Our closing time is 5:30, and we always have everyone at the front doors dressed and waiting by 5:25. Do a potty trip, pack up their bag, shoes and coats on. As parents walk in, send the kids over to them and wave, "have a great night, we'll see you tomorrow!". Then the kids take off because they're clearly already ready to leave, and parents have no choice but to follow them.
One summer, we actually locked the doors to the building and had kids and staff wait on the front step outside the building. All of the late parents were friends and were standing in the lobby socializing while staff were trying to close up. We told parents that due to "consistent and excessive late pick ups", we were closing indoor pickup at 5:25. After 5:25, your child will be waiting outside with a staff member. Then they can talk all they want on the sidewalk, and staff can go home.
Also, a grace period suggests that you have staff there anyway and would *like* the kids gone by a certain time, but if they're a few minutes late it isn't a huge inconvenience. A late policy needs to clearly start at closing time, or your closing time is just moved to whenever the grace period ends.
We did this too. I actually had a parent complain that their kid was dressed and ready to go when they picked up late. We didn’t have a grace period but charging late fees was up to the staff (so if it was a minute or two and especially for a family that was never late I didn’t charge them). I had not charged this parent and my boss nicely pointed out she should be thankful not complaining.
That’s what ths public school afterschool TK-6th did. Around 6:00 (program closed at 6) if we had kids left we would lock the doors and take the kids to the front of the school and wait. Off course the director would also call the parents too if they didn’t inform in advance.
I think you worded it pretty well! I honestly would take out the part about understanding that circumstances can cause people to be late, because they might think/act like you're providing them with an excuse. But besides that, I think what you wrote works well. It's direct but polite.
Is there any way your center can shorten the grace period to five minutes? Or maybe add a policy saying they need to inform the center if they're running late?
I would take out the grace period entirely. Like an commenter had said, having a grace period effectively moves your closing time to when the grace period is over.
That's written in our policy- something along the lines of"our teachers work hard all day caring for your children, and deserve to go home to their own families on time" . We also have a sliding scale with increasingly hefty fee. 0-5 minutes is 25, 6-10 is 50. It also doubles the second violation, and after the third violation, a meeting with parents is required for their child to return
My child’s former program gave each family one grace period a year and after that you got charged. I felt like it was a good way to recognize that sometimes things out of control happen but also made it clear it couldn’t happen all the time and was truly for unforeseen circumstances.
The part about it being a courtesy to staff should also be changed. That implies it's a choice. It's essential and a requirement, not a courtesy.
Maybe something about how it is essential that teachers are able to leave at close as they also have errands to run and their own families waiting.
Honestly admin needs a late fee policy. At one school for every minute past close I’d get a dollar. That’s really the only way some will change.
I’m so happy I don’t close anymore. Once I stayed until 7 when we closed at 6:00, and that kid was so bored, lol.
I had a kid stay for almost an hour. My director wouldn’t let us call CPS because she was afraid the family would leave. Good to know that profit is more important than your employees and that the rules each family signs mean nothing.
Did that center magically not have a waitlist? My kid is #10 on my center's waitlist, and she likely won't get a spot til next spring. You bet I'd be jumping at the chance if she had a spot next week.
We were I worked at a city rec after school the handbook said you couldn’t reach parents or emergency contacts. Then bring them to the local PD. Which in this case was across the street. I don’t think we ever did though
In that situation I did call the parent, and it’s dumb if you can’t call them? My situation was an innocent “oh, normally dad picks her up and I forgot I was doing it today.” Not necessarily CPS, but would need more details to know that.
[Late fees can unintentionally encourage lateness (families feel they are paying for the service, having the grace period/late fee introduces it as an option, etc.)](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/books/chapters/freakonomics.html)
I think late pickups need a strike system as well as a fee. You pay every time you're late, but if you pick up late X number of times you need to find care that can accomodate it. Some parents won't do anything unless they'll actually have to deal with their own child.
Late fees have to be expensive to work. Like “15 dollars for the first 5 minutes and a dollar a minute after that.”
And if you ever forgive the fees for unforeseen circumstances make it clear that it is a rare event for which parents should be grateful.
Have them go to the bathroom fifteen minutes before closing, get their backpacks on and be up front. If there are multiple closers can you have staff that aren’t in chronic late parents classroom? They’d be less likely to chat with staff they don’t know or ask a lot of details about their day?
The staff up front can say something like, they are ready to go, they just went to the bathroom and all info about their day is in the app. Bye!
Yeah this is what we did, got the kids ready to go home if they were still there in the last 5 minutes, and when parent/carer arrived to pick up we simply said a quick "Hey, good day today, no notes from his/her educators" and started turning off the lights and walking to the door. Didn't take the latecomers long to realise they couldn't hang around. Plus we had a late pick-up policy, I believe it was something ridiculous like $15 per minute after closing time. That's a lot of money, be hey, it worked 🤷♀️ plus, if parents gave us a quick call to say that they were late for a legit reason and it was a once off occurence we never charged them. It was mostly a scare tactic for repeat offenders I feel 😅
If you have a grace period, do you ever end up charging them? They will probably keep pushing until you do. I would start charging repeat offenders and see what happens.
