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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Late pick ups
rhondawarren 08:40 AM 10-06-2013
How do you handle late pickups?? Do you allow a grace period of a few minutes and then charge late fee?

What type of fee do you charge for a late fee??
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Former Teacher 09:01 AM 10-06-2013
Originally Posted by rhondawarren:
How do you handle late pickups?? Do you allow a grace period of a few minutes and then charge late fee?

What type of fee do you charge for a late fee??
When I worked at my former center the late was $5.00 for the first 5 minutes and then $1 each minute afterwards- PER CHILD.

I allowed a grace period of 3 minutes (6:33 pm then they were charged for full $5.00). However if they were repeat offenders then there would be no grace period.

Once there was a single mother of 2 children. She was 25 mintues late once. However since she was never late before I only charged her for the one child. I did stress to her that if she was ever late again, even if was the minute and I was VERY serious, she would be charged per child. She never was again
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Cradle2crayons 09:40 AM 10-06-2013
Originally Posted by rhondawarren:
How do you handle late pickups?? Do you allow a grace period of a few minutes and then charge late fee?

What type of fee do you charge for a late fee??
Since I allow my parents an hour driving time, which includes traffic, unless there is a horrible news televised emergency, once they have passed ear pick up time, ere is an immediate late fee. And I require them to pay it at pick up, in cash.

I charge $15.00 for every 10 minutes they are late, per family.
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Patches 03:37 PM 10-06-2013
$1 a minute, no grace period. Pick up time is pick up time
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se7en 04:50 PM 10-06-2013
Wow . You people are strict with your rules. Is this charge for not calling ahead ? If a parent is in traffic and there is an accident ahead of them, do they call you and you won't charge ? Or do they need to call someone else to pick up their child ? Plus, if they have to pay cash for the late fee, some may need to stop somewhere to get money, which adds more time to the late pick up. Sometimes there are circumstances that are no one's fault, they just happen. I get that everyone has a life outside of daycare, but I wonder if you aren't punishing the parents for things they cannot control. I work in a center, sometimes I get out later, parents drop off earlier, all kinds of different scenarios play out which many of the providers on here don`t seem to accept. ( as I gather from reading these forums.) Parents may try to take advantage of some situations, but in other areas, they are human. Kids get sick in the morning, people run late, moms forget diapers and checkbooks, dads may be grumpy, children break rules and have tantrums. Most of you seem to really love and care for the children, but some people are just so severe with their rules. Not really any of you who answered about the late fees, but som e of the other posts on others I have read. The point is, do some people really not l like what they are doing. Personally, I think that if you are caring for children, you need to be flexible and gentle. Some may be upset by what I wrote, but if you read some posts from another p e rains eyes,you can understand what I am alluding to.
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momofboys 05:03 PM 10-06-2013
Originally Posted by se7en:
Wow . You people are strict with your rules. Is this charge for not calling ahead ? If a parent is in traffic and there is an accident ahead of them, do they call you and you won't charge ? Or do they need to call someone else to pick up their child ? Plus, if they have to pay cash for the late fee, some may need to stop somewhere to get money, which adds more time to the late pick up. Sometimes there are circumstances that are no one's fault, they just happen. I get that everyone has a life outside of daycare, but I wonder if you aren't punishing the parents for things they cannot control. I work in a center, sometimes I get out later, parents drop off earlier, all kinds of different scenarios play out which many of the providers on here don`t seem to accept. ( as I gather from reading these forums.) Parents may try to take advantage of some situations, but in other areas, they are human. Kids get sick in the morning, people run late, moms forget diapers and checkbooks, dads may be grumpy, children break rules and have tantrums. Most of you seem to really love and care for the children, but some people are just so severe with their rules. Not really any of you who answered about the late fees, but som e of the other posts on others I have read. The point is, do some people really not l like what they are doing. Personally, I think that if you are caring for children, you need to be flexible and gentle. Some may be upset by what I wrote, but if you read some posts from another p e rains eyes,you can understand what I am alluding to.
I think many of us are flexible & willing to not charge fees BUT when parents are constantly late yes, I do charge fees & for the most part it cuts down on lateness. If there is no late fee or "punishment" for being late I have found that parents think I am open forever & they have no incentive to be on time. I do realize that accidents/occasional latenesses will happen but I think when you see people commenting about fees it mostly pertains to parents who abuse the system - not the parents who are late once in a blue moon. I am willing to give those parents a break.
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momofboys 05:05 PM 10-06-2013
Originally Posted by rhondawarren:
How do you handle late pickups?? Do you allow a grace period of a few minutes and then charge late fee?

