Parents Refuse to Come Get Kids

[Unregistered]

I told you a day or so about a boy I have who throws extreme temper tantrums and overall disrupts the entire day. Well, today, he screamed/forceful cried, and yelled for his parents to get him for 45 minutes! Then his younger sister decided to copy him and she has now been screaming/crying/yelling mommy, daddy, and her brother's name for about a half an hour.

The day that I posted this situation on here, I told the mother about it and told her that I will have to start sending him home when he throws his tantrum. I told her that when he starts, he just doesn't stop, often going for an hour or more. So I will have to send him home when he does this. She told me that she can not leave work to get him, so I will have to call their father. So today, I tried 4 times to call the father and he is just bitch buttoning me!!! His phone rings once and then gives me a very fast busy signal. That happens when the person you are calling hits the end button instead of answering the phone.

So the mother can't/won't leave work to come get them and the father won't even answer my phone calls!

[dalman]

There is no way I would put up with this behavior, from the parents, not the kids. They were warned what would happen if they don't get THEIR children under control. Tonight when they pick up, I would be handing them their term papers. They are soooo disrespectful of you and your rules. It blows me away. What if something were wrong and their child was on the way to the hospital in an ambulance? Not answer the phone? Are you kidding me? See ya. I have no time for people like this. No wonder the kids are out of control - the parents are out of control.

[Unregistered]

and if it was an emergency?

I would gather all belongings and print out an immediate termination notice to have ready once a parent picks up.

You should be able to contact a parent at all times.

[childcaremom]

and if it was an emergency?

I would gather all belongings and print out an immediate termination notice to have ready once a parent picks up.

You should be able to contact a parent at all times.

[Maria2013]

and if it was an emergency?

I would gather all belongings and print out an immediate termination notice to have ready once a parent picks up.

You should be able to contact a parent at all times.

[drseuss]

Hasta la BYE BYE at pick up today. Sorry about your situation.

[midaycare]

he is just bitch buttoning me!!! His phone rings once and then gives me a very fast busy signal. That happens when the person you are calling hits the end button instead of answering the phone.

Heh, heh. I've never heard it stated that way, but I suppose I'm guilty of BB'ing a few people. Mostly the mother in law

Term, term, term, term, term, term, term, term.

Sorry about the situation. Stinks.

[KDC]

I do think it's wrong that he's **bb** your messages. I would be upset that they were making themselves unavailable.

If you tried the wife first and she said No, call Dad... I would have put it back on her, YOU need to make arrangements for your children to be picked up by this time or I'm calling CPS. Gather everything up including a term letter.

However, part of me just wonders if the child is thinking (if I scream, I go home... AHHHHHHHHHH!!! Hee hee, I win!) The sister thinks this is a neat trick. I would nip it in the bud with consequences, and if absolutely nothing I tried worked I would term. **In my opinion...I can't see any of my DCP's thinking I'm a serious child care provider if I called over tantrums. BUT, I'm not in your shoes, and you've already probably tried everything. In this case, I would term.

Good luck!

[snbauser]

and if it was an emergency?

I would gather all belongings and print out an immediate termination notice to have ready once a parent picks up.

You should be able to contact a parent at all times.

This. If you have gotten to the point that nothing else is working and this is what you need to do when the child gets like this, then they either pick up or you terminate. Those are really your only options.

[bklsmum]

I agree with all above. Term them immediately.

[daycarediva]

I wouldn't send a child home for a tantrum- imho I would address the issue, give it a date for improvement/resolution and then term at the end of that period.

I WOULD term immediately for being unavailable and failing to contact me.

[drseuss]

If you don't want to term *immediately* over their unavailability, you could let them know when they do pick up today that from now on, you expect a response within xxx minutes, and if you do not get one you will call the emergency backup person. And let that be their one and only warning.

[Unregistered]

I have tried everything I know. I've been in daycare for over 20 years. I have only sent 2 kids home in 20 years. I am usually able to get the children to behave properly. However, I fully believe this child has special needs. Even though I have worked with plenty of special needs kids, this child, I can't figure out a way to get him to this child to calm down. When he goes into his tantrum, there's no stopping him. He just goes off until he wears himself out. And over the past couple of weeks, his sister (just turned 2 years old) has been copying him but I have been able to get her to calm down quickly. Today, I couldn't get her to calm down either and between the two, I just can't keep watching them when he throws a tantrum and especially when she joins in and throws a copy tantrum.

I can't afford to just kick them out. I have to figure out how to handle this until I can replace them. Obviously, the parents are not going to come get them when I need to have them removed from daycare for the day.

[Unregistered]

Have you tried recording the kids in action during a tantrum so the parents can see the extent of the tantrums.

[jenn]

I would start looking for replacements ASAP. As soon as you can replace them, terminate.
I would let them know that the next time you call, you will give them 10 minutes to respond, or you will start calling the emergency numbers. What if you were calling about an emergency or illness?! If they fail to answer again and force you to call emergency numbers, I would terminate even without replacements. I understand not being able to afford to terminate, I've been there. However, it becomes a liability to have children in your care if you cannot contact their family while they are in care.