Doorbell Rings...

[Lucy]

At 7:26 this morning... I don't open until 7:30. My first reaction was to open the doors because the dogs would be barking the whole time but I remember what everyone says on this thread so instead I let the dogs outside, kept cooking DD's breakfast, made my coffee and kept my door shut until 7:30. Mom rang the doorbell 3 times and when I did finally open the door I gave her a quick, "hey! We don't open until 7:30." She looked annoyed, but I guess she should have seen MY face when she rang my bell that early. This is normally a 7:45 drop off family. Its so frustrating that people think just because we live where we work, that we work whenever we are home

Four minutes? That was a big deal?

When they're normally a 7:45 am family, yes it's a huge deal!!! Give them 19 minutes today and they'll try 30 next week!

If it were me, and I didn't have anyone before them, they'd have been on my porch till 7:45. I've done it before and I'll do it again.

[momofsix]

Would you donate an additional 16+ hours per year to a traditional job? I think not.

Are you still flexible when it happens at drop off by a few minutes and then at pick up by a few minutes? That is a LOT of free daycare and a LOT of lost family/personal time. 5 minutes every morning and 5 minutes every evening adds up to working almost an entire work week (40+ hours!)

I also have a contract, contracted hours and late fees for a reason, to discourage this sort of thing.

But no one said anything about EVERY morning and evening,this was a one time thing. If OP had said it was becoming a habit then I could understand being upset.
Also, I don't mean to be argumentative but many people work for "free" technically. My husbands salary is based on a 45 hour work week-he RARELY gets to work 45 hours. THere are always emergencies that come up when dealing with people. When I worked in a center I would often work on curriculum at home or meet with my co-teacher to go over things for a few minutes before or after work-unpaid. I think that unless you are an hourly worker (for the most part) you will be called upon to do "extra" from time to time.

[My3cents]

Yep, yep - we all have stories but one in particular made me grow my backbone immensely. I had 2 PT families in care a few years back- on Wed I only had the one family but their drop off time was not until Noon & all my own kids were either in preschool in the mornings or all day grade school. So naturally I wanted to utilize that morning to get things down, make appts for me etc. Week 2 or 3 of this PT family being with me I noticed a bad pattern. The DCD came at 11:45 one day & I did not say anything although I was steamed. Next week it became 11:30 & I did mention their earliness. By the next week he came at 11:15 & I spoke up, "Ted, you really need to let me know if you are coming more than a few minutes prior to noon. And if you are bringing earlier we need to discuss extra pay for the extra time (I do contracted hours). You are the only family in care on Wed so I will frequently not be home until your scheuled drop-off time" It did help but from then on a made a habit on Wed of running errands in the morning & not getting back home until at least 11:50 a.m. I did occasionally arrive home at that time to find said parent waiting in my driveway. I guess my point is with some parents if you let them come early/pick up late they will take advantage. In some instances you have to stand up & use that backbone - guard your free time!

I would put something in your policies that states you do not want parents waiting in your driveway. I wouldn't want someone just hanging out at my home when I wasn't there. I don't like parents to talk on phone in my driveway and not come in and get the child. It is disruptive to the child and me and rude- Call whoever back after you leave and get home.

[My3cents]

My hours are 7:30am also, but I don't mind if they are 5 minutes early,in fact I tell parents that my hours are 7:30am but please don't drop off before 7:25am. It doesn't bother me if they are 5 minutes early,I am up,dressed and ready to go by then and will have had my coffee by then.
To me, 5 minutes is no big deal, now if it was 15 or 20 minutes early, then I would have a problem.

I am like this. On the flip side don't come past five and not have a cash late fee in your hand or call me ahead of time to tell me your late (unless in traffic, I don't want someone getting in accident talking or texting me while driving- but pull over and make that call if possible)

[Lucy]

Do you really get up only 8 minutes before you open? You must be a very good morning person. I'm not, I get up at 5:45 am to wake up,shower and be ready by 7:30, I really need that time to fully wake up.
I used to be a morning person, but the older I get, the more time I seem to need to wake up. More power to you if you can be ready for the day like that.

