How Early Do You Open?

[Auntie]

My niece has had such a hard time finding daycare.
Currently since her son was born a friend has been watching him. She only watches him so she is does not have to be licensed.

Anyway she drops off at 5:15 in the morning. And picks up around 4:15. Her hours changed to 10 hour days so she is home with her son on Fridays.

Since this provider has been on vacation the last two weeks we had an opening at the center I work at and I have taken him two days a week and then watched him at my house the the other two days which are my days off.

Anyway he really liked being with kids his age and I can tell he needs structure.

I told my niece she really needs to find a home daycare or center that has some kids his age.
However, her hours are what they are and finding care that early in the morning is tough. I told her she could sign him up where I work and drop him off M-Th and I would bring him to work with me. Well there is also the price it is more than what she is currently paying. She is a single mom and makes too much money to get on any kind of assistance.

So I guess my question to you all is would any of you make an exception if you ran across a family with such early hours. OH and when there is overtime she has be to work by 4am or 4:30. Something like that.

[Michael]

Some related threads on opening times: https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12598

[MyAngels]

Personally, I would not open that early, but I'm sure there are providers out there who do. Maybe she could ask some of her co-workers where they take their kids?

[Auntie]

We live in the midwest too. (Minnesota)

[sharlan]

I don't really care how early they come, it's how late they leave.

My earliest was 4 AM.

[kidkair]

I would not take one that early. I believe in being fully ready for kids the moment I open. For a kid arriving at 4am I'd have to be up at 3am and that would mean I'd have to go to bed at 7pm which is when I general get around to eating dinner. I would have done it as a nanny because back then it was just me now I have a bigger family it wouldn't work.

[wdmmom]

Originally Posted by sharlan

I don't really care how early they come, it's how late they leave.

My earliest was 4 AM.

I'm with you!

I'd rather get up before the sun and have them go home early too! Right now I close at 530pm and most of my kids are out the door by 5pm. That last half hour is horrific sometimes!

[lil angels]

I would consider 6:30 if I had my Fridays off but that is about it. Good Luck to her.

[rjskids]

Originally Posted by sharlan

I don't really care how early they come, it's how late they leave.

My earliest was 4 AM.

Ditto! I would take a 5:15er. I would shower in the evening and when they get dropped off let them curl up on the couch and take a lil nappie. I have one that comes at 6 that if I didn't let her take a lil catnap she will be a bear by 10 am! I use that time to "prepare" for the day. But I close at 5. So if I didn't take early birds then I would have a hard time filling up.

[daysofelijah]

I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone around here that opens that early. I am closing this fall and my dcm can't find anyone to take her kids as early as I do (6:30). I think most centers even don't open until 6, maybe a few at 5:30.

She could try calling the local county childcare resource and referral and telling them the hours she needs and they can look up if anyone in your area opens that early. They may charge a small fee for it.

[Cat Herder]

I could not commit to that, either.

I have breakfast with my own children and get them off to school before the daycare opens. There is not enough money in the world to give that up.

There are providers without children or who do shift work, though.

I'd have her check with her CCR&R. They may know of some options you don't.

[cheerfuldom]

Its probably more of the fact that her hours are not consistent. She would need someone anywhere from like 3:30AM on. Thats a really weird schedule. I don't take kids before 7:30. This is going to be an issue forever because eventually she will need someone to open early and take him to preschool/school. I think I would start a daycare search but also, consider other job options.

[christinaskids]

I have kids 24 hours during the week. I get really tired but I make almost half of my income from my night kids so quitting isn't the greatest option right now. Plus they are older and we have a lot of fun so its not so bad. Not many people do 24 hour care I assume

[melissa ann]

When I first opened in 2008, I opened at 6. Right now, though, due to my families schedules, my first ususally gets here by 8:30. Every now and then, my other family will be here at 7.
I would not open earlier than 6. And right now, that would be hard. I've been spoiled for the past year having the first one here at 8:30: )

[jojosmommy]

I wouldnt be able to commit to that schedule since you would almost certainly end up with a late in the evening kid and be doing daycare 15+ hours a day.

The earliest I have ever had was 6:40 and it interfered with my husband getting ready, my son getting ready, and myself getting ready. I won't commit to that again unless I get paid lots extra!

