Why Does It Bother Me SO MUCH....

[Unregistered]

It would get to me, too

For all of the people who think that 5 minutes isn't a big deal, just remember that it might only be 5 minutes now, but it can quickly become 10 minutes early/late. Then it can get worse from there.

Those 5 minutes matter. They are the OP's 5 minutes to use as she sees fit. She has set hours and the parent agreed to those hours so why should the OP have to give her more of her time because the dcm doesn't have the timing worked out. That is the parent's problem, not the OP's.

When we let things like that slide, we are telling the parents, even if we aren't conscious of it, that our time isn't as important as their time.

OP, I'm glad that you addressed this with the dcm! I hope that it turns out well.

[nannyde]

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.

When you allow a five minute early arrival you will find that the parents are there five minutes early every day. Not being able to get it down to the minute doesn't happen when they are allowed to drop off early. You would be SHOCKED at how promt to the minute people are when they are allowed an extra five minutes.

Also... five minutes turns to seven... because what's the diff of two minutes? Seven turns to ten... and ten to fifteen.

That happens in the first WEEK of allowing five minutes extra.

I wouldn't be happy with a parent that left a fifteen minute window for dropping off. I don't want to do fifteen minute arrivals and departures per kid. That would mean that I would do TWO hours of my day JUST doing arrivals.

Can you imagine?

I've been doing this for eighteen years and haven't met a parent yet who needed fifteen minutes to drop their kid off in the morning. After the first couple of weeks there isn't enough to talk about to even warrant a fifteen minute "conference" or adjustment.

If I had to do fifteen minutes per kid per day I would quit this job. I litterally couldn't do it. Two hours a day in parent conference/interviewing/bonding/adjusting/transitioning per day would be impossible with MY skill set. I need all drop and run parents. Do a minute or two of updating and then scoot off to work. If you come fifteen minutes early get out of the car and take your kid for a nice fifteen minute walk. He'll dig it and you will still have plenty of time to get to work.

[Unregistered]

DCP need to learn they can not be given "SPECIAL" rules to follow.

I tell my DCP in an interview I have a few STRICT rules and I will not budge on these;

1. I get paid on Fridays....Don't even ask and I won't have to tell you what I am telling you right now. "I get paid on Fridays in advance". There are NO excuses.

2. I open at 7:00am, not 6:58am, I close at 5:30pm, not 5:31pm. Then I have them open their cell phone and I open mine and we check to make sure we have the same time.

3. I tell them I respect you and your child and in return I ask that you respect me and my home.

4. I live on communication, lots of communication.

5. I tell them I will correct your child in front of you, if you don't and if needed I will send them to time out and you (parent) too!

6. I DO NOT give any special rules to you. ALL parents follow the same rules. Then I go on to ask them if any one at work has ever gotten special rules and how did it make them feel. I tell them with following rule...we have a loving family and the most important person is "There Child".

I rarely have to many issues. I put a newsletter out every 2 months and I list any silly things the parents do. They get a kick out of finding what they did wrong.

I am strict with my parents....but every parent would tell you how much they love me.

Do I ever have to remind them of a rule....YEP....do they get upset?....NOPE....it's called....RESPECT.

[jojosmommy]

It puts me in a terrible mood when peeople are early at drop off and or late at pick up and not b/c 5 min really matters that much but it's the respect part of it that drives me nuts.

And NO I wouldnt want them hanging around inside the house while I got something done either. Drop off and GO already!

[Former Teacher]

At my former center my hours were 6:30-2:30. I would get there between 6:15-6:20 just so I would have some time to myself before the rush. I had this one parent who everyday would be there right at 6:20. So I would write my time in as 6:20. My former director couldn't understand why I would have overtime each pay period when I was only scheduled 8 hours a day. I had explained to her that B would be there every day 10 mins before opening. Well we put a stop to that. She told the parent that licensing forbids care before 6:30 and if she was to arrive early, she would have to wait. I was then to keep the door locked until 6:30. She was totally fine with that.

I had another parent who was waiting for me at 6:15 when I pulled in. She saw me getting out of the car so she proceeded to get out of car all huffy and hissy. I said "um we aren't open yet". She said "what?" I said "we don't open up until 6:30". She said angrily "I thought ya'll opened up at 6:00!!!!!" I said cheerfully "no we open up at 6:30...when you see the lights on in front that means the door is unlocked and we are open!" SHE WAS NOT HAPPY ::

I could go on and on about the stories of parents arriving early and arriving late. The thing is: if you let them do it once, they will continue to do it all the time. As my mother is fond of saying: Take advantage of me once, shame on you. Take advantage of me twice, shame on me.

[wdmmom]

Do not open the curtains or the door until 7am on the dot according to the clocks in your house!!!

Put a sign on the door at pick up stating the hours of operation and that the door WILL NOT be open til 7am!

And if she starts hanging out in your driveway, tell her she can't. She can go sit at the end of the block and wait until 7am just like everyone else!

Don't let this 5 minutes ruin your day!!!

Just think...if this is happening every day, it's a matter of 21.66 hours additional per year! That could potentially be a difference of A LOT of money!!!

[C'est la vie.]

When you allow a five minute early arrival you will find that the parents are there five minutes early every day. Not being able to get it down to the minute doesn't happen when they are allowed to drop off early. You would be SHOCKED at how promt to the minute people are when they are allowed an extra five minutes.

Also... five minutes turns to seven... because what's the diff of two minutes? Seven turns to ten... and ten to fifteen.

That happens in the first WEEK of allowing five minutes extra.

I wouldn't be happy with a parent that left a fifteen minute window for dropping off. I don't want to do fifteen minute arrivals and departures per kid. That would mean that I would do TWO hours of my day JUST doing arrivals.