I do this too!! I shower at night. My first one comes at about 7:05, and my alarm goes off at 6:55. I roll out of bed about 6:59, go potty, brush my teeth, run a brush through my hair, throw on some clothes, and if there's time and/or mom is late, I start my Keurig machine.

[My3cents]

Do you really get up only 8 minutes before you open? You must be a very good morning person. I'm not, I get up at 5:45 am to wake up,shower and be ready by 7:30, I really need that time to fully wake up.
I used to be a morning person, but the older I get, the more time I seem to need to wake up. More power to you if you can be ready for the day like that.

this is me too........but some days I will hit the snooze button even if I am just sitting there trying to wake up and then it is fly to get ready

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

That could be the case . The OP didn't actually say one way or the other, and I answered based on my personal experience. After 20 years as a home based provider I've seen this happen quite a few times. I solved it by making sure everyone understands that I'm open when the porch light goes on and the door is open. If they get here early they just wait outside quietly .

This is exactly what I do as well with the porch light.

[KIDZRMYBIZ]

Yes! That is EXACTLY what happens! The minutes for drop-off creep up earlier and earlier. I have an attendance sheet that the DCP sign in and out on, and when they see that someone has dropped off/picked up just a tad outside regular hours, then they do it, too! Pretty soon, before I knew it, my workday had increased by almost half an hour! I love my job and my kids, but for the love of all things holy, 10 hours is already enough!

And, yes, the sitting in the driveway is so WEIRD. But even worse when they do it at pick-up, blah-blah-blahing on their phone while their kid is going ballistic inside waiting for them!

[My3cents]

Would you donate an additional 16+ hours per year to a traditional job? I think not.

Are you still flexible when it happens at drop off by a few minutes and then at pick up by a few minutes? That is a LOT of free daycare and a LOT of lost family/personal time. 5 minutes every morning and 5 minutes every evening adds up to working almost an entire work week (40+ hours!)

I also have a contract, contracted hours and late fees for a reason, to discourage this sort of thing.

I waste time in so many other areas that five minutes on the morning side of things doesn't bother me. I find you have to be a bit flexible and you get to know who abuses the rules and who doesn't. My value is my time with my family after five- don't be late and I stress this from before day one. Five is when I close and I am tired and ready to be done. My parents know if they are going to be late, cash in hand makes me happy but don't let it become an everyday thing because I value my personal life with my family.

[momofboys]

T

But no one said anything about EVERY morning and evening,this was a one time thing. If OP had said it was becoming a habit then I could understand being upset.
Also, I don't mean to be argumentative but many people work for "free" technically. My husbands salary is based on a 45 hour work week-he RARELY gets to work 45 hours. THere are always emergencies that come up when dealing with people. When I worked in a center I would often work on curriculum at home or meet with my co-teacher to go over things for a few minutes before or after work-unpaid. I think that unless you are an hourly worker (for the most part) you will be called upon to do "extra" from time to time.

The difference is your husband likely makes a much higher wage. My hourly rate is only @ $$2.50. I don't want my rate going down even more due to 20 min here, 10 min there, etc

[daycare]

Actually, you would be SHOCKED to learn the number of people who DO that kind of thing at any business. "But I just need one thing!" "But it's important!" "But I'm hungry!" "Well can't you just...."

And as for it being only 4 minutes, it's the principle of the thing. And as with toddlers, if you don't want it to happen every time, don't let it happen ANY time.

if you don't want it to happen every time, don't let it happen ANY time.

I have had to learn this the hard way in this business. if it is not something you want to happen again, then the answer in NO. I am not the price line negotiater.

morning drop offs, well, they ****. they are the busiest time of the day and parents don't stop to think that we are doing a million thing, while trying to stick to a schedule. If you are not proactive with a plan in place of how your day will run with a well thought out schedule, then you are going to be up for a bad day. The mood of the provider is one of the most important things for the children. when parents pull my strings by throwing off my schedule, it upsets me. I then have to find a little cool down time, so that it does not rub off onto the kids.

