Getting Kids Ready For Pick Up

[nanglgrl]

All of my parents come at the same time or within 5 minutes of it so i have the kids get their gear on and help the ones that need it and we wait for their parents. The parents knock on the door and hand me their child, every once in a blue moon they stand in the entryway or come to the playroom if we have to discuss something. I never have problems with pick up or drop offs. I do it for a variety of reasons: we have a lot of snow so I hate having wet puddles all over the floor and then wet socks. I don't like to have parents standing with the door open while their child gets ready and my heat or air conditioning being wasted. It puts a quick stop to parents that tend to longer and I don't have to worry about the tantrums due to changing of the guard. Also, my entryway is small and all of my children basically arrive at 8 and leave at about 3:15 so if I have people standing there it's dangerous (entry is right by stairs going down) and crowded. I do post pictures all day long of the children engaged in activities and on occasion I make sure parents come to the playroom because if my child was in daycare I would want to see the space from time to time but doing it this way works best for me and my clients have never seemed to have a problem with it.

[mema]

When it's nice out, the kids are already ready because we are outside. When we are not outside, it depends. Most of my parents come right at closing, so 10-15 minutes prior, we clean up and then head to the door to get ready. I want everyone out at 5, but most of the parents get here at 4:59. If they get here earlier, they can get them ready. I only have 1 older one that can do everything. If I didn't do that, it would be 5:15-5:30.

[CraftyMom]

When it's nice out, the kids are already ready because we are outside. When we are not outside, it depends. Most of my parents come right at closing, so 10-15 minutes prior, we clean up and then head to the door to get ready. I want everyone out at 5, but most of the parents get here at 4:59. If they get here earlier, they can get them ready. I only have 1 older one that can do everything. If I didn't do that, it would be 5:15-5:30.

This is an issue I have. I close at 4:30, last mom comes at 4:30 to 4:40 (which I did not approve and just told her it has to stop). She wants to cuddle and snuggle before getting coats on, doesn't leave until 4:45 at least. I want the kids GONE at 4:30! She can snuggle at home. I may start getting the kids ready just for the sake of getting everyone out the door!

[mema]

This is an issue I have. I close at 4:30, last mom comes at 4:30 to 4:40 (which I did not approve and just told her it has to stop). She wants to cuddle and snuggle before getting coats on, doesn't leave until 4:45 at least. I want the kids GONE at 4:30! She can snuggle at home. I may start getting the kids ready just for the sake of getting everyone out the door!

I use to not get them ready and the parents would take forever. I would even start getting myself ready like I had somewhere to be-sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. Didn't matter. They would sit and chat or the kids would resist and run. I would tell them I need to go. They can finish chatting in the car. I was met, by one parent, with rude comments about how I was being pushy and then haven't seen their child all day and just wanted to talk. Great, but do it out of my home. Now, I just don't give anyone the chance. If it is 4:55 and your not here, your child will be in the coat and shoes.

[Tdhmom]

I get all of my kids 100% ready to go. Then again, I have specific pick up times. If a parent tells me they'll be here at a certain time then that becomes their pick up time for the day and I have them ready then. If they show up after that time I just give them a warning and let them know their child has been playing in their coat and gloves waiting for pick up. It's only happened once, though and they got my point.

I get them ready because I dislike when the parents linger, plus I have one dcg that throws herself on the ground and acts terrible when dcm tries to get her ready.

Same here! My dck's are always ready to go. I don't like small talk

[Jack Sprat]

Depends on the child. I one dcm that will stay forever. So that child is always ready, shoes, coat and hat on. Everyone else has shoes on and coats are out waiting. The baby is almost always in car seat by the time dcd gets to door. He is one who likes to linger as well.

[LeslieG]

I make sure they put their shoes on after nap and before snack so they are at least a little ready if their parent comes during snack time. Though, I pretty much know when parents will be here, so depending on the kid, I will put on their jacket, gloves, etc. I started doing this because I have a couple kids who think it's time to run around and not listen to their parents at pick-up time, and parents would struggle to get their jackets on and ready to go…. I don't want to stand there for 10-15 minutes waiting for them to start listening to their parents… I like fast pick-ups!

[Daycaregranny]

So if the child acts up, the parent is to leave them with you at daycare for another 15 minutes as a consequence?

I don't know if that would sit well with me or my DCP's.

None of my parents has ever had an issue with it.

Being in daycare all day while your parent works is stressful enough but then to have your parent "threaten" to leave you there even longer seems kind of counterproductive as well as making "daycare" be the "bad" place to be....

Other than a child's first week I can't remember any one of my children being stressed about coming to my daycare. They are always excited to be there. I can assure you that my daycare is not a "bad place" in any of my daycare kids or parents minds.

