6 pm means 6 pm! (kinda long)

[MadMike]

Haven't you heard of the $1 for every minute you're late rule? You could have made what, $180 there - over and beyond what they normally pay you.

The daycare my son used to be in was the same way. I can't remember the amount or the cutoff time, simply because I never had to find out.

You might want to consider doing something similar, or simply refuse to do business with that particular set of parents again. I'm not very confrontational, but even I have my limits. I would have had some not-so-nice words with them.

[ChanceNCinny]

I work at a child care center. If you don't have a contract make one with your stated hours, rates, late fees and what will happen if they are later then the designated time. We have a late fee of $15 for the first 30 mins (per child, even if they are 5 mins late it is the $15) and a dollar a min after that. The child cannot return until the late fee is paid. For us when parents are late we:
* Up to 30 mins late try calling to find out what happend (parents cell, work, home)
* Up to 60 mins late call local hospitals, police and check for traffic issues that could cause them to be late.
* Up to 90 mins call all alternative contacts listed on emergency sheet.
* At that 2 hour mark we call CPS for child abandonment.

Harsh but we have never had a problem with anyone being more then a hour late.

Edit: If you don't have a handbook with policies you might want to make one with rules and stuff to make the parents take you more seriously. Its amazing what a nice looking bound rule book can do to how parents treat you and how serious they take it.

[erasily_ani]

Thanks for all the advice! I don't have a "handbook" as this is very new, but I'm going to start working on one tomorrow once the kids go home. I like the $1 per minute thing, though I'd probably give them leeway til 6:30 (cause really, most of my parents are great. And I don't mind having the kids a little late, you know -- IF they tell me and make sure it's okay!)

I didn't say anything yesterday (7/15) when the Mom got there because I was LIVID and didn't want the kids to hear me get that upset. And besides I wanted to get to the restaurant. And somehow, just something in me couldn't call Child Services. These are good, sweet kids and I wouldn't want to put them through that. Their parents can just be a little flakey sometimes.

The dad dropped the kids off this morning and apologized before I even said anything. He said that he'd gotten held up in a work meeting and had called his wife and told her she needed to get the kids. But apparently, she wanted to go to her weekly dinner with her friends and that was more important.

Yeah, he's not happy with her either. He gave me, just for the trouble, $200, which is more than I charge them each week ($75 per kid, per week -- pretty damn cheap for around here, and I don't charge them for food or anything). I said that if it happened again, I wouldn't watch them again. I said I understood emergencies coming up, but could he please call me? He said he'd be sure not to rely on her to tell me things anymore.

I feel a little bad, cause I think I might have caused a riff (the little girl was awfully clingy today; I think the parents might have fought when they thought she was asleep) but it's the ladies own fault! And their dad was here today at 5:45.

We'll see how it goes!

(oh -- and I might be getting another charge or two -- we have a new family moving in this weekend and the neighbors have already told them about me. Wish me luck!)

[Seshat]

And somehow, just something in me couldn't call Child Services. These are good, sweet kids and I wouldn't want to put them through that. Their parents can just be a little flakey sometimes.

The dad dropped the kids off this morning and apologized before I even said anything. He said that he'd gotten held up in a work meeting and had called his wife and told her she needed to get the kids. But apparently, she wanted to go to her weekly dinner with her friends and that was more important.

Think about what those good, sweet kids cope with, with a mother like that.

She clearly needs a serious wake-up call. The only way to get through to her may well be to have Children's Services take the kids for a few hours. You can be certain that a CS social worker will tear strips off a woman with priorities like that!

The long-term benefit to the children may well outweigh the short-term stress.

[Shangri-laschild]

I feel a little bad, cause I think I might have caused a riff (the little girl was awfully clingy today; I think the parents might have fought when they thought she was asleep) but it's the ladies own fault!

Keep remembering that last part. You didn't cause a rift, she did.

That was really good of him to talk to you.

[draftermatt]

It amazes me the number of times I read on this site "you should have called child services"

Folks, did your parents ever do something dumb when it came to kids? How would you have liked to deal with CPS and have your parents go through weeks/months of hassels because your parents forgot they had to pick you up at 6 instead of 7 or something?

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

It amazes me the number of times I read on this site "you should have called child services"

Folks, did your parents ever do something dumb when it came to kids? How would you have liked to deal with CPS and have your parents go through weeks/months of hassels because your parents forgot they had to pick you up at 6 instead of 7 or something?

Well that's why I like the policy that ChancenCinny has

* Up to 30 mins late try calling to find out what happened (parents cell, work, home)

Which is a good first step and covers the whole "Holy Crap! Today's the day you needed the 6pm pickup?" accidental forgetfulness

* Up to 60 mins late call local hospitals, police and check for traffic issues that could cause them to be late.

A good second step that covers the "I know, I know, I'm late and I'm sorry. Some truck jackknifed and is block the whole damn highway and I'm 6 miles to the next exit...which at this rate is likely to take 30 minutes." or "I'm sorry, I had to call roadside assistance because I blew a tire."

Now mind you for this one, one would hope that the parents would call out of courtesy and mention the problem.

* Up to 90 mins call all alternative contacts listed on emergency sheet.

