm. But they can't pick up before 3pm as it will disrupt nap time. If they want to pick up earlier then they have to let me know. I don't mind if all drop of at once or all pick up at once. Doesn't bother me.

[mickyc]

I allow drop off whoever but think I am going to change my contract stating everyone must be here by 8:30. I usually just went ahead with our day and the ones who were late missed out. If you have somewhere to be I would just have a cut off time.

Pickup can be anywhere between 3-5 but I know when most will be here. I just ask if it's at a different time than normal to send me a text.

Everyone can come at once. If it's important enough info about their day I will text it.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I ask that they be here by 9. If you are paying for your daycare, why wouldn't you want your child to get the most out of it? We do the bulk of our "funner stuff" in the morning and I don't like kids to miss out on that.

Pick up time whenever is fine by me. If it's during nap though, I ask that you let me know ahead of time so I can put them in a different place so that I can get to them without waking the others.

[Artsand crafts]

I don't care about drop off time, as long as it is not during nap time. If we are in the park, library or walking around in the hood, parents have to track us down and drop off the kids there.

[Suzie_Homemaker]

It not bother me. My parent know that we leave for outside time at 9am and we come back around 11am. If they not here for 9am, we go and they know they have wait until we back.

My drop offs and pickups all bit different. I have two children come 7am (only one on Wed as other child not come Wed). Then I have 2 come 8am. And other two arrive between 7.30 and about 8.15 depend on which parent dropping off and if they come here first or do school run first.

Likewise, one goes about 3pm. One at 3.30pm. One at 4pm and rest between 4-4.25pm. Not so bad in afternoon as nap time ends 2pm for older children and 2.30pm if babies still sleeping. So by time we have snack, we only in yard or house before they go home.

Mine not pick up late usually but late fee is big incentive to be on time.

I not mind mine coming earlier than normal drop off, as long as it in core hours. I would not allow early drop off before opening time unless arranged when contracted for care. I have two who made that arrangement but no one else can be here before 7.30am which when I officially open.

[mattsmom]

As for drop offs, we take some of the children to the school everyday, so it's basically that you come by a certain time before we leave or we leave without you. Plus, we don't always come straight home in the morning as we might go to the park or playgroups.

Pickups are a different story. When they start, parents have a time that they need to be here by, so they can show up any time before that...I don't mind at all. If they want to come early, but another parent is here for a pickup, they just wait until I am done with that parent before I address them.