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Ac114 08:02 AM 06-07-2018
We are in the process of renovating our garage to move the daycare area out there. It will have its own entrance so parents do not need to come through the house. I have thought of having a gate or different kind of flooring to separate entrance area from the rest of the daycare. I want parents to stay there. I currently have parents enter my home through the kitchen because it is hard wood floors. We have a strict NO SHOES ON THE CARPET RULE. Child will take parent by the hand and say come look here and the parent always stsrta walking on my carpet with shoes. I’ll remind them to take their shoes off but it’s like it’s an annoyance to them. The children will also start dumping buckets of toys out and parent will finally say ok time to leave but then leave my home a mess. Its usually the same 2 families and I’m started to get annoyed. I just want them to stay in designated area, make drop off/ pick up quick and go. I will also be revamping my hand book to include drop offs/pickups to be quick and to a limited amount of time to limit chaos. Does anyone else have a rule like this or a designated area that you can clearly tell by it being gated off that this is where parent stays? Has it worked? Has it caused issues or do parents seem put off by it? Just looking for feed back. Thanks!
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CalCare 08:13 AM 06-07-2018
Is there a way to put a gate up that exits your kitchen, to the carpeted area? That can be closed with a sign in it, "no entry with shoes!" Or "Please remove your shoes" or one of those rhymes about little hands touch this floor so remove your shoes at the door... Or whatever that rhyme is Lol
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Jupadia 08:29 AM 06-07-2018
I use my back door as an entrance into the daycare. It has a small landing with like 3 stairs going up and like 8 going down to the basment/ daycare kitchen which leads to the daycare . The actual daycare room is separated by a door away with a gate. I have a no shoe policy past the gate. Where in the kitchen due to the small lNding I have a bench and a no getting ready or taking stuff rule off on stairs.
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NiNi.R. 11:52 AM 06-07-2018
When I moved into my new house the previous owner left a long cabinet with countertop on wheels. I use it as a barrier from the rest of the room. It creates a little "hallway" where I have a chair where kids sit down to take off their shoes. It being a cabinet instead of a gate also provides extra storage!
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Ac114 01:06 PM 06-07-2018
I do have a gate up the goes the entire length of the living room to block off from the kitchen, but they still go through it because their child runs the show. I was just trying to see if anyone has it spelled out in their policies that parents need to stay in designated area.
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LittleScholars 11:26 AM 06-08-2018
Originally Posted by Ac114:
I do have a gate up the goes the entire length of the living room to block off from the kitchen, but they still go through it because their child runs the show. I was just trying to see if anyone has it spelled out in their policies that parents need to stay in designated area.
I have. I posted something like this when I moved to a new space. It made me crazy that parents were walking through the house with their shoes on, and I've since eliminated pretty much everything that makes me crazy. I can't really picture your space but I did the following:
-updated my handbook so that it reflected the way I wanted pick up to run
-made a clear visual area with mats that indicated where parents could be with shoes on
-We are almost always outside at pick up, but if we aren't as soon as a parent arrives I tell the child to go get ready. I don't allow them to take anything out and if they try to (they did), I remind them we are cleaned up for the day. Parents all got it and now pick up is a breeze.

I don't know if that is helpful, but I'm happy to share more specifics if any of that is useful.
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Second Home 07:12 AM 06-11-2018
You could make some wood shelving units to create a wall between the entrance area and the kids area . The kids side could be toy storage and the front could have a cubby / bench for the kids to sit , put shoes on / off . Have a gate to keep parents on one side and kids on the other .

And a nice sign on the gate stating No shoes or children only in child side of the room .

Maybe have the child on the parents side and ready and waiting for when parents arrive.
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daycarediva 09:56 AM 06-12-2018
I have a separate entrance. Dh built a 1/2 wall with space between for cubbies. For now I have a swinging baby gate installed, we will be building a custom self latching gate when time allows.