I also think that there are more appropriate ways to help children make the transition between daycare and home easier and less stressful. I think that asking a parent to work with you means asking them to help their child adjust and understand the change that happens when they move between one environment to another by talking with their child about this. Sometimes the repeated conversation about what's going to happen every day helps a child eventually understand that this is the daily routine and the way it is going to be.

Of course the parent has this conversation. It's when the very next day it happens all over. When little jimmy starts saying "No I'm not leaving!" It's at that point mom/dad says fine see ya later. Done. Little jimmy is shocked they left. Confused as to what happened. Probably cries. Then they come back in in a few minutes and say "ready to go?" And he goes. He gets it that when mom/dad say its time to go then it's time to go. No more drama.

I think for the younger kids who don't understand discussion, the drop off and pick ups could be done swiftly and quickly so the child understands through repeated consistent routines day in and day out, that getting ready to go at the end of the day IS part of the routine and expected behavior.

My little ones who can't speak never have an issue, they are much easier when it's time to go.

Kids undergo a somewhat stressful moment when their parent arrives to pick them up. It's that same euphoria we as adults feel when we've had a long day away from home and we walk in our front door and feel that wave of relief of being home. Your safe, warm, comfortable place.

Um nope. Never experienced this either. 99.9% percent of the time we have no issues with this. The only time there is "stress" is when dck decides to test their limits and parent starts begging for them to cooperate and it goes on forever. That's why I started asking parents to do this. It works.

Kids feel like that sometimes when their parent arrives for pick up. That wave of emotion comes out in different ways for different kids. Some instantaneously get whiney or cry. Others can get crazy and wild...their emotions running amok. While others get defiant and test boundaries since two of their day to day authority figures are now present at the same time.

Kids need assistance, reassurance, help and support understanding this change. Not a threat to leave them there longer.

I have never thought of it as threatening more a life lesson. Actions have consequences.

[Lyss]

My parents have pretty clockwork schedules so I know when they are coming. I change diapers, wipe faces, & occasionally put on shoes but gathering bags/blankets/art and putting on coats is all parents. Well except for one, a DCM that tends to linger and chat so DCG is 100% ready to go

[Cat Herder]

I have them freshly dressed in clean clothes, face/hands washed, hair styed/brushed, coat/shoes on and ready to go out in public. It is one of my niche perks. I am full care.

My clients text if they are picking up outside of their window because they like the service. They know they may find them covered in glue, glitter and paint otherwise.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Children that get picked up outside of the regular pick-up time (earlier) get ready when their parent arrives. Children that get picked up in the 20 minute pick-up window at the end of the regular day get ready with everyone else and are ready to go when their parent arrives.
My two later pick-ups get ready when parent arrives. Sometimes this doesn't go well. Yesterday one of the 3-year-olds threw his shoes at Grandma and got disciplined leaving Grandma to try to coddle him to make up for him being told no.

[Blackcat31]

I have never thought of it as threatening more a life lesson. Actions have consequences.

I am glad this works for you. We all need to do what works best, but I think you missed my point.

There are more appropriate ways to help a child (and parent) manage transitions other than to threaten them with being left somewhere.

Whether it works for you or not doesn't make it appropriate or best practice.

Eating nothing but fast food "works" too but isn't what most people would consider appropriate or healthy for young children...kwim?

Oh, and fwiw.....I was never at ANY time insinuating your child care was a bad place to be.

[Daycaregranny]

Oh, and fwiw.....I was never at ANY time insinuating your child care was a bad place to be.

Thank you for that.

I guess it's all how someone perceives things. We use action/reaction practices here all the time. I hate timeout, won't do it. I guess I see it as a "threatening" practice. If you do this I'm going to make you bound to a chair screaming. Often when a child is doing something inappropriate or is not on task I will have the discussion. "You know if you keep throwing in the house your not going to be able go with me on our walk today ( or whatever). You have to listen." It's their choice. If they throw things again they don't get to participate. They stay back with another teacher. It's not so much to us as threatening as a action/reaction. In short order all my kids get it. Actually most of the time just giving them the eye works, haha.

What I do not like at pick up is seeing a parent frustrated that they can't get their child to listen to them. They look like a fish out of water! Some would look sad and dismayed that their kid was acting like that, some would get made and actually argue with the child. All with others watching, not ok. Some just let their child get their way and sat down waiting for the child to say it's ok to go now. Again, not ok. At least in my crazy mind. I used to step and and say "mom said its time to go" and most of the time it worked but my parents felt like I had more idk control or something and each day was a do over as they fail I stepped in situation. I found this to be not a place I wanted to be. I want my parents to take more control over their own children. So now with this method, mom comes in, child acts out, ok bye. No drama. Kid learns when mom says let's go, it's time to go. Period. There is no pull and play, no power struggle.

In truth we all do things differently, we all have our own methods and that's ok.