Can you imagine?

I've been doing this for eighteen years and haven't met a parent yet who needed fifteen minutes to drop their kid off in the morning. After the first couple of weeks there isn't enough to talk about to even warrant a fifteen minute "conference" or adjustment.

If I had to do fifteen minutes per kid per day I would quit this job. I litterally couldn't do it. Two hours a day in parent conference/interviewing/bonding/adjusting/transitioning per day would be impossible with MY skill set. I need all drop and run parents. Do a minute or two of updating and then scoot off to work. If you come fifteen minutes early get out of the car and take your kid for a nice fifteen minute walk. He'll dig it and you will still have plenty of time to get to work.

I absolutely agree that parents will come earlier and earlier if allowed. I'm pointing out that you DON'T let them in or it's your problem. If you're closed you're closed. If you're closed, letting them come in and getting mad.. you're passive aggressive.

Also, in our group care facility we really dislike the drop and runs because we're a large busy centre. Parents can't take 5 seconds to sign in and check their childrens cubbies. I also work at the centre, so if I only allowed 5 minutes to drop off both of my children to their separate rooms, i'd never get to my own room on time. I bring my kids in, sit them down for breakfast with the teachers, check to make sure they have everything they need in their cubbies, help them get their inside shoes on, then usually end up helping the staff in their rooms out by moving children or getting another child settled. I need way more than 15 minutes. And all this is if the staff doesn't have ! something they want to communicate with me or need a hand with a temper tantrum. So though you don't need 15 minutes with each parent.. my kids teachers need me for 5 minutes each usually. When drop off takes me 2 minutes per child then thats just a bonus! It gives me a chance to go pee before my shift without my daughter trying to watch. Woohoo.

I really prefer having a chance to touch base and share information with parents and hear what they have to tell me . "Johnny had a doctors appointment", "Billy was up late last night" etc. But many kids are dropped off with zero consideration for the child and their mood. It's 'breeze in, drop your crying child in their cubby, forget to sign them in and make sure they have warm enough clothing for the day and breeze out without so much as getting off their phone to say goodbye to their kids.' That's what many of our parents do. The great ones help settle their kids so that their not left as crying bundles of toddler slobber.

[Kaddidle Care]

That's what I did way back when. I watched a little girl for my neighbors who were across the street.

They knew that when I opened the blinds that I was ready for them to bring her over.

Truth be told - you're better off running the vacuum AFTER they've all gone home. At least you will have a few hours of clean. ::

[C'est la vie.]

I must live in a different world than some day care providers. Seriously, you'd consider telling your parents to park down the street instead of 5 minutes in front of your house? That's just odd.
My drive to work can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on traffic. If I was told not to show up a minute earlier I'd be pretty irritated. So that's why I might end up earlier than expected.

When I opened at 6:30 at my old centre I just didn't unlock the doors. If a parent had to be at work by 7:00 and had arrived 10 minutes earlier than expected they could just wait until the doors were opened. No skin off my back if they had 10 minutes to play in the car with their child. 10 minutes to decompress and tickle your kid is a good thing.

If a parent wanted to drop and run early.. i just didn't allow it then there was nothing to complain about.

[Unregistered]

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.

I have done this just lately also, then informed her I would no longer be open at 6:30 unless she told me the night before. I even asked if she wanted to see her sign ins for the last several months ! She has not been here before 7:15 even once in forever. SO, now I don't go downstairs until 7am............

[cheerfuldom]

Don't open the door till 7, period. If you don't want them in the driveway, tell them your business (therefore the whole property) is not available until 7. I refuse to open my doors and then have a fee for late pickups. This has not been an issue at all for at least 6 months since I got tough

[daycare]

Ok so does anyone have a standard letter that they give out at times when this happens?

I know that some parents won't care, but I have parents that will take appropriate actions if reminded of why I need them to be on time.

[Country Kids]

All my parents show up on time thankfully! Once again, I charge by the hour so every minute they are early or later is money in my pocket. They also all use their cell phones to clock in so they will put it down to the minute=ex.7:12 AM because that is what the clock on the cell phone says.

[MyAngels]

Seriously, you'd consider telling your parents to park down the street instead of 5 minutes in front of your house?

There are plenty of reasons you might not want someone waiting in your driveway. I have a single lane driveway that widens at the back, where all of our cars are parked. Many times someone in my own family is trying to leave for work or school before my daycare families begin arriving promptly at 7:00 a.m., so having some parked in the driveway waiting on my opening time would be a problem.

[wdmmom]

I must live in a different world than some day care providers. Seriously, you'd consider telling your parents to park down the street instead of 5 minutes in front of your house? That's just odd.
My drive to work can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on traffic. If I was told not to show up a minute earlier I'd be pretty irritated. So that's why I might end up earlier than expected.

When I opened at 6:30 at my old centre I just didn't unlock the doors. If a parent had to be at work by 7:00 and had arrived 10 minutes earlier than expected they could just wait until the doors were opened. No skin off my back if they had 10 minutes to play in the car with their child. 10 minutes to decompress and tickle your kid is a good thing.

If a parent wanted to drop and run early.. i just didn't allow it then there was nothing to complain about.

Yep, I'd tell them to park elsewhere or drive around. On my property = I'm liable. Insurance finds out I wasn't open yet, it's gonna raise some eyebrows.

I'd be willing to bet this DCM doesn't have to be to work until 730am, is showing up at 650-655am and it's only a 10 minute commute. This gives her time to get gas, grab a coffee, have a morning smoke, whatever.

A 10 minute drive to work would equal a contracted drop off time of 710-715am. Get gas WITH your kid, get your coffee WITH your kid, etc.

Many parents do it daily. What I'm asking isn't impossible!