When Picking Up Children for Dr. Appt, Shots, etc.

[momma2girls]

What if anything is in your policy, for pick ups, and dropping back off after Dr. appts. etc.? I remember one on here posted something about only dropping and picking up once a day. for the one that has that written in their contract- how did you word it, etc..Do others allow for them to return after shots, etc.? I have one today that is picking up at 11:00 and coming back at probably around 12-12:30. SO they dropped off at 7:20 and picked up at 11:00 and dropping back off, and picking back up at 4:45!!!! I so think this is ridiculous!!!! Tell me what you think and what you do? I think it is especially ridiculous after shots- they are not always the best babies after shots in the first place!!!
Thanks!!

[tymaboy]

I've also thought of putting something like that in mine. But now I have good parents & normanly keep them home afterwards. I may put it in anyway for any new families.

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by tymaboy

I've also thought of putting something like that in mine. But now I have good parents & normanly keep them home afterwards. I may put it in anyway for any new families.

How would you even word it into your contract? SOmeone on here had written it in, but I cannot find it now. I thought that it was good, and wondered how they worded it.
Thanks!

Thanks for asking. I had it written in my policy handbook a couple of years ago and now i cant find it in my newer policies? I'll keep digging (as i need to add it to my new handbook not realizing till now it wasnt there already!)
Any way i cant remember the exact wording but i stated that more than one drop off and pick up could be distracting to the other dck and may cause a problem with the child/ren being dropped off more than once, I said that it was up to my discreption if i would allow a child into care after shots and that parents should try to schedule apps early in the morning or late afternoon so as to only have to drop off/pick up once, i also reminded them of my quiet time and that drop offs/pick ups are not allowed during that time.
The parents i have now all know that if they are dropping off not at their contracted time i will not wait for them and will continue my day so they are all good at communicating, likewise they know we run errands and do fieldtrips so if they are planning on picking up at a different time they need to let me know in advance. I added the once daily drop off/pick up because it really did disrupt what ever we were doing and the kids would be upset that they didnt get to stay with mom/dad, i also have it in my policy that siblings are not allowed if one is sick, i have had one parent call and tell me they were taking older dcg to the dr and after would drop off the younger dcg, i reminded them of my sick kid policy and siblings,they kept both girls home, now if one is out do to crankiness or fever from a shot i would allow the sibling but again i have it stated that its up to me.
It's going to drive me nuts now not being able to find where i have that drop off policy at!!
Kiddie Care

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thanks for asking. I had it written in my policy handbook a couple of years ago and now i cant find it in my newer policies? I'll keep digging (as i need to add it to my new handbook not realizing till now it wasnt there already!)
Any way i cant remember the exact wording but i stated that more than one drop off and pick up could be distracting to the other dck and may cause a problem with the child/ren being dropped off more than once, I said that it was up to my discreption if i would allow a child into care after shots and that parents should try to schedule apps early in the morning or late afternoon so as to only have to drop off/pick up once, i also reminded them of my quiet time and that drop offs/pick ups are not allowed during that time.
The parents i have now all know that if they are dropping off not at their contracted time i will not wait for them and will continue my day so they are all good at communicating, likewise they know we run errands and do fieldtrips so if they are planning on picking up at a different time they need to let me know in advance. I added the once daily drop off/pick up because it really did disrupt what ever we were doing and the kids would be upset that they didnt get to stay with mom/dad, i also have it in my policy that siblings are not allowed if one is sick, i have had one parent call and tell me they were taking older dcg to the dr and after would drop off the younger dcg, i reminded them of my sick kid policy and siblings,they kept both girls home, now if one is out do to crankiness or fever from a shot i would allow the sibling but again i have it stated that its up to me.
It's going to drive me nuts now not being able to find where i have that drop off policy at!!
Kiddie Care

Thanks unregistered!!!

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

Mine says,...


We have an open door policy. You are welcome to drop by unannounced anytime we have kids in care. Please keep in mind though, if you choose to drop in, you are expected to take your child with you when you leave. It is very difficult for a child to say goodbye to their parent more than once per day. Also please respect our naptime if you choose to drop by. Our doors may be locked at times, but that is to insure our safety. Not to keep parents out of my home. Parents may ask for a conference to discuss concerns at any time.

[emosks]

We don't have anything in our contract regarding this. I expect that they would bring the kids back after their appointments considering they most likely have to go back to work!

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by laundryduchess@yahoo.com

Mine says,...


