How Can I Ask Parents and Children to Quiet Down?

[cjnme]

I am admin at a preschool. I have office duties, as do 3 other co-workers in admin. We work in the lobby, as we are also responsible for customer service and family relationships.

Our lobby has become a gathering place for families to chit chat and get caught up and is becoming louder and louder and more chaotic every day. Sometimes, my job requires a great deal of concentration. At other times, it requires being able to hear a telephone conversation or to communicate via telephone to the classrooms. The level of noise created by these families, several of whom allow their children to run wild while they chat, makes it almost impossible to do my job. In fact, it has gotten so loud sometimes that it has become a safety issue, as I am not able to hear when the classroom teachers call to the front desk for help.

I need to compose a letter to parents and that is what I am here to ask for help with. I need to impress upon them that while we love that they are all friends, this is still an office and we need to be able to keep the volume down. While I would love to just ask them to show a little respect and also control their kids, I obviously can't do that. So I am looking for words to use to bring this to their attention, request that respect, without offending them.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

btw - posting "quiet" signs is useless, as these parents never read anything we post.

[hwichlaz]

I'd write a letter, and I'd chase them out. Hand them a flyer about why it needs to be quiet in there, and shoo them out, each and every time.

if you want to be nice, suggest a list of places available for chit chat, like a nearby park.

[Cat Herder]

Face to face discussions will be required. Direct, short and sweet.

"Good Morning ladies! Do you need anything? No? Ok. We need you to take your conversation outside, now, so we can get back to work. Thanks!"

Cite confidentiality, subtle threaten with humor if you must. "Sally, do you really want these part-time girls knowing about your and Marys weekend. They will be blabbing it all over town by lunch. You can't talk in here and have it stay here. Wink, wink. "

"Excuse me, gentlemen, it is too loud in here. I need you to move your conversations outside, please." (IME, Men are typically much more reasonable and require less petting. :: It may be different there. )

[hwichlaz]

Or pretend you're on the phone every time.

Hey ladies, I can't hear my phone call over your conversation. I'm going to need you to take it outside, thanks.

[cjnme]

Or pretend you're on the phone every time.

Hey ladies, I can't hear my phone call over your conversation. I'm going to need you to take it outside, thanks.

That's funny.

Today was especially bad - first, they tried to tear apart our assembly room, then our library, then they moved outside and started playing tag with the moving traffic in the parking lot.

What is wrong with people these days?

I appreciate the input from everyone :-). We're trying a letter with general safety notes to send out. Not that it will do any good, but hopefully they get the hint.

[rosieteddy]

I would make the spaces off limits.Close and lock rooms not in use by your staff.Public schools walk children out and have parents pick up outside.Can you partition out the office area?I think the only way to stop the behavior is physically stop them.Not let them congregate in your space. I had to stop parents from letting their children run around the driveway.I was on a main street and they just don't get it.

[Josiegirl]

Playing tag with moving cars?? WTH is wrong with people? They're in constant denial that something will happen until it does, then they'll likely find fault with everybody else EXCEPT themselves!!
Be blunt. It doesn't sound as though they're going to get hints or suggestions, you'll need to create a forceful sounding letter and emphasize the risk they're taking by letting their children run loose. What if you post a huge-a$$ note right on the front door and tell them they need to drop-off and pick-up as quickly as possible, then leave the premises, or you'll need to take other action. I detest when parents are so caught up in yacking that they don't watch their kids at all. Whether it's in a public place, at my house, etc. It's aggravating, annoying and unsafe!!!

[Indoorvoice]

I would make it a liability issue. Tell them once they sign their child out they need to leave the property immediately for liability reasons and that licensing will no longer allow you to use the lobby or parking lot as a lounge or social area. I don't know what your setup is like but maybe you could get some of posts with ropes and make a walkway from the classrooms to the exit so they aren't encouraged to congregate in the lounge.

[Unregistered]

I detest when parents are so caught up in yacking that they don't watch their kids at all. Whether it's in a public place, at my house, etc. It's aggravating, annoying and unsafe!!!

You know what's REALLY nuts? This particular group isn't yacking among themselves too much really - they actually entertain themselves watching the kids run amok!

I want to thank everyone again. I like the terminology on the liability issue. And it wouldn't be a fib, either!

I have begun to lock the rooms they are getting into, but there is still the lobby issue, and our set up is such that there is nothing we can do to seperate the office space from the lobby.

If we continue to have problems after the safety letter went out, I think a more strongly worded letter using the words about the liability issue will have to go out.

Just what I was hoping for by posting here! Good words!