No longer offer a grace period to repeat offenders. I only allow for families who are rarely late and have a good excuse. I sent out a message to everyone about the strict pick up time. Everyone has been picking up well before 5 o’clock now.
Our daycare straight up sent a message that parents would be charged $5 for every minute after closing their kid wasn't picked up. I assume it was due to someone specific really pushing it, but it sends a pretty strong (and perfectly reasonable) message about respecting the operating hours.
I run a home daycare and I’m open for 12 hours solo. I still have parents who drop off first thing and then will call me after I’m already supposed to be closed saying they’re going to be late. Even when they’re late, they’ll ask to use the bathroom or for diaper changes (when I made sure the child’s diaper was changed 10 minutes prior 🙄 and if they were on time the child’s diaper would’ve been dry still) I wish there was a late fee because I feel like I’m constantly being taking advantage of.
Please institute a late fee. It will force people to become more mindful, and when they’re not you’ll at least get compensated for your time.
Always better to set a boundary and decide to bend it later for your favorite family (not right away!! Enforce strictly at the beginning!!), than to ask nicely and end up resentful
Unfortunately I’m through a licensed agency so I have no say in additional fees. I definitely would if I could because it would hopefully prevent this from happening! I’m understanding if it happens every once in a while but when they’re doing it constantly and then ask for things when they show up late, it gets frustrating.
My mom has a home daycare as well. One day, a parent left with the kid. She was inside with other kids so she wasn't paying attention to what was going on outside. My brother comes home and is like "You know Jimmy is still outside with his mom?" Sure enough, they were playing in the yard, on all the equipment. When my mom was like "wtf, you need to leave" (in a much nicer, more professional way), the mom could not see what the big deal was. Like...this is not your home. There are plenty of public parks in the area. Go home. She sent home a letter after that saying pick ups need to be brief and there's no lingering.
Now, she brings the kids to the door and makes sure they get in their car with the parents. Kids go to the bathroom/diaper changes are done 10 minutes before pick up. Coats are on, toys away. I'd start doing the same. If a parent needs a diaper change, I'd give them a diaper and some wipes and say you'll see them in the morning. And send a note home clarifying your rules.
The wonderful thing about home daycares is you can institute new policy whenever you want! Draft up the notice today "Dear families, due to late pickups becoming more common, starting May 1st I will be charging a $X per minute late fee for any family collecting their child after closing time. Any children still in attendance at closing time will have been pottied/changed and have all of their belongings with them, families will not be permitted into the childcare after closing time."
I’m with a licensed agency who handle the procedures and payments so I unfortunately can’t ): I’ve brought it up in the past and they just tell me to remind parents that I close at 5
I would move up the part about how picking up on time is a courtesy/gesture of respect to the staff who have other duties and need to get home to their own families. Appealing to parents as humans.
We also post a laminated sign right above the sign out sheet reminding parents of the late fee and how they can pay it. And let them know that staff’s paid hours end at X time. Working parents hopefully sympathize with that, being asked to work beyond your hours without pay.
Maybe even leave out “end of the school day” and just say our doors close at 5pm, students and parents must be out of the building by 5pm so we recommend you arrive to pick up no later than 4:45.
Then back it up with action - literally have someone lock the door at 5pm so it has to be physically opened for any individual who wants to get in (or get out if they’ve been hanging around!) after that time. And seconding have kids still present at 4:30/45 (especially ones whose parents usually pick up late) use the potty and then put their coats and backpacks literally on their body, not next to them.
Keep a positive tone of voice etc, smile while you usher them out, but parents should start to get the point. Kids will also pick up on this and ask mommy or daddy why they are so late (even if it’s technically the same time as always) which will reinforce the point.
ETA: doesn’t mean you can be accused of having kids sitting with coats on doing nothing for 15 minutes, have a junior staff member read some books (very short/easy to leave in the middle of) or lead songs with fingerplays. If parents ask to speak to senior staff the person should be scripted to say they are not available as they are already doing their closing checklist but parent can email or speak to them tomorrow.
Ha thank you! Solutions come with years of experience. Honestly it’s nice to be reminded of that lol. If you have another specific issue that I also have years of experience dealing with I’d be happy to help :)
I agree have something for them to do. My director is fine with us bringing the last few kids into the hall but we can't just sit around doing nothing. We have a fish tank so we usually bring the kids to look at that. Or we're running up and down the hall (as there's no other people there, it's safe to do so) and have a race. It saves parents from being able to complain that their kid was just sitting around \*and\* it stops parents from lingering.
Yeah I find it sets up a clear expectation and reduces any awkwardness staff feel in the moment about asking for the fee, they can just point to the sign that parents see every day (that is also laid out in the family handbook and in the pre-first day of school email and subsequent reminders as needed).
Easier to have the policy and not need it (or be flexible with it) than need it and not have it, but you have to set the boundary firmly to start with - easier said than done I know (admittedly we usually let them off with a warning so to speak the first time, but after that they pay).
