Early Hours

[midaycare]

So many of you are done so early - 4:00, 4:30 pm, what do your parents do to be out of work so early? Are they all teachers? People here usually work 8-5 or 9-6. I don't have much choice but to work both early and late. My first comes at 6:45 am and my last leaves at 6:00 pm.

What makes your clients have such great hours?

[SignMeUp]

And flexible scheduling. I have parents who do administrative work at colleges, graphic design, teachers & professors, attorney, paralegal, non-profit grant-writing. All kinds of stuff where they are allowed to set at least some of their own hours, and sometimes work from home too.
I am open 7:30-5:00. I would love to be off at 4 though ::
I think a lot of mine have trouble getting out of the house in the morning, so often no one comes when I expect them, but they still have to come by 5.

[Play Care]

So many of you are done so early - 4:00, 4:30 pm, what do your parents do to be out of work so early? Are they all teachers? People are kind here usually work 8-5 or 9-6. I don't have much choice but to work both early and late. My first comes at 6:45 am and my last leaves at 6:00 pm.

What makes your clients have such great hours?

I actively market to teachers, government employes, essentially anyone with shorter work hours. When I interview I tell parents that my clients value my care so much they make it work - usually by splitting drop offs and pick ups.
I've been toying with the idea of reducing fees for even earlier pick ups, but I think DH would have a heart attack ::

[Tdhmom]

I lucked out and have a dcm that works at the school (year round but can make her own hours in the summer so I get most Fridays off) and the Dcd is a farmer so he drops off late in the morning so I've been working 9:30 (sometimes 10) to 4:30 Monday through Thursday.

And I'm still burnt out and dread my 4 days ::

[e.j.]

I have parents who are teachers or who work for the schools in other positions like OTs and PTs. I also have parents who work for the state, are self-employed or who work in jobs that allow them to work from home with flexible hours. Other parents have staggered work schedules so dcd might drop off in the morning and dcm picks up in the afternoon. I've also had some parents who had other family members drop off and pick up. Everybody is different. If they value the care you offer their kids, they can usually find a way around your hours.

[snbauser]

Mine are all school employees and it's the group I target. I am technically open from 6:30-5 but run on contracted hours and my first drop offs are at about 7-7:15.

[TwinKristi]

Everyone's jobs vary here...0ne is a nurse at a school, one works from home, one works at a restaurant, one worked at a architect's office, one is jobless for now... LOL the one who works from home us usually the last to pick up surprisingly! Fridays usually end up being early days but I just interviewed with a family who would be a 5:15-5:30 pickup time and the other is also jobless so I have no idea what her hours will be.

[Unregistered]

I have teachers,nurses,office workers,plumber,dentist,grocery,but mostly teachers.
Everyone is gone by 5:00p.m. Every single child I have in my care does the dad's drop off in the morning and moms pick up in the evening.It really cuts down on the time they are in care.

[nothingwithoutjoy]

Almost all of my kids come from families in which either one or both parents are self-employed. Also, most of my families have one parent drop off and the other pick up.

[GKJNIGMN]

My earliest pick up is 2:30PM. DCM works at a warehouse but she also has to be to work at 5:30AM.

My others are all more reasonable start times. I have a DCM who does customer service for an internet/phone provider. She is done at either 3:30 or 4 depending on the week. She also has to work every 3rd weekend though so it is a trade off. She has a 6:45AM start time

Another DCM I had with a 3:30 to 4pm pickup was a higher level loan officer at a bank.

[Annalee]

So many of you are done so early - 4:00, 4:30 pm, what do your parents do to be out of work so early? Are they all teachers? People here usually work 8-5 or 9-6. I don't have much choice but to work both early and late. My first comes at 6:45 am and my last leaves at 6:00 pm.

What makes your clients have such great hours?

These hours are in my contract. The parents whom are not off at 4:30 have someone pick up their child/children. I am open 6:00 to 4:30 and each child gets 9 1/2 hrs not to exceed 4:30. I have two sons and I need the time for my own family. I explain this in the interview.

[craftymissbeth]

I have a construction worker, phlebotomist, self employed landscaper, oil refinery worker, teacher, and my new dcm works at a hospital and I keep forgetting to ask what she does

New dcm works third shift so she picks up between 2:30-3:00, but is contracted until 3:30.. another family is contracted until 4, but picks up at 3:30, and the other family is contracted until 3:45.

They all used to come until 5 until I changed my rates to depend on pick-up times like Blackcat does. I make slightly less money, but it's so worth it to be done so early.

Eta: they all make it work somehow so that they can pay the least amount possible which is awesome because that also means they pick up earlier

[drseuss]

I have parents with state jobs who work 7-3:30, teachers who work 7:45-3:45, early shift welders working 6-3:00, nursing home 7-4...Not all of the parents work quite those hours, but usually the parent who gets off work first is the one picking up the child. I have worked longer days in the past, 11 hours regularly and sometimes 12 hours. Those long days are just not sustainable, to me, in this line of work. Major health problems and burn out ensue.

[midaycare]

They all used to come until 5 until I changed my rates to depend on pick-up times like Blackcat does. I make slightly less money, but it's so worth it to be done so early.

Eta: they all make it work somehow so that they can pay the least amount possible which is awesome because that also means they pick up earlier

Okay what is this crazy talk and how does that work? Charging by pickup hour? Hmmm... I'm curious!

[midaycare]

Thanks everyone for your answers! I don't know if in my market I can be so picky, but I am curious about how the charging by pickup time works ... Anyone care to share?