A Grace Period When Late?

[Crazy8]

Do you have one? Allow it?

I posted recently asking about how much to raise rate for a client wanting to change their contracted pick up time to 15 min. later because they were finding it hard to get here on time due to traffic, etc. It wasn't them taking advantage, they are coming straight from work and will almost always still be here by 4:30 but now has the "cushion" of that 4:45 contracted time. I did charge for it.

Well, I have another new child contracted till 4:30 and mom asked me about the late fees because she also is really sweating it out those last few minutes on the road and is rushing in at 4:32, 4:33. Now, I could extend her day till 4:45 too but honestly, I think I'm shooting myself in the foot by doing this. I am thinking I should have given the other one a 5 minute grace period so she had that extra 5 min. to get here and I am thinking of doing the same with this one.

Both these moms are really coming straight from work, neither are trying to take advantage or anything like that - they just are both driving back roads to get to and from and they may just need an extra 2-3-5 minutes - neither NEED the full 15 minutes.

My thinking is I don't want the extra money, I want the 4:30 pick up time! Even if it means they are up to 5 min. late without a fee. I have one child contracted till 5pm anyway (and I don't want to give them a 5 min grace period!!!) but I dream of eventually having everyone done at 4:30. So I feel like I'm ruining that by giving them the 4:45 contract instead of just allowing them to be a few minutes late - it may sound silly but occasionally being here at 4:35 is still better than being contracted till 4:45, you know??

[Country Kids]

Oh, I have been in your shoes and it has backfired on me.

I use to do contracted hours but for me personally it didn't work. I had parents rushing to get here but see other kids still here. So everyone wanted to recontract their hours so they could stay at work and get work done and not have to rush here. It works ok but I do have some that work 10 hour days but it gives them some commute time. Now that I have changed it I have no one running late.

[daycare]

Oh, I have been in your shoes and it has backfired on me.

I use to do contracted hours but for me personally it didn't work. I had parents rushing to get here but see other kids still here. So everyone wanted to recontract their hours so they could stay at work and get work done and not have to rush here. It works ok but I do have some that work 10 hour days but it gives them some commute time. Now that I have changed it I have no one running late.

this and when they get here they see other kids here, so they don't rush to leave our house......

[Crazy8]

Oh, I have been in your shoes and it has backfired on me.

I use to do contracted hours but for me personally it didn't work. I had parents rushing to get here but see other kids still here. So everyone wanted to recontract their hours so they could stay at work and get work done and not have to rush here. It works ok but I do have some that work 10 hour days but it gives them some commute time. Now that I have changed it I have no one running late.

how did you change it? just go to open-close hours? I don't want to do that because I'd have to stay open till 5pm and I'd rather have most of them gone at 4:30. If I just say I'm open till 5 I'll end up with everyone here till 5. If I say I'm only open till 4:30 I will lose my long time client and it may affect getting new kids too.

[DBug]

In the past, I've given an extra 10 minutes at a discounted late fee. I usually charge $1/minute, but if I know that they are coming straight from work and that they are doing their best to get here by x:00, I've arranged to allow them up to x:10 at 50 cents/minute til then, but from x:11 on, it's back to $1/minute.

So for me, that's an extra $5/day to stay open 10 minutes longer, and it's billed daily (not just when they actually use it) until we decide they no longer need the extra time.

It makes them feel like they're getting a deal, and I feel compensated for my time.

It's an option to consider. Personally I don't like doing it because I really value my family time, but then, I have open to close hours instead of contracted hours, so no other dc kids were here for the situations when I've offered this.

For OP's situation, what about extended the contracted hours by the 5 minutes, and just charging an extra $1/day for it (or whatever you feel is fair). That way you're not giving away time for free (because then they may take advantage), but you're also not encouraging them to take an extra 15 minutes getting to your place, kwim?

[littlemissmuffet]

To avoid giving these parents a 15 minute cushion they don't need, I would simply give the 5 minute grace period without charge... and let them know that after $5 minutes there will be an automatic $10 late fee (since you're doing them a favor without charge), then $1/minute therafter.