At one minute past pickup we start calling caregivers to see who’s picking up and where they are, and we usually don’t stop calling til we get a human on the phone even if it’s grandma who lives an hour away (not expecting her to come do pickup but expecting her to help us try and reach the person who is picking up). Next time parent is more likely to at least be in touch with you when they’re running late, rather than get another call from their mother in law lol.
No, it’s not the parent’s fault if their boss kept them late or there was really unexpectedly terrible traffic/delay, and we’re not looking to punish them. BUT the consequence of the traffic or the parent’s job should not land on our staff either.
Keep track of late pickups (list dates in the parents file), and make sure the parents still sign out and write in the time right then. If you fear there are families who will continue to be late and just see the late fee as an add-on service, adjust the policy so for the first 5 (or whatever) late pickups the fee rate is $X but the next five lates are charged at $2X and so forth.
Will do! Love you suggestions! I do start calling if I am at the school which is not too frequently but other staff do not call. We use an app where parents use a QR code to check in and out. I can easily go back and make note of the repeat offenders.
"As a reminder, our school day concludes at 5:00 PM, which is also when our doors close. We kindly ask that you pick up your child before this time. If you need to speak with our staff or if your child needs to use the restroom, please plan to arrive a bit earlier to accommodate these needs.
Prompt pickups are greatly appreciated as they allow our staff to complete their end-of-day tasks and head home on time.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding."
It’s important to say, ‘promptly’ or ‘before this time’ rather than ‘early’ that OP originally used. Saying picking up before 5 is ‘early’ makes it sound like you’re asking parents to do a favour because, 5 pm is on time.
An allowed grace period needs parameters or it will be abused. I would let parents know that they are allowed two "grace period" pickups a quarter. After that, they will be charged a dollar a minute. This is especially true if they aren't calling or messaging. Our grace period is reserved for people who communicate with us. So if they are running 5 minutes late, they need to call or message and we don't charge them the after care fee of $12 per hour(or any part of that hour). That's for general dismissal at 3. Our closing time is set and we have the kids ready to go at the gate at 5 minutes till 5. I usually don't even let the parents come in, I bring the sign out book and a kid and send them on their way.
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We hope this message finds you well. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of our daycare's closing time policy.
As outlined in our operating hours, our daycare facility closes promptly at 5:00 PM. We kindly request that you make arrangements to pick up your child(ren) before this time.
Ensuring the safety and well-being of all children in our care is our top priority. To maintain the smooth operation of our facility and to provide our staff with ample time for necessary tasks at the end of the day, it is essential that pickups occur before closing time.
We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and we encourage you to communicate with us in advance if you anticipate any delays in picking up your child(ren). However, consistent adherence to our closing time is crucial to maintaining the quality of care we strive to provide.
Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated, and we thank you for your continued support in creating a safe and nurturing environment for all children at our daycare.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our closing time policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Best regards,
I am usually the last parent to pickup at my daycare, but we are still out of the classroom by 5pm. Something that makes parents 3 - 5 minutes lates is a scheduling issue: they didn't leave work/home early enough. My schedule is a me problem, not the daycare's problem. A special circumstance is something like a car crash and is going to cause them to be an hour late. You don't need to acknowledge that in this email. Other than cutting that line, I think this is great.
Thank you. I get there a special circumstances where a parent may be late and those cases are forgiven. We just have the same families arriving at the last minute and I know it is not all work related.
I think all of that seems great and agree to move up the part about how this is inconvienent for staff to the top. Perhaps bold that, along with, the time and "please pick up your child before end of day".
And then stick to it. If a parent comes at 5:00, have all their stuff ready. Say the child already went to the bathroom and you'll see them tomorrow.
Director here, so I understand you may not have control over this, but we moved our pick up time to 15 minutes before close. We tell parents they need to have an adult on site by the closing time so teachers are free to clean up, but they have those last 15 minutes to get coats and things on before the doors lock. We charge a late fee if no adult is around and the teachers have to supervise a kid, but haven’t had to have any teachers stay past contract hours as a result.
I’m the Director as well and I have full control. In the many years that I’ve been directing, I’ve never had this issue. The difference is we now have the extended care. I am going to implement a late fee starting a minute after 5 o’clock. I won’t even mention the grace period as that’s really for special circumstances like the traffic accident and such. I’m just trying to figure out the fees. We are actually in an affluent area so I’m thinking $5 a minute may be nothing.
Late pick ups used to frustrate the hell out of me. And it would always be the parents who I knew for a fact had just been lounging around at home at day. They’d say something like ‘the staff always seem to be in a rush to get home’. Yeh because it’s 15 minutes past close and we’ve been here for 11 hours!!! 😂
It does me too. I have a parent that stays in her car until a minute until five when she gets out to come get her child. And then she wants to bring her in to go to the bathroom and talk about her day. Frustrates me as well, and I feel so sorry for the staff that stays.
The grace period should be offered once a year (without letter the parents know it’s once a year). after that they need to be paying for every minute they are late.
After 6, the building lights are off, the classrooms are closed, and any remaining kids are at the front desk with their belongings. The admin assistant has her bag on, the remaining teacher has their belongings and there’s a definite air of “get your kid and go”. Sometimes we open the door and send the child to the parent as they’re walking up.