My earliest now is 7:30.

In our area there are a number of providers who do 24 hour care/shift care. Call your resource and referral agency. Our areas are even offering grant money to providers who are willing to take kids during non-standard hours.

[GretasLittleFriends]

I offer 24/5. I had (for a while) one child leaving between 2-3a then another one arriving at 3:45a. One very important rule is that sleeping hours are between 8:30p and 6:30a.

So, I would willingly take a child with those hours.

[MsMe]

My hours are 7:30 to 5:15 and the reason I wont take any child early (or late for the matter) no matter how early they would leave in the afternoon I still have 90% of my 'normal hour' kids that will be here until 5:15.

I have had many calls in the past about taking kids anywhere from 7 am all the way up to 6 am and it seems none of them can understand just bc they would pick up at 2-3 pm....(and I would 'get off' early) I am not finished working untill 5:15 so it doesnt really matter to me what time an early kids would get picked up I am still working an extra 1.5 hours.

[Childminder]

My listed hours are 6am to 11:30pm but anytime is fine if I know ahead. Used to be open 24/7 but now take Sundays off and 4 days a week have children till 2:30am. This morning one came at 5am.

[Abigail]

Wow, I'm shocked at some of the hours everyone offers. My current job opens our daycare at 6:15 am and I close the daycare at 5:30 pm M-F only. I never start work before 9 right now.

My home daycare hours will be 7:30-5:30 give or take half hour, but I will offer slightly outside those hours (not overnight, I would never sleep if I had kids to care for when I first begin my daycare). Outside those hours would be a higher rate though to make up for it. It would be nice if some of my kids got picked up earlier in the day because I love having less kids in the evening. Then again, I usually work with 1-2 adults with 14-18 kids all day so fewer kids really is 5-6 which would be my whole daycare in my home. LOL

[PitterPatter]

Originally Posted by Childminder

My listed hours are 6am to 11:30pm but anytime is fine if I know ahead. Used to be open 24/7 but now take Sundays off and 4 days a week have children till 2:30am. This morning one came at 5am.

WOW when do u sleep and clean etc? Do u have a family of your own? Sorry if I'm too nosey I just couldn't do those hours! I just cut back from 6:30 because I had no time for my family.

[Childminder]

WOW when do u sleep and clean etc? Do u have a family of your own? Sorry if I'm too nosey I just couldn't do those hours! I just cut back from 6:30 because I had no time for my family.

My children are grown and I also watch the G-kids while their parents work. I have trouble making enough $$$ to pay bills (trouble staying full) since my DH lost his job 3 years ago and since I am home anyways I stay open for 2nd shift parents and Saturday kids. Our area was especially hard hit with the recession, we are in the middle of the Big 3 automotive, and day cares are dropping like flies. Dh is here as my assistant so we have LOTS of time together and can't afford to do anything. I get my stuff done just like I would if I had a family with 6 kids. The go grocery shopping with us, help with chores, meal prep and cleanup. Very family oriented.

[victorial]

I am a home provider who does 2nd and 3rd shift. Open hours are 330pm to 930am. I have a client now who has this kind of drop off time 330am-430am depending on schedule. The child goes right back to sleep, wakes up about 830am and then I drop him off at a center for the rest of her shift.

That would be a good solution for her. Someone she could drop the boy off with who would drive him to a center for the rest of the day.

Originally Posted by christinaskids

I have kids 24 hours during the week. I get really tired but I make almost half of my income from my night kids so quitting isn't the greatest option right now. Plus they are older and we have a lot of fun so its not so bad. Not many people do 24 hour care I assume

i need child care from 4:15am till 2:00pm.

[Countrygal]

I wish I could make an exception, but since I'm certified, my hours are set. Can't be open before or after.

5:30 am to 9:30 pm. I did this specifically to be able to help single parents who work early first and also second shift jobs.

[Sunchimes]

I'm open when I'm needed, except for Sundays. I have one parent who usually drops off at 5:45 am and picks up at 6:15 pm. She's on a temporary shift change, so for a few weeks, she doesn't drop off until 1:30 pm and dcd picks up at 5:00 or 5:30 pm. It's like a vacation around here these days! One mom works retail, mostly 7:30 to 4:30, but sometimes, they mess with her schedule and she works 12:30 pm to 9:30 pm, or 3:30 pm to midnight. I do them all, but they aren't a regular thing. My worst day was when the 2 moms overlapped and I worked from 5:45 am to 12:30 am. That one was tough.

