Hey ladies, I've mostly been lurking as I am setting up my childcare home and getting going. There were a lot of things that you reported parents doing that I thought to myself, "Not the parents I have interviewed with, they are great!" Yet here I find myself with parents slowly asking for more and more...

All 3 families I interviewed gave me very clear cut hours, all have slowly crept their schedule to 15 minutes earlier and/or later...

Here's my question at this point. What exactly do I say to this mother...

In the interview she stated she would need care from about 8-8:15 until usually 3:30-3:45. If her husband works overtime, then 4:30 at the latest. I was fine with that as my last pick up is currently 4:30. She turned in her paperwork today stating her children's care time to be 8a-5p. I'm not 100% positive I didn't say I could possibly be open slightly past 4:30, but I am sure she never asked to have her kids here till 5(with just starting out, I hadn't completly decided upon hours, yet). I hate to cause conflict already. Would it be direct enough if I said "Did we discuss a pick up time of 5pm, I remember you saying it would usually be earlier, 4:30 at the latest if your husband works overtime?"

Any advice?

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All of my current families said the same thing during the interview. All are here from 8:00 - 5:50 Monday-Friday. I swear I am going to start making a clip video of interviews one day.

It has been this way for many years, with many families.

IMHO, During the interview they imagine their child crying and missing them and can't bear to leave them one second longer that financially necesssary.

After the transition period, when the child cries at pick-up because they want to stay and play....that all changes. Parents see that the child likes being there and has access to all kinds of supplies they don't have at home... It just gets easier for them.

As it gets easier they tend to pick up old hobbies, friends, interests and habits from before having babies. It is a pretty common cycle from what I see, here.

You are going to have to decide what hours work for you and never cave to pressure. My hours are set in stone unless emergency. Late fees are enforced. Life is good.

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If you don't want to be open until 5 and if you agreed on 4:30 with them, then don't ASK them what you agreed on....TELL them what you agreed on.

"We agreed that the latest time that you would pick up would be 4:30pm. I am not open until 5, so you must pick up by 4:30pm at the latest."

Take it from someone who has gotten a LOT LOT LOT of grief from parents - be strict with them right from the first, or they'll try to walk all over you. You do not work for them, you provide a service for them. Don't expect them to do anything that makes your life easier - you have to take care of that yourself. Good luck!

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Well said .. if only I had a back bone

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What are your late fees?

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In the interview she stated she would need care from about 8-8:15 until usually 3:30-3:45. If her husband works overtime, then 4:30 at the latest.

Parent translator: Hours will be eight a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

That's many more total hours than a 8:15 drop off and 3:30 pick up.
That equals 7.25 hours per day is 36.25 hours per week which would be 1885 hours per year.

Now once you accepted THAT then she went in for more. Now she wants not only the worst case scenario initially discussed but wants to add another .5 hours per day.

That equals 9 hours per day which is 45 hours a week which is 2340 hours per year.

That's 455 hours MORE per year. At an average of the original 7.25 hours per week it is the same as adding 62.75 days per YEAR.

That's equal to an additional THREE MONTHS of extra day care.
THAT'S A LOT.

Do you see how adding on to the front end and back end of the hours can lead you to work an extra THREE MONTHS full time in a blink of a couple of conversations?

So it's time to tell her that you offered your rates based on the 3:30 pick up and 8:15 drop off. If she wants 9 hour days it's an extra X per week.

Don't ever agree to open hours of drop off somewhere within a half hour and pick up within an hour. 99.99 percent of the time you will end up with the kid there the entire time at the max hours and THEN they will actually want more.
It's a bait and switch.... oldest day care game in the book.

Do the math of the extra hours and figure your hourly rate. It just got cut by 33 percent in ONE conversation with her.

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You are the only one who can enforce the rules you chose to run your business by. If she said 4:30 and you don't want kids until 5pm you have to tell her you close at 4:30. Catherder is sooo right. Parents say lots of things during the interview that don't happen. I decided to NOT fight the drop off and pick up battle anymore because it was stressful and made me resentful when the kids were here one second past their pickup time. Now I'm just open 7:30 to 5:30 (rather than contracted hours) and I don't pay attention to drop off and pick up times anymore.