Parents drop off/pick up do NOT cross that gate. I bring children over. Parents can see everything over the 1/2 wall, we chat and then I hand the kid off through the gate and say goodbye.
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Unregistered 12:54 PM 06-12-2018
Originally Posted by Ac114:
Does anyone else have a rule like this or a designated area that you can clearly tell by it being gated off that this is where parent stays? Has it worked? Has it caused issues or do parents seem put off by it? Just looking for feed back. Thanks!
We have an entrance specially for the parents with a little sitting area and even like that is hard to keep them from coming in.

Some things that might help:
Have a sign on the door in the morning that says "Closing at **PM sharp today please wait here for your little one" (maybe use it 3/4 times a week?) or also you can put in the contract that if parents want to spend few minutes with their kids they need to arrive BEFORE the closing time. Very little parents actually come before closing time since they like to think they used up what they paid for as much as possible .
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knoxmomof2 01:42 AM 08-03-2018
Originally Posted by Ac114:
I do have a gate up the goes the entire length of the living room to block off from the kitchen, but they still go through it because their child runs the show. I was just trying to see if anyone has it spelled out in their policies that parents need to stay in designated area.
I know it's been a while since you posted, but I wanted to respond. I have a separate drop off/ pick up room that is adjacent to the daycare room. I started out with everything happening in the daycare space and had several issues (lingerers mainly that wouldn't take the hint, Snowflake's mom that wanted to make her daughter the center of attention for their long drop off routine, etc) Luckily, I have a good set up to be able to move it. Half the group didn't care (the ones that came in and out with no issues), the other half were unhappy. I ultimately told them that if it didn't work for them, they were welcome to find a place that was a better fit. Both stayed.

With your setup you should just verbalize the point of the gate. Let parents know that as of such and such date, no parents allowed past the gate. When the child starts heading for the gate, or whatever behavior indicates his plans to get a toy out or lead a parent that way, you just say "Okay Johnny, it's time to go home. Let's get our bag" or whatever and redirect them. If there is a child or 2 that are repeat offenders, prepare them on their way out of the room- "remember Johnny, no going back into the play room. It's time to go home" and be ready to enforce it. It feels odd at first, telling a child what to do in front of their parent, but I've learned from here that the child is testing out who is in charge when 2 authority figures are present at the same time. In your house, it's you.
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Ac114 10:53 AM 08-03-2018
I wanted to reply now that we are in our new space as of this week. We actually built a half wall with a door so now I just have to hand the child over the wall to the parent and the parent can get them ready. I was having issues with parents lingering, not getting child ready and expecting me to do it or entering the daycare room with shoes. This has literally solved all problems from above. I can give them to parent say my goodbyes and forget they are here. There is a built in shoe cubby and hangers for their coats.
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storybookending 11:42 AM 08-03-2018
Originally Posted by Ac114:
I wanted to reply now that we are in our new space as of this week. We actually built a half wall with a door so now I just have to hand the child over the wall to the parent and the parent can get them ready. I was having issues with parents lingering, not getting child ready and expecting me to do it or entering the daycare room with shoes. This has literally solved all problems from above. I can give them to parent say my goodbyes and forget they are here. There is a built in shoe cubby and hangers for their coats.
I am glad that you found a solution that works for you and solves all of the problems you were having! I’m continually amazed at the lack of respect that some of you post about your daycare parent behaviors. I have never mentioned taking shoes off to anyone other than possibly at the initial interview everyone just does it. I think this is a regional thing. I often see the “do you remove your shoes when entering your or someone else’s homes” on quizzes and such that are supposed to be able to guess what region you’re from by the way you answer the questions. It must be a Midwest thing to just automatically remove your shoes in any house. I did a Spring Break in FL in college and I stayed with family of a friend of mine. Her (then) preteen aged kids laughed when the first thing we did was take our shoes off.. they wear shoes in their houses there?! Who knew!
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