Taking a Early Drop Off

[DaisyMamma]

curious for some feedback.

Call today for a 2yo. interview.
Drop off is 1 hr + before others. I have two DDs that I need to get up and get ready for school a half hour after drop off. In the past I've taken SA before school at this time and it was too stressful for me and didn't work out.

The plus side is that pickup time is where I want my closing time to be. I don't need the income from this new family, but if I took them then I could place a new policy that I will be closing an hour earlier this school year and not worry about losing a family because of it.

Bottom line is that I will have one 2yo under foot during the half hour I spend getting my DDs ready BUT I will have an entire hour more alone with my DDs in the afternoons...

:confused:

I took the interview. It doesn't hurt to meet the family. What are your initial thoughts?

[Blackcat31]

Like HOW early is early?

I accepted a child that arrives 45 minutes before anyone else recently as well but this child leaves at 2:00 every day (I close at 5) so it was worth it to me.

I also don't get anyone but myself ready for the day.

How old are your DD's?

[AmyKidsCo]

It's hard to say what's worth it to you.

I personally wouldn't take a drop off early, even it if meant that I was done earlier every afternoon. I just hate mornings that much.

But if you think it'll work for you, go for it! IMO a single 2 yr old probably won't be a hassle when you're getting your girls ready to go.

[jenboo]

I would much rather have an early drop off than a late pick up. I hate mornings but I love time in my evenings more

[Second Home]

For me it would depend whether the drop off was before my normal opening time . If it was then I would probably not take the child .

If it was within my open hours just that he would be he first one there by 45 minutes then I would take him . I would try to adjust what I needed to do with my own kids to make it easier for the new one to shadow me .

I would MUCH rather close early , after school and before dinner is such a hectic time I would rather wind down with my own kids .

[GKJNIGMN]

For me it always depends on the kid. I have taken on 2 kids that needed a 5:30AM drop off but I had them in care previously and knew that they would go right back to sleep. It also meant they would be picked up at 2:30 in the afternoon and I wouldn't have to drag them along for school pickups. It was worth it to me.

I also took a before and after school child with a 5:30AM drop off and termed. The parent would sometimes no call no show when I had to get up and am not a morning person and the child was a constant whiner. He also didn't go back to sleep.

You could always do it on a trial but I agree with others. I love my afternoon/evening enough to give up my morning.

[cheerfuldom]

Depends on the kid

but overall, I would not do it. My kids need my attention during that time to get ready for school.

[Crazy8]

I am NOT a morning person, but I would probably do it if I could close an hour earlier!! I have had a dream of closing just a half hour earlier for over a year now and if I could make that a reality and its really only 30 min. before I'd have to be up for my own kids anyway I would probably do it. But only you can decide if its worth it to you! It may also depend on how old your own kids are and how self sufficient they are in the mornings. For my own I would LOVE that extra hour in the afternoon with homework, etc. much more than I would need it for getting them out the door in the morning.

[DaisyMamma]

Its a tough one. I feel like I need to get to know the kid a little bit before I can decide, or even consider it.

In a perfect world my hours would be 9-2:30 ::

[CraftyMom]

I have a dcg that comes an hour before my opening time. I only do it because she comes in and goes straight to playing while I drink my coffee and I barely know she's here. I also charge $20 more per week for this. Not much, but I'm not gonna get up early for free! She is also my last kid to leave.

I definitely know what you are talking about though, with getting your kids ready for school, it's hectic with dck's around

[TwinKristi]

Well maybe try and get a little extra bonus in there and charge a little more for it? I've done it before also for an early pickup but I was desperate at the time and needed to fill the spot. We had to get up for school anyway.

[e.j.]

I think a lot depends on your own kids as well as the personality of the day care child. When my kids were younger, I never took on day care families who needed an early drop off time. I wanted to allow my kids the time to wake up, get ready and eat breakfast in peace before they had to head off to school. Had it just been my dd, I might have been willing to consider an earlier arrival for day care but my son really needed his own space before heading off to school each day.

[daycarediva]

I am up/ready for the day and able to open at 6 (already up and ready anyway). I let dck in right at 6, he goes to play toys. I wake ds's and they get dressed and then come play with dck while I make breakfast. Older ds gets in the shower.

I also charge $5/day more for him so that extra $100/m is REALLY worth it.