Do You Make Them Sign In/Out ?

[Holiday Park]

Do you have sign in/out sheets ? Did the parents ask questions/get irritated etc... When first implimenting it? This is a new part of my policies and is in my Handbook because I thought it was a good idea to do even as an unlicensed provider, because those ran by the state/licensed, and centers all are required to so it must be a good idea right? .
Its just something I feel would benefit me some how in the long run whether its for tax reasons or whatever documentation reason.

Why do you do it and what did/do you tell your clients? What do you tell them if you don't want to give reasons ? Am I going overboard or being silly for wanting to do this?

[coolconfidentme]

I use http://www.checkinkids.com/ but I am licensed & it is required to sign in/out.

[LK5kids]

I am required by my state and must use their form, so I don't use an electronic form. I would do it any way, as I charge by the hour. It is a very common practice here so parents don't complain or question it.

If the state didn't require their form I'd just use a spiral notebook and eventually go to electronic.

[Springdaze]

I am supposed to do it too, but only have off and on. I am going to start using checkinkids too, but wondering how it can be used if a parent disputes when their child was here, which is really the only reason you would need it except for billing. it uses their phone # for a pin. I am not going to use their # because I know my husband would flip thinking the company would use our phone # (he's paranoid) but maybe let them choose the last 4 # and I wont know them?

Anyway, back to the ??? even if you are legally unlicensed, arent you still given regulations, even if its just amount of kids you can take? Tell them the state wants you to keep a record.

[Meeko]

It is required by the state for me.

However...it is ALWAYS a good idea to do it.

Many years ago, I had a mom who wasn't too bright.....and her childcare was paid for by the state. Well,,she got fired and never told the state or me. Just kept bringing the kids every day.

The state found out she hadn't been working and told her the money had to be paid back. She came to me, told me and said "You have to give the state back that money! I tried to explain to her that I had watched the kids, been paid for it and that was that. SHE was supposed to pay the the state back! She went ballistic...insisting that because I had received the money, I had to be the one to return it to the state. Even her case worker tried to tell her, but she was 100% convinced that I screwed her. She pulled the kids and made life miserable for us for a while.

She called the police and said my husband had been harassing her and calling her several times a day. The number she gave the police was our cell phone number and a quick check with T-Mobile proved he never called her once. So she was in trouble for filing a false police report. That was "my fault" too!!!

She called CPS and said her child had been molested by another child here. She gave an exact date and the name of the "abuser". She had obviously asked her daughter to give her a name of one of the other day care kids and her daughter had given her the name of one of her friends.

My sign in and out sheets proved that the "abuser" wasn't in attendance the date (in fact the whole week) she gave.

Just that one incident alone made me realize that it was a good idea to keep good records of attendance etc.

[littlemissmuffet]

I am legally unlicesnsed and I have my parents sign in/out. The reasons are many, but the two primary reasons are 1) I have a record of how many hours each child is here per week and 2) I have a record of who is here when... I know of SEVERAL cases where a child was injured and the parents blamed daycare, but there was no record of the child being in daycare during the time-frame a child was injured OR instances where children or other childcare workers accused another worker of abuse and the dates/times were not consistant with dates/times a child was actually in attendance.

When I implemented having parents sign in/out, I was very clear that it was not optional, but mandatory - not one parent questioned it, they all agreed it was a good idea to have a record of who is here, when and for how long.

[Willow]

I'm with everyone else as far as the necessity goes, however I am one that documents when kids come and go and don't leave that up to the parents.

As much as I adore my families I'd be worried about them flubbing times, and since I bill hourly it's kind of a big sticking point to know exactly when kids are in and out.

[Blackcat31]

I have a sign in/out sheet by the door. I have always used one even when it wasn't required to do so. I know it is just a great way to track attendance and other things.

I have one sign in/out sheet for parents and I keep one on a clip board for myself. I write down the drop off and pick up times as well as who did the dropping off or picking up.

I sometimes also write short notes about comments, behaviors or anything worth noting on my sheet. At the end of each week, I take both sheets and do a quick check to make sure everything is roughly the same. I then attach both sheets together and file them.

I have done this for almost 10 years now. It makes it easy to look back and see attendance times as well as who was naughty, nice or out of the ordinary at P.U or D.O. times etc.