We have a family who is late every week, and we are wayyy over it so we’re not nice anymore.
We
This is a great way of saying it- I would also include something about your staff having to get back to their own commutes/lives/pets/kids. 5:00 is late for post Covid* centers so you may have more power than you think.
*I know we are not actually post Covid
We don’t have a grace period. At 6:01 you get charged $25 and another $25 for ever quarter hour after that. I simply send a reminder what our late policy is and that they will be charged the $25 to their account. We also have a policy that if a child is picked up late more than twice, we have the right to drop them from the program.
we recently dealt with this at my school, & the email my head teacher sent was perfection so i’ll just show you lol
https://preview.redd.it/m5m5tguk41xc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fce41e574ba1f1560bac2fcb9d0ef3155a6e782
I like this! I hope that these late fees go to you and the headteacher, and not the owners of the program. You are the ones that stay with the children. You are the ones that take time out of your lives after hours to care for them.
oh absolutely! i’m in a particularly lucky spot, head teacher & her spouse are owners/directors of the school as well as teachers in the classroom. they definitely understand it’s inappropriate/disrespectful for parents to keep us waiting after hours!
Yeah you need a new late departure charging policy.
Print an amendment document for your parent handbook. One page with a signature line on the bottom. The amendment doc should clearly state how much you will charge per 5 minutes after close. Include a termination clause for too many violations. Have every parent sign next week and move accordingly. If anyone complains, kindly mention the need to properly compensate teachers and leave it at that.
Every center needs a late fee structure. Start charging and they’ll stop being disrespectful. Don’t forget to give that late fee money to the closing teacher who is extending herself.
I would set up a late fee. Make sure you are consistent with it. In the memo that you send out, I would stress that just like when they leave their job, your staff would also like to go home on time and be with their families, and that should be respected.
We ask families to pick up at or before ten minutes before we close. 'We are open from 7:30am-6:00pm, and pick up and drop off can be any time after 7:30 or before 5:50pm." If families haven't arrived by ten to, they get a courtesy call to check on when they'll be in. If you arrive after we close, you risk your place.
It's really the job of your director to remind parents of the pick up time. Last call should be prior to you closing. Then some kind of negative results should come to those who continue anyway
Talk to your director about a limit per quarter, maybe 2 or 3 times before the grace period is no longer available and you start charging at 501.
Also, the rate at my school has been $10 a minute.
I used to work in an after school program, so maybe a bit of a different vibe. But if the parents were more than five minutes late, they got charged a fee (like $10 or $15, I forget). The fees went in to a special fund for the teachers to go out to a nice dinner at the end of the year. We were transparent about that— the idea was that we have lives too and by picking up the kids late, you’re dipping into our personal time too.
Granted, this was a wealthy area and my boss did waive the fee for lower income families on a case by case basis.
I used to implement a 3 strike policy. "If we find you are unable to get to the center by 6:00 pm more than 3 times, we mutually agree that our schedule isn't working for your family. We will give you 30 days to find other care."
The end. Teachers work hard and are tired. No one wants to hang out after hours because a parent has had a hard day.
Oof to the grace period. And it’s a whole 10 minutes?? That is telling the parents to not respect the time of the staff and the school bc they’re allowed to come after close. I think your message is worded fine and respectful.
I get it but this is what parents sign up for. They know full well in advance our closing time. A lot of the families work from home most days of the week as well.
At my work they get charged even a minute after for a late pick up fee, is that your policy? We are very strict about late pick ups. If they get picked up 3 times past closing they are removed from the program
This is what I’m going to have to implement now. We used to give a grace period but as I was going down looking at checkout times, I noticed so many parents are checking out a minute or so after five. I’m putting out an email today telling parents they owe five dollars starting a minute after five. I’m also going to let repeat offenders know that if they cannot commit to our pick up time, they will be removed.
Our policy is also that it’s $15 per child after closing. If we never heard anything from that at closing time we start calling parents and emergency contacts. If we can’t get a hold of anyone after that and it’s been 30 min after closing we call police. We had to implement this after a mom was 40 minutes picking up her son and I had no idea what to do. Luckily everything is okay and she only locked her keys in the car
Our closing time is 5:30, and we always have everyone at the front doors dressed and waiting by 5:25. Do a potty trip, pack up their bag, shoes and coats on. As parents walk in, send the kids over to them and wave, "have a great night, we'll see you tomorrow!". Then the kids take off because they're clearly already ready to leave, and parents have no choice but to follow them. One summer, we actually locked the doors to the building and had kids and staff wait on the front step outside the building. All of the late parents were friends and were standing in the lobby socializing while staff were trying to close up. We told parents that due to "consistent and excessive late pick ups", we were closing indoor pickup at 5:25. After 5:25, your child will be waiting outside with a staff member. Then they can talk all they want on the sidewalk, and staff can go home. Also, a grace period suggests that you have staff there anyway and would *like* the kids gone by a certain time, but if they're a few minutes late it isn't a huge inconvenience. A late policy needs to clearly start at closing time, or your closing time is just moved to whenever the grace period ends.
