Do You Make Them Sign In/Out ?

[DaisyMamma]

I never wanted to do it because it felt like I was making things impersonal.
After deciding I wasn't going to put up with late pickups anymore I handed out new policies with strict late fees and implemented the sign in/out sheet. No one complained but it took a lot of reminding to get them to use it, but it is now done without asking. And it makes it a lot easier on me to charge the late fees.
With the sign in sheet, that I keep on the clipboard is a payment envelope every Monday morning, and right on the envelope it says "pay day, late payment fee $5/day"
I also pin notes on there with general reminders of things like: make sure your child has winter clothes, bathing suit, etc. Or things like upcoming closings, when my sub will be here or even school holidays.

[daycare]

I do it and will never stop...

I do it for many reasons, one being safety reasons. Anyone recall the Casey Anthony case?? She said that she dropped off her kid at DC and tried to pin it on the DCP......

I have also had my logs called into divorce court cases.

It would be helpful if there is ever an emergency that someone can open th book and see who is in my care that day.....this is should something happen to me.

My insurance requires it......kids are under my responsibility once signed in and until signed out by the parents/guardian.

My food program requires it here.

Accounting- have a second paper trail of attendance in case I mess up in MMK

Tax purposes.....3 years ago I had a family that claimed I had their kids in care for 5 months, when it was only two months. I sent it proof of the sign logs where I had written on their last day on the sign out log.

Last day of care.......the parent signed their name there..

I won.....

I also do it to make sure that I am tracking those families who abuse the their time allotted for the daycare...

I don't have any negative things that have come up from it....

[MarinaVanessa]

I do it too and yes I had trouble at first also but I just told them that I needed to do it for tax reasons. That's my main reason. If I get audited I'll need to provide proof of attendance records and nothing is better than attendance sheets signed by the parents.

To get everyone into the routine of it I started to write in the time myself as soon as they walked in. When they saw me walking over to the sign in binder they remembered that they needed to sign in and out so they followed me over and just signed their name next to their time.

[KSDC]

I guess I am the odd-man out here. I don't do sign ins/outs. It is only required in my state if I my families are on state assistance for daycare.

Food program required that I list all children in attendance, but not a sing in sheet.

Personally, I hate paperwork and try to get by with the bare minimum.
It has never been a problem here...

[Angelsj]

I guess I am the odd-man out here. I don't do sign ins/outs. It is only required in my state if I my families are on state assistance for daycare.

Food program required that I list all children in attendance, but not a sing in sheet.

Personally, I hate paperwork and try to get by with the bare minimum.
It has never been a problem here...

I don't do that either, so you are not alone. I don't take state pay, and, of course, I do keep track of their hours here for tax records and what to charge (I charge hourly) but no sign in sheets.

[Annalee]

In TN, we are mandated to have sign-in/out logs....Providers who ahve State-paid children are often audited and if the signatures aren't there (first and last name) from the person dropping off or picking up, providers have to pay the money back. A provider in a neighboring county is making monthly payments to the state because she was using the clock in/out method with NO signatures..didn't work!!!

Also, licensing has been known to take the previous two months sign-in/out logs to compare to staff to see if the home/center was out of ratio....a lady in my county is paying back over a $1000 in fines because they found 6 days was out of ratio due to staff not signing in???????

[MOM OF 4]

Do you have sign in/out sheets ? Did the parents ask questions/get irritated etc... When first implimenting it? This is a new part of my policies and is in my Handbook because I thought it was a good idea to do even as an unlicensed provider, because those ran by the state/licensed, and centers all are required to so it must be a good idea right? .
Its just something I feel would benefit me some how in the long run whether its for tax reasons or whatever documentation reason.

Why do you do it and what did/do you tell your clients? What do you tell them if you don't want to give reasons ? Am I going overboard or being silly for wanting to do this?

I did sign in sheets right at the door. I told them it was an "attendance" sheet (like schools use!) used for safety purposes. I did not give much other info other than I needed the kids signed in/out every day. If they didn't like it, too bad, they had to use it anyway.

I also used it as insurance. So let's pretend Suzie Q's Drop In mom wanted to try to play stupid and not pay me for a drop in day, then claims she didn't use my care, and it somehow ended up in a court situation, I'd bust out my contract and sign in sheets and bam. She can't lie her way through that! Of course, by the end of my term as DCProvider, I stopped taking drop in money AFTER pickup; and ONLY took in advance to days booked within 72 hours; or if 24 hour booking or less, at drop off.

[SignMeUp]

Here, we were told recently that we must do sign-in/sign-out sheets with full names and times. Previously, only subsidized families were required to sign-in/sign-out here, but apparently they have now decided that anyone using the Food Program also has to do it.

The odd part about it is that the Food Program doesn't care and doesn't check the forms. By claiming children are here for meals, they are considered to be signed in.
But we have been told that licensing will be checking. :confused::confused:

[AmyKidsCo]

We're required to use the state sheets but I shrunk it down so there's room on the far right for whoever picks up to initial. One of my licensors suggested that, so I always have a record of who picked up the child.

I also use my Daily Connect, so I've got a record of the actual time in and out, since so many parents stand and chat 10 min before signing in as they're leaving for work, then sign out the minute they walk in and stand chatting another 10 min before going home.

[SignMeUp]

I also use my Daily Connect, so I've got a record of the actual time in and out, since so many parents stand and chat 10 min before signing in as they're leaving for work, then sign out the minute they walk in and stand chatting another 10 min before going home.

Do you sign them in and out on Daily Connect? I don't know anything about it.