What type of fee do you charge for a late fee??
I have in my contract that I will not charge late fees if tardiness is not habitual. However, case in point - when a parent (such as this school year) is late 7x in a 3 week period then yes I told parent they needed to abide by their contracted time or late fees would apply. Believe it or not they have never been late since! (I charge $5 for any part of 15 min)
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Cradle2crayons 05:20 PM 10-06-2013
Originally Posted by se7en:
Wow . You people are strict with your rules. Is this charge for not calling ahead ? If a parent is in traffic and there is an accident ahead of them, do they call you and you won't charge ? Or do they need to call someone else to pick up their child ? Plus, if they have to pay cash for the late fee, some may need to stop somewhere to get money, which adds more time to the late pick up. Sometimes there are circumstances that are no one's fault, they just happen. I get that everyone has a life outside of daycare, but I wonder if you aren't punishing the parents for things they cannot control. I work in a center, sometimes I get out later, parents drop off earlier, all kinds of different scenarios play out which many of the providers on here don`t seem to accept. ( as I gather from reading these forums.) Parents may try to take advantage of some situations, but in other areas, they are human. Kids get sick in the morning, people run late, moms forget diapers and checkbooks, dads may be grumpy, children break rules and have tantrums. Most of you seem to really love and care for the children, but some people are just so severe with their rules. Not really any of you who answered about the late fees, but som e of the other posts on others I have read. The point is, do some people really not l like what they are doing. Personally, I think that if you are caring for children, you need to be flexible and gentle. Some may be upset by what I wrote, but if you read some posts from another p e rains eyes,you can understand what I am alluding to.
First, let me address a few of your issues...

(1) not one time have I ever left my house to take my child to daycare or etc without my daycare money, diapers, wipes, etc. it's called responsibility. But if I had forgotten them, I'd return home and get them and completely understand why my provider doesn't want to work for free and take care of a child without diapers and what they need for the day.
**this is a business and livelihood for us and McDonald's won't give your family free food because you forgot your money

(2) I give my parents ONE HOUR to get here from home to drop off and ONE HOUR to get here from work. Which is more an reasonable. Of course, if a ten car pile up occurs, I may or may not charge a late fee. It's my prerogative. As a mother I really have heard every excuse in the book as to why a parent is late, but that doesn't help me get to my kids sporting events does it??
**does your kids school accept every excuse in the book for tardiness? Mine don't. On the third tardy in a 9 week period, they send the child to detention. Other school punish other ways

(3) yours issue with kids get sick in the mornings. Of course they do. It's usually at 4:00 am at my house. I don't care what time the child gets sick, if they are seriously ill, they stay home. End of story. It's against the law to provide care to seriously ill children in most states.
**again, it doesn't matter what time my kids get sick, my kids school won't keep them sick either.mthey aren't urgent care or an emergency room.

(4) your opinion that most of us can't like what we do if we are so strict. Is quite the opposite. We love what we do, but at doesn't mean we get into is business so that we can be left with terribly sick kids without payment and diapers. And it doesn't mean we have to deal with irresponsible and disrespectful parents.

Bottom line it's called RESPONSIBILITY. And if parents don't want to be adults and be responsible that's their choice. However, they will treat me and my home and family with respect or they can go somewhere else. If you had been around these forums long enough, you'd realize that most of us put up with a LOT of crap from parents. Just for the sake of the children involved.
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MyAngels 05:37 PM 10-06-2013
I don't charge a fee for late pick ups. When I interview I stress my closing time and the fact that it is not flexible. I close at 5:00. I don't enroll people get off work very close to that time unless they have someone who can pick up earlier. I don't do contracted times which I think cuts down on problems for me. I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times someone has picked up after 5:00 in the last 20 years, so my policies are working pretty well for me.

As to the PP who said we need to be "flexible and gentle" - I am flexible and gentle with the children in my care. I don't need to be flexible and gentle with their parents. However, anyone who knows me would tell you I'm a wonderful and caring person. I think avoiding problems with your families all comes down to communication. Expecting me to work past my closing time is a deal breaker for me and I don't hesitate to communicate that to my families, which makes it easy for them to be respectful.
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Lil'DinoEggs 08:47 PM 10-06-2013
I just signed up a new drop in kid. Parent says (I changed the words) "do you seriously charge $5/min for late pick up?"

I said."

I have only charged a late fee once and it was $25 and they were more than 5 minutes late. If it is during the day, at pick up, I make sure I am available to talk to the parents. This means No diaper, potty, lunch, etc. Also, I may have another person coming in right after you leave and if you are late, they cannot drop off their child because of ratio.