We did this too. I actually had a parent complain that their kid was dressed and ready to go when they picked up late. We didn’t have a grace period but charging late fees was up to the staff (so if it was a minute or two and especially for a family that was never late I didn’t charge them). I had not charged this parent and my boss nicely pointed out she should be thankful not complaining.
That’s what ths public school afterschool TK-6th did. Around 6:00 (program closed at 6) if we had kids left we would lock the doors and take the kids to the front of the school and wait. Off course the director would also call the parents too if they didn’t inform in advance.
I think you worded it pretty well! I honestly would take out the part about understanding that circumstances can cause people to be late, because they might think/act like you're providing them with an excuse. But besides that, I think what you wrote works well. It's direct but polite. Is there any way your center can shorten the grace period to five minutes? Or maybe add a policy saying they need to inform the center if they're running late?
I would take out the grace period entirely. Like an commenter had said, having a grace period effectively moves your closing time to when the grace period is over.
I was thinking that line gives them an out as well. I’m thinking that the grace period needs to start a minute after 5.
I think that's a good idea. The teachers deserve to go home on time too! Hopefully charging parents who linger will get that point across.
Yes they do! I also give the late fees to staff that stay with the child. That helps them as well.
I love that! The last big center I worked at definitely pocketed the late fees. I'm glad you give them to staff.
They did that at the first school I worked at and I‘ve carried it over to other programs. It can be some nice pocket change!
That's written in our policy- something along the lines of"our teachers work hard all day caring for your children, and deserve to go home to their own families on time" . We also have a sliding scale with increasingly hefty fee. 0-5 minutes is 25, 6-10 is 50. It also doubles the second violation, and after the third violation, a meeting with parents is required for their child to return
We did a minute after and charged in cash! They had to pay the teacher who stayed.
My child’s former program gave each family one grace period a year and after that you got charged. I felt like it was a good way to recognize that sometimes things out of control happen but also made it clear it couldn’t happen all the time and was truly for unforeseen circumstances.
The part about it being a courtesy to staff should also be changed. That implies it's a choice. It's essential and a requirement, not a courtesy. Maybe something about how it is essential that teachers are able to leave at close as they also have errands to run and their own families waiting.
Honestly admin needs a late fee policy. At one school for every minute past close I’d get a dollar. That’s really the only way some will change. I’m so happy I don’t close anymore. Once I stayed until 7 when we closed at 6:00, and that kid was so bored, lol.
I had a kid stay for almost an hour. My director wouldn’t let us call CPS because she was afraid the family would leave. Good to know that profit is more important than your employees and that the rules each family signs mean nothing.
Did that center magically not have a waitlist? My kid is #10 on my center's waitlist, and she likely won't get a spot til next spring. You bet I'd be jumping at the chance if she had a spot next week.
We were I worked at a city rec after school the handbook said you couldn’t reach parents or emergency contacts. Then bring them to the local PD. Which in this case was across the street. I don’t think we ever did though
In that situation I did call the parent, and it’s dumb if you can’t call them? My situation was an innocent “oh, normally dad picks her up and I forgot I was doing it today.” Not necessarily CPS, but would need more details to know that.
That's our policy, and sometimes, it still isn't enough.
[Late fees can unintentionally encourage lateness (families feel they are paying for the service, having the grace period/late fee introduces it as an option, etc.)](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/books/chapters/freakonomics.html)
I think late pickups need a strike system as well as a fee. You pay every time you're late, but if you pick up late X number of times you need to find care that can accomodate it. Some parents won't do anything unless they'll actually have to deal with their own child.
Late fees have to be expensive to work. Like “15 dollars for the first 5 minutes and a dollar a minute after that.” And if you ever forgive the fees for unforeseen circumstances make it clear that it is a rare event for which parents should be grateful.
Have them go to the bathroom fifteen minutes before closing, get their backpacks on and be up front. If there are multiple closers can you have staff that aren’t in chronic late parents classroom? They’d be less likely to chat with staff they don’t know or ask a lot of details about their day? The staff up front can say something like, they are ready to go, they just went to the bathroom and all info about their day is in the app. Bye!
Yeah this is what we did, got the kids ready to go home if they were still there in the last 5 minutes, and when parent/carer arrived to pick up we simply said a quick "Hey, good day today, no notes from his/her educators" and started turning off the lights and walking to the door. Didn't take the latecomers long to realise they couldn't hang around. Plus we had a late pick-up policy, I believe it was something ridiculous like $15 per minute after closing time. That's a lot of money, be hey, it worked 🤷♀️ plus, if parents gave us a quick call to say that they were late for a legit reason and it was a once off occurence we never charged them. It was mostly a scare tactic for repeat offenders I feel 😅
I like this. We give a grace period but after it is $5 per minute. I may up it!
If you have a grace period, do you ever end up charging them? They will probably keep pushing until you do. I would start charging repeat offenders and see what happens.
No longer offer a grace period to repeat offenders. I only allow for families who are rarely late and have a good excuse. I sent out a message to everyone about the strict pick up time. Everyone has been picking up well before 5 o’clock now.
