Closing Times

[Unregistered]

How do you all handle a parent who acts like your closing times do not matter and silly?

[mommiebookworm]

I have handled it by the first time giving them a reminder of what my closing time is. And charging a late pick up fee. The second time I give them a stern reminder and add, that this is my family time and when I spend time with my own children, and charge a few. The third time I term.

[daycare]

what PP said.

attach a fee. and it has to be a big one.

I charge $1 per min for every min you are late picking up. If you are late pickin up past closing, automatically I charge a $25 late fee PLUS $1 per min for each min you are late picking up. I have parents that will still be 5 min late after closing and didn't care about paying only 5bucks.

[Blackcat31]

$1 per minute the first time
NO services until ALL fees are paid in full
$2 per minute the second time
NO services until ALL fees are paid in full
Termination the 3rd time.


I don't give second chances or waive fees for ANY reason when it comes to pick up. Especially after closing time.

In 20+ years in this business I have yet to hear a valid and acceptable excuse for a pick up after closing.

[MarinaVanessa]

Attach feed for sure ... make it serious and explain how it is not silly but rude and disrespectful of my time.

I don't go by typical closing times and instead make it clear that each individual client has a schedule to go by. If they are late in picking up based on their own schedule they get charged a $5 for every 15 minutes late pick up fee even if I am still working and have other kids in care. If they go past 6pm it's $1 per minute. And I do charge them for it and the late fee has to be paid before they can bring their LO back.

If they argue, try to negotiate the fee or if it becomes a regular occurrence (which to me means a couple of times a month) then I issue them a written warning and they sign an agreement that if they're late again I will terminate immediately.

If they are late as a habit but not late past 6pm then I'll offer them a choice in writing of either arriving on time or extending their scheduled hours and I raise their weekly fees to reflect the addition.

[Jack Sprat]

I've been wondering about this. Do you all charge a late fee if they are late by two or three minutes? I have a parent who each and every night is late by 2 or 3 minutes. It doesn't seem like much, but over the course of a week it equals to 15 minutes.

[Blackcat31]

I've been wondering about this. Do you all charge a late fee if they are late by two or three minutes? I have a parent who each and every night is late by 2 or 3 minutes. It doesn't seem like much, but over the course of a week it equals to 15 minutes.

Yep.
I go by the time on my cell phone.
I can't alter or change it.

The last thing a parent does as they are walking out the door is sign out. Signature and time.

If a 4:30 parent was here they would need to be here, have their kid dressed and ready to go so that when the parent went to sign out, the clock didn't say 4:31 or they'd owe me a $1.

[Kimskiddos]

I've been wondering about this. Do you all charge a late fee if they are late by two or three minutes? I have a parent who each and every night is late by 2 or 3 minutes. It doesn't seem like much, but over the course of a week it equals to 15 minutes.

My late fee is $15 for the 1st 15 minutes or any part thereof and then $1 a minute after that. So for "just" 2 or 3 minutes it would be $15.

With that being said if a parent calls/texts me with a good enough reason (our traffic can be very bad) I may waive the fee if it is only a minute or so late. Happily late pick ups are very rare for me.

[daycare]

It depends on what you are willing to give.

I am willing to give a 5 in window going both ways, but no more than that. I do also give parents a break when they are late every once in blue moon, because here traffic is so bad that one small thing could go wrong and now you are stuck in traffic for 2 plus hours.


SO all of My DCP are all required to have back-up people to pick up for them.

Example last week there was a 12 car pile up just north of us that blocked traffic for almost 7 hours. It took all of my parents 3 plus hours to get home. All of the kids were picked up on time by other family members.

One backup person was 10 min late picking up and they paid me at arrival.

Again it's up to you how you want to handle it, but kind of like BC said in another post, you teach people how to treat you by what you let them get away with....or soemthing like that.

[daycarediva]

It depends on what you are willing to give.

I am willing to give a 5 in window going both ways, but no more than that. I do also give parents a break when they are late every once in blue moon, because here traffic is so bad that one small thing could go wrong and now you are stuck in traffic for 2 plus hours.


SO all of My DCP are all required to have back-up people to pick up for them.

Example last week there was a 12 car pile up just north of us that blocked traffic for almost 7 hours. It took all of my parents 3 plus hours to get home. All of the kids were picked up on time by other family members.

One backup person was 10 min late picking up and they paid me at arrival.

Again it's up to you how you want to handle it, but kind of like BC said in another post, you teach people how to treat you by what you let them get away with....or soemthing like that.

Agreed.

Do you have a contract? handbook? something they signed with late fees attached? if not, start it immediately. Have them sign that they are agreeing to abide by the policies.

I don't DO late. My family is priority and I wont have my kids lives all messed up because a dcp can't get their act together.