Why Does It Bother Me SO MUCH....

[Live and Learn]

5 minutes a day 250 days a year adds up to 20 hours a year unpaid.

[caligirl]

Stores open at a specific time.....preschools I believe open at a specific time......etc..... I was at JoAnn's 5 min. before they opened on Saturday, I just sat in my car waiting for 10am before getting out of my car. I doubt they would open the doors 5 minutes early just for me.........I just feel that since this is a home, they just don't get it.

[Kaddidle Care]

5 minutes a day 250 days a year adds up to 20 hours a year unpaid.

Cha-Ching!

[2ndFamilyDC]

Yep it is that first kid to arrive, you don't want them to come early, nor do you want them to be really late (cuz you could have slept in then)

[Nellie]

Yep it is that first kid to arrive, you don't want them to come early, nor do you want them to be really late (cuz you could have slept in then)

So true. I really don't want families early because I'm normally hopping out of the shower 10 mins before open, but annoyed when they are late.

I live out in the country and you really can't see the house from the road, but I can see a little section of it. About 10 to 7 I kept seeing a car drive past slowly. Looked alot like daycare mom's car. Found out that she normally circles anywhere from 10 mins to 1 min. Some days it doesn't take as long to get in the car other days it is a long fight. Kind of felt bad that she is driving aimlessly, but I didn't say anything....

[MyAngels]

5 minutes a day 250 days a year adds up to 20 hours a year unpaid.

Taken a step further - 20 hours = 1200 minutes x $1.00 per minute fee for early arrivals = a nice little vacation for you ::.

[daycare]

some one posted on here awhile back about a pin pad door lock that will not open until the time you have set for it to open for them....

Funny you mention this, I had one kid 20 min late, no call and another family 15 min early, no call.

Both will get friendly reminders "warnings" next time the early arival family gets charged.

[caligirl]

Taken a step further - 20 hours = 1200 minutes x $1.00 per minute fee for early arrivals = a nice little vacation for you ::.

::Now THAT I'd like!! Vacation money!!!!

[DCMom]

I have a separate daycare area, so I don't even unlock the door until I am open.

What bugs me even more is when families arrive late, really late with no call. I have two families that are scheduled to be here at 6:45 (when I open). Lately (the last month) neither of them have arrived before 7:30. So, have gotten into the habit of going downstairs at 6:45, turn on the lights, unlock the door and go back upstairs to read the paper, have coffee, throw in some laundry, whatever until someone.

This morning I was running a bit late and didn't get downstairs until 6:50. Dcm glaring at me through the locked door. Apparently she had decided to arrive at her scheduled time...when I opened the door she started in on how she was now going to be late for a meeting, yada, yada, yada. I just turned and looked at her straight in the eye and said, OH!? Your hours haven't changed?!? I thought they had since you haven't been here before 7:30 for the last month.

She turned and walked out the door without another word.

Sometimes you just gotta put it back on them. If they still break the rules, start charging.

[Unregistered]

I suggest that you set "your" open time five minutes before actually opening so that you have wiggle room. Five minutes doesn't bother me. I have families that travel, so to ask them to get it right on the nose is hard. but.....when I worked in a center and I was paid for only open time it would irk me to no end to get to work and have them lined up, not allowing me time to turn on the lights, start the coffee, get ready and have them walk in with me and watch me do all that. I could get there early but would not be paid for that time. I see your point, but I personally get irritated when you know a parent is done work and how long it takes for them to get to your care,and you have the last child waiting to go home. UGH!

Try the sign idea....seems like a good way to solve the problem. I would be afraid of me running over the opening time to turn the sign, doing the morning busy work and have a parent waiting on me.

I would just let the five minutes go........anything other then that I would address. Nip things when they occur instead of letting them fester is always the best way to handle situations too.

[wahmof3]

me too

This bothers me too. Its amazing what 5 minutes does for me! I do like the open/close sign on the door. My problem is I have 1 dcf that thinks (they are contracted with me from 7:45-4:30) that because my business hours are 6:45-4:30- they can come whenever they want to in that time frame!

I am glad I am able to care for children & be home for my own, but I honestly think these dcp think we sit around all day a wait on them and we have no other life.

[kendallina]

It annoys me too. Yeh, I know it's only 5 minutes and it seems a little silly to even worry about it, but still. It's YOUR time.

My preschool starts at 9:00 sharp and drop off time is 8:50-9:00. Parents know when they enroll that I stick to that time and it even says in my handbook (and I say to the parent) that they are welcome to wait in their car until 8:50, that I will not open the door before then.

A couple of weeks ago I had a parent (who's been here for a year) just walk in at 8:46. I let her do it because I was a little shocked. The next day she came early again and I made sure I had the door locked. She knocked and when I opened the door, I just stood in front of it and said, "you're early" with a smile on my face. She stammered, "ohh....I don't know how that happened, we're usually so late. Uh...I don't know. I have a meeting a 9:00 today..." I let her in.

LOl...I guess that was enough because she hasn't been early since.

[caligirl]

Well, she knew I wasn't happy. I said it nicely when I told her she was 5 minutes early. When she got to work this is the text she sent me:

Sorry to have ruined your morning vacuum plans...I'll watch the clock more closely. Hope the rest of your day goes good!

to which I responded:

I am just rushing around in the morning while watching the clock and trying to get everything ready by 7, you would not believe what all I can do in just 5 minutes. I had just looked at the clock and said 'oh good I have time to vacuum when you pulled up'.

She obviously knew I wasn't a happy camper

[C'est la vie.]

How can anyone time their drop off by the minute? I don't understand. Is it ruraly that you live, so you never have changes in traffic?

It doesn't matter if I leave my house at the exact same time every day, I still get to work within 10 minutes. Certain not within 5 minutes.

I don't want to offend, but the onus is on you to shut the door and windows and open your door at 7. If you're letting her come in 5 minutes anyway, just because she's gotten there 5 minutes early, then thats YOU not her.

I know I get out the door as soon as I can just in case I run in to traffic on the way. My kids DCP's are my co-workers, so they know I'll stay to help him settle. I'd rather be there early and settling my kids so that there is no freak outs with drop off, than get there bang on and risk being late with my OWN classroom.

I always leave 15 extra minutes for drop off so that I'm not a "drop and run" parent that doesn't read the bulletin board or sign in properly.

Honestly if I met hostility from a caregiver because I'm prompt or over prepared, I'd be ticked off. Obviously you just open at 7, but that means you don't OPEN till 7. When you let them in then get angry that's you being a martyr. Don't let them in, don't get angry. If you let her come in every day you don't have a right to get angry. It's just passive aggressive.

[MamaBear]

I love the idea of the "Open & Closed" signs. I'm going to have to make that for my daycare. I have one mom who knocks early and it bugs me too.