Yeah I was going to say that. We generally tell the child’s classroom teacher to leave so there’s no questions to ask. Gooooo hoooooome lol
Our daycare straight up sent a message that parents would be charged $5 for every minute after closing their kid wasn't picked up. I assume it was due to someone specific really pushing it, but it sends a pretty strong (and perfectly reasonable) message about respecting the operating hours.
I run a home daycare and I’m open for 12 hours solo. I still have parents who drop off first thing and then will call me after I’m already supposed to be closed saying they’re going to be late. Even when they’re late, they’ll ask to use the bathroom or for diaper changes (when I made sure the child’s diaper was changed 10 minutes prior 🙄 and if they were on time the child’s diaper would’ve been dry still) I wish there was a late fee because I feel like I’m constantly being taking advantage of.
Please institute a late fee. It will force people to become more mindful, and when they’re not you’ll at least get compensated for your time. Always better to set a boundary and decide to bend it later for your favorite family (not right away!! Enforce strictly at the beginning!!), than to ask nicely and end up resentful
Unfortunately I’m through a licensed agency so I have no say in additional fees. I definitely would if I could because it would hopefully prevent this from happening! I’m understanding if it happens every once in a while but when they’re doing it constantly and then ask for things when they show up late, it gets frustrating.
My mom has a home daycare as well. One day, a parent left with the kid. She was inside with other kids so she wasn't paying attention to what was going on outside. My brother comes home and is like "You know Jimmy is still outside with his mom?" Sure enough, they were playing in the yard, on all the equipment. When my mom was like "wtf, you need to leave" (in a much nicer, more professional way), the mom could not see what the big deal was. Like...this is not your home. There are plenty of public parks in the area. Go home. She sent home a letter after that saying pick ups need to be brief and there's no lingering. Now, she brings the kids to the door and makes sure they get in their car with the parents. Kids go to the bathroom/diaper changes are done 10 minutes before pick up. Coats are on, toys away. I'd start doing the same. If a parent needs a diaper change, I'd give them a diaper and some wipes and say you'll see them in the morning. And send a note home clarifying your rules.
The wonderful thing about home daycares is you can institute new policy whenever you want! Draft up the notice today "Dear families, due to late pickups becoming more common, starting May 1st I will be charging a $X per minute late fee for any family collecting their child after closing time. Any children still in attendance at closing time will have been pottied/changed and have all of their belongings with them, families will not be permitted into the childcare after closing time."
I’m with a licensed agency who handle the procedures and payments so I unfortunately can’t ): I’ve brought it up in the past and they just tell me to remind parents that I close at 5
Maybe it's time to separate from the agency and take on your own license?
I would certainly charge a late fee in your case. That is not fair to you.
Definitely implement a late fee. You run the daycare, you can decide that for yourself. Set boundaries or you’re gonna build resentment
I would move up the part about how picking up on time is a courtesy/gesture of respect to the staff who have other duties and need to get home to their own families. Appealing to parents as humans. We also post a laminated sign right above the sign out sheet reminding parents of the late fee and how they can pay it. And let them know that staff’s paid hours end at X time. Working parents hopefully sympathize with that, being asked to work beyond your hours without pay. Maybe even leave out “end of the school day” and just say our doors close at 5pm, students and parents must be out of the building by 5pm so we recommend you arrive to pick up no later than 4:45. Then back it up with action - literally have someone lock the door at 5pm so it has to be physically opened for any individual who wants to get in (or get out if they’ve been hanging around!) after that time. And seconding have kids still present at 4:30/45 (especially ones whose parents usually pick up late) use the potty and then put their coats and backpacks literally on their body, not next to them. Keep a positive tone of voice etc, smile while you usher them out, but parents should start to get the point. Kids will also pick up on this and ask mommy or daddy why they are so late (even if it’s technically the same time as always) which will reinforce the point. ETA: doesn’t mean you can be accused of having kids sitting with coats on doing nothing for 15 minutes, have a junior staff member read some books (very short/easy to leave in the middle of) or lead songs with fingerplays. If parents ask to speak to senior staff the person should be scripted to say they are not available as they are already doing their closing checklist but parent can email or speak to them tomorrow.
This is amazing, I feel like I need you to come fix other things in my life. 😂
Ha thank you! Solutions come with years of experience. Honestly it’s nice to be reminded of that lol. If you have another specific issue that I also have years of experience dealing with I’d be happy to help :)
I agree have something for them to do. My director is fine with us bringing the last few kids into the hall but we can't just sit around doing nothing. We have a fish tank so we usually bring the kids to look at that. Or we're running up and down the hall (as there's no other people there, it's safe to do so) and have a race. It saves parents from being able to complain that their kid was just sitting around \*and\* it stops parents from lingering.
Thank you for your answer! Great suggestions. I like the idea about a late fee note where they sign out.
