Unnanounced Interview?

[DaisyMamma]

Someone just showed up at my house!
I was out for a walk with the kids and my husband answered the door. He has no idea about the daycare and couldn't answer them. She left a note.

Weird?

She could have called even 10 minutes before coming.

[wdmmom]

I don't disclose my address until an interview is scheduled.

It's safer for me and safer for the kids. I don't need or want anyone just showing up.

Note or not, this just shows me a complete lack of respect. I wouldn't respond to her attempts to contact you!

[Blackcat31]

I've had this happen before and was like but when I did the interview the family turned out to fantastic and I LOVE them.....

mom was from another country and had no clue how things worked here! !

[Half-Pint Hide-Out]

I had a lady stop me while I was out for a walk with the kids and start asking me questions. She said she had seen us playing outside and figured we were a daycare since there were so many kids and that when she saw us out, she figured it was a good time to chat. Um, hello?! I'm pushing a double stroller and have 7 kids walking and you think right this minute is a good time for me?! I gave her my business card and told her to call me during the hours listed and leave me a message or e-mail me. I never heard from her.

[DaisyMamma]

The search engines give out my address. I need to figure out how to remove it.

[Meeko]

I had a couple show up at the door last week!

They were nice enough, but I told them I only do tours and interviews in the evenings so they can have my undivided attention. And only then if I have active openings available.

I rounded up the child and handed him back to his parents. I gave them a business card and they called the next day for more information. I don't have any openings right now, but I will let them know if I do. Only then will I do a tour and interview. It's a complete waste of my time otherwise. I wouldn't let folks look over and sit in my car when it's not even for sale....same with my day care services.

It's just something that may happen. The state licensing board lists all providers on their web site along with address and phone number. MOST people call.....but a few may try and stop by. No biggie.

[permanentvacation]

The thing is that we are a business. In most businesses, the general public does randomly show up and walk in to the business. Now, yes, in our particular business, it is more known that the public would call ahead and schedule an interview. But a person who is not familiar to home daycares, would think more on the lines of them going up to a business and would just randomly show up expecting to inquire about the daycare business.

My friend had had different people randomly knock on her door a few times. As providers, we do think that it's weird. But if you think of it as them approaching a business, maybe we could understand them a little better.

[Heidi]

I've actually done it...but I had an ulterior motive.

I stopped at a provider's home once because I had heard she was running an illegal operation, and my niece was attending there. I did happen to be looking for daycare, and I was curious. Sure enough, she had 12 kids there by herself (ok to have 3).

As I was driving away, 6 more got off the school bus....

When I explained all this to my SIL, she gave me attitude. Still does 12 years later 9so we don't talk about it).

The lady is STILL in business, although according to my licenser, they have tried to shut her down.

[MarinaVanessa]

Yeah personally I don't feel like it's a huge deal either. I purposely add my address on my advertising including a listing on google places. People are coming to your door and you're not even advertising. I see the upside to that and think that you're doing something right. Most people choose a daycare that's close to their home or place of work so if you're near them they'll call, if they don't know where you live then you're on their lower list of places to check out.

I havn't had to advertise for a while now and I still get calls a couple times a week and stopped on the street because I added myself to google places. I havn't had someone just show up unnanounced unless you include some neighbors that didn't have my number but knew where I lived. I think it's only rude or obnoxious when people go over unnanounced and expect you to drop everything. If they're understanding when you ask them to make an appointment or tell them that you're full or busy then I don't see anything wrong with it. JMPO.

[wahmof3]

In order for me to be protected by the sex offender registry I have to have a sign in my front yard stating that this is a daycare. I am surprised that someone hasn't knocked on my door......yet

I wouldn't feel comfortable if someone just showed up. They were pushing a union in my state & a union rep just randomly showed up but thats it

[TBird]

YUP! I've had two of these surprise interviews recently (before I even put my sign out).

• The first lady knocked on my door with one of her kids in tow (she was a really nice neighbor so I didn't mind).

• The second lady asked me what 'vicinity' my daycare is in. I told her the area I lived in and then we finished the conversation & she hung up. She called back about 10 minutes later asking if she could stop by. When I said yes, what time.......she says, well I'm in your driveway now.

[sharlan]

Years ago, I didn't do any advertising. All of my business came from people seeing us out and about and stopping to talk.

[grandmom]

In order for me to be protected by the sex offender registry I have to have a sign in my front yard stating that this is a daycare. I am surprised that someone hasn't knocked on my door......yet

I wouldn't feel comfortable if someone just showed up. They were pushing a union in my state & a union rep just randomly showed up but thats it

What does this mean? In order for me to be protected by the sex offender reigstry.....

[MarinaVanessa]

What does this mean? In order for me to be protected by the sex offender reigstry.....

Pretty much if you make it known that you are a daycare then registered sex offenders can't live or be within a certain distance from your home. If you don't make it noticeable and obvious that you are a daycare then they can live near you, walk and hang out near you. There may be other reasons too but this is probably the biggest reason.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

I think this has only happend once for us, but it was no big deal. It was kind of embarrassing, though. I didn't have my glasses on, and was in the other room with the children for lunch. When I heard a door open, I peeked my head around the corner, and thought it was a certain dc mom, so I greeted her quite friendly . When I got closer I realized I didn't know her! LOL She was the same height, same hair color, body size, etc as the dc mom I had thought she was at first glance without my glasses. She just wanted information for her baby. Since we don't care for that age, we couldn't help her, and she left after just a minute. Well, a couple years later (a couple months ago, infact), she called about openings for her now 2 1/2, almost 3, yr old son for a part time spot. We were pretty desperate for children when she called, so we were more than happy to have her son join us! I didn't realize it was the same lady until she asked if we remembered her, from when she dropped by 2 years before! This family has ended up being the PERFECT family. She is always asking what she can donate for our use, she reads, remembers, and follows all the policies and never asks to be an exception. If there are any problems with her son (behavior or otherwise), she wants to know about it, and immediately takes care of it. If he's developed a new behavior that isn't good, she works with us and with him to correct it (but any behavior is really really mild, since he is a well behaved little boy, and the mom is a really good mom, not being afraid to discipline and train him). I think in this case, it was best for us that she did stop in that time. Apparently she liked what she saw, and kept us in mind for when her son was old enough. If she had just called, she would have been told we didn't accept that age, and she wouldn't have met us or seen the daycare to keep us in mind for later. Most likely we would never have heard from her again.