How Would You Handle This With The Parent

[Country Kids]

Found this story interesting and was wondering how you would handle this with a parent.

Parent is to pick up child up at 3:30 doesn't pick up till 4:00. Afterschool SA child get off bus at 3;45 putting provider over by 1. Food inspector comes at 3;30 and is here the entire time watching it and then has to turn provider in for being over.

Now provider has a mark on their record for being over number all because a parent was running late.

[daycare]

Found this story interesting and was wondering how you would handle this with a parent.

Parent is to pick up child up at 3:30 doesn't pick up till 4:00. Afterschool SA child get off bus at 3;45 putting provider over by 1. Food inspector comes at 3;30 and is here the entire time watching it and then has to turn provider in for being over.

Now provider has a mark on their record for being over number all because a parent was running late.

do you get fined for being over your capacity?

I would term that family if I were you. I would not allow for that to ever happen again.

Did the parent even call you? not that it mattered???

[Country Kids]

do you get fined for being over your capacity?

I would term that family if I were you. I would not allow for that to ever happen again.

Did the parent even call you? not that it mattered???

This didn't happen to me. I was reading about it in a newletter of how easy it is to go over your limits.

[Blackcat31]

Found this story interesting and was wondering how you would handle this with a parent.

Parent is to pick up child up at 3:30 doesn't pick up till 4:00. Afterschool SA child get off bus at 3;45 putting provider over by 1. Food inspector comes at 3;30 and is here the entire time watching it and then has to turn provider in for being over.

Now provider has a mark on their record for being over number all because a parent was running late.

When parent that was suppose to pick up by 3:30 is 5 minutes late, I would begin calling. If I was unable to reach parent by 3:40, I would call emergency contact numbers along with my neighbor who is my "just in case" assistant for situations like this. She could be here in less than a minute.

I would probably not have scheduled kids so close together if even taking the school age kid would put me over capacity. Simply because things like this do happen and not everyone has a back up person who can come over quickly.

[Unregistered]

That happened to me before also. I have overlap care from Noon - 3:00p.m. Overlap means I can watch 2 extra kids during those 3 hours, it is designed for afterschool care but I had it earlier for when a morning and afternoon kindergartener overlapped. Anyway, dcd who picked up at 3:00 was late, moniter showed up at 3:10, dad showed up shortly after.

I didn't terminate. Life happens. It was not that big of a deal.

[countrymom]

I think thats unfair. Anything could have happened for dad to be late. So what was the provider going to do, send the kid outside because the provider was over the limit.

[Angelsj]

The key to this is to think ahead. She should not be that close. If there is a possibility that they will cross over, file for a variance, or don't agree to the care.

[rhymia1]

The key to this is to think ahead. She should not be that close. If there is a possibility that they will cross over, file for a variance, or don't agree to the care.

This. There have been times where I have had to say "No" to a client. This is why I am the Boss of my business, not the parents/clients. A parent doesn't care if I get a "ding" on my license, they are looking out for their best interests. As the Boss, I have to look out for mine. That means saying, "No, I can't watch Billy after school as it could put me over my ratio. Have you looked into the after care at the school?"

[My3cents]

I would have explained to my food program person that today is out of the normal. Parents are running late. Then talk with parents when they pick up that they have to be on time and why.

I really wish the food program was more about teaching good nutrition and informations that are helpful and not so much trying to catch someone committing fraud. I think that most people are honest (I want to believe this) and this program should be about Food. If money was not being reimbursed then no one would be doing this program. Yet it if it was about information and helps I think many would do it. Not about trying to catch someone in the wrong for something. Providers should not have to have this uptight feeling that the food program person is coming. It puts uneeded anxiety on providers. Teach us how to serve better recipes. Come into my home and show me a recipe that my kids would like, don't stand over me/us waiting to nick me/us for a minor issue. Big issues yes but for all this little stuff, it is not needed.

[rhymia1]

I would have explained to my food program person that today is out of the normal. Parents are running late. Then talk with parents when they pick up that they have to be on time and why.

I really wish the food program was more about teaching good nutrition and informations that are helpful and not so much trying to catch someone committing fraud. I think that most people are honest (I want to believe this) and this program should be about Food. If money was not being reimbursed then no one would be doing this program. Yet it if it was about information and helps I think many would do it. Not about trying to catch someone in the wrong for something. Providers should not have to have this uptight feeling that the food program person is coming. It puts uneeded anxiety on providers. Teach us how to serve better recipes. Come into my home and show me a recipe that my kids would like, don't stand over me/us waiting to nick me/us for a minor issue. Big issues yes but for all this little stuff, it is not needed.

I really don't see the Food Program people as out to get providers. In my state they are mandated reporters and if it came back that they were aware the provider was out of ratio, then they are legally obligated to report. They may love the provider, they may not want to do it, but they have no choice. No one person is worth me having a founded abuse allegation on my record.
I have never worried about a visit from my food program - if you are doing what you are supposed to you don't have to worry about anyone visiting. I see blaming them for the something that was the provider's fault as childish. Much like Scooby Doo "And I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those food program people!"

