Spin Off From Parents Thread

[littlemissmuffet]

I city bus would concern me more than a baby buckled up safely in a providers car.

Why? It is said that school and city buses are 40 percent safer than cars!

Regardless, I would respect a parent not giving permission for their child to use public transportation - but I would also not sign them on as a result. Public transit and walking is how my family and I get around our town - and thusly, it's how I get around with our daycare kids

[craftymissbeth]

I would be thrilled to have city buses here. Our city is just a little too small I guess for them to think it's worth it. If public transportation were available, I'd definitely use it with and without dck's.

[daycare]

City busses are different everywhere you go.
In SF near where I live it would be very common no one would bat an eyelash.

I live in a suburb of SF and public transport is not good and is frowned upon by the middle class here.

I think it depends on where you live plays a huge role in PT.

[AmyKidsCo]

I totally respect the fact that we are all different. We all run our daycares differently. I do what works best for me and that is to get the kids out.

I own and operate a really nice center, and the center-bashing stuff just is NOT NICE. We are not all "cookie cutter" places who feed and change and send them home sad and bored. Gimme a break! That comment really offended me. Not everyone on this forum is a home daycare, and to imply that those of us operating a center DON'T treat our students as "special and unique" is pretty insulting.

I agree with both of these statements.

And personally I don't transport. Partly because both of our vehicles are both in use all day weekdays, but mainly because of the regulations in WI. Because both of our vehicles seat more than 4 passengers I'd have to get an alarm installed in the back of the vehicle. The alarm would sound every time you exited the vehicle and can only be turned off manually. It's illegal to disable the alarm, so it would sound every time anyone in my family used the vehicle, even nights and weekends. Plus, the alarms aren't cheap.

[mom2many]

City busses are different everywhere you go.
In SF near where I live it would be very common no one would bat an eyelash.

I live in a suburb of SF and public transport is not good and is frowned upon by the middle class here.

I think it depends on where you live plays a huge role in PT.

I live in close proximity to you and it would not be a good option here either. I wouldn't feel comfortable or safe at all using public transportation especially while being in charge of other people's children.

[kelliott]

I BELIEVE I AM THE ONE EVERYONE IS TRYING TO RESPOND TO..(THE ORIGINAL POSTER OF "Transportation Without Permission"

the forum was locked because A LOT of people that were responding were being extremely negative and questioning my abilities as a mother-saying CPS should have been called, that i was neglecting my son by not picking him up before the provider took him somewhere, i'm just a whiny parent, etc...

First of all let me say, thank you all for keeping your comments so respectful!.. as a mother, the LAST thing we want is someone bashing our parental ability!..

i completely agree with those of you that advised to NEVER sign on with a provider that transports without both parties being on the same page. as for me, my major problem was not that she was a provider that transported kids-i just did not want her transporting mine. i was absolutely willing to work with her on early pick up times and what not, the big issue came when i did not get notice of the early pick up until it was almost the day OF!... i don't want to start another judgmental forum of providers, parents, or "unregistered" users attacking me. what happened happened. it is behind me and from a legal stand point i know what i need to do to protect myself from anything she may bring to a court battle etc.., just as the provider i'm sure is expecting the worst if this came to a legal battle also. she still wants her money, and i still refuse to pay it.

i have found other childcare with 2 possible backups and things are looking up.. thank you all so much for your input! i am only 23 years old so this was a learning experience.. i have taken everything i have read from my original post as well as this one and tried to get something good and worthy out of it...

[daycare]

So happy to hear from you and your update.

We are all human and we all make mistakes.

Glad you are finding back up possibilities you really need at least one reliable one.

Glad you stuck around.

[Play Care]

In my area, parents really want their kids to go to "real" preschool. So I DO transport to the school (less than a mile away). This makes my child care competitive over a one that does not transport (in fact I may be getting a child soon because of this). Therefore I make it clear to any family that starts that this is the case - and that while my assistant is *usually* here to cover, there have been occasions where we will all have to take the ride. I took a car seat safety class (not required by licensing) so I feel comfortable with installing car seats appropriately.

I saw someone say that car seats are not meant to be taken out and reinstalled - and according to the class, this is NOT true. Car seats do need to be readjusted often because straps can become loose, the child grows, etc. I have a close relative who is a certified car seat tech and she almost died when another relative told her proudly "I never move the car seat!" because of the above reasons.

All that said, there is no right or wrong way to do things *provided* everyone is on the same page. The other post was not about bashing transporting. It was, as others have pointed out, transporting without permission. And that is not cool, ever.

[Meeko]

I would never in a million years agree to have a child care provider transport my child anywhere. EVER.

I would find other child care if the provider required me to allow her to transport my child.

