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Ok tell me if I'm over reacting................I have this little one that's been here for about a year now, everything with her has been perfect until about 4 months ago when her Mom went out on Maternity leave (bed rest) since then she's gone from getting here at 7:30 every morning to between 9-10 because her Mom sleeps in and so does the child. By her getting here this late she is missing morning circle time, crafts and arrives in the middle of AM snack (usually at the end of it) and when she gets here most of the kids are already finished and he asks if she can still have a snack, which obviously I say yes too but that then delays us going outside at 9:30. Because she's been sleeping in she also isn't taking a nap anymore, she'll be 3 in Dec so telling her at naptime to be quiet doesn't work, she still talks and calls the other kids names out. Our kitchen is right off the main daycare room so sometimes I stick her in there and when I do she just cries at the top of her lungs still keeping the other kids up. Her Mom has been on leave now for 4 months but only had the baby the first week of August. Apparently the baby isn't sleeping at night causing everyone to sleep-in in the morning but this was going on long before baby so I am tired of the excuses. Also when she misses crafts in the AM they make me feel guilty so I have been working on them with her in the afternoon which still pushes my time for other activities back. I have said something several times to them about this and how this disrupts my day and nap time etc....... The always appologize and say they will work on getting her here earlier but never do. This is also the same one that has started biting the other kids to the point where it leaves bruises on them. I hate to cut her loose cause she is the sweetest little girl and I like her parents a lot however the other parents are noticing their kids not taking naps and on a daily basis I am having parents ask me how their kids napped today and then the next day telling me how bad dinner time was cause they were so tired. I hate to let her go over something that seems so petty but it's not getting any better. Right now we should be heading outside to play but we are sitting inside waiting for her to show up and the don't even have the curtosy to text me and let me know when that will be.
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If you have the other parents concerned about how their children are handling their day then you may be in danger of losing those families if things don't change. I'd give dcm a warning that drop-offs need to be before x amount of time or else you won't accept the child into care. And follow through on it! It sounds like she is only just telling you she's going to change without any actual meaning to do so. Do something to show her you mean business! -
btw her father just texted me and told me they will be here around 11am!!!!!! Which means a guarentee she will be up all naptime and keep the other kids up as well!Comment
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Ok, first off I would NEVER tell a parent that HAD to be at child care by a specific time versus spending that time at home with the parent.
However, with that said I would tell a parent that the new schedule they are keeping is disrupting your day (as well as the DCG's). I would absolutely NOT feed her snack if she is not present when it is served. If the parent arrive in the middle or near the end and the child or parent asks for snack, I would politely say "I am sorry Jill but snack has already been served, lunch will be served in a bit" and then explain to mom/dad that you can't simply serve her snack as that will delay the rest of the day. If they really want her to be fed at that time, they willeither need to do it themselves or bring her earlier.
As far as the craft stuff goes, there is NO way I would allow them to make me feel guilty that their child is missing out on something when it is their fault she is missing out....NO WAY! I would also explain that you have a schedule and a routine that MUST be followed in order for your day to not be chaotic and caving to one child's needs at the expense of all the other kids is NOT ok. Like snack, if they want her to do art projects, then she needs to be dropped off in time.
Now for the hardest part....nap time. My rule is (in cases where I know the child has slept in) if your child cannot be quiet during rest time and is disruptive to the other children, they need to get picked up. I will NOT allow one child to effect the group of children as a whole and their needs. NOT cool of them and NOT fair to the other children whose parents brought them in time and on schedule.
If she is disruptive at all during rest time, you will be calling them to come and get her.
I FULLY understand that mom is on maternity leave but it is really selfish of this family to expect you to alter any of your schedule or your routine to accommodate their lazy days.....which they are perfectly entitled to have.
It just shouldn't be everyone elses problem.
I would have a talk with them (or write them an e-mail or letter if you don;t like confrontation.) and let them know how this is effecting you. If you dont say anything, they will never know how you feel.Comment
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I've got to agree with BlackCat on this one. Your day should go on just as scheduled, and no making up things later due to their schedule. No feeling guilty about it, either
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I've had a lot of older sibs that still come on maternity leave that tend to show up later in the morning as well. They are expected to just join in wherever we are in the day, as if they were there all day.Comment
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I would go a different direction....letting the parents know that the child must be there by a certain time in order to attend for the day. Obviously they CAN follow that rule, just are choosing to be random each day. That will solve all the problems....the missed snack, the crafts, the naps....
"Dear Parent, effective (date), all children must be dropped off by (time) in the morning in order to attend the XYZ daycare for the day. Drop offs later in the morning are no longer an option. If you are unable to drop off by (time), your child will not be allowed to attend XYZ daycare for that particular day. This stated dropoff time allows for all the children to be in attendance in order to participate in snack, crafts and other activities for the day. Later dropoffs have become a disruption and are not longer allowed. I appreciate your cooperation in the future regarding this rule. Thank you, Ms. X"
My time for the morning dropoffs is no later than 9. The way my set up is and such, any later dropoffs are extremely disruptive to the group and it is hard to keep everyone busy while we are waiting for one to show up. If parents need later drop offs or open flexibility, this isnt the daycare for them. I also dont allow non-nappers.Comment
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I have no problem with a late arrival. I do have problems with that child arriving at a time that would screw up their nap or some other child's nap.
Therefore, I have a very strict no arrival during nap time or lunch time rule. I plan to feed the kids who are there at the start of lunch. I make no extras. If their child arrives at the end of lunch and needs to have their lunch also, that puts me behind naps for having to make the lunch and having to sit with them while they finish the lunch.
If i don't hear from the parents I assume they are coming between 9am and 10am. If they come earlier than that or later than that, they will tell me. we go about the day as planned and if they are going to join us outside of lunch and nap times, they are welcome to.
Either way, I get paid for a full day whether they want to show up at 8 or at 11:30. ;-)Comment
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If other parents are complaining, you could be in danger of losing some of your other clients. Sounds like the disrupted naps are causeing evening time with their kids to be unpleasant, so I can't blame them for being upset. Along with the biting, I would be very tempted to term this family before other parents decide to look elsewhere for care.
As for the schedule, I stick to my schedule regardless of when each child arrives. If they miss craft time, they don't get a craft that day. If they arrive after we are supposed to go outside, we go outside at our specified time and they can meet our group there. It is too difficult to catch late-comers up when they miss an activity. The parents have a copy of the our schedule, so they are well aware of what happens when. If the kids miss most of the morning, they will miss the bulk of our activities.
If you don't want to term, you may want to give them a copy of the schedule and tell them that you do not deviate from it. I would not make the others sit inside and wait for this family to arrive. To me, that is not what the other parents are paying for nor expecting for thier children.Comment
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sorry I could not get past the biting part. Is she still doing this? I could see it happening once or twice, but nothing past that. especially if she is leaving marks on other children. This girl is a huge risk to your business.
I do agree with blackcat, but I have a schedule and teach preschool from 9am to 1pm. If you can't get here before 9am then you need to wait until 1 to arrive. We are in and out and once we get into our classroom, there is no way I am leaving it to go and open my door. Class time is over at that point.
I tell my parents I am going to prep you for school too. if school starts at 8, then your child is late if they walk in the door at 801. Your child is late 16 times in one semester, they fail. Of course, if they need to go somewhere or woke up late then I need you to call me. I will leave my door unlocked and the parent will have to quietly bring their child in and quietly leave as not to disrupt our class.
Sorry, I don't deal with change well.
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