[Breezy]

I let it happen with no fees. DCMs contracted time is 5:30 and she has never been later than 5:40 and that was once when there was an accident on her way here. Usually its 5:33. She knows if its abused I start charging. She used to text or call when she knew she was going to be late but I told her to focus on the road and dont worry about a few extra minutes here and there.

[Country Kids]

how did you change it? just go to open-close hours? I don't want to do that because I'd have to stay open till 5pm and I'd rather have most of them gone at 4:30. If I just say I'm open till 5 I'll end up with everyone here till 5. If I say I'm only open till 4:30 I will lose my long time client and it may affect getting new kids too.

I just do open to close. I one time did close at 4:30 and people were rushing like mad people to get here. Then the ones who work 10 hour shifts that didn't really give them enough time to get here and I was afraid of losing them.

So then I changed to 5:00 but had two contracted till 5:30. Well, then a few of the parents kept seeing those kids here so felt like I had kids here till 5:30 why were they rushing from work to get here if I still had kids, so they wanted to change their time also.

In the end I changed to 5:30 and it worked like a charm. Some days I do get off by 5:00 (what a treat) and some days I'm off at 5:30. It makes for long days but if I want clients I need to be realistic on work hours/commute times.

We have a ton of construction right now by my house and traffic has been delayed up to 1/2 an hour to an hour! My sil was irrate as she was extremely late to work one day being stuck in traffic. I know things can happen trains, wrecks, construction, bosses keeping people late so I work with the parents not against them on stuff like this.

One of my late children were picked up very early yesterday and what a treat on a Friday! I thanked the parents for picking up first-they were going to run errands but decided family time was way more important-

[Crazy8]

I just do open to close. I one time did close at 4:30 and people were rushing like mad people to get here. Then the ones who work 10 hour shifts that didn't really give them enough time to get here and I was afraid of losing them.

So then I changed to 5:00 but had two contracted till 5:30. Well, then a few of the parents kept seeing those kids here so felt like I had kids here till 5:30 why were they rushing from work to get here if I still had kids, so they wanted to change their time also.

In the end I changed to 5:30 and it worked like a charm. Some days I do get off by 5:00 (what a treat) and some days I'm off at 5:30. It makes for long days but if I want clients I need to be realistic on work hours/commute times.

We have a ton of construction right now by my house and traffic has been delayed up to 1/2 an hour to an hour! My sil was irrate as she was extremely late to work one day being stuck in traffic. I know things can happen trains, wrecks, construction, bosses keeping people late so I work with the parents not against them on stuff like this.

One of my late children were picked up very early yesterday and what a treat on a Friday! I thanked the parents for picking up first-they were going to run errands but decided family time was way more important-

Thanks. I really don't want to do that though, I want them done at 4:30, even if that really means 4:33-4:35, LOL. The 4:30 people think/know that the one 5pm kid is paying extra for that. I don't want to give a specific close time - I want them to do their best to get here at their contracted end time. In interviewing new clients I don't tell them 4:30, they tell me what times they need. I've just been choosing the ones with the 4:30 pick up time (2 are teachers, 1 works from home).

[Country Kids]

Thanks. I really don't want to do that though, I want them done at 4:30, even if that really means 4:33-4:35, LOL. The 4:30 people think/know that the one 5pm kid is paying extra for that. I don't want to give a specific close time - I want them to do their best to get here at their contracted end time. In interviewing new clients I don't tell them 4:30, they tell me what times they need. I've just been choosing the ones with the 4:30 pick up time (2 are teachers, 1 works from home).

Thats why I had picked 4:30 originally because I had parents that used that. Then they were still rushing here because of overtime being put in at their work. So when they saw people still here they didn't mind paying extra to stay till 5:00. Then the ones that were picking up at 5:00 suddenly didn't mind paying extra till 5:30. So it just works for me to have 5:30 be my closing time.