We have an open door policy. You are welcome to drop by unannounced anytime we have kids in care. Please keep in mind though, if you choose to drop in, you are expected to take your child with you when you leave. It is very difficult for a child to say goodbye to their parent more than once per day. Also please respect our naptime if you choose to drop by. Our doors may be locked at times, but that is to insure our safety. Not to keep parents out of my home. Parents may ask for a conference to discuss concerns at any time.

Thanks I will definately be adding something soon!

[nannyde]

One arrival-one-departure-per parent-per child-per day.

This means that the parent are allowed to arrive with child once per day and depart with the child once per day.

The children are allowed to arrive once per day and depart once per day.

If parents decide to drop in unnanounced to check on their child they MUST take the child with them when they depart. They are welcome to come any time they would like and will have immediate access to their child as I'm getting them ready to leave. They can have a few minutes to visit as they would in their normal departure time but then must leave.

Arrivals and departures are one of the most time consuming aspects of this job. I spend about 80 minutes per day doing arrivals and departures(5 minutes per child per day each for arrival and departure). This is the amount of time I have built into their fees to do the arrivals and departures. If a parent needs an additional arrival and departure due to specialty doc appointments I let that slide. Sometimes they are made weeks in advance and they take what they can get. Other than that the rule sticks.

No arrivals during nap. No arrivals in the late morning for children who sleep in. If a child comes consistently late in the morning and is not tuckered out enough to nap then the family is terminated. I only provide care to children who need a full afternoon nap every day. If they don't need a nap every day they no longer qualify to attend my program. I don't "make" kids take a nap. I just don't have them in my house if they don't need a full afternoon nap.

[momofsix]

No arrivals during nap. No arrivals in the late morning for children who sleep in. If a child comes consistently late in the morning and is not tuckered out enough to nap then the family is terminated. I only provide care to children who need a full afternoon nap every day. If they don't need a nap every day they no longer qualify to attend my program. I don't "make" kids take a nap. I just don't have them in my house if they don't need a full afternoon nap.[/quote]

So if you have a child from infant on that gets old enough to not need to sleep every day (like 5) you would just quit the family? That's seems harsh to me.

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by momofsix

So if you have a child from infant on that gets old enough to not need to sleep every day (like 5) you would just quit the family? That's seems harsh to me.

I've never had that happen but yes I would let a child go after five years if they didn't need a nap. I don't provide school age care because of nap.

I don't have direct care during nap time built into my fees. (only exception is newborns needing a feed during nap) If the parent or parents were willing to pay for my staff assistant to do one to one care during nap (would be about 25 dollars per day additional fee) then I would allow it. It wouldn't be cost affective for the parent to pay that on top of my fee so it's never been something they were willing to do.

All of my kids have been here since they were babies. The parents know at the time of the interview that I don't provide services to children who don't need a full afternoon nap. It's in writing in the policies and they agree to it upon signing. It's nothing that is wicked or held from them and then SPRUNG onto them if/when it becomes an issue. I only care for kids birth to five and haven't had a single kid that didn't take an afternoon nap. The parents don't ask for me to alter it in any way because it's in my policies that I don't provide that service.

It's not personal. It's just a service I don't provide. It's okay to decide what services you do and don't provide and set your fees accordingly. If I offered a "anything BUT napping the entire nap time" option the parents would have to pay the additional fee for that service. None of them want that. It's just cheaper to have their kid take a nap. They can always get them up earlier in the morning and spend AWAKE time with them and keep them up at night and spend AWAKE time with them to offset the nap. They can do that for free or choose a provider who has a service that offers activities (be they quiet or regular play) during nap.

I hear there are children under five who don't need a full afternoon nap. I haven't ran into one in my 31 years of taking care of kids but I believe they are out there. Lots of my provider friends have their own kids up during a part of nap or all of nap. I don't know too many providers who have day care kids up but I've read about that on the boards.

I put that clause in my policies when I first started doing day care and have not waivered. If the parent feels the child needs any portion of nap time up then it's time to boogy over to the next day care or pay additional fees for an "up during nap time" service.

Nan

[originalkat]

Honestly, I think that is crazy to only allow them one drop off and pick up per day. Now if it was a regular thing then I could understand. But I have parents who schedule a long/early lunch and pick up at 11 and are back by 1:00 naptime) and then they go back to work. What is wrong with that? I do not allow for drop offs during naptime but other than that I dont have any restrictions. It makes more since to schedule an early or late appt and then bring them late or pick up early...but really why should they HAVE to do that? I know we do a lot as providers, but we need to remember we own businesses to PROVIDE good service and to be helpful to parents. This seems so restrictive to me.

