How to Make A New Policy about Submitting Weekly Schedules and Sticking to It

[Indoorvoice]

I've been very lenient with schedules and allow parents to switch or change days and change drop off and pick up times when needed. Its now being abused and affecting baby schedules when parents change things last minute or change pick up drop off times several times a day. I had one today who didn't tell me she was dropping off late,then came an hour later than she told me after I had to call asking where she was ,then told me she was picking up early,THEN told me she was picking up normal time...COME ON! I want to start this next week. What is the most efficient way to have parents submit schedules and how do you word it so they don't take it as me being mad but also understand there is no more wiggle room? My husband said what I had written out sounded rude and angry.:: Probably because that's how I'm feeling right now. Should I explain WHY I'm making this change?

[Indoorvoice]

I'm specifically annoyed that each takes one or 2 days off a week of daycare but they never tell me until after daycare starts for the day so I could have planned appointments and stuff but am unable to because of the short notice. Is it too much to ask to know which days they are actually going to use me since they pay full time?

[Blackcat31]

I've been very lenient with schedules and allow parents to switch or change days and change drop off and pick up times when needed. Its now being abused and affecting baby schedules when parents change things last minute or change pick up drop off times several times a day. I had one today who didn't tell me she was dropping off late,then came an hour later than she told me after I had to call asking where she was ,then told me she was picking up early,THEN told me she was picking up normal time...COME ON! I want to start this next week. What is the most efficient way to have parents submit schedules and how do you word it so they don't take it as me being mad but also understand there is no more wiggle room? My husband said what I had written out sounded rude and angry.:: Probably because that's how I'm feeling right now. Should I explain WHY I'm making this change?

Here is how I handle schedules.

"ALL families MUST submit a written weekly schedule on the last day of care the week prior. (they will all give me schedules for next week at pick up this Friday)

Schedule changes MUST be requested in writing a MINIMUM of 24 hours prior to the change. Texting is acceptable. Not all schedule changes can be accommodated so please do not assume it is okay unless I have approved the request.

Schedules submitted after 5PM on Fridays will be honored but will be invoiced at the drop in rate.

I plan meals, activities and routines according to the written schedules parents give me. Managing multiple families is often times very chaotic and time consuming.
It is vital that parents understand and abide by this policy.

I understand that life happens sometimes and changes or alterations to our day occur beyond our control and in those situations it is imperative that parents communicate their needs in regards to scheduling.

Late pick ups, arrivals and/or swapping days without prior approval may result in additional fees or loss of services.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter."



If a parent forgets to give me their schedule by 5PM Friday I absolutely bill them at drop in rates. I guarantee you they will NEVER forget to submit their schedule again.

A few months ago I had a parent forget. They ended up being invoiced for almost two and a half times their normal weekly rate. I explained it like the difference between buying shampoo at Target/Walmart or buying it at the gas station.... you pay more for that "convenience".

Daycare is the same. Submit your schedule on time and it's not so bad. Forget and it becomes an inconvenience to me so it costs them. Literally.

[Blackcat31]

I'm specifically annoyed that each takes one or 2 days off a week of daycare but they never tell me until after daycare starts for the day so I could have planned appointments and stuff but am unable to because of the short notice. Is it too much to ask to know which days they are actually going to use me since they pay full time?

I would add a cut off time for drop off then.

If they aren't there by 9:00 consider them absent and leave the house.

[Indoorvoice]

Here is how I handle schedules.

"ALL families MUST submit a written weekly schedule on the last day of care the week prior. (they will all give me schedules for next week at pick up this Friday)

Schedule changes MUST be requested in writing a MINIMUM of 24 hours prior to the change. Texting is acceptable. Not all schedule changes can be accommodated so please do not assume it is okay unless I have approved the request.

Schedules submitted after 5PM on Fridays will be honored but will be invoiced at the drop in rate.

I plan meals, activities and routines according to the written schedules parents give me. Managing multiple families is often times very chaotic and time consuming.
It is vital that parents understand and abide by this policy.

I understand that life happens sometimes and changes or alterations to our day occur beyond our control and in those situations it is imperative that parents communicate their needs in regards to scheduling.