If it is the end of the day, I have to adhere to specific rules from where I am, where my children are, what I can serve, what is on tv, etc. In addition, I have to adhere to a specific meal schedule. If your child is here until such and such time, then I may be required to prepare a meal or snack.

I am good about telling parents about if it is absolutely necessary to pick up your child on time. Other than that, I can be relaxed. But I keep it in my contract because if it becomes habitual or affects my daily life, then yes, I do charge.
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Play Care 03:10 AM 10-07-2013
Originally Posted by Cradle2crayons:
First, let me address a few of your issues...

(1) not one time have I ever left my house to take my child to daycare or etc without my daycare money, diapers, wipes, etc. it's called responsibility. But if I had forgotten them, I'd return home and get them and completely understand why my provider doesn't want to work for free and take care of a child without diapers and what they need for the day.
**this is a business and livelihood for us and McDonald's won't give your family free food because you forgot your money

(2) I give my parents ONE HOUR to get here from home to drop off and ONE HOUR to get here from work. Which is more an reasonable. Of course, if a ten car pile up occurs, I may or may not charge a late fee. It's my prerogative. As a mother I really have heard every excuse in the book as to why a parent is late, but that doesn't help me get to my kids sporting events does it??
**does your kids school accept every excuse in the book for tardiness? Mine don't. On the third tardy in a 9 week period, they send the child to detention. Other school punish other ways

(3) yours issue with kids get sick in the mornings. Of course they do. It's usually at 4:00 am at my house. I don't care what time the child gets sick, if they are seriously ill, they stay home. End of story. It's against the law to provide care to seriously ill children in most states.
**again, it doesn't matter what time my kids get sick, my kids school won't keep them sick either.mthey aren't urgent care or an emergency room.

(4) your opinion that most of us can't like what we do if we are so strict. Is quite the opposite. We love what we do, but at doesn't mean we get into is business so that we can be left with terribly sick kids without payment and diapers. And it doesn't mean we have to deal with irresponsible and disrespectful parents.

Bottom line it's called RESPONSIBILITY. And if parents don't want to be adults and be responsible that's their choice. However, they will treat me and my home and family with respect or they can go somewhere else. If you had been around these forums long enough, you'd realize that most of us put up with a LOT of crap from parents. Just for the sake of the children involved.


The poster also mentions she works in a center - which means she probably works less than 40 hours a week (for the most part), has co-workers to relieve her for lunch, vacation time, etc. This is very different then the in home provider who works a *minimum* of 50 hours per week and that's only the time *with* children. That doesn't count the clean up, paperwork, shopping, meal planning and prep that is also a part of the job. I can only speak for myself, but when I interview I go over my contract thoroughly and stress my business hours. I even go so far to tell the family I'm interviewing that I'm okay if my business hours/philosophy doesn't work for them - not every caregiver is a good fit for every family and I want them to chose what will actually work for them. There is nothing like a client who tells you their job goes until 6:00 when you close at 5:30, but they still want to sign on and try to make it work... That's going into an arrangement knowing there are going to be issues.
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KidGrind 03:37 AM 10-07-2013
Originally Posted by se7en:
Wow . You people are strict with your rules. Is this charge for not calling ahead ? If a parent is in traffic and there is an accident ahead of them, do they call you and you won't charge ? Or do they need to call someone else to pick up their child ? Plus, if they have to pay cash for the late fee, some may need to stop somewhere to get money, which adds more time to the late pick up. Sometimes there are circumstances that are no one's fault, they just happen. I get that everyone has a life outside of daycare, but I wonder if you aren't punishing the parents for things they cannot control. I work in a center, sometimes I get out later, parents drop off earlier, all kinds of different scenarios play out which many of the providers on here don`t seem to accept. ( as I gather from reading these forums.) Parents may try to take advantage of some situations, but in other areas, they are human. Kids get sick in the morning, people run late, moms forget diapers and checkbooks, dads may be grumpy, children break rules and have tantrums. Most of you seem to really love and care for the children, but some people are just so severe with their rules. Not really any of you who answered about the late fees, but som e of the other posts on others I have read. The point is, do some people really not l like what they are doing. Personally, I think that if you are caring for children, you need to be flexible and gentle. Some may be upset by what I wrote, but if you read some posts from another p e rains eyes,you can understand what I am alluding to.
Yes, I am strict with rules. I also have children in care whose parents tell me they laugh, smile & clap when they pull up to my house.