As a child care provider myself, I view my role as providing CARE to a child NOT providing them with outside experiences.

They have family and school for that.

I would NEVER want to assume the liability.

I also think that unless a car seat is installed in a providers vehicle and LEFT in the car, the provider is taking a HUGE risk by having to install and remove and then re-install that car seat properly each and every time.

Since car seats aren't meant to be installed and removed and reinstalled daily, it is just too much of a risk for me as a provider (and parent) to take.

fwiw~ This is MY personal opinion and NOT a dis to any provider or parent who allow/requires transportation.

I agree. As a parent, I wouldn't want my child transported. Not because trips to the zoo etc aren't fun....but because the GETTING there is what would worry me.

No matter how nice the provider may seem to be, I would not know what kind of driver she was.

Was she a nervous driver (dangerous)? Was she an aggressive driver (dangerous)? Was she a great driver, but driving on roads filled with not-so-great drivers???? Was she attentive enough with a carload of yelling kids? Did she install the carseat correctly? Many people don't even though they think they have.

I also would want to do things with my child. I wouldn't like suggesting we go to the zoo.......to find out it's old news. I would want my child to have those experiences with ME.

From a provider's view.....I (actually my husband) DO transport to the local elementary school. I don't like it, but it's expected around here. We're too to close for the bus and too far to walk as far as most people are concerned and there is a busy road on the way. I would prefer not to transport. The liability is HUGE.

[countrymom]

I tend to go off into left field a lot.. the point I was intending to get across is... I have had some parents in the past that could care less that my child has a High School Graduation ceremony that night or an extremely important pre-op appt..... some parents only care about themselves...
I schedule all appointments after hours but that would be the one time a parent gets a flat tire or their relief doesn't show up.. so what would you do? forgo your child's surgery? miss your child's graduation? (in our city they can be between 4 pm - 7 pm and always on a week night..)
Miss your child's first and possibly only home run this season?
Our kids have to go through a lot... sharing their mom, home, privacy and we do this so we can be there for them... I sometimes get my daycare kids ready for their games so parents can pick up and go straight to their game .. why should I miss my own child's game when I can just drive them 2 blocks to the park and their parent can get them so I don't miss my baby hitting her first home run? Ever notice that your kid looks for you in the stands frequently? :hug:

For this year I have told all my parents the day and time of my dd graduation and I told them to make sure their back up can be called because all my assistants are my family and we will all be at the stadium... but if something crazy happens ... you bet I will take that baby with me!!! lovethis

omg, this happened to me. I had to get my dd from a soccer game at school. And I like to watch them too (so do the dck's) well I have this family who the dad picks up (mom drops off) every day pick his kids later and later. Their child got off the bus at 4pm, and dad is suppose to be waiting for him every day. Well, dad never managed to do this, instead, dad got off work every day at 330pm and not pick up till almost 430pm that day (he was told repeatedly) well, that day I had enough. I packed his kids up and went and got my dd, not only did I miss her game, but I missed her goal. Dad had to come and find me at school and I had it. His excuse "I forgot". His wife also laid into him too about it. This same family last year, decided to bring their dd here the day of my odd graduation because no one wanted to watch her, even thou mom could have taken the day off. So I told mom that it was fine but she was coming with me all over the place to do errands.

[countrymom]

so by the sounds of it, most of you have little kids of your own. So what do you guys do when your kids have friends and need a ride home, not drive them. Same scenerio expect the kids are older. There is no difference, there is still liability when you drive someone elses kids.

[Michelle]

so by the sounds of it, most of you have little kids of your own. So what do you guys do when your kids have friends and need a ride home, not drive them. Same scenerio expect the kids are older. There is no difference, there is still liability when you drive someone elses kids.

What do providers do when your own child gets sick from school? school buses don't transport for this.

What do you do if little Johnny gets a ride to a soccer game that you have to miss half of because a mom that gets off at 3:30 wants to get her money's worth and get her nails done because you close at 5.... and your Little Johnny breaks his arm and is being taken to the hospital?

What do you do if even after covering all you bases and you close at 12 p.m. and parents still don't show up and your dd or ds graduates in 4 hours? To get a good seat you would have to leave in 2 hours.

Side note... I would NEVER take my dck's on a city bus... I would not take my own kids on one. We are suppose to keep our kids from potential child abusers and you don't know who is on that bus.. they are not seat belted in,also being on the bus doesn't "magically" make other drivers drive better... The no seat belts and car seats scare me the most..also.

I have been driving for 25 years and have never even been pulled over or received a ticket.. My parents totally trust me and I love that!

[countrymom]

What do providers do when your own child gets sick from school? school buses don't transport for this.