Late pick ups, arrivals and/or swapping days without prior approval may result in additional fees or loss of services.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter."



If a parent forgets to give me their schedule by 5PM Friday I absolutely bill them at drop in rates. I guarantee you they will NEVER forget to submit their schedule again.

A few months ago I had a parent forget. They ended up being invoiced for almost two and a half times their normal weekly rate. I explained it like the difference between buying shampoo at Target/Walmart or buying it at the gas station.... you pay more for that "convenience".

Daycare is the same. Submit your schedule on time and it's not so bad. Forget and it becomes an inconvenience to me so it costs them. Literally.

Thank you! How do I handle or charge when they say they are picking up early but change it to the normal time later? Like my parent today who changed her pick up drop off time 4 times today. I'm confusing myself because these parents aren't on my tiered pay scale and just pay a flat rate. Don't ask me why I made that stupid decision! ::

[Indoorvoice]

I'm just struggling with how to word everything I want to say and explaining it. They're going to be confused as to why this is a big deal. I want these points I think.

-you now have to submit weekly schedules telling me what days and times you are going to use.

-you have to give me 24 hours notice to change your schedule

-if you tell me you're picking up early, that is your new pick up time and if you find you are unable to stick to that time, you are responsible for figuring out someone else to do it

With that last one though, I don't have a way to enforce it! Do I change their rates too? Is it fair to add late fees when they say they're picking up early since they pay full time? I'm so confused. I want to be fair, but I need a schedule.

[Blackcat31]

Thank you! How do I handle or charge when they say they are picking up early but change it to the normal time later? Like my parent today who changed her pick up drop off time 4 times today. I'm confusing myself because these parents aren't on my tiered pay scale and just pay a flat rate. Don't ask me why I made that stupid decision! ::

When a parent says at drop off they are picking up early, I hand them a Post-it note. I have them write it down, date and sign it. I let them know that is now their written schedule for that day.

If they don't pick up at that time, I charge them the appropriate late fee. It doesn't happen anymore once they are charged.

I explain that once they tell me their pick up time, I make daily plans accordingly.

If my last kid is scheduled to be gone at 3:00 you can bet I am going to schedule an appointment, run to the bank when its actually open or something personal as that type of thing is hard for providers to do normally so I use that theory when conveying to parents WHY schedules and adhering to them is so important to me.

[Indoorvoice]

Like, they'll often tell me Wednesday that they won't be coming Thursday. Then Thursday comes and they change their mind saying they're coming anyway. I can't stop them from doing that because they paid for it, right?

[Indoorvoice]

When a parent says at drop off they are picking up early, I hand them a Post-it note. I have them write it down, date and sign it. I let them know that is now their written schedule for that day.

If they don't pick up at that time, I charge them the appropriate late fee. It doesn't happen anymore once they are charged.

I explain that once they tell me their pick up time, I make daily plans accordingly.

If my last kid is scheduled to be gone at 3:00 you can bet I am going to schedule an appointment, run to the bank when its actually open or something personal as that type of thing is hard for providers to do normally so I use that theory when conveying to parents WHY schedules and adhering to them is so important to me.

Ok you have told me that before and I love it, I've just been struggling how to start. Write out a huge explanation,or just start doing it?

[Blackcat31]

I'm just struggling with how to word everything I want to say and explaining it. They're going to be confused as to why this is a big deal. I want these points I think.

-you now have to submit weekly schedules telling me what days and times you are going to use.

-you have to give me 24 hours notice to change your schedule

-if you tell me you're picking up early, that is your new pick up time and if you find you are unable to stick to that time, you are responsible for figuring out someone else to do it

With that last one though, I don't have a way to enforce it! Do I change their rates too? Is it fair to add late fees when they say they're picking up early since they pay full time? I'm so confused. I want to be fair, but I need a schedule.

How about something like this:

Dear Parents

While I love my profession, being a child care provider has it's downfalls too. The biggest one is managing my family's needs while juggling the daily schedules of multiple families.

In order to do this more effectively I am implementing some new policies. These policies will go into effect immediately (or starting tomorrow Friday Feb 8, 2019).

