If i pay childcare until 6.30pm, surely that means i can collect my child any time up until 6.30pm?

[KettleAlwaysBoiling]

Just had a bit of a ticking off from the manager of my daughter's after school care! Feeling a bit confused and embarrassed.

I've recently switched before/after school childcare companies as I needed somewhere open until 6.30pm. I live quite rurally and this place advertises itself as being the only childcare in X open past 6pm.

I usually collect DD around 6pm but a few times over the past few weeks it has been 6.25pm.

She's a big girl near the end of primary school so there is no need for any 'catch up' such as you might expect with babies or young children. So i don't need to allow any time for this. There's no signing out or anything like that. It's simply - open the door, take coat/bag from the hook, shout cheerio. Pick up time takes no longer than two minutes maximum.

Tonight I collected DD at 6pm and the manager took me aside to discuss my collection times. She said she wanted to remind me that her staff finish at 6.30pm as that is all they are paid until. She said she has never had to consider introducing a 'late' fee before but might have to unless I'm more punctual. I double checked that their clock is the same time as my watch/phone clock. I told her that me and DD were always out the door by 6.30pm. She said that her staff report i didn't actually leave until 6.29pm the other night, and they ended up having to stay until 6.45pm to do all the last minute jobs they couldn't do while DD was there.

I said that I can't guarantee what time I'll get there each evening but can promise it will always be before 6.30pm. I reminded her that this is the reason i've put DD specifically into this childcare place - because i need care past 6pm.

The conversation ended rather awkwardly and she just said that all parents will be getting a letter next week about lateness/late fees.

Surely this is more of a managerial issue than a parent one? I pay for childcare up until 6.30pm. But staff are sometimes having to stay until 6.45pm to do the jobs needing done after all children have left. She needs to extend their hours i would think.

Any ideas what I can do, going forwards? I'm obviously going to be contesting any late fees added on to my bill since i'm always out of there by 6.30pm. I might also suggest they do introduce a sign out book so it's documented what time i've collected DD.

I really need this place to work out as i absolutely do need childcare past 6pm some nights. Also, DD seems to really love it!

What a bizarre situation?! Like others have said, I think they've got used to being able to knock off early and now you've put a spanner in the works! Well that's tough

YANBU, they could easily be cleared up while your DD is still there once it gets to 6pm. As you say, she is not a toddler, so she's not going to be making loads of mess and needing hundreds of toys out, or having accidents in the toilets!

It doesn't sound like the staff have a good attitude. There must be plenty of days where they get away a bit earlier than contracted if all the children have been collected. So if theyre ten minutes late now and then, that's just the way it goes surely? Do they have their pay docked if they leave at 6.15 i wonder? Doubt it.

YANBU.

You pay for childcare until 6:30, so you are not late unless you are arriving at or after 6:31.

If her staff need to clear up after all the children have gone then she needs to build an extra 15 or 30 minutes after 6:30 into their working hours, or not advertise that she offers childcare until 6:30 and charge parents for it.

I love my childminder it's give and take, some days I get there 20 minutes early and others 5-10 minutes late. It's give and take.

But your nursery sound bonkers.

That's not how childcare works Clary
You can't rock up late because you've previously collected early and expect it to be OK
You can't bank your unused minutes like that

Crazy. That's like me saying at work yes my shift finishes at 6 but it will take me 5 mins to have a pee, get me coat and clock out so I will go off the till at 5.55. Don't think that would go down well.

They need to change their hours until 6.15pm and refund you the difference if they are determined to be out by 6.30pm. Alternatively, the manager should pay the extra 10 minutes.

The Afterschool Club at my school is open until 6pm. Parents can pay for their child to be there until 6pm and collect at 6pm. Staff are paid until 6pm and generally clear up around the last child as there is usually only 1 or 2 left at this time so they can pretty much leave with the last parents after locking up. Late fees only apply after this time (5 mins grace usually given).

If staff in your setting are expected to wait to clear up until after children have gone then they need to be paid until 6.45 or their closing time needs to be 6.15 and fees reduced accordingly. They would also need to change their advertising. Terrible management!

Do the staff know you're contracted to 6:30, or do they think you're late for 6:00.

At her age, of course they could tidy and clean while she's there. She could even help. Then they all walk out the door with you by 6:30.

The manager probably wouldn't be impressed to know they often leave before 6:30.

The manager is the person who has told the OP off @HSMMaCM

Yes, but the manager might not know the staff are bunking off early and the staff might not know she's contracted until 6:30.

She said that her staff report i didn't actually leave until 6.29pm the other night, and they ended up having to stay until 6.45pm to do all the last minute jobs they couldn't do while DD was there.

The manager knows. The staff know too. They are being cheeky fuckers.

She is completely in the wrong. I would photograph their sign and send an email about it

What last minute jobs can’t they complete while a Y6 Primary aged dc is there with them? This is nuts!

It’s also nuts that you don’t have to sign a form at pick up That really wouldn’t go down well with Ofsted.

They need to clarify their last pick up time, if it’s advertised as 6:30pm and they haven’t told you otherwise how the scooby doo are you supposed to know! I understand you need this place to work so i’d have another word on Monday and ask for a copy of your contract.

Does the manager own the business?

What last minute jobs can’t they do? Even at nursery all the children help tidy up and then the staff do the rest around them while one of them reads a story or they watch a dvd or something.

The last minute jobs is a red herring.

That has nothing to do with anything.

You pay for care until 6.30pm, therefore you use it.
They can introduce a late fee all they like but you won’t need to pay any fees since you’re never late.

So just humour them.

Fuckers.

If childcare is provided to 6.30pm then that is what is included in you fees. If the staff are required to do work after children leave at 6.30 pm then that is of no concern for you. Staff need to address time worked after 6.30 with management.

I love it if my boss comes home early lol I still expect to be paid though...but wouldn’t be complaining

When I worked in a supermarket, we had to legally allow customers in until closing time. Most Sundays we'd be quiet all day, the some git customer would come in a few minutes before 4pm and do their weekly shop, which means we didn't get them out and start locking up until 20 minutes later, if we were lucky. Thankfully we were allowed to start the cashing up process before they left and finish just after.
So this manager is B extremely U.

Seems to me their well out of order, if you pay for care until 6.30pm you should be allowed to collect her upto and at 6.30 pm Don't be intimidated by them ,...
Their being ridicules and over charging if you pay until 6.30pm ,..

“That's not how childcare works Clary”

It’s how some childminders like to work, insancerre, though not all.

I agree that you should put everything in writing, ask any questions and ask for a reply clarifying.

I agree that if you pay until 6.30' childcare must be available until then. It is totally up to the management how they deal with final clearing up issues and their staff after this time. You would hope that if they need an extra 10 mins to complete final clearing up, they would be paid for it - i suspect manager isn't paying them and their finish time is 6.30, so they are having to stay to finish unpaid and that annoys them - but it's not your fault and their issue isn't with you bit with the management. Perhaps point that out in a letter too.

It can feel awkward if you are the last pick up by a while and people are clearly waiting to go home. However, this is a service you have paid for. You are not late. Be clear in your email that you expect to be able to arrive