I love my profession. I'll share with you what I share with the parents during interviews and orientation. "I will care for your child as I would want someone to care for mine within regulations. My goal is to be a safe, nurturing and fun place. Between you and I, it's strictly business.
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momofboys 04:46 AM 10-07-2013
Originally Posted by Play Care:


The poster also mentions she works in a center - which means she probably works less than 40 hours a week (for the most part), has co-workers to relieve her for lunch, vacation time, etc. This is very different then the in home provider who works a *minimum* of 50 hours per week and that's only the time *with* children. That doesn't count the clean up, paperwork, shopping, meal planning and prep that is also a part of the job. I can only speak for myself, but when I interview I go over my contract thoroughly and stress my business hours. I even go so far to tell the family I'm interviewing that I'm okay if my business hours/philosophy doesn't work for them - not every caregiver is a good fit for every family and I want them to chose what will actually work for them. There is nothing like a client who tells you their job goes until 6:00 when you close at 5:30, but they still want to sign on and try to make it work... That's going into an arrangement knowing there are going to be issues.
Exactly! I work out of my home & am fairly strict with my time - I care for children for about 50 hrs/week & easily prepare/clean 4-5 additional hours. That's a lot of hours!
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coolconfidentme 05:17 AM 10-07-2013
Originally Posted by rhondawarren:
How do you handle late pickups?? Do you allow a grace period of a few minutes and then charge late fee?

What type of fee do you charge for a late fee??
My policy & contract states this: Standard rate is based on 8 hour shift with .5 hour travel time each way. If your child(ren) is/are not picked up
within that time frame, you will incur an additional charge of $1 per minute, per child will be.

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Luna 05:26 AM 10-07-2013
There's a reason so many providers charge late fees or even terminate for late pickups. If a provider doesn't start out with some sort of late pick up penalty, all it takes is one inconsiderate family to make you start one. If you are flexible, it won't take long for someone to "flexible" their way into more and more of your personal time.
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littlemissmuffet 06:32 AM 10-07-2013
I am not flexible with pickups. I charge $1/minute (no grace period) outside of contracted times and $5/minute after 5pm.

If an hourly-paid parent is late for work due to an accident, weather, or another situation out of their control they are not paid for the portion of time they missed from work... so why should a provider NOT be paid for extra portions of time due to the same situations?
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Memc2001 06:39 AM 10-07-2013
I do not charge for late pick ups but it is in my contract that I CAN. I really don't have much of a problem with late pick ups so it's never been much of an issue. I tell my parents that I have plans that evening and need them to be on time. It's my home so it's my rules. I can imagine if I was a center you would have to worry about payroll, etc.
I don't have a problem with those who do charge, but I don't as long as the parents are texting or calling to let me know where they are.
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Shell 11:20 AM 10-07-2013
Originally Posted by Luna:
There's a reason so many providers charge late fees or even terminate for late pickups. If a provider doesn't start out with some sort of late pick up penalty, all it takes is one inconsiderate family to make you start one. If you are flexible, it won't take long for someone to "flexible" their way into more and more of your personal time.
I have gotten stricter as the years have gone by. With some parents it really is, "you give an inch and they take a mile".
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Blackcat31 11:47 AM 10-07-2013
Originally Posted by se7en:
Wow . You people are strict with your rules. Is this charge for not calling ahead ? If a parent is in traffic and there is an accident ahead of them, do they call you and you won't charge ? Or do they need to call someone else to pick up their child ? Plus, if they have to pay cash for the late fee, some may need to stop somewhere to get money, which adds more time to the late pick up. Sometimes there are circumstances that are no one's fault, they just happen. I get that everyone has a life outside of daycare, but I wonder if you aren't punishing the parents for things they cannot control. I work in a center, sometimes I get out later, parents drop off earlier, all kinds of different scenarios play out which many of the providers on here don`t seem to accept. ( as I gather from reading these forums.) Parents may try to take advantage of some situations, but in other areas, they are human. Kids get sick in the morning, people run late, moms forget diapers and checkbooks, dads may be grumpy, children break rules and have tantrums. Most of you seem to really love and care for the children, but some people are just so severe with their rules. Not really any of you who answered about the late fees, but som e of the other posts on others I have read. The point is, do some people really not l like what they are doing. Personally, I think that if you are caring for children, you need to be flexible and gentle. Some may be upset by what I wrote, but if you read some posts from another p e rains eyes,you can understand what I am alluding to.
I am flexible and gentle with the kids.

I don't require them to sign a contract, pay on time or give me a schedule.

Our day is based around the children's needs and interests, allowing lots of time to be creative, have fun and learn.

I do, however have rules for parents. I own and operate a business and like parent would like to be paid for ALL my working hours, overtime and unexpected things that come up.

Oh, and I'd like to be able to clock in and out as scheduled...like my daycare parents.
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