As of Friday, ALL families must submit a written weekly schedule including days needed as well as drop off and pick up times. Please be as accurate as possible when scheduling. If you do not submit a written schedule by Friday, services may not be available to you. (or your invoice for the week will be calculated at drop in rates)

ANY schedule changes must be requested a MINIMUM of 24 hours in advance. NOT all schedule changes can be accommodated so please do not assume changes are okay unless I have approved the request for change.

If a parent needs to pick up early, you must submit this change to me in writing upon drop off. This will be your scheduled pick up time for that day. If you pick up later than the time you submitted, late fees will apply.

It is imperative that families understand that I have multiple families in care and changes for one family can create chaos in our daily routine for all families.

Being more efficient in scheduling should make everyone's week easier and lessen the confusion that has been occurring lately.

Thank you!

Provider ~ that doesn't just sit around being available

[Blackcat31]

Like, they'll often tell me Wednesday that they won't be coming Thursday. Then Thursday comes and they change their mind saying they're coming anyway. I can't stop them from doing that because they paid for it, right?

Yes, you can stop them.

Paying a weekly rate simply means they have the option of using the entire week.

Weekly tuition does not mean you are just sitting there available to them on a whim.

Weekly tuition equates to services on the days they schedule. If they don't write it down, they can't come.

They aren't paying for each day specifically.


I think too many providers and parents feel that paying weekly means the week is theirs. It is but ONLY if they schedule it.

[Ariana]

I would charge them a late fee if they say they are going to be early and then do not come. Let them know it is their schedule for that day and you will be charging late fees accordingly.

Like BC said a schedule in advance is required by Friday the week prior. Changes have to be given 24 hours in advance with your option to decline.

Just let them know you are having a hard time keeping track because of so many changes and you would like to have a more balanced predictable schedule. It makes perfect sense!

[Alwaysgreener]

Do you have a form that you use for them to submit their schedule?
Or spot for them to drop it off at?

For me I was considering a family with a rotating schedule and I created a paper and a online form for them to fill out. I use wufoo.com online forms. It allows the form response to be emailed to me and the parents. You can create up to 5 forms per account for free. Give them the link and or a qr code. (You could have the qr code post by the child's cubby)

My form was simple, I required a date (week beginning with date) and then they could mark (depending on what they were contracted for) up to x many days, with a note that any extra days were an extra fee, then a comment box plus a note saying that no changes allowed after noon on Sunday the week of.

Anyways that was what I was thinking of doing so I wouldn't lose their written note or have to read their napkin. Plus I figured, this allows them to review their schedule and resend if they made a mistake. (The date stamp would show which one was the updated one) Plus they would have no excuse for not getting it to me on time or forgetting what they told me because both mom and dad and anyone else that picks up would have a copy of their schedule.

(I also use wufoo for baby daily notes and supply reminders)

[Indoorvoice]

Do you have a form that you use for them to submit their schedule?
Or spot for them to drop it off at?

For me I was considering a family with a rotating schedule and I created a paper and a online form for them to fill out. I use wufoo.com online forms. It allows the form response to be emailed to me and the parents. You can create up to 5 forms per account for free. Give them the link and or a qr code. (You could have the qr code post by the child's cubby)

My form was simple, I required a date (week beginning with date) and then they could mark (depending on what they were contracted for) up to x many days, with a note that any extra days were an extra fee, then a comment box plus a note saying that no changes allowed after noon on Sunday the week of.

Anyways that was what I was thinking of doing so I wouldn't lose their written note or have to read their napkin. Plus I figured, this allows them to review their schedule and resend if they made a mistake. (The date stamp would show which one was the updated one) Plus they would have no excuse for not getting it to me on time or forgetting what they told me because both mom and dad and anyone else that picks up would have a copy of their schedule.

(I also use wufoo for baby daily notes and supply reminders)

Thank you! I will look into that because I was definitely dreading the collection aspect of it!

And thank you so much Ariana and BC for all of your advice. This was SO helpful!

[Alwaysgreener]

Thank you! I will look into that because I was definitely dreading the collection aspect of it!

And thank you so much Ariana and BC for all of your advice. This was SO helpful!

Glad I could help, it's a little tricky and how to add notifications, I would do it test with your email and somebody else's make sure you enter it right. You can also do a text message the only to one person.

If you have any questions you can message me.