Anyone Else Super Crazy About Schedules?

[E Daycare]

I am. I may be open from 7-5 but I'd still like to know when a parent is dropping off their kid. My contract has strict wording about this and I have late fees up the wazoo and learned my lesson about not enforcing them so I keep up on them.

Now that it's back to school and I have mainly all teacher kids the parents seem to have a harder time gettig back into the groove more so than the kids. I've for seen problems coming up so Monday I printed up a letter enforcing the policy as a reminder so parents know I mean it still. Monday I had a panicked text saying "we'll be there for sure ____" and today I got a nice detailed letter with schedules.

I feel like I'm very structured. Almost crazy like but I have all part time kids with various schedules and I'd like to be prepared for my day. Some parents almost take offense to it though it seems.

Who else is crazy routine lady? I try and relax a little but during the year I can't help it.

[tbutler]

I find it very ironic that TEACHERS take offense to you, a TEACHER, having and enforcing your schedule. They have a schedule to follow every day too. I'm sure they are not happy when meetings, fire drills, parties, school functions, etc disrupt their day. Structure= no time for kids to act out and an easy, fulfilled day for you. So continue being a crazy routine lady!!

[MarinaVanessa]

I'm routine crazy. I HATE it when I don't know what me week next week will look like. More so now that I opened up my drop-in care to everyone. I want to know who's going to be here what day from what time until what time KWIM? That way if a drop-in client calls me to schedule a drop-in I know for sure if I have the room or not and I can run my day without having to wonder if someone is just going to show up.

I'm uber crazy though. I made a schedule of the week on excell where I put down each child's schedule for the day. I have a DCM who changed things up on me this week (the one I posted about that was having surgery) and just about near had a panic attack. I plan my day and keep to the schedule and run a tight ship now and this one DCM always has issues with it . I can't function when people run late or when I don't know a client's schedule and my week's schedule is incomplete ... you're not crazy, I'm crazy ::.

[Zoe]

I am a Type A person all the way and am schedule crazy as well! I have an agenda where I can mark down who is here at what hours during each day. That way I can juggle my 2 kids' schedules and anything else our family has going on. I NEED to know what parents' schedules are and have a concrete drop-off and pick-up time. One of my daycare families drop off at the same time but pick-up anywhere between 2 and 5. Doesn't really bother me since they're contracted until 5 and dcm lets me know at drop-off who is picking up and at what time. She also knows that if I have a field trip scheduled then she has to work around that.

If I had a family that were sporadic and never told me, I wouldn't be able to handle it!

Schedules, lists, check marks, things clean, done my way....yup! Type A!

[Sunshine44]

I'm with ya there. I like to know who is coming and when. I try to be prepared for everything. If I know John will act up at 11am I try to have his favorite book waiting for him. If I have someone show up late and it is right in the middle of that time I have to deal with it.

I think it is nice for parents to let you know when they are arriving and picking up. That being said, I don't think they see it the way we do. They see it as we are home, it'll only take a minute to drop off or pick up (even if they stay for 30 minutes!)

I think until you ARE a provider, you will never quite understand some of these things.

[daycare]

I live by contracted daycare hours. I could not do it any other way. I have each family dropping off and picking up at least 15min apart from the next.

I love it. I always know when someone is coming, does not bog up my street or driveway, I can talk openly to a parent without others listening in and I could not imagine doing business any other way.

Only one family has ever complained about it and I told them well if you want to use the full day it will be $125.00 per child. So they all of a sudden didnt seem to mind the contracted hours.

I have a strict policy of $1.00 per min for dropping off early/picking up late. THere is a 5 in grace period.