[Blackcat31]

I really don't see the Food Program people as out to get providers. In my state they are mandated reporters and if it came back that they were aware the provider was out of ratio, then they are legally obligated to report. They may love the provider, they may not want to do it, but they have no choice. No one person is worth me having a founded abuse allegation on my record.
I have never worried about a visit from my food program - if you are doing what you are supposed to you don't have to worry about anyone visiting. I see blaming them for the something that was the provider's fault as childish. Much like Scooby Doo "And I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those food program people!"

I couldn't agree more.

Like i said in my earlier post, I probably wouldn't have scheduled kids so close together because something like this scenario absolutely could happen.

Being a part of the food program and being a child care provider means there are rules and regulations we need to follow and observe.

Being over capacity is something the food program coordinators MUST report, just like we must report abuse and/or neglect that we see/hear/witness. Whether we like the family or not, it is part of our job and something we agreed to when we opened up for business.

This situation is 100% the providers fault and could have easily have been avoided. I know it was the parent that was late, but it was the provider who should have known this stuff can and does happen in this line of work.

[Unregistered]

"This situation is 100% the providers fault and could have easily have been avoided."

I really think this is unfair. Providers are limited in the income they can make already due to state enforced rules on numbers. This provider was just trying to maximize the income she could make by filling all of her spots. The parent was a few minutes late. In my town depending on how you hit traffic lights it can change your commute time by 10 minutes. We do not live in a perfrect world and this job does require a degree of flexbility (one that state workers do not understand as they sit at their desks miles away having never watched a child in their life!).

[Blackcat31]

"This situation is 100% the providers fault and could have easily have been avoided."

I really think this is unfair. Providers are limited in the income they can make already due to state enforced rules on numbers. This provider was just trying to maximize the income she could make by filling all of her spots. The parent was a few minutes late. In my town depending on how you hit traffic lights it can change your commute time by 10 minutes. We do not live in a perfrect world and this job does require a degree of flexbility (one that state workers do not understand as they sit at their desks miles away having never watched a child in their life!).

Unfair to who? Providers? Because they can't take on more kids than the state allows?

The kids in care? Because they deserve to have the facility in which they attend be safe and law abiding?

Unfair to the parents? Who also expect and trust that their provider follows all state rules and regs?

I don't really understand who it is unfair to? :confused:

Rules and regs are in place for the safety of the children we care for and just because we don't agree with them or like them doesnt give us the right to just not follow them or to be mad that someone turned you in for breaking them

Flexibility IS necessary in this line of work but NOT if it ever puts us over capacity or is in violation of the law.

Laws are laws.

We HAVE to follow them and if you don't like them, then lobby to change them but stop making excuses for something that IS 100% avoidable.

[Country Kids]

I do have a parent that is picks up at 12:30 and I'm to have a child arrive from school at 12:30 (per bus schedule).

Parent picks up at 12:30 daily but the bus comes anywhere from 12:45-1:00. It is never consistent and I have to stand there waiting in my doorway for it and try to keep the kids laying down and quiet for nap. I never know when its going to arrive and its pretty irratating. This has been going on for a month now and I don't see it getting here on time ever.

So I could have:

Told #1 family-I can't take child because the bus is to be here at 12:30 and if your late by a minute I'm over ratio.

Told #2 Family-I can't take child because since the bus is to be here at 12:30 I will be over ratio if the first parent is late.

I would lose out on potential income and two wonderful sets of parents.

Now I would have absolutely been livid if I had done the above because the bus is always so stinking late!

[rhymia1]

I do have a parent that is picks up at 12:30 and I'm to have a child arrive from school at 12:30 (per bus schedule).

Parent picks up at 12:30 daily but the bus comes anywhere from 12:45-1:00. It is never consistent and I have to stand there waiting in my doorway for it and try to keep the kids laying down and quiet for nap. I never know when its going to arrive and its pretty irratating. This has been going on for a month now and I don't see it getting here on time ever.

So I could have:

Told #1 family-I can't take child because the bus is to be here at 12:30 and if your late by a minute I'm over ratio.

Told #2 Family-I can't take child because since the bus is to be here at 12:30 I will be over ratio if the first parent is late.

I would lose out on potential income and two wonderful sets of parents.

Now I would have absolutely been livid if I had done the above because the bus is always so stinking late!

I charge full day rates - no hourly, 1/2 days, etc. So I would be making full price off the either child.
I have always known that my income would be somewhat limited in this profession. If I could not make ends meet following the law/regs, then this would not be the career for me. If one of my dc parents was always late with payment because they didn't make enough at their job to pay me, I would terminate - after telling them they needed a new job...
That said, if I made the decision to take on a kid knowing that it would put me over and their might be a chance I would get caught, then I would own that decision. I would not lay blame on anyone else if I got caught.