The only complaint I've heard over the years is I don't teach the kids to pick up after themselves. Yes, they put their plates and cups in the sink, but when it comes to toys, I always put them away myself.

I would love to learn how to teach them to do it, but that is my worst fault.

The other complaint would be that I let them run around without shoes and socks, even in the back yard.

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I am exactly the opposite. My kids pick up everything themselves.. I rarely help past singing and encouragement.

I also have never allowed anyone outside w/out shoes.



I have never had a parent say it but I think my 'no toys from home' policy erks some of them. esp the ones that bring the toys everyday and i send them right back out.....

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The most common complaint I get is my hours. I work 7am to 530pm and apparently that isn't enough. I used to work 6am to 6pm and never had clients that utilized the additional time so I reduced it.

I've had one parent ask me to work til 7pm Monday through Saturday. It came up to 66 hours a week! I work 55-60 a week and I feel that is plenty sufficient!

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Why would anyone complain about no shoes and socks?
We live in socal, except for the rare rain storm or cold day... we always have nice weather and it's normal and natural for kids to run a round barefoot.

Kids do need to put their own toys away, maybe you can label the bins with a picture of them and make a game out of it. Set a timer and see how "fast" they can do it.
That always works for me.

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I have had a few parents that really wanted nanny care but were stuck with daycare. They want their child held a lot or whatever it takes to keep them from crying. They also want random napping accommodated or prolonged rocking, etc.....again, whatever it takes to avoid crying.

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I don't work long enough hours...I should be open 24 hours.
I should do all those extra hours for no extra pay.
I should provide all diapers
I should provide all wipes
I should bathe their kids daily
I should do their laundry
I should ignore all the rules in the handbook when it comes to THEIR child
It's my fault if they forget to get their kids registered at school
It's my fault if their kids aren't doing their homework
It's my fault if their kids get sick
It's my fault their kids are hungry because they won't eat healthy food

I've pretty much heard it all over the past 25 years.

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This. ^^

Except, I don't however have the issue with toys from home. I nipped that one in the bud a long time ago and no one has tried to bend that rule in a really long time.

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Maybe s demographic thing? Lots of providers also don't allow flip-flops or sandals and pretty much all of my DC kids own a pair of each. I don't even mind that they come with them to DC. Even my 2yo's know how to walk in flip flops. I even wear flip flops pretty much daily. The weather's too pretty year-round not to wear flip flops/sandals or go barefoot in our back-yard .

10:30am here in Southern CA, overcast and it's still 74 degrees outside lol

OP: The biggest complaint that I have is not giving a grace period. My theory is "If you are on time, you're late". If your contract says 8am to 6pm and it's 6:01pm and you're still here, you're late.

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Mine complain about letting the kids nap. LOL.

But, I let my kids go outside without shoes and socks all the time (except in the hottest part of the day)

They almost never wear any clothes except panties/chonies. If they can take em off, and put em back on, they can play naked... I don't mind.

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I'm like this with my own kiddos (my own DS 9mo spent all day yesterday in his diaper and nothing but) but I don't know if I have the courage to do that with the DC kids

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Tuition is not attendance based.

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Let's see...this is my second daycare home and no complaints at this one yet. A few silly (well, not silly but easily fixable) ones from 10 years ago are...

• Please don't mix meat & dairy (I think it was because he was Jewish?)
• I'd like to see less juice on the menu
• Please don't let Little Johnny sleep too long
• Can't you take your vacation when we take ours (one family)
• Can you stay open LATER or just generally LET MY KID MOVE IN WITH YOU???
  

Things that I'm sure they're thinking now but they probably won't complain about....

• No toys from home
• The days that I can't do the Daily Reports
• When I go group, I'll have a lot more kids and it'll be a lot less like having their own Nanny for group pay

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I haven't had any complain but I'm sure they do behind my back..

I require tennis shoes for outside. They don't have to wear them here but they need them daily. I have peagravel in part of the daycare and it's a pain to keep taking sandels on and off that get rocks in them.

Also my hours, I only work 7-4:30. I don't want to miss my kids afterschool activities nor do I want them to be woken up by kids before 7am.

I'm not attendance based, they pay when they aren't here.

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While I get the typical complaints about my sick policy, no toys from home and holiday pay, there are a couple things that surprised me that people have complained about.

Diaper cover - I think it's rather gross for me to have to touch your child's soiled diaper without anything covering it. It's gross that a child would sit on my carpet, car seats or furniture in a bare diaper. Diapers should be covered by pants, onsie, shorts, leggings. Something!

