If DCK Doesn't Show Up For D/O, How Long Do You Wait To Contact Parent?

[daycare]

if they are not here I call within 30 minutes...

[CraftyMom]

I usually wait about an hour before texting.

I had one today that dropped off an hour late without letting me know. At drop off I mentioned to dad that I need him to let me know if they are likely to be more than 10 minutes late (as per our contract). He didn't seem to get why I was annoyed.

I hate waiting around for people and I think it's disrespectful. Any ideas how I can word it next time to help him understand its important and disruptive to everyone's day?

Me too same thing today. There are a few things that really get under my skin, this is one of them.

[Unregistered]

I had a mom, dad lives a couple hours away, running 2 h late so finally I call after no text response and it goes strait to voice mail. I got worried so I called dad and e-mailed mom. Mom finally wakes up at noon and gets back to me says she will be bringing both boys since the older can't go to after school because he missed most of the school day. They are 4 and 1.5 I freaked the f out that they were alone all morning. She was a little upset that I called her husband, I feel that he should be the one upset with her.

[TwinKristi]

I would call within a half hour if they haven't come. If it's someone who is a little scattered I give them an hour but if it's someone who's always on time I wouldn't even wait 30 min. There's been a few stories of parents accidentally leaving their kids in the car on accident and kids have died. One was alerted when their provider called to see if everything was okay. Sadly it was too late.

[Crazy8]

I give about 30-45 min. - depends on how punctual a family usually is and also depends on the age of the child.

Years ago I read one of the stories of a child left in a car on a hot summer day and all it would have taken to save that baby's life was a phone call from the daycare when they didn't show up on time. I don't care if I wake a parent up, it was their responsibility to call me in the first place, but god forbid it was a situation like that and I didn't attempt to contact a parent I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

[Annalee]

Why would you feel bad for disturbing a family that hasn't shown up at the time they scheduled? They are the ones who should be feeling bad. :confused:

I agree. I had a parent that usually arrived at 6 come in at 8. I told her this was unacceptable and I should be notified if she was going to be late... When she got to work she called me and wanted me to "expound" on why I needed to know when she would be there if she had a spot and that she wasn't a confrontational person and was having trouble dealing with the morning convo we had...I just ended by saying this was simple courtesy but also my rule...end of story...she is still with me a year later and hasn't been late.

[Daycaregranny]

I never call. I go on with our daily activities like always. I have an open policy to when parents can drop off but they know when to pick up. All my families pay a flat rate and are charged whether they are here or not so if they want to sleep in, go ahead. If they want to have a day with the kids, go for it. If they miss breakfast they wait till snack to eat. It's their spot do do with as they wish. I do feel bad when a family comes in late and misses out on a really fun activity, etc. but such is life. I do ask parents to call and let me know if their child is sick however so I can keep an eye out for anyone else that may have caught something but other than that it's up to them.

[AcornMama]

I've only had to call about this once so far. It was on MLK day, so I figured dcm must have the day off, but nothing had been communicated to me. So I texted after an hour. I could have just assumed mom was at home, and I would have been right. But by texting I had a polite way to remind mom that she'd given me no idea she was staying home. And that dcb is my first drop-off of the day, so I was up for them.

On the plus side, mom apologized. And she had a day off and chose to keep her little boy home with her. She's a good client. I just wanted her to know that I'd like to know if they're not showing up.

[Unregistered]

I typically wait an hour before texting parent to ask if so and so will be coming. How long do you wait?

I dont call, its their responsibility to call me.......I just go on about my day

[Rachel]

I text about 30 minutes after their latest droppoff. So if a kid normally comes between 7:30 & 8:15 I will text by 8:45 if he or she hasn't come yet. This was added to our regs last year after a run of kids left in cars. All my kids walk to daycare.... but still. Better safe than sorry. If I don't hear back within about 30 minutes of a text I will call or text again.

[providerandmomof4]

This late/no show issue has been driving me crazy lately. I have one family who is a cronic abuser of this policy...Wait, I actually have two families when I think about it.
I seriously think that they want to wait until the very last second to decide if they are going to have a "me" day, or if they want to spend the day with their kids. Drives me crazy. I get paid regardless, so I didn't feel right about saying anything. But lately I have been considering adding a cut off time to my policies. I feel like saying, "Geez people, you expect me to be reliable, how about a little of it from you?!"

[Mister Sir Husband]

I am with Blackcat on this one.. if a parent doesn't show up, I am not gonna call to remind them. I do allow for a certain number of sick days in my contract, but you have to contact me in the morning to tell me your using one.. A no call, no show, its up to me if I charge for it or still allow you to have the sick day

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Depends on the parent. I guess I do parent the parents. I have one that I was calling for a while when I woke up to be sure she was up! Her dh had just switched jobs and it was an adjustment for her to be up and the kids up that early! I have one that I would call if she is after 9 to see if they are ok or if she is just late because her drop off times can vary if she got called in overnight etc. She generally sends me a message but sometimes life on her end can be chaos. (juvie hall) If it is my "teen mom" within 5-10 minutes of her drop off time. (she lives a block away) again, did she oversleep? Did she just start to drive to work and forgot to drop off?