I'd love to get some input on this ongoing battle. I've sent out notices, friendly reminders, emails, to please dress and send weather appropriate clothing for your kids.
Today, it's 82 degrees, sunny, humid. 4 out of 6 of my DCK's are wearing rubber boots. No socks. One has jeans on, the other a sweater, no t shirt underneath. And not a change of clothes between them. Unless you count the soiled laundry that keeps coming back in the diaper bag.
And these are high income bracket one child families. I hate to think of letting them go.... the kids are great, it wouldn't be fair to them

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Refuse to accept them at the door. My kids are all required to have at least three changes of clothes, underwear, and socks plus one pair of shoes stay here. When they start getting small, I bag them up and send them home and the parents know if they don't return r next day with more clothes their kids aren't coming in the front door.

Wit stressing over e letters. Meet them at the door and tell them if they don't return the next morning with appropriate clothing on and a sack of three changes of everything they can't come in the door and will have to seek alternate care until they comply.

Easy as pie.

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Require 3 changes of clothes by monday and I require that they have tennis shoes here.
If would tell them that if they do not comply by Monday you will expect $100 to go purchase the items yourself!

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I usually start out with friendly reminders too, then it usually progresses to frustration and then outright confusion as to why parents won't or don't comply when it comes to their child's needs.

I don't always have the time to do a check upon arrival so any time we are transitioning to an activity that requires certain clothing/items (that was previously requested/required and a child doesn't have it, I will call the parent at work.

"Hi Jill, Say I have requested proper clothing for Billy now several times and you have still not brought it. We are getting ready to head outside and he doesn't have the right clothing. You will need to bring him the requested clothing so he can participate with the others or you will need to come pick him up so that the rest of us can do xxxxx (whatever activity we have planned). Thanks"

I don't care if the parent is inconvenienced as not bringing the things your child needs, after being asked multiple times, is simply not acceptable and it inconveniences me and all the other families who DO bring the required supplies for their kids.

I would never allow the other kids to miss out on something because ONE parent couldn't get their ducks in a row.

Some parents need to start making their child's need a priority.

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I've done this so long that I have extra clothes I keep here. However, I've been known to send a boy home in pink shorts cause, after all, he didn't have any extra after he peed his pants and had to have something and that is the only thing that fit him....(maybe, lol)

Another provider I know keeps extra clothes but writes on them with a permanent marker 'daycare' so the clothes will be returned.

I just decided this was easier than the hassle.

Laurel

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I also have some "back up" back up clothes esp sweatshirts! I also have parents leave clothes here for me, not toting them back and forth. I always tell them to bring me some yard sale stuff so that they are not wanting it at home. I have been known to pull my clothes off of a kidlet before they leave though (with parent standing there) and put back on soiled clothes or send naked home!

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I keep extra clothes here as my own personal stash including shoes (gotta love Keds). If I need to I will loan them to the child and when the parent arrives at pick-up I will take my change of clothes off of them and hand the parent a half or fully undressed child along with the clothes that the child came in and they can dress the child. I had to change the child when they got here, they can change them back when they leave. If they want to take my items home with them I will charge them for the items.

I used to allow the clothes to go home before and not charge them unless the client forgot to return them (I would also write DAYCARE in big lettering with fabric marker) but I still didn't get my stuff back sometimes. Who knows why they would want old shorts with writing on them . I gave up on that. Now even if I change them into my clothes I still talk to the parent at pick up and if it has become a regular occurrence I let them know that I will refuse them at the door if I don't have an extra change of clothing here (weather appropriate) as well as bringing their child in appropriate clothing.

If I have a change of clothing here that is weather appropriate then I will change the child into their extra set of clothes and do the same as if it were my clothing ... I would undress the child at pick up and return the child to the parent half/fully undressed and hand them the inappropriate clothes to the parent. I would keep their weather appropriate weather clothes here and wash them myself so that I would always have an appropriate set.

I live on the coast in southern CA so our weather can be a little out there in the sense that one day it can be sunny and the next it can drizzle even in the summer so I always require two sets of clothing (one for warm weather, one for hot weather) including extra shoes (sandals and closed toe shoes). I require these before their first day of daycare.

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I've never done naked but once a bright pink and blue top that was flared at the bottom girly style went home on a boy. You can bet parents sent him clothes the next day.

Laurel

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Thanks, these are great suggestions. I think refusing them at the door might just be the cure all for their laziness. I know for darn sure that if I send my kids to their summer program or school in ridiculous outfits I'd get a call immediately (and I'd feel like a bag of you know what too) .
I wrote daycare on the extra shorts, shirts and undies just in case I can't get them off at the door in time. ( I've lost a ton of clothes already)

I have sent the boys home in girl shorts/tops and vice versa.... for some reason it just doesn't faze the parents

When my son 6 he was in karate forgot his belt once- he had to wear the extra one which had I FORGOT MY BELT printed all over it. Omg, I almost died when I picked him up. He never forgot it again.

My husband suggests duct taping notes to their shirts as they leave

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I'll change them back to their own clothes if it was just a weather change but not if they have poopey on them, for example.

Of course in South Florida we don't have much weather variation. It is either hot or hotter.

I require water shoes for water play so I just bought some cheap flip flops or have outgrown shoes from past children that parents didn't want back.

Laurel

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That's what I would do- make sure the spare clothes are as horrible for that child as possible, and hopefully the parents will suddenly "remember" to send extras. Or give a notice that appropriate spare clothes must be sent by (date) or no drop off.

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My parents could care less about frilly/girly clothes on their boys too... doesn't faze them a bit.

You are on the right track with writing daycare on the clothing you lend out but you forgot a word..... I used to write "STOLEN from ABC Child Care" really big on the clothes....they always got returned.

I used to do a fee too. If I sent home a child in clothing from daycare, the parent had $5 added to their invoice. The $5 was returned to them once they returned the clothing.

I don't keep clothing as spares anymore.

It isn't part of my job description...and I think it just enables the parents to be lazy or irresponsible about something so simple.

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