Open Hours Now vs When You Started

[nanglgrl]

When I first opened I was open 7:30 to 5:30 (all ages) but when the market changed in my area I started doing 2nd and eventually 3rd shift and I went back and forth with these hours and for a while even did 24 hours and weekends.
Now I'm open 7:30-3:30 and only take ages 1-6 but the majority are 2 -3 years. I've been on this schedule for over a year. I love it. All but one of my children are in school now so the daycare kids arrive when my children leave (except for my 3 year old) for school and leave before my kids get home. I don't plan on ever changing my hours but time will tell.

[Play Care]

When I started out it was 7:30-5:00. Then it was 7:15 to 5:00, then 7:30-4:45. I've had the last hours for several years now. It does turn some people off (I had a woman go off on me a while back over it) but for the most part my parents make it work. For my sanity I need to be done before 5. Something about that 15 minutes makes me feel like I'm not working as many hours as I actually am

Next year I lose two to K, and I'm hoping it won't mean a change in hours.

[MsLaura529]

I just opened (in April) but my hours are 7:30-5:30. However, very rarely is anyone here after 5 so far, and my newest little DCK will be coming some morning around 7 or 7:15, but that's ok.

[AnneCordelia]

When I opened it was with the hours of 7-6:45. It was waaaaaaaaay too long. I burnt out and shortened my hours. Now I work m-f 7-5, but my current clients keep the hours of 7:15-4pm. Next week my 4pm close changes to 5pm again but its been a nice summer of early closing. :-)

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I used to be 8-5. I switched to 7-6 (the extra hour in the morning for families that needed it was free and the extra hour in the evening for families that needed it was $6.00 per day). When things were extremely stressful I switched back to 8-5. 8-5 is much less exhausting than 10 or 11 hour days!

In order to get new clients, I went BACK to 7-6 (but was only willing to work until 6 a few days a week so I do so 3 days). I have one divorced family that comes in at 7 two days per week, one teacher family who comes in at 7 four days per week, one teacher family who comes in at 7 5 days per week, and one family that alternates between mom and grandma dropping off who comes in about 3 days per week at 7. Only one child stays until 6 three days per week and they pay $6.00 per day. Complicated enough? ::

[Sunchimes]

At first, I took whatever I could get. I had 3 part time families. One was only here1-3 days a week from about 6 to 3, sometimes less. One was here 2 days one week, 3 days the next, but the were 12 1/2 hour days with her. The third worked retail, so sometimes I worked until 9 pm. Small town, no teachers kids available, it was tough. Then 3rd mom changed jobs and we agreed that I would keep her until 8 pm, but her boss changed her hours and it was 10 pm, then it was midnight. And all of those hours were just guesses-she got off at midnight in theory, but if there was a customer (truck stop) or her relief was late, she worked late. I've worked from 5:30 am to 1 am a few times. I was just about to term her when she changed jobs again and had someone pick up at 7 when she had to work late. I worked every Saturday, but sometimes the stars aligned and I got a mid week day off. That lasted a year. I just have one family (2 kids) now and it is a dream schedule, 8-5 M-F. Lots of holidays that I get paid for because I am open, even if she doesn't need me. I really need to fill my last space, and I know things will get crazy again, but it's been a really nice few months. My hope with the new family is to work no later than 5:30. I don't care how early they get here since I'm always up by 5 anyway.

[coolconfidentme]

(same)

[Scout]

My contract says that I am available 5:30am-5:30pm(I think) but, none of my families use all of the hours. I have been blessed with really great families who don't take advantage! My earliest very pt child gets here some days at 5:30am and we just go back to sleep until 6:30 when the other kids arrive! She is picked up by 3. The others all arrive before 7 am. One leaves at 3:30, one at 4, one around 4:15. These schedules work really well for me as DS had baseball games at 6 this summer so we still had time to eat dinner beforehand. All of my parents pick up right on the way home from work so I haven't had a problem with abuse of kids being here til closing. I didn't want a younger child but, decided they will only grow to the age I like and the schedule meshed well with the others.

[Moppetland]

When I first opened, it was M-F from 6am-12am. My last family got picked up at 11:30pm. This burnt me out. I closed because I was so burnt out. I thought I was done. I went to work in a all day preschool and was working from 8:00am - 6:00pm. If a parent is late picking up, I sometimes stayed and waited on them.

I was making way less money and was getting home after 7:00pm because of traffic. So, I thought about it. I told myself that I might as well open back up because now I'm really burnt out.

I'm open again and my hours are 7:00am - 5:30pm. I've learned so much from the first time. These hours work for me. I still have enough time to volunteer at my daughter's high school, go to classes myself, and just plain relax earlier in the evening.

[butterfly]

My hours have not changed, but I have switched to a school year only program, so I'm now closed the same days as the school. I only made the switch because I happened to have nearly all teachers children. They didn't want to pay for the summers, so I decided at that point that's how I'd do things going forward. Works great for me. Allows more time for my own children and now that my children are school age, it's absolutely perfect.

[Blackcat31]

When I first opened my hours were M-F 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

My current hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

My hours changed as I felt stretched too thin and as I grew weary of unkept schedules, 5 extra minutes here and there and simple disrespect of opening and closing times.

[mom2many]

My hours were based on what the families needed when I first opened. They were both p/t and needed care from 7-4.

Later my hours were 8-5:30, because the dc families I had didn't need dc as early, but needed it later.

For the past 10 years, I have ended up working longer hours. I have some families needing care as early as 6:45 am and others needing care till 6 pm. This is a result of having more single parents (I used to have on parent drop off and another pick up) & the crazy, long commute many parents have around here.

I wish I could have the 7-4 hours again... But I'd lose every one of my families if those were my hours now!

[KBCsMommy]

When I first opened my hours were 7 am to 6pm. Most of my parents didn't come until around 7:20 am and kids were all picked up before 5:30 pm.

So I changed my start time to 7:30 am and kept the 6 pm pick up as a courtesy.

I started a new dcg last August dcm is a teacher and works a little ways out of town but gets out of school at 2:45. She asked for a 7:15 drop off, no problem. Within two weeks she was strolling up the driveway at 5:58 pm EVERYDAY in her pajamas....Yes pajamas.

Needless to say I changed my closing hours to 5:30 pm. So now she comes strolling up the driveway everyday at 5:28 pm...everyday.....whether she went to work or not.

So now my hours are 7:30 am to 5:30 pm.
(With the exception of dcm who drops at 7:15, and not a minute earlier!)

[melilley]

When I first opened my hours were 6am-6pm. I do contracted hours and luckily no one is contracted until 7:30 and they are all usually gone by 5:30. I am losing one child and now I am going to advertise that I am open form 7-6. I can't imaging having kids come at 6 in the morning!

[originalkat]

I have always been 7-5:30. I have ALMOST moved to 7:30-5:30 but I always end up having at least one who needs to drop off between 7 and 7:30. Figures!