As it's the day after the 4th July holiday, I am low on numbers today. I asked for parent's schedules earlier in the week. Two sets of parents said they needed me at regular time. Meaning 6AM. So...I get up at 5AM and get ready.

It's 8:30AM now and another parent just arrived. Neither of the 6AM parents have shown up or called.

I could have stayed in bed an extra 2 and a half hours if I wanted!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't EVER do that to someone. I couldn't tell somebody I need them at 6AM, knowing they would get up and get ready....and not bother to tell them my plans had changed.

GRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I'm in the same boat. My 7:30 drop offs still haven't shown. DCM just texted and asked "are you mad?"

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That's one reason I have a late drop off policy. I do contract care only. If they don't call and don't show at all without notice, there's a fee for that.

If they are contracted for, or I agreed to open at 6am for a family and they don't call and show up at 900 am without notice, there's a charge for that too.

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Holy cow!!! That is rude.

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I would tell them that I got up at 5 a.m. to be ready for them at 6 a.m. and I don't appreciate them coming so late. See what they say? (Oh and look really sad).

My guess is they'll say "Oh didn't the other parent call you? I told them to." That's the kind of excuses I've had in the past. Then I'd probably say "Well from now on make sure YOU call me so there is no confusion."

Or you could go take the children for a walk or to the park and just not be there when they arrived. "Oh I didn't think you were coming so we just went on. You did tell me regular time, didn't you?"

Laurel

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15 minutes after drop off time I would have been on the phone inquiring where they were and if they still needed care.

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I give a one time courtesy call (or wake your butt up call) after 20 minutes past their arrival.

I would say....... I got up ready for you guys to come and usually you are always here on time, so I was concerned that maybe something was wrong.......

then just wait to see what they say.......

if they say the overselpt...... gee i wish I knew what that was like, what time can I expect you to be here??

I just don't get people...how hard is it to call or text???

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I do this also. I call 15 minutes after they are supposed to come if they havn't already arrived to "make sure that they are ok". If they don't answer I will leave a VM and I will text them letting them know that I called and I was concerned because they were still not here.

If they don't call back or text within 10 minutes I will text again with a simple "I'm guessing you aren't coming then so I am going back to sleep. Let me know in advance next time that you won't make it on time so I don't have to get up early on days you aren't going to come. Thanks."

That usually prompts a call or response with profuse apologies about how they are running late/not coming/dropping off later etc. and that they forgot to tell me to which I reply that I MUST be notified when they won't be arriving on time otherwise I will no longer be available for them that early. THAT USUALLY fixes the issue.

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Would you mind sharing how you word that in your handbook?

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I would phone them off the hook until I reached them.

Not to be rude in retaliation but because it's summer time and my worst thought goes to a baby forgotten in a backseat somewhere in a hot car. This happens especially when parents are out of routine, i.e, after a holiday, maybe one has off and the other takes to daycare. So, I wouldn't really care if I woke them from sleeping to make sure that was the case. No dead babies, please and thank you. So I'd handle it from a safety perspective first. If they then confirm that they overslept and didn't contact you, then you can get at them for being rude and ignorant as to how that would affect you and your day.

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Parents don't think about us. They are focused on their own worlds. Beyond Rude-

Had this happen to me at the begin of week.
Parent texted me at 9:30 Sunday night to tell me child was not coming the next day. Tuesday morning parent text me at the three minutes after the time she was do to get here. I get up 45 minutes early to prepare. I get up early for this parent. I don't have other kiddo's until a couple of hours later-

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Good idea. When I worked in a center, one of the dad's was late. When he showed up with his one year old, he said that he drove all the way to work.....with his child! Apparently he forgot she was in the car! Luckily he noticed!
I haven't had that problem in my fcc yet. My parents always text/call if they are going to be late, but it's usually around the time they should be here and I'm already up and ready by that time!

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It's on their contract. In their contract, under where we fill in their days and hours on the next paragraph it says something like this:::::

"Because I provide contracted care only, I depend on all parents to drop off and pick up according to schedule. Dropping off before your contracted time is prohibited without advance notice. Dropping off later than one hour after your contracted time, without advance notice, will result in my inability to provide care for that day.

My daycare runs on a schedule and late drop offs interfere with that schedule. Pickup earlier than your contracted time isn't a problem, as long as you text me with advance notice so that I am aware of the early pick up. For every 15 minutes (or increment thereafter) you are late for pick up, there will be a late fee of $10 per child and that amount is due AT PICKUP. NO EXCEPTIONS.

No pickups are allowed between the hours of 1230pm and 330 pm so that every child gets an uninterrupted rest period.

Please be considerate of myself and the other families and text me within 10 minutes of drop off and pick up."


And after every paragraph they initial and then they sign at the end.

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