My late fee is $5/child/5 min or less late.

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I don't disclose hours of operation per se. I tell parents that each day may vary and depending on what a parent has for contracted hours will determine how long I work.

Tell this mother that you agreed to 345pm each day and if dad is working late, you must know at pick up the day before. Pick up will then be 430pm and for each day that dad works late, their fee will increase by $5.00.

Associating money with it usually stops it.

Tell her that she is welcome to keep her child there until 5pm but it's going to be VERY expensive.

Be clear that you charge $1.00 per minute for late fees with no grace period. If parents contract the hours, they use the hours they ask for...no more.

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I no longer have specific "open/close" hours because of this. During interviews I explain I base my open hours on the needs of parents I enroll. If their stated schedule fits with what I am willing to do I fill out the hourly contract right there. In my handbook it states clearly "your contract will cover hours of care as stated, any changes must be pre approved and may require additional fees". I found that parents start out wanting care as few hours as possible and once comfortable were leaving them all hours I was open. This has worked really well for me, now "late" is as soon as they are not picking up at THEIR specific scheduled time. When they call for interview and ask my hours of operation, I let them know they are based on parent need and will let them know "currently I have children in care from 6:30am-4:45 pm.......what days/hours are you needing"? I am willing to open as early as 6am, and the latest I am willing to be open is 5pm as this is what works best for my family's personal schedule, if they need hours in that time frame, I interview. I have a 10 hr per day maximum as well. I also take notes specific to the conversation so that when we meet I have those there and can refer back if need be.

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I just had this happen to me! The dcm had told me during the interview that the hours would be wed-fri from 7-5. So when they brought the paperwork back to me, the hours she put on there were 6:45-5:45. I think they noticed the late fees and wanted to put longer hours maybe? I'm not sure why they would need so much extra time. But since right now my earliest gets here at 7 and latest leaves 5:30-5:45, I did not want to extend my hours for them. I had mentioned that I was open 6-6 but she never told me she needed those hours. So I had to call dcd since he brought papers and payment and let him know that at interview mom had told me 7-5. He acted surprised but said that he could do that... so obviously they didn't really need that extra hour. I let him know that if he needed the extra time we could just add $5 to the daily rate everyday. He declined of course. And it was not easy for me to tell him this, my backbone is not fully there but I'm working on it.

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My late fees are $1 per minute after 6pm, cash only, due before next drop-off (that day preferred). Phone call is mandatory (barring parent lying in the operating room following a crash).

I also will grant advance notice on rare occasions, no charge. I am not heartless as many suspect.

If it becomes abused then I will place on probation. The next step following probation is termination of contract.

I have a long waiting list and prefer to work with people who respect my daily 6pm dinner date with my own children.

My State requires published Open and Closed times to validate enrollment and ratios.

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I changed all of my families to contacted hours with late fees attached to any minutes outside of their contracted hours for this reason. Families have to provide me with written notice within two weeks of their hours changing, in which case I will decided if the hours work and the new fee for that family if their hours are longer.

This is the agreement I would have had with your family;

Your contracted hours are from 8:00am - 3:45pm

Please be sure to pick up your child between the hours of 8:00am - 3:45pm on all days that your child attends. A fee of $1.00/minute will be attached to any minutes earlier or later than your contracted hours.

I will accept a 4:30pm pick up only with advance notice to myself. (You can decide how much notice you are happy with).

If you are ok staying open until 5pm. I would give the family extended contracted hours (I always attach 15 minutes to their time).

Your contracted hours are from 7:45am - 5:15pm

Please be sure to pick up blah blah (same as above)

Then attached $5.00/day to their regular fee or whatever makes it worth your time.

If you are not ok with the later pick up then you will have to tell the family that you close at 4:30pm and do not accept any pick ups extending past that time.

Good luck!

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I agree completely. Well said.

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Thanks guys. I asked her this morning if we had discussed a 5pm pickup (before I read all your wonderful advice.) She said no. I'm astonished, so she just decide for herself that my services are available at herr whim. She agreed to a 430 pick-up. I'm not a center, I'm one person, they want that flexibility, they can pay double my rate

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