What Are Your Business Hours? Do You Make Exceptions?

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  • JLH
    New Daycare.com Member
    • Feb 2013
    • 124

    What Are Your Business Hours? Do You Make Exceptions?

    What hours are you open? Do you make exceptions? The reason I ask is that I am open from 6am to 5:30pm. I open at 6 for one kid (3 days per week) and no one else comes in until 7. Also, I have one mom who asked to bring her child at 5 am on occasion but it is now turning into an everyday thing. Am I just being whiny or do other providers work 12 to 13 hours per day too? I'm thinking about changing my hours from 7 to 5:30 and terminating my 2 problem families, which are the only 2 that show up so early.
  • canadiancare
    Daycare Member
    • Nov 2009
    • 552

    #2
    06h30-16h30

    Weather or traffic accident exceptions, only.

    Comment

    • EntropyControlSpecialist
      Embracing the chaos.
      • Mar 2012
      • 7466

      #3
      Originally posted by JLH
      What hours are you open? Do you make exceptions? The reason I ask is that I am open from 6am to 5:30pm. I open at 6 for one kid (3 days per week) and no one else comes in until 7. Also, I have one mom who asked to bring her child at 5 am on occasion but it is now turning into an everyday thing. Am I just being whiny or do other providers work 12 to 13 hours per day too? I'm thinking about changing my hours from 7 to 5:30 and terminating my 2 problem families, which are the only 2 that show up so early.
      I would absolutely do that!

      I opened my business working 8:00-5:00. I then took on a child that needed to come in at 7:00am, subsequently letting other people arrive early if they needed it. I also began closing at 6:00.
      I charged nothing extra for an early opening time and charged $1.50/15 minutes in the evening for that extra hour.

      I recently switched back to 8:00-5:00 business hours and it has greatly improved my energy levels, mood, and ability to get things done. If I ever had to work 10 hours in the future, I would only offer a 7:00 opening with extra pay.

      Comment

      • AnneCordelia
        Daycare.com Member
        • Jul 2011
        • 816

        #4
        My hours are 7-5. I would open as early as 6am for $10/hour but not as a regular thing. I would not stay open past 5pm for any reason ever, not for any amount of money.

        Comment

        • Texasjeepgirl
          Director Licensed Care
          • Jul 2008
          • 304

          #5
          I'm open 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
          I have a chain link fence enclosing my parking area and entry to my building...
          I have told clients that if they make advance arrangements I will unlock the gate at 6:30 a.m... not one minute earlier.....
          and only because by then I am showered...and standing in the bathroom that is in the daycare room.. working on hair and face...
          My parent handbook has THIS in it:

          CLOSING TIME AND LATE PICK UP FEES
          My daycare home closes at 5:30 p.m. SHARP.
          My closing time IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.
          Please remember you have enrolled your child in a home-based childcare. I have a family of my own and I plan family time and activities for after I close. Therefore I charge a late fee of $1 per minute past my closing time. This late fee also applies if I have posted a notice closing earlier than 5:30 p.m. In the past, I have tried to be good natured and understanding, however it does not change the fact that leaving children late DOES inconvenience me. If you have made arrangements with another person to pick up your child, be certain they are aware of my closing time for that day. You will be responsible for late fees if your child is picked up late by another individual.

          Comment

          • nanglgrl
            Daycare.com Member
            • Jul 2012
            • 1700

            #6
            My hours are 7:30-3:30. Throughout the years I have done all shifts but my regular hours were about 7:30-5:30 for the majority of the time. Over the last few years I've always had one family that needed me until 5:30 and the rest left earlier so I got rid of them and filled the spot with another child that leaves at 3:30. I hope to never go back! I would stay open a little later if it was a once in a while thing (by that I mean once maybe every 6 months) but I would charge for it. Luckily none of my parents need me later.

            Comment

            • melilley
              Daycare.com Member
              • Oct 2012
              • 5155

              #7
              My hours are 6-6, but the families I have come around 7:30 and leave by 5:30. I do have one starting that will come later, but will stay until 6 sometimes 6:10, and I am not charging. I may regret it later, but I'm home anyways and if it doesn't work out, I'll just have to tell them. We will see!

              Comment

              • BumbleBee
                Daycare.com Member
                • Jun 2012
                • 2380

                #8
                I generally have kids here from 7:15am-5:45pm. I had open hours from 6:15am-5:45pm but I switched to contracted hours.

                One family needs a 6am drop off (p/u @ 3) and they pay time & a 1/2 for that hour btwn 6 & 7am. Ex: Instead of $3 an hour they pay $4.50 for 6-7am then $3 an hour from 7-3.

                Another family needs a 7pm p/u one day a week. They also pay time & 1/2 for the last hour between 6 & 7pm.