Children opening the front door during pick-up or drop-off. - I don't allow it. Only adults open doors to the outside. People have complained about it, not enforced it with their own children, said okay Johnny just this once but otherwise Kathy says no. Ugh!

I am really inconsistant about filling out daily charts. I go in streaks. I'm sure people think I'm crazy. It's just something I hate doing, and I feel like I communicate throughout the day with them via text and we chit chat a bit before they leave. I know they like them and prefer that I do it, but it is definitely a weakness.

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OMG...one of my biggest pet peeves!!! SO dangerous...I am very firm, no smiles, and I remove little hands right off of my door knob, right in front of mom or dad. "Oh noooooooooo Johnny...you don't touch Miss T's door...EVER!!! Only Miss T opens doors around here!!!"

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I've had parents complain about my illness policy (because it's strict and I enforce it). I've had parents complain about their child having to have a naptime (it's a rest time and I don't make the dcks sleep...they fall asleep because they're tired). Parents have had complaints about potty training because I don't allow cloth underwear until the child is accident free for 2 weeks. They have the luxury of taking their child to the bathroom every 10 minutes. I don't.

Pretty standard stuff.

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Wow I'm the opposite. I'm constantly teaching the kids to open the door when they are tall enough to reach. I feel that they need to know how to open the door in case of a fire so that they can get themselves out and I can focus more attention on the littler ones that need to be carried out. We do firedrills regularly and I always check to see that everyone over age 3 can get themselves out.

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I've had complaints regarding no food and toys from home.
I've had complaints about not opening early enough though that was from a boss of a client who wanted her to get to work earlier.
I've had complaints about the days off/vacations I schedule.

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Good point Squirrel! The thing is that my DCK's help themselves to the door knob because they feel like going outside unattended or because someone is at the door (it never is but it could be a stranger and it's usually the 3 year olds that do this).

I also worry about fire safety. My inspector made me put a 4 foot gate on my porch. God forbid there's a fire and we have to use that exit...I'm the only one with an arm long enough to reach over and open the lock on the other side. But I guess my inspector knows what he's doing....

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Yes, I drill them on opening, closing, locking and unlocking the doors too. They open the doors to walk the others out.

They can NOT open the door when a parent is coming in though. They know not to let anyone in, but it's OK to let them out.

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Complaints from parents here would be a lot of attitude but not much verbal about the no food or toys from home. And verbal with attitude when I don't want to open on a Saturday for just their kids.

Oh and complaints all the time from 1 DCM when I didn't feed DCB dinner a few times each month because I would have plans to go out for dinner. (he was here for EVERY MEAL! (11 hr days) I'm not paid to serve him dinner and she couldn't spare any extra to help so why should I make a whole meal just for him when we are going out after he leaves. I would give him an extra snack of course to hold him over but that wasn't good enough for DCM. I often got the "GASP Now I have to go home and cook something!" (God forbid u feed your own child!) Almost every time I went out for dinner which is usually a few times per month. Oh and same DCM if his teeth weren't brushed before pick up she would have something to say. DCB toddler had to brush his teeth right after he arrived (she woke him and put him in the car), after lunch of course, and before he was picked up. Hmmm lets see all 3 meals and snacks served here, all 3 teeth brushings done here, should I bathe him too? I didn't dare say it out loud because she would take me up on that offer!

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what? no one else has complainers that want their child held and cared for "nanny-style"? this has been my biggest obstacle with daycare from the beginning but maybe it is the type of family I attract.

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I don't have this issue anymore ever since I changed my ways and explained the "group's needs are more important then the individual child's needs" thing. I make sure that I say it on the phone each time too. In a nice way of course.

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yeah I do that too and it has gotten better but it is still my biggest thing. One DCM wants me to start pottying her little one but her idea is for me to stay with this one kid 20 minutes at a time in the bathroom, several times a day. Thats what i mean about nanny style care. I don't know what she thinks the other 6 kids would be doing during that time...

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My big gripe is "please keep Junior up from nap he/she won't go to bed at night". Of course I tell them then dck is to old for my program.

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Ask her what she would think if it was another parent that asked for this and what she would think if you had to leave her son unsupervised for an hour a day?

Someone once said on this forum to request that the DC parents get their butts up earlier and wake their kid up earlier in the morning so that they'll sleep earlier at night lol

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Yes! This! The "why do I pay for days my child isn't here?" irks me to no end. That and "why is there a late charge?" Oh and "what do you mean I can't write you a check anymore? I only bounced ONE check to you." ALL parent griping is about money. Nobody has ever complained about the program. Wait, I take that back. There is the lady who isn't happy I wouldn't let her kid pee in the sink. Really, not joking. She is leaving soon.

