Chatty parent makes late closure

[mickyc]

All you have to say is day was good/not great (had timeout for hitting, wasn't listening to well today), see you tomorrow!

Make it short and sweet especially if it's written down somewhere for them! Why waste time doing both.

And yes parent is responsible for bad behavior but not all parents realize what is acceptable at your house and what isn't. Step in if you need to and get family on their way

[bright sparks]

I think denying the parent the right to more than a minute chat at the door is a huge shame. However as a busy parent of teenagers with a full week of after school and evening activities, I too do not have the time to be chatting beyond close. I like the posters comment about asking to arrive with adequate time to chat prior to closing, otherwise it will be brief. If they have specific questions, ask them to email. If a parent requires a little more extensive communication then I think that is part of our job and there just need to be strict guidelines to adhere to so it doesn't go into after hours. Charging a late fee is petty in my opinion. SO a parent comes to collect at 5 to 5 and we just so happen to finish chatting at 2 minutes past so they have to pay? Or I cut a parent off at the 5pm mark and say any more communication is at a fee? Sorry that is a provider I wouldn't be happy sending my child to. A little give and take is fine, but ultimatly if a providers policies are being abused then it is up to the provider to nail down the source and fix it. It sounds like the parent doesnt have the understanding of this expectation so why would they consider that it might bother you. If they want to have a written report and verbal at the door, then you need to determine which one works best for you and let everyone know that from now on unless it is serious then the days communication will be in the book and that pickup time needs to be brief due to family commitments. I have a drop off and pick up policy in my contract to avoid any of these issues.

I am the main disciplinary while the child is on my premises. If a child is acting out, they get treated the same regardless of parents present or not. Otherwise they would be on a wrist link by my side until they could be trusted. Outdoor pick ups are nuts in my experience at the best of times. I can not keep a close enough eye on children in a large open space if I am also focusing one on one with a parent or other child. Indoors all sat ready to go at the front door makes things much smoother

[Snowmom]

I think denying the parent the right to more than a minute chat at the door is a huge shame. However as a busy parent of teenagers with a full week of after school and evening activities, I too do not have the time to be chatting beyond close. I like the posters comment about asking to arrive with adequate time to chat prior to closing, otherwise it will be brief. If they have specific questions, ask them to email. If a parent requires a little more extensive communication then I think that is part of our job and there just need to be strict guidelines to adhere to so it doesn't go into after hours. Charging a late fee is petty in my opinion. SO a parent comes to collect at 5 to 5 and we just so happen to finish chatting at 2 minutes past so they have to pay? Or I cut a parent off at the 5pm mark and say any more communication is at a fee? Sorry that is a provider I wouldn't be happy sending my child to. A little give and take is fine, but ultimatly if a providers policies are being abused then it is up to the provider to nail down the source and fix it. It sounds like the parent doesnt have the understanding of this expectation so why would they consider that it might bother you. If they want to have a written report and verbal at the door, then you need to determine which one works best for you and let everyone know that from now on unless it is serious then the days communication will be in the book and that pickup time needs to be brief due to family commitments. I have a drop off and pick up policy in my contract to avoid any of these issues.

I am the main disciplinary while the child is on my premises. If a child is acting out, they get treated the same regardless of parents present or not. Otherwise they would be on a wrist link by my side until they could be trusted. Outdoor pick ups are nuts in my experience at the best of times. I can not keep a close enough eye on children in a large open space if I am also focusing one on one with a parent or other child. Indoors all sat ready to go at the front door makes things much smoother

This is business. What you find petty, I find necessary. As a business, if you want something to stop, attach a fee to it. It's an effective way to stop a behavior pretty quickly!
And yes, I charge for every minute a parent is here past their contracted time. I tell every family to make sure they arrive with plenty of time to gather what they need, physically and verbally, THEN sign out. I don't think it makes me any less of a caring person or caregiver just because I demand overtime if they use my free time.

Even 5 minutes a day adds up... that'd be over 21 hours a year you gave away for free.