What do you do if little Johnny gets a ride to a soccer game that you have to miss half of because a mom that gets off at 3:30 wants to get her money's worth and get her nails done because you close at 5.... and your Little Johnny breaks his arm and is being taken to the hospital?

What do you do if even after covering all you bases and you close at 12 p.m. and parents still don't show up and your dd or ds graduates in 4 hours? To get a good seat you would have to leave in 2 hours.

Side note... I would NEVER take my dck's on a city bus... I would not take my own kids on one. We are suppose to keep our kids from potential child abusers and you don't know who is on that bus.. they are not seat belted in,also being on the bus doesn't "magically" make other drivers drive better... The no seat belts and car seats scare me the most..also.

I have been driving for 25 years and have never even been pulled over or received a ticket.. My parents totally trust me and I love that!

I was wondering the same thing. I live in the county. I have no family near me. Heck, getting my parents to come and visit me is a struggle. Dh can't leave work and my kids take a school bus. So I have to pick up. And forget taking a bus here (I'm not near one) but in the last year 2 mothers have been kicked of the bus, one was because her kid was sick and was crying and the other one had a poopy bum.

[mom2many]

I have often wondered how providers do this when they have young children of their own and the "unexpected" circumstances come up.

When I first started my childcare business, my oldest was an infant. I had no need to go anywhere. I walked to the park and that was it. It was great! However, in an emergency I had no way to transport the small group of children in my car, but I had several neighbors that I could call on if I needed to leave.

When my son started Kindie and went to school at noon, I worked out a carpool arrangement with my next door neighbor. It was great! However, when she moved away, I was forced to walk over to school to drop off and pick up, since we didn't have a large enough car to accommodate all of the kids.

That worked out fine until they closed that neighborhood school and the kids had to attend a new one a mile further away. It took me longer to load the kids in and out of the car then it did to drive to the school! I did this for years though...I had one parent ask for my drivers license, so that he could run it and for his peace of mind I was happy to do that! I have an impeccable driving record, but I do always worry about others on the road! All it takes is one person running a red light! I always took the safest route with less traffic and avoided major intersections.

Thankfully now that my own kids are grown, my hubby is able to help me and stays home with the younger dcks, while I do transportation with the s/a in my care. That is a HUGE help!!!!!

[Blackcat31]

What do providers do when your own child gets sick from school? school buses don't transport for this.

I had back up in place for this. Child care like many other jobs does not allow me to be flexible in my schedule or activities on such short notice so I had back up ready just in case.

What do you do if little Johnny gets a ride to a soccer game that you have to miss half of because a mom that gets off at 3:30 wants to get her money's worth and get her nails done because you close at 5.... and your Little Johnny breaks his arm and is being taken to the hospital?

Again, I had back up. Either a back up provider to come in for me if there was/is an emergency or my husband was available to be at my child's game.

My child DID break his hand and had to be transported over 90 miles away to a bigger hospital due to the severity of his injuries and I wasn't able to go immediately. I had to wait for my back up to arrive.

What do you do if even after covering all you bases and you close at 12 p.m. and parents still don't show up and your dd or ds graduates in 4 hours? To get a good seat you would have to leave in 2 hours.

I have had parents not show up at my closing time. I called every person in their contact list. When I still didn't reach anyone, I called CPS.

That is protocol for providers here. Parents are told this is the order of business/action if they (or their emergency back up) are unavailable or unreachable.

I have been driving for 25 years and have never even been pulled over or received a ticket.. My parents totally trust me and I love that!

I would NEVER allow my provider to transport my children anywhere. Didn't matter if she was Dale Earnhardt with the cleanest driving record out there. It's the OTHER drivers on the road that frighten me.

You can be the best, most careful driver there is and you still can not control the actions of others.

If you read the traffic accident report in any local paper 95% of accidents where someone was killed, it was due to negligence of another party and not the driver who died themselves.

I answered in bold above.

One of this biggest things I read on this forum is providers who seem to feel that this profession should be respected and viewed as a "real" job by society yet, some providers feel that it should also be a job in which we should be given free passes to do things with our families and/or outside of care hours with little or no notice to families enrolled and expect parents to come pick up their children or change their work schedules to accommodate the things we want to do just because we are the bosses and/or the ones in charge.

I truly believe parents want reliability and dependability. Not a provider who simply closes every time her own children have something going on and then expects the parents they have enrolled should just have to "deal with it" and figure out back up.

Whether you close a little, a lot or not at all for family related things is fine and dandy but no matter how often you close, it is still something that should be discussed IN DEPTH with the families you enroll BEFORE they enroll so they (the families) know if they need to be flexible at their jobs or if you are going to be available to them on a regular basis.

Providers need to let families know if they will be closing on short notice frequently or if they will always give adequate notice.