I live in a bi-level with a small entrance way that has stairs going up and stairs going downstairs as soon as you walk in. There's very little space to put on or take off shoes and coats. Our backdoor leads into the kitchen so that's not a good entrance way either.
I'm trying to figure out how to manage pick-ups and drop-offs in such a small space. It would be ok if there's only one child at a time coming or going, but if there are siblings or if more than one family arrives at the same time, there's not enough room for everyone to put on their shoes or for me to talk to the parents. Plus, I worry about someone falling down the stairs if there's too many people in the entrance way. I thought of putting up a gate, but I'm not sure there's even enough room to open the gate. I'm also not sure where to put everyone's shoes and boots, especially during the wet or cold months. I currently have a small shoe rack, but it barely holds my own family's everyday shoes, not alone all the daycare kids.
Any suggestions for how to manage pick-ups and drop-offs, along with storage in a small entrance?