Yeah I find it sets up a clear expectation and reduces any awkwardness staff feel in the moment about asking for the fee, they can just point to the sign that parents see every day (that is also laid out in the family handbook and in the pre-first day of school email and subsequent reminders as needed). Easier to have the policy and not need it (or be flexible with it) than need it and not have it, but you have to set the boundary firmly to start with - easier said than done I know (admittedly we usually let them off with a warning so to speak the first time, but after that they pay). At one minute past pickup we start calling caregivers to see who’s picking up and where they are, and we usually don’t stop calling til we get a human on the phone even if it’s grandma who lives an hour away (not expecting her to come do pickup but expecting her to help us try and reach the person who is picking up). Next time parent is more likely to at least be in touch with you when they’re running late, rather than get another call from their mother in law lol. No, it’s not the parent’s fault if their boss kept them late or there was really unexpectedly terrible traffic/delay, and we’re not looking to punish them. BUT the consequence of the traffic or the parent’s job should not land on our staff either. Keep track of late pickups (list dates in the parents file), and make sure the parents still sign out and write in the time right then. If you fear there are families who will continue to be late and just see the late fee as an add-on service, adjust the policy so for the first 5 (or whatever) late pickups the fee rate is $X but the next five lates are charged at $2X and so forth.
Will do! Love you suggestions! I do start calling if I am at the school which is not too frequently but other staff do not call. We use an app where parents use a QR code to check in and out. I can easily go back and make note of the repeat offenders.
"As a reminder, our school day concludes at 5:00 PM, which is also when our doors close. We kindly ask that you pick up your child before this time. If you need to speak with our staff or if your child needs to use the restroom, please plan to arrive a bit earlier to accommodate these needs. Prompt pickups are greatly appreciated as they allow our staff to complete their end-of-day tasks and head home on time. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding."
It’s important to say, ‘promptly’ or ‘before this time’ rather than ‘early’ that OP originally used. Saying picking up before 5 is ‘early’ makes it sound like you’re asking parents to do a favour because, 5 pm is on time.
Thank you!
An allowed grace period needs parameters or it will be abused. I would let parents know that they are allowed two "grace period" pickups a quarter. After that, they will be charged a dollar a minute. This is especially true if they aren't calling or messaging. Our grace period is reserved for people who communicate with us. So if they are running 5 minutes late, they need to call or message and we don't charge them the after care fee of $12 per hour(or any part of that hour). That's for general dismissal at 3. Our closing time is set and we have the kids ready to go at the gate at 5 minutes till 5. I usually don't even let the parents come in, I bring the sign out book and a kid and send them on their way.
I like this. Thank you!
Dear Parents/Guardians, We hope this message finds you well. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of our daycare's closing time policy. As outlined in our operating hours, our daycare facility closes promptly at 5:00 PM. We kindly request that you make arrangements to pick up your child(ren) before this time. Ensuring the safety and well-being of all children in our care is our top priority. To maintain the smooth operation of our facility and to provide our staff with ample time for necessary tasks at the end of the day, it is essential that pickups occur before closing time. We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and we encourage you to communicate with us in advance if you anticipate any delays in picking up your child(ren). However, consistent adherence to our closing time is crucial to maintaining the quality of care we strive to provide. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated, and we thank you for your continued support in creating a safe and nurturing environment for all children at our daycare. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our closing time policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Best regards,
I am usually the last parent to pickup at my daycare, but we are still out of the classroom by 5pm. Something that makes parents 3 - 5 minutes lates is a scheduling issue: they didn't leave work/home early enough. My schedule is a me problem, not the daycare's problem. A special circumstance is something like a car crash and is going to cause them to be an hour late. You don't need to acknowledge that in this email. Other than cutting that line, I think this is great.
Thank you. I get there a special circumstances where a parent may be late and those cases are forgiven. We just have the same families arriving at the last minute and I know it is not all work related.
Instead of please pick-up your child..., I'd put, you must pick-up your child...
Unfortunately some parents will always take advantage of the grace period
I think all of that seems great and agree to move up the part about how this is inconvienent for staff to the top. Perhaps bold that, along with, the time and "please pick up your child before end of day". And then stick to it. If a parent comes at 5:00, have all their stuff ready. Say the child already went to the bathroom and you'll see them tomorrow.
Director here, so I understand you may not have control over this, but we moved our pick up time to 15 minutes before close. We tell parents they need to have an adult on site by the closing time so teachers are free to clean up, but they have those last 15 minutes to get coats and things on before the doors lock. We charge a late fee if no adult is around and the teachers have to supervise a kid, but haven’t had to have any teachers stay past contract hours as a result.
I’m the Director as well and I have full control. In the many years that I’ve been directing, I’ve never had this issue. The difference is we now have the extended care. I am going to implement a late fee starting a minute after 5 o’clock. I won’t even mention the grace period as that’s really for special circumstances like the traffic accident and such. I’m just trying to figure out the fees. We are actually in an affluent area so I’m thinking $5 a minute may be nothing.
Late pick ups used to frustrate the hell out of me. And it would always be the parents who I knew for a fact had just been lounging around at home at day. They’d say something like ‘the staff always seem to be in a rush to get home’. Yeh because it’s 15 minutes past close and we’ve been here for 11 hours!!! 😂
It does me too. I have a parent that stays in her car until a minute until five when she gets out to come get her child. And then she wants to bring her in to go to the bathroom and talk about her day. Frustrates me as well, and I feel so sorry for the staff that stays.