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by originalkat

Honestly, I think that is crazy to only allow them one drop off and pick up per day. Now if it was a regular thing then I could understand. But I have parents who schedule a long/early lunch and pick up at 11 and are back by 1:00 naptime) and then they go back to work. What is wrong with that? I do not allow for drop offs during naptime but other than that I dont have any restrictions. It makes more since to schedule an early or late appt and then bring them late or pick up early...but really why should they HAVE to do that? I know we do a lot as providers, but we need to remember we own businesses to PROVIDE good service and to be helpful to parents. This seems so restrictive to me.

Simple answer. I'm not charging for that service. I already do 80 minutes average a day of one to one parent contacts doing arrivals and departures. That's what I have built into my fees. I could offer additional arrivals and departures but I would have to charge for that. I wouldn't mind offering it if I could get paid more. They don't want to have higher fees so we agree to one arrival one departure per parent per child per day.

I'm not throwing that onto them in the middle of our arrangement. That's an upfront agreement.

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by nannyde

Simple answer. I'm not charging for that service. I already do 80 minutes average a day of one to one parent contacts doing arrivals and departures. That's what I have built into my fees. I could offer additional arrivals and departures but I would have to charge for that. I wouldn't mind offering it if I could get paid more. They don't want to have higher fees so we agree to one arrival one departure per parent per child per day.

I'm not throwing that onto them in the middle of our arrangement. That's an upfront agreement.

I totally agree it should only be one pick up and one drop off per day. It upsets the child saying goodbye more than once, it upsets the other children to see them go and not them(the younger ones, that don't understand) it is just way too much. Then ruining their naps, and their schedule here. I would have never done that to my daycare provider when my child went to daycare, before I quit to stay at home myself!! Sometimes drop them off at 7:30, pick them up at 10:00, right during their nap to begin with- then returning them again at 12:00 or 12:30 then expect dinner yet, when my dinnertime is 11:00 or 11:15 everyday. Otherwise picking them up at 12:00 or having to feed them early for the pick up- then dropping them back off at 2:00 right during naptime/quiet time. Waking many children up, etc.... Then having child so tired, and scream for 10-15 min. till they finally fall asleep, before waking up everyone else!! I am just tired of the whole thing!!!!! This has happened numerous times with numerous families over the yrs. and it keeps happening and happening over and over!!! I will add something to my new contract regarding this and possibly newsletters in the future!!

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by Iowa daycare

I totally agree it should only be one pick up and one drop off per day. It upsets the child saying goodbye more than once, it upsets the other children to see them go and not them(the younger ones, that don't understand) it is just way too much. Then ruining their naps, and their schedule here. I would have never done that to my daycare provider when my child went to daycare, before I quit to stay at home myself!! Sometimes drop them off at 7:30, pick them up at 10:00, right during their nap to begin with- then returning them again at 12:00 or 12:30 then expect dinner yet, when my dinnertime is 11:00 or 11:15 everyday. Otherwise picking them up at 12:00 or having to feed them early for the pick up- then dropping them back off at 2:00 right during naptime/quiet time. Waking many children up, etc.... Then having child so tired, and scream for 10-15 min. till they finally fall asleep, before waking up everyone else!! I am just tired of the whole thing!!!!! This has happened numerous times with numerous families over the yrs. and it keeps happening and happening over and over!!! I will add something to my new contract regarding this and possibly newsletters in the future!!

I don't have the issue that it upsets the child. That's not a biggie to me. The kids are used to coming and going. They have been here their whole life. My problem is that it takes staff time to dress the child to leave, meet with the parents for the pick up, meet with the parents for the drop off, and undress the child, put his/her coat, clothes etc. away and take them to the play room.

It's extra ONE TO ONE staff time I don't have built into the fees.

[originalkat]

Originally Posted by Iowa daycare

I totally agree it should only be one pick up and one drop off per day. It upsets the child saying goodbye more than once, it upsets the other children to see them go and not them(the younger ones, that don't understand) it is just way too much. Then ruining their naps, and their schedule here. I would have never done that to my daycare provider when my child went to daycare, before I quit to stay at home myself!! Sometimes drop them off at 7:30, pick them up at 10:00, right during their nap to begin with- then returning them again at 12:00 or 12:30 then expect dinner yet, when my dinnertime is 11:00 or 11:15 everyday. Otherwise picking them up at 12:00 or having to feed them early for the pick up- then dropping them back off at 2:00 right during naptime/quiet time. Waking many children up, etc.... Then having child so tired, and scream for 10-15 min. till they finally fall asleep, before waking up everyone else!! I am just tired of the whole thing!!!!! This has happened numerous times with numerous families over the yrs. and it keeps happening and happening over and over!!! I will add something to my new contract regarding this and possibly newsletters in the future!!

I understand this perspective. If I kept having issues like these I would probably have something in my policies to address appointments. All of my parents (so far in the last 2 yrs) have been very respectful of lunch/nap schedules and I havent had a problem.

[originalkat]

Originally Posted by nannyde

I don't have the issue that it upsets the child. That's not a biggie to me. The kids are used to coming and going. They have been here their whole life. My problem is that it takes staff time to dress the child to leave, meet with the parents for the pick up, meet with the parents for the drop off, and undress the child, put his/her coat, clothes etc. away and take them to the play room.

It's extra ONE TO ONE staff time I don't have built into the fees.

I was really going to say that I didnt understand your reasoning in your original post...but you have already explained it in this one. I guess this has more to do with your individual set-up and routine in your home. My daycare room is right off the driveway and the parents enter directly into it so it doesnt take any more time for me to send the kid out the door with their parent. If I had a basement or back playroom then I can see how this could be more of a pain and would leave the other children without your direct supervision.

[nannyde]

Originally Posted by originalkat

I was really going to say that I didnt understand your reasoning in your original post...but you have already explained it in this one. I guess this has more to do with your individual set-up and routine in your home. My daycare room is right off the driveway and the parents enter directly into it so it doesnt take any more time for me to send the kid out the door with their parent. If I had a basement or back playroom then I can see how this could be more of a pain and would leave the other children without your direct supervision.

No I have a staff assistant. I don't have to leave the kids unattended. My reasoning for not allowing it is because it takes more one to one time for the child and the parent contact. As I said.. I already spend an average of 80 minutes a day JUST doing arrivals and departures and that is NOT counting the time it takes to undress/dress kids and store their clothing. That's just the average amount of parent contact time.

[momofsix]

I have no problem with parents picking up/dropping off more than once either. I have never had an issue with upset kids--they are fine coming again, and the other kids are fine seeing others leave. Not a problem at all! I don't really think it takes an unreasonable amount of work on my part for them to arrive/leave either. Every arrival and departure is not a conference, sometimes it's a quick hello/goodbye that takes hardly any time at all. I guess it just depends on provider/parent preference

[Daycare Mommy]

I don't mind the extra drop off and pick ups, UNLESS it bumps into naptime. That is so irritating. I still allow it though. If it started happening frequently I'd probably say something to the parents about it and possibly update the contract, but it's just every now and then, so I haven't bothered yet.

I do put my foot down that if they aren't here for lunch they need to be fed before coming back even if it's just 30 minutes later. And bringing back a lunch isn't an option. They need to have already eaten before they come back in. It's disruptive enough if they are coming in at naptime without having to mess with a late meal time right in the middle of the other kids' napping.

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by Daycare Mommy

I don't mind the extra drop off and pick ups, UNLESS it bumps into naptime. That is so irritating. I still allow it though. If it started happening frequently I'd probably say something to the parents about it and possibly update the contract, but it's just every now and then, so I haven't bothered yet.

I do put my foot down that if they aren't here for lunch they need to be fed before coming back even if it's just 30 minutes later. And bringing back a lunch isn't an option. They need to have already eaten before they come back in. It's disruptive enough if they are coming in at naptime without having to mess with a late meal time right in the middle of the other kids' napping.

ALso everytime two families pick up during rest time or drop off they wake up my own daughter who is in her bedroom, right next to the front door. She may have only been sleeping 15 min. and will not go back to sleep once she wakes up unfortunately!!! So I really need to put a stop to it!!! This has happened 5 or 6 times now since she has been born, maybe even more than that.

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't have an issue with multiple drop-offs or pick-ups either. It doesn't make my life difficult at all. Some mind it others don't. It doesn't take time away from me because if we are doing activities the parent's know that I will not stop what I am doing. They are pretty much ignored. They know that when they arrive they have to help their child out of their jacket, put his/her things in the cubby and sent the child to the activity quietly. They sign themselves in and VOALAH! They're out of there. If they do have to chat I just stop for a second and just tell them that we can finish the conversation later and that we're in the middle of something. I have "office hours" that are specifically reserved for phone calls and parent concerns so that this doesn't take time away from the children. I guess I don't have a problem and don't see it as being disruptive at all. Also they know not to arrive or depart during nap/quiet time either (the ones younger than 5 nap and the older ones have quiet time).