Now is a good time to start being concerned and calling other family members or a registered and listed friend is the best third step.

* At that 2 hour mark we call CPS for child abandonment.

While I agree that after two hours if you can't get a hold of anyone you should call CPS, but I don't think you should call it abandonment. Simply call CPS and tell them that you have a child left in childcare and that it's been two hours without anyone contact with the family. CPS will do whatever steps are needed in this case. If it's a case of a car accident and the parents are alive and able to go home (although perhaps not able to contact anyone at the time) then CPS isn't going to make it a pain in the ass to get the child back.

If the parents were out partying and just simply forgot...that's a different matter.

M

[draftermatt]

Well that's why I like the policy that ChancenCinny has

It is a good policy, but I still don't like it.

How would CPS be able to find out anything more than the police, hospitals, relatives?

If you're not calling to report abandonment or abuse why would you call them? I know what you said, but I didn't know that was a service they offered. I thought missing people was the police.

[MoxisPilot]

I hope you are going to charge them a double rate for the 3-1/2 hours of overtime.

Some people assume, because you're doing childcare in your home, that they can just show up when they feel like it. If they were using a daycare facility or professional babysitting business, they wouldn't get away with it.

I worked in a chain daycare that closed at 6:00, and had the same problem. Kids wound up with us until 9:30 in some cases. Some people just don't care.

[elysia]

I'm more vindictive, personally. I'd refuse to watch their kids for a week. And every time they asked about it, I would specifically point out why, and how if it ever happens again, I'd never watch the kids again.

But that's me, the vindictive one.

I'd just never watch her kids again, period. At least the husband was cool.

[JLRodgers]

Folks, did your parents ever do something dumb when it came to kids? How would you have liked to deal with CPS and have your parents go through weeks/months of hassels because your parents forgot they had to pick you up at 6 instead of 7 or something?

My parents were never that absent minded when it came to me. They had a child, they knew I was their responsibility. If they were ever going to be late or thought they would be, they'd pull over, use a pay phone (pre-cell phone days) and say they'd be late. Most times they weren't. They were early. And for a simple reason: Why schedule something so you might be late fequently? That is, if you get off work at 5, and you have a 45-1:15 drive to the babysitter -- they'd make the pickup at 6:30, but might be there as early as 5:45.

[depechemodefan]

The dad dropped the kids off this morning and apologized before I even said anything. He said that he'd gotten held up in a work meeting and had called his wife and told her she needed to get the kids. But apparently, she wanted to go to her weekly dinner with her friends and that was more important.

Yeah, he's not happy with her either. He gave me, just for the trouble, $200, which is more than I charge them each week ($75 per kid, per week -- pretty damn cheap for around here, and I don't charge them for food or anything). I said that if it happened again, I wouldn't watch them again. I said I understood emergencies coming up, but could he please call me? He said he'd be sure not to rely on her to tell me things anymore.

Ok, the wife goes out once a week with friends. I take it she doesn't take the kids with her whenever she goes out to the weekly dinner. Which sounds messed up, that the one time she had to get the kids (granted, other times she might been with hubby picking up the kids), she doesn't. And she didn't call. I can imagine the girl being clingy because no one came pick her up. She might have been thinking "Mommy and Daddy don't love me anymore and they will never come and get me!" And then Daddy did pick her up. But she is worried that there might be a day they never pick her up.

Ok, hope you get the second family.

[ChanceNCinny]

Basically the threat of calling CPS is enough to make the parents take you seriously most of the time. It is abondoment because they have not made any effort to pick up their child or indicated they will be picking them up. Although, if you hear from someone and they say they are going to be 3, 4, even 5 hours you don't call CPS you might ban them from returning but you know the parents are coming. Its just that after 2 hours if you haven't heard anything how do you know the parents are even coming. Its rare but not unheard of for parents to not pick up there children at all either because they decide not to or because they can't.

We have only once in the 12 years I have been here had to call CPS. That wasn't even child care it was resident camp related. Long story short, child attacked staff, child kicked out, parents on vacation for another month and refused to come.

[Naaman]

It amazes me the number of times I read on this site "you should have called child services"

Folks, did your parents ever do something dumb when it came to kids? How would you have liked to deal with CPS and have your parents go through weeks/months of hassels because your parents forgot they had to pick you up at 6 instead of 7 or something?

One hour - maybe and a quick late charge should assist in any further forgetfulness but three and a half hours! Even without the dinner date that's pretty atrocious.

[Sliceanddice]

It amazes me the number of times I read on this site "you should have called child services"

Folks, did your parents ever do something dumb when it came to kids? How would you have liked to deal with CPS and have your parents go through weeks/months of hassels because your parents forgot they had to pick you up at 6 instead of 7 or something?

simple, i had a irresponsible and abusize father whom i should have been taken away form numerous times, and even he never forgot me.
thats why.
also think about. How many kids have been left over night in daycares multiple times, and still havent been turned over to CPS until mommy just desides to leave the town with sex puppy of the week for a while.
which is going to screw up the kid more?
Mommy haveing to take counsiling because she forgot them for a few hours. Or having to be permently in the foster system and dealing with the emotional and psychological scars of repeated abandament. Id rather call CPS everytime.