                I usually work 7am-6pm so 11 hours a day.

                Every once & awhile I have the 6am drop off AND the 7pm p/u on the same day so it's 13 hours.

                I'm doing it for now because my 6am family is my golden family and my 7pm family are moving at the end of the school year. After that I will be 7am-6pm and anything outside of those hours will be at my discretion at a higher rate.

                Comment

                • Blackcat31
                  • Oct 2010
                  • 36124

                  #9
                  Originally posted by JLH
                  What hours are you open?
                  I open about 15 minutes prior to the first scheduled child. I close when the last kid is scheduled to be picked up.

                  I will NOT work before 7:30 or after 5:15.

                  Originally posted by JLH
                  Do you make exceptions?
                  Used to. Now? NEVER.

                  Comment

                  • HomeMADE
                    New Daycare.com Member
                    • Jan 2013
                    • 85

                    #10
                    I open at 5am every day and close at 6pm. 13 hours!!!

                    My first client was a sibling group 2 days a week 6:30am to 6pm. Then I got a call for a full time infant 5am - 3pm. So I am ****ing it up right now. All of my other families leave between 3pm and 4pm. I may have to change but the kids that are here until 6pm are awesome children with awesome parents. The only issue is I can't leave the house at all. By the time my husband gets home with the kids many days I have Cabin Fever.

                    I feel like I am a slave to the $$$. In about 6 months our sacrifices right now will pay off financially and I won't have to make the crazy sacrifices.
                    HomeMADE

                    Comment

                    • MarinaVanessa
                      Family Childcare Home
                      • Jan 2010
                      • 7211

                      #11
                      Originally posted by JLH
                      What hours are you open? Do you make exceptions? The reason I ask is that I am open from 6am to 5:30pm. I open at 6 for one kid (3 days per week) and no one else comes in until 7. Also, I have one mom who asked to bring her child at 5 am on occasion but it is now turning into an everyday thing. Am I just being whiny or do other providers work 12 to 13 hours per day too? I'm thinking about changing my hours from 7 to 5:30 and terminating my 2 problem families, which are the only 2 that show up so early.
                      My hours are 7am-6pm but i have one client that I have a contract with that comes every other Friday and monday from 6:20am to 4pm. I made an exception because it's only every other week. My next client arrives at 7:30am but I'm up by 6am already to get my DD ready for school so I don't mind.

                      If I already opened at 6am however and a client wanted to bring a kid at 5am I doubt I'd be okay with that. Especially if the client said "occasionally" and it turned out to be frequently. I'd talk to her about it and point out that it was never supposed to be a regular thing and tell her what your definition of "occasionally" means (once a week, twice a month etc). If she needs more early mornings than you are willing to accommodate then suggest she needs to find a daycare that opens earlier than you do.

                      Comment

                      • JLH
                        New Daycare.com Member
                        • Feb 2013
                        • 124

                        #12
                        Originally posted by JLH
                        What hours are you open? Do you make exceptions? The reason I ask is that I am open from 6am to 5:30pm. I open at 6 for one kid (3 days per week) and no one else comes in until 7. Also, I have one mom who asked to bring her child at 5 am on occasion but it is now turning into an everyday thing. Am I just being whiny or do other providers work 12 to 13 hours per day too? I'm thinking about changing my hours from 7 to 5:30 and terminating my 2 problem families, which are the only 2 that show up so early.
                        Thank you all so much for the advice. I'm so happy to hear that I'm not the only one out there that is a slave to the money! I think I am going to wait until I have a couple of new kids to fill the spots and then change my hours to 7 am to 5:30 pm.

                        Comment

                        • Willow
                          Advanced Daycare.com Member
                          • May 2012
                          • 2683

                          #13
                          7:15am-5:15pm

                          With the exception of parents needing major emergency surgeries, having severe traffic accidents, birthing another child or meeting an untimely death I don't operate outside of those hours.

                          Comment

                          • daycarediva
                            Daycare.com Member
                            • Jul 2012
                            • 11698

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Willow
                            7:15am-5:15pm

                            With the exception of parents needing major emergency surgeries, having severe traffic accidents, birthing another child or meeting an untimely death I don't operate outside of those hours.
                            I seriously just laughed SO HARD at this! ::

                            I am open from 7:30-6. NO EXCEPTIONS. I also do contracted hours, so even though I am open at 7:30, only one family has contracted for that time and rarely shows up before 7:45, the same with 6, that is only for 1 family and they rarely use/need it.

                            Comment

                            • MyAngels
                              Member
                              • Aug 2010
                              • 4217

                              #15
                              I am open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Not a minute earlier. Not a minute later. Ever.

                              Comment

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