I started out wanting night shift work so that the kids would sleep and I would have my days free. Not a single call, so now, I do odd hours. However, it seems to have fallen into a rhythm that is pretty easy at the moment.

I can do this because my kids are gone, hubby is semi-retired and home a lot, and I only have 3 kids, max. On 3 kid days, I stay home because I only have room in the car for 2 car seats. But, on 1 or 2 kid days, I do what I need to do. We go to the post office, Walmart (Wm--the closest thing to a field trip in our town), the park, garage sales, etc. The kids are really comfortable here, they are more like part of the grand kids than they are work, so it's no big deal to put them in the pnp, set up the monitor, and get on with my evening. I'm very lucky that way.

That's going to change soon. I'm getting a 6 week old, so I'll be housebound for a few weeks. Not looking forward to it. Someone want to trade a 6 week old for a Terrible Two?

[bunnyslippers]

I am feeling lucky right now! I only work a school year schedule. Open no earlier than 7:30, and close by 4:00. Even with those hours, I feel overworked and tired! Some of you ladies are amazing!!!!!!!

[Ariana]

It would make more sense to me that she work regular hours during the week and forego having Fridays off if that's an option. Compressed work weeks are really hard to do for this very reason especially if you're a single mom and can't rely on someone to take care of your child before and after daycare.

We have one daycare in my city that does 24 hour care so that might be an option?

[renodeb]

My usual hours are 7-530. I have one teacher client who I have drop off at 645. Maybe if I didnt have school aged kids of my own. As it stands right now, our house is so small that its hard to keep the noise down as it is while there asleep. I actually have one provider friend who runs early hours and late but she is one of the few. Maybe she needs to see where her co-workers take there kids. What kind of job does she have?
Debbie

[Breezy]

I will open as early as needed as long as the hours are scheduled. I do not take families that need late care though (after 6pm) but I do make exceptions for my families that need later care occasionally on a case by case basis with enough notice.

[mac60]

If I opened at 7:30 or 8 I wouldn't have any clients. Most shifts here are 6:30 to 3, 7 to 3:30, 8 to 5, etc. I accommodate all of them. My hours are typically 6:30 to 5. Everyone is gone by 5:15.

I will say, my hours used to be open at 6:30, I had a family ask if I would open for them at 6:15 because they moved to another town. I told them yes and never charged them any extra. That was almost a year ago. Thing is, that 6:15 quickly turned into 6, 6:05, never 6:15, and I get nothing extra for opening early for them. So, my day was just extended by about 40 minutes with no compensation for it. Very frustrating to me.

[Sunchimes]

You are lucky bunnyslippers. We can't get any teachers here. Our school system (in a small, rural town that is having real budget crunches, hiring freezes, etc) offers a low cost daycare for teacher's kids--subsidized of course by yours truly, the tax payer. I could understand it if they were having trouble luring teachers here and needed some added incentive, but there is no shortage of teachers.

[saved4always]

I watch only teacher's children. My earliest gets here at 6:40 a.m. and all are gone by 4 p.m. One of my first questions when someone calls looking for child care is what hours they need. If they need to pick up after 4 p.m., I don't even bother interviewing. I like to have as much time with just my family as possible and my kids get home by 3:40.

[Crazy8]

My earliest arrival now is 7:30. Because my own child started middle school this year and leaves earlier I would consider starting at 7am but no earlier than that. I turn down people all the time looking for 6-6:30am. People have to realize we have other clients until 5pm (or later) so that means us working a 12+ hour day to accomodate that early morning client. I wouldn't do it - but if I did it sure as heck would be at a premium rate!!!

[AnneCordelia]

My first child arrives at 7:15am. I would consider opening as early as 6am but only if my day continues to end at 4:30pm.

[daycare]

I could not commit to that.

I already work 13+ hours a day, then have to tend to my own family.

If I were to open at 4am or even 5 am, then I would be working a 15+hour day and I just don't have it in me any more to do that.

If I didn't have my own kids to take care of, I would totally do it.