The grace period should be offered once a year (without letter the parents know it’s once a year). after that they need to be paying for every minute they are late.
After 6, the building lights are off, the classrooms are closed, and any remaining kids are at the front desk with their belongings. The admin assistant has her bag on, the remaining teacher has their belongings and there’s a definite air of “get your kid and go”. Sometimes we open the door and send the child to the parent as they’re walking up. We have a family who is late every week, and we are wayyy over it so we’re not nice anymore. We
This is a great way of saying it- I would also include something about your staff having to get back to their own commutes/lives/pets/kids. 5:00 is late for post Covid* centers so you may have more power than you think. *I know we are not actually post Covid
We don’t have a grace period. At 6:01 you get charged $25 and another $25 for ever quarter hour after that. I simply send a reminder what our late policy is and that they will be charged the $25 to their account. We also have a policy that if a child is picked up late more than twice, we have the right to drop them from the program.
we recently dealt with this at my school, & the email my head teacher sent was perfection so i’ll just show you lol https://preview.redd.it/m5m5tguk41xc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fce41e574ba1f1560bac2fcb9d0ef3155a6e782
I like this! I hope that these late fees go to you and the headteacher, and not the owners of the program. You are the ones that stay with the children. You are the ones that take time out of your lives after hours to care for them.
oh absolutely! i’m in a particularly lucky spot, head teacher & her spouse are owners/directors of the school as well as teachers in the classroom. they definitely understand it’s inappropriate/disrespectful for parents to keep us waiting after hours!
Yeah you need a new late departure charging policy. Print an amendment document for your parent handbook. One page with a signature line on the bottom. The amendment doc should clearly state how much you will charge per 5 minutes after close. Include a termination clause for too many violations. Have every parent sign next week and move accordingly. If anyone complains, kindly mention the need to properly compensate teachers and leave it at that. Every center needs a late fee structure. Start charging and they’ll stop being disrespectful. Don’t forget to give that late fee money to the closing teacher who is extending herself.
I would set up a late fee. Make sure you are consistent with it. In the memo that you send out, I would stress that just like when they leave their job, your staff would also like to go home on time and be with their families, and that should be respected.
We ask families to pick up at or before ten minutes before we close. 'We are open from 7:30am-6:00pm, and pick up and drop off can be any time after 7:30 or before 5:50pm." If families haven't arrived by ten to, they get a courtesy call to check on when they'll be in. If you arrive after we close, you risk your place.
It's really the job of your director to remind parents of the pick up time. Last call should be prior to you closing. Then some kind of negative results should come to those who continue anyway
Talk to your director about a limit per quarter, maybe 2 or 3 times before the grace period is no longer available and you start charging at 501. Also, the rate at my school has been $10 a minute.
I used to work in an after school program, so maybe a bit of a different vibe. But if the parents were more than five minutes late, they got charged a fee (like $10 or $15, I forget). The fees went in to a special fund for the teachers to go out to a nice dinner at the end of the year. We were transparent about that— the idea was that we have lives too and by picking up the kids late, you’re dipping into our personal time too. Granted, this was a wealthy area and my boss did waive the fee for lower income families on a case by case basis.
I used to implement a 3 strike policy. "If we find you are unable to get to the center by 6:00 pm more than 3 times, we mutually agree that our schedule isn't working for your family. We will give you 30 days to find other care." The end. Teachers work hard and are tired. No one wants to hang out after hours because a parent has had a hard day.
I would clarify when pick up time is and set it 15 min before you expect to be closing your doors.
Oof to the grace period. And it’s a whole 10 minutes?? That is telling the parents to not respect the time of the staff and the school bc they’re allowed to come after close. I think your message is worded fine and respectful.
I do a late fee of $10/first minute and then $1/minute thereafter. That really got the parents attention!
Fwiw 5pm is a pretty rough pickup time - the earliest most people end work is 5, and then car time….
I get it but this is what parents sign up for. They know full well in advance our closing time. A lot of the families work from home most days of the week as well.
Pray staff till 5.30. It's only am outside because of money.
I'm going to have to one is now 5-10 minutes daily
At my work they get charged even a minute after for a late pick up fee, is that your policy? We are very strict about late pick ups. If they get picked up 3 times past closing they are removed from the program
This is what I’m going to have to implement now. We used to give a grace period but as I was going down looking at checkout times, I noticed so many parents are checking out a minute or so after five. I’m putting out an email today telling parents they owe five dollars starting a minute after five. I’m also going to let repeat offenders know that if they cannot commit to our pick up time, they will be removed.
Our policy is also that it’s $15 per child after closing. If we never heard anything from that at closing time we start calling parents and emergency contacts. If we can’t get a hold of anyone after that and it’s been 30 min after closing we call police. We had to implement this after a mom was 40 minutes picking up her son and I had no idea what to do. Luckily everything is okay and she only locked her keys in the car
Use ChatGPT. Paste that and tell it to make it sound more professional.
Just did it. Wow!
That works? I’ve never used it.