[sunlight]

In my state we are required to keep an attendance log, but the parents don't have to sign it. However, after hearing some of the horror stories from the above post, I might actually start having them at least inital at the end of the day confirming that their child was here.

I too have had an experience about 7 years ago. A young mom of 3 who had all her children in my care and on state paid daycare was fired from her job. I was caring for her then 9 month old and ran out of formula.{she was never good about bringing enough anyway} I had called her work to tell her to bring the baby more formula and they said she was fired over a month ago! Well, the whole three months of her maternity leave she kept bringing all the kids. I finally got a letter from the state saying I owed them the money they paid me. I told them she kept bringing the kids and I watched them so she could work. They told me once some one is on maternity leave they don't qualify for daycare and they are supposed to watch their own kids during that time. The case worker did ask me for my records
For the entire 9 months I watched the children. That must have satisfied the state that yes I did watch them 5 days a week 10 hours a day for 9 months. The final decision they let me know was that they were going to bill her for the pay!

It's good protection for us to have a log in and out!

[Holiday Park]

Yesterday was the first time having the daycare dad sign . I told him to just anitial both in&out days dcg came which was mon&wed, well what he do? He anitials only the drop off /pick ups he thought *HE* did. But was wrong. He dropped off & picked up monday. And only picked up wed. So he anitials only for those. He also wrote down the time he arrived, not the time it was when he was leaving out the door w/dcg.
So today at drop off it was moms first time having to do this. I told her I will do the times and it will be based on what shows in my tv cable box . And that dcd didnt anitial for everything and that It diesnt matter which parent anitials which day so lonh as I have an anitial for when dcg is do/pu . So she signs HIS anitials on mon (he Did drop off mon) drop off and yesterdays drop off (SHE dropped off monday) .... It rubs me the wrong way that one parent would sign anitials for another parent. Just sign your own ! And then she put his anitials anyway for yesterday srop off because SHE dropped off.

So how do I fix that problem with them either signing for each other . In the even anything happened where I had to prove documentation, wouldnt that not hold up in court and be made to look like *I* signed for the parent? Can I just tell each parent to sign their OWN anitials.
And if they can't even sign for the corect days they themselves dropped off/picked up it looks like I might have to still keep my own personal record. When I really didn't want to have to that .
So now Im going to look awfully nitpicky to them both when I have to re-explain how its done by telling them each seperately they have to sign their own anitials on the days they drop off/pick up. Not to mention that would be changing from what I told them both to do the first times.
How about this: just make a little sign next to the sign in/out sheet that says "Anitial for each day *you* drop off or pick up :-) Thanks! "

[crazydaycarelady]

Yes, it is a state requirement. I hate it since it is one more thing I have to babysit and I don't watch any state paid kids anyway.

[Country Kids]

As far as initialing I don't have the parents do that. I use to but know I do a weekly sign in with all the names of the kids so there really isn't room. You can tell the difference in handwriting though.

I would worry more about the time then who is checking the child in. Also, I check after everyone arrives because a few of my parents never check the child in, so I just jot down the time for them. Has NEVER been an issue for anyone.

I have to have everyone that is there for the day signed in for the food program. If they aren't signed in then I don't get reimbursed for that day.

[Blackcat31]

Put your sign in/out sheet on a clip board. Post the following notice on it. Hand it to parent as they come in. (If they have any questions, I assume they will ask).

NOTICE

Parents are now be required to sign their child in and out each day.

Please use the time clock on the cable TV box which is located (here).

Parents are also required to initital the times so that the person who dropped off or picked up can be identified if necessary.

Please do not initial for anyone else. It is important that the sign in/out sheet be as accurate as possible.

Thank you.

Daycare Provider

[mom2many]

For the past 26 years, I have never done it and it has never presented even the slightest problem. It's not a requirement in CA. I keep attendance with the minute menu food program, but have never had a reason to have a parent sign in and out. My dcks all have regular set hours that don't vary, but I can understand why some have chosen to implement this and fortunately I have never had an issue!

[MNMum]

I'm doing it because I'm tired of having to remind people they are late. Now if they write 4:34 - they are required to acknowledge that they are late.