I don't honestly think that I would have anyone stand outside for any length of time, but I would take a longer to open the door and then communicate to them that they are early and that they need to communicate with me if they will need to attend care outside of their contracted times that are set.

I bet if we decided to turn the tables and we opened our business 4 minutes late, we would never hear the end of it.

what you did was very hard, but if it is what worked for you and it got the message sent loud and clear, then great job for you. You should feel proud of yourself that you stuck up for yourself today and didn't pose as anyones doormat.

[Leanna]

I open at 7 am. I wouldn't mind four minutes. Actually, when I wake up (at 6:50) the first thing I do is unlock the door and THEN I go shower & get ready. I make sure everything is ready the night before and can shower, dress, brush my teeth & hair in less than 10 minutes. I figure if a family comes a little early they can come in & chill while I finish up. It really isn't a big deal. If anyone ever came before 6:50 they would have to wait for me to be ready. I've never had that problem...mine all seem to have the opposite problem of being late for work!

[Cradle2crayons]

I open at 7 am. I wouldn't mind four minutes. Actually, when I wake up (at 6:50) the first thing I do is unlock the door and THEN I go shower & get ready. I make sure everything is ready the night before and can shower, dress, brush my teeth & hair in less than 10 minutes. I figure if a family comes a little early they can come in & chill while I finish up. It really isn't a big deal. If anyone ever came before 6:50 they would have to wait for me to be ready. I've never had that problem...mine all seem to have the opposite problem of being late for work!

Same here as far as the late to work is concerned.

I have five kids belonging to two moms. I haven't had either mom on time since day one. 99%'of the time they are late. Of course, it doesn't bother me because I'm afternoon contracted for the most part so that just means I can out my feet up for a few.

But I don't have parents arriving to my house u til they text telling me they are on the way. Both moms also, by choice, text me when they hit the exit. Is convenient for me because I can let the dogs out before they get here to potty before drop off. And at pick up I can have everything ready to minimize the noise at midnight with my dog barking.

Problem solved. Lol.

[caregiver]

Would you donate an additional 16+ hours per year to a traditional job? I think not.

Are you still flexible when it happens at drop off by a few minutes and then at pick up by a few minutes? That is a LOT of free daycare and a LOT of lost family/personal time. 5 minutes every morning and 5 minutes every evening adds up to working almost an entire work week (40+ hours!)

I also have a contract, contracted hours and late fees for a reason, to discourage this sort of thing.

I try to be flexible for my parents, even if it is 4-5 minutes early or late. I guess I am not that concerned about that little bit of time and don't even consider it free daycare. Also I guess it doesn't bother me as my children are all grown and out of the house, so it is just my husband and myself in the mornings. But still, I really don't feel that 4-5 minutes is any big deal to get worked up about. By the time they get in the house, get their coat and shoes off and go into the playroom, that few minutes is all gone and it is 7:30 by then if they happened to come that 4-5 minutes early. But this is just how I feel, but if it really is a problem for you then I can understand. A few minutes early is certainly not going to kill me or ruin my day. Just take my post here with a grain of salt.

[Josiegirl]

Heck I've seen yard sales that say "opens at 8". Course everyone gets there early and they'll have yellow tape across their driveway so the crowd is all standing around waiting for the clock to strike 8. If yard sales can do it, then personal business certainly can.

Now with that said I used to get upset if people were too early or late when my kids were all home and my dh was here. Now it's just me. My 2 pups can't tell time and frankly, as soon as I close the door at the end of the day, it's too quiet. So I'm very lenient. Nobody really takes advantage and lets me know if they might be early/late. I only have 1 dcf who has a hard time getting here by 5:15 most days and I close at 5:00. I have a list of days I do need to close by 4:45 this fall, for workshops, so that they know ahead of time to be here.

As someone said, that's the beauty of having your own business. You can run it the way you want and only you are the one to own the consequences. I realize what everyone is saying but the way I look at it too, is when you get referred by your dcps for new clients, one of the selling factors might just be your flexibility.