Appropriate Time in a Single Day for a Child in Daycare

[Blackcat31]

BUT, my biggest pet peeve is that, fine, if you want to go and do your errands on your day off while I watch your child, BUT WHEN I WANT THE DAY OFF TO RUN ERRANDS I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY SLACK FROM THESE PARENTS. Unfortantly I have one mom who abuses it and throws a fit when I need a day off. There are some things that I just can't do after 6pm when everyone goes home.

I get that too! I have no problem watching ppl's kids b/c it is what I do. I am open 10-12 hours a day 5 days a week. I do NOT complain to parents that have their kids here every day, ALL day, but how come they are the first ones to complain when I close???? I am closed this year on Dec 20-24 for Christmas vacation and will be open the week between Christmas and New Years b/c I have several SA's that need care and there is no school that week so they will be here....but I have one mom who is throwing an absolute fit that I am not taking that week as the vacation week! She is also the only parent I have who has her kid here from the minute I open to the minute I close M-F (She only works M-R). I get grief from her every time I close....She goes so far as trying to talk me out of days I have planned for closing and trying to get me to do what she thinks.....she drives me crazy sometimes.....
Wow! That turned into a rant! Guess it was fresh in my mind b/c she brought it up yesterday again (gave notice in Sept. She started complaining immediatey....like I didn't give her enough advance notice!!!) She says, "Have you given any thought to my suggestions about Christmas vacation?" I'm like "Nope." Guarantee you she will ask atleast 10 more times before Christmas! ARRGGGG!!!

[Gurdy]

When I first opened, my hours were 6am-6:30pm. Most of the parents brought their children for the entire time that I was open. I knew that they did not work those long hours, so I started gradually changing my hours. I talked to each parent and found out that they were all off work by 5pm so I changed my closing time to 5:30. Then I gradually changed my opening time.
I am now open from 7:30-5:30. I am much happier with these hours. By changing my hours I felt like I took control of the situation, rather than having it dictated to me. I did lose one family by doing this, because she did not want to come pick up her child right after work, but I had other issues with her anyway, so it was for the best.

[Live and Learn]

"appropriate" can be a loaded word....know what I mean....what is appropriate for one family can be totally inappropriate for another. Example...in my opinion it was inappropriate for my own children to be in childcare. I quit work to stay home with my kids and give them 100% of my attention. I started to provide childcare when the youngest was sa. Some parents work 10 and 12 hour shifts. I would not be a provider for them because that would cut into my family time. I work 7:15-4. Any of my dc parents can use those hours if they would like to. Personally speaking I don't think it is right for the child to spend five 12 hour days with the sitter. personally I can't relate to a parent who would want to do this to there own child. Why have kids if you aren't going to make them priority #1? .....sorry for the rant!!!::

[countrymom]

I question this too, kids that are here all day for 5 days a week and go home for 2 or 3 hours a night, why would you have kids. Many had jobs before having kids so how were kids going to fit in the equation.

[Unregistered]

I would have no problem caring for a child whose parents worked three ten-hour shifts or four ten-hour shifts, or something like that. What I DO have a problem with are the parents I currently have who leave their child here for ten or more hours a day (FIVE days a week) so that mom or dad can go skiing, or hang out with friends at Starbucks to 'study.'

This particular child does have behavioral issues, and in my opinion after 18 years in the business, it's because the child spends unnecessary hours in daycare and has no consistent discipline or schedule at either mom or dad's home.

Sometimes long work hours necessitate long hours at daycare. But to keep your child at daycare for 12 hours JUST BECAUSE it's open for 12 hours and (by golly) you're gonna get your money's worth, is just wrong to me.

[Thriftylady]

I think it is hard to do a per day thing. DH had several jobs where he was required to work 12 hours a day. Usually though it worked out to 48 hours one week and 36 the next the way it rotated. Companies go to that these days because they can use fewer highly skilled people therefore it costs less. So I do it based on schedules. I mean if you want me to care for your child 30 hours a week, there is a price for that. 45 hours a week, there is a price for that also, but get up above 50 hours a week and you will pay quite a bit more.

[nanglgrl]

Old post but this problem is exactly why I went to a fee based on pick up time. I open at 7:30, pick up at 3:30 is one rate and gets higher every half hour after that up until 5pm. I heard of this from nanny de I believe.

Generally I'm paid $3-3.50 an hour when it's broken down but after 3:30 it goes to $5-6 per 1/2 hour. Amazing how many parents can find a way to pick up earlier when it costs more! For the last few years I closed at 3:30 because everyone was able to pick up. Now I close at 4:45 but they've found someone for the summer who can pick up at 3:30 when the rest of my clients leave.

I can't tell you how many people call and tell me they need full time care when I ask what they need then I ask what hours and they respond by asking what my operating hours are and then say those are the hours they need. Once I tell them how my rates work a good 95% of them suddenly don't need open to close any more and can pick up earlier. It's the strangest thing, sometimes I have to bite my tongue.

[Sugaree]

I work a weird schedule where I work 9 hours a day on Mon-Thurs and 8 hours a day every other Friday. Honestly, I wish we would go to a 4-10 schedule so that I'd have every Friday off, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. I feel like I get more quality time with the kid on full days off than in the evenings when it's dinner, bath, bed, rinse and repeat.

[Thriftylady]

I work a weird schedule where I work 9 hours a day on Mon-Thurs and 8 hours a day every other Friday. Honestly, I wish we would go to a 4-10 schedule so that I'd have every Friday off, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. I feel like I get more quality time with the kid on full days off than in the evenings when it's dinner, bath, bed, rinse and repeat.

I felt that way when my son was little and I worked outside the home. I worked normal 8 hour days, but by the time I got off and picked him up, did dinner and dishes, homework etc it was his bedtime. There just wasn't enough time to really have time with him on weekdays.

[Annalee]

How long do you, as a provider, feel is an appropriate length of time in a single day a child should be in your care?

I allow each child 9 1/2 hrs per day not to exceed closing time at 4:30. I open at 6:00. I have a nurse whom I allow 6-4:30 care for 3 days a week but she isn't allowed to bring her children the other 2 days unless she pays extra.

OOPS! Didn't realize this was an old post!

[crazydaycarelady]

I think 9 hours is appropriate for a working parent to leave their child (an 8 hour workday plus travel time.) However I feel for any child who is in care that long 5 days per week.

[MarinaVanessa]

I think that 10 hours is an appropriate amount of time for children of parents that work full time.

Full time typically (office jobs, M-F jobs etc .. not talking about retail or food jobs) means that they work M-F for 8 hours shifts which is broken up with 1 hour lunch break making their day 9 hours. That leaves them with 30 minutes in the morning to drop their child off at daycare, drive to work, find parking and get to work on time. It also leaves 30 minutes after work to get to their car and get to daycare to get their child.

Some people like people that work in the medical field (doctors, nurses etc.) have longer work days but work less days per week so I might contemplate allowing for an 11 hour day if this was the case but no more than that considering that a normal daycare "hours" day for me would be 11 hours (7am-6pm) and I wouldn't extend my hours past that for a client unless I was compensated VERY nicely for doing this

For Part-timers I wouldn't want to do more than a 4-5 hours unless the child was familiar with me, my daycare etc. I have noticed that in most cases part-time kids have a harder time adjusting to daycare since they don't spend too much time there. So unless it was a full-time child that I had that went to part-time or if it was a 3 day a week part-time child I wouldn't do more than a 5 hour day.