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I haven't got that complaint but that's probably because I've got such a small group that every child I have has been 'nannied' when all the other kids don't show up, when they are the only ones waiting for pick up, or the first one's here.

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I love this...I would really like if my dcks just stripped upon entering and got re-dressed when they got ready to leave...so I can stop worrying about them turning the entire fronts of their (namebrand, white) shirts yellow while eating orange slices...just wipe the bellies off and go to nap

My parents biggest complaint lately has been that we didn't take their kids on as many field trips as we said we would...but that was due to extenuating circumstances. Our director fell quite ill...so me and the other lead teacher had to take over her duties, making us unable to leave the building as much.

The parents all know this...but they keep making snide remarks

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This, definitely.

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The ones I've had are:
-I made a preschooler eat fruits and veggies.
-I charge per week, not by days attending.
-One dad wanted me to term another kid b/c he didn't get along with that kid's dad.

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20 mins x 10 hrs = 200 mins/60 = 3.6 hrs of unsupervised time for the other kids.

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Both my boys prefer to be naked. I'm working really hard to change this. They both strip down to go to the bathroom and come out naked. If no one's here, I don't worry about it too much.

Last week my 15 yo had a friend over, I was constantly putting the boys' undies on. Today a gf came over with her 6 yo granddaughter. "Grandma, that boy took his underwear off!" "Grandma, the other boy is naked now." The little girl was not impressed.

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I had this request a few years ago. The mom also supplied a pre-approved book list that I was suppose to read to her DD so she could be relaxed enough to use the toilet.

She termed when I said no.

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I would have said no, too.

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A few complaints I've heard recently, whether it be directly from the parent or the kids have told me mom and dad have said this is:
-I am "wrong" to enforce my late fee when they were only stopping at the grocery store to get the weeks food, it would have been impossible to do it with the kids with.
- I am wrong to raise my rates because so and so said it is not right
- You don't do enough arts and crafts. They should do more and just leave them at your house on display... Hello I do daycare in my HOUSE I'm not going to do arts and crafts every day per your request and hang them up in my house! If you want me to do arts and crafts, take them home and hang them up.
-I don't get paid for Christmas Eve, Day after thanksgiving and new years eve so I don't understand why I have to pay you.

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I grocery shop with your kids, why can't you?

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No kidding! I have 2 kids and do just fine grocery shopping, she can't do it with 1 kid? That is one of my biggest pet peeves, especially when she's my last pick up of the day and I find out she's just spent an hour at the grocery store.

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I've never had a complaint yet.... only opened since may though.

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Why do I have to pay when my child is not there?

He had to have a donut, or candy bar from gas station for breakfast, he didnt finish it in the car. Here it is. ( NOPE!) Complaint I dont allow food/toys from home/gas station.

Text at 5pm ( I close at 5) we will be 30 minutes late is this ok? ( ended in a $30 late fee, and reminder that just because I am a home daycare does not mean I have no closing time.) Why cant I be open 24 hours?!?

He had to wear those shoes sorry. ( i dont allow sandals with no backs on children under age of 5.)

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My biggest is one is, "Why can't I split up my free vacation weeks and use them by the day?"

I basically say because I said so. :P

I don't get the grocery shopping one at all. I take my whole crew to the grocery store once a week to pick out their own snack (from the produce dept lol). If I can do it with 7 and a wagon...you can do it with one or two contained in a cart.

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this drives me crazy, I always tell the kids "stranger danger" I don't find it funny either, some parents laugh that their kids do this. its the kids that open doors.

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I'm headed to Target and Sam's right now with 4.

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4 is easy peasy! lol Parents would curl in a ball and cry if they heard that. hahaha!

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I should change my policy to read no food/toys from home/gas station. Hahahaha! That made me laugh, lilrugrats!

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....is that they are not getting nanny care for a group price.

That's all it boils down to really. They only think about THEIR child and THEIR wants and expect providers to bend on a whim. They want special favors, special exceptions and tons of one on one time for their child....but they don't want to pay for it. They want the best possible personal care...at rock bottom group prices.

They do not want to pay for days they are not in care. I would love to see them try that with their landlord......
"We'll be on vacation for two weeks in August and won't be living the house...so we only want to pay half the month's rent...after all it wouldn't be fair because we have to pay for our hotel while we're gone too......."

Chances are they wouldn't even ask the landlord...but for some reason it's OK to ask the day care provider to go without income and yet still expect them to keep a spot open for them.

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