Hello,

Just wondering if you guys go to the door every time the parents come. I watch 9 kids under 2 yrs with my mom. If I’m not near the door, I yell, “come in” and most parents just come in. However, one parent always acts like she can’t hear me (even when the window is open).
I hate to see my 70 yr old mom get up to open the door if she is busy changing a diaper, etc. I don’t like doing it because I don’t think it’s necessary.
I know a simple solution is just tell this parent, “if the door is open, come in” but I still feel like she will be ridiculous and ring the doorbell. Also, sometimes I don’t know if I want her just walking in my house. This lady is constantly getting on my nerves.
So, the majority of the time do u guys just stay near the door when parents are coming? Make them knock? Yell “come-in?” Or what?
Also, since I’m relatively new, I didn’t establish boundaries at the start. Therefore, parents show up whenever they want...anywhere from 3:30-5:20.

Reply

My parents have 3 doors to enter before getting into my house. The outside garage door that lets them into the garage. The door between the garage and the enterance way and the door between the enterance way and the kitchen which is their main enterance into the house. My doorbell doesn’t work (not sad about it) and since they have 2 other doors to just let themselves in before reaching a door where we would hear them knock I just tell them to come in. I also keep a smaller group and only work with people I know so I am okay with just having an open door policy. Also, I have a huge picture window in the living room that is adjacent to our playroom that has a view of the driveway. We typically see parents pull in/out and the kids usually all go running towards the kitchen door and we all greet them.

I don’t do contracted hours and just use a weekly rate but all of my parents have pretty typical work schedules so I just tell them if they are planning on picking up outside of their normal time frame to let me know by that morning. I do not change our daily schedule due to parents being late. Little Johnny leaves at 3PM typically and we go outside at 3:15PM. If we are planning on going on a walk and Johnny is still here at 3:15 we will not wait. We will put the “out on a walk” sign on the counter and mom can call us and pick Johnny up at whatever crossstreet we happen to be on.

Reply

I expect my parents to just walk in.

If they knock and wait to be greeted they will be left standing on the step all day and I tell them that straight up.

I also have the luxury of having a separate coat/cubby room that parents enter immediately into upon arrival.
That coat/cubby room is separated from my main area by a half-door. The main area is the central point of my house so when parents enter the coat/cubby room I easily greet them face to face yet still separated by the half door.

I think it's a very important part of the provider-family relationship. It also gives me the opportunity to kind of assess each child before allowing them to pass through the half door into our daily mix.

Reply

One thing that has worked well for me is to tell parents that if the porch light is on, the door is unlocked and they can come right in and if it's off, the door is locked and to text or knock (I don't have a doorbell). However I do have contracted hours so I usually know when parents are coming. In the morning they all come within 15 minutes of each other and I lock my door at 8. If anyone comes after that, it's fine, but they have to knock. We hang out near the entry way at the end of the day because it opens right up into my living room and again, they all show up within 15 minutes of each other.

Reply

I do but my parents have the same work schedules that I know when they will be dropping off and picking up within a 10 minute time frame. We also have large front windows that I can see when a parent is pulling in.

I’ve tried yelling to just come in if I’m busy but none of my of my parents can hear me. We live in a log home so the walls are pretty thick.

Reply

I ask my parents to give a little knock then walk right in. Those that stay at the door often wait a long time before I can get there to open it.

I do have one family this year that often waits to hear a "come in" because they are trying to be respectful of my space and they want to teach their children that just walking in and interrupting things is rude. I totally respect this and they always get a "come in!" from me.

Reply

I ALWAYS greeting parents.
1. it is professional
2. I'm able to ask some questions about a child and get/give some daily update. Especially about infants: when they ate, when they woke up, how they slept during night time...
3. my front door always is locked. No one can come in or leave without my control. I do not want to see here some strangers as well as I do not want that some kids run away.

Reply

Same here, except during my busy pickup times I tell parents to just walk in because I may be engages with another parent. I also think it makes pick up and drop offs go much fast than if a parent comes into the daycare area with their child.

Reply

My DCPs have a pretty consistent schedule, so I usually know when they'll be here and try to open the door for them and greet them. Our classroom faces the driveway, so I see them pull in unless I'm in the middle of something. They know they can just walk in when they get to the door.

Reply

In the morning yes, afternoon no as we are usually busy with a project or something is going on.

In the morning I can find out how their night was, anything else may have happened, etc.

In the afternoon, when the parents come back into the preschool room, I can have the children start collecting their things, put on shoes, coats while I catch parents up on childs day.

Reply

I ask my parents to just walk in. I have a bell hanging on the inside of the door so if I'm where I can't see the door, then I can hear someone coming in, and drop whatever it is I'm doing to meet them in the entry.

Reply

I use a wireless doorbell that has 2 plug-in chime receivers so I can put them in any room I desire. I ask that parents ring the doorbell as they are entering my entryway/mudroom off the kitchen so that I can be then go from the playroom to the kitchen to greet the child. I do not like parents to move past the entryway because it always leads to them thinking I would like to chat with them after their pick-up time, which I definitely do not want to do.

Reply

Mine just walk in and the door alarm automatically sounds. However, I've had two dads who weren't comfortable doing that and knocked and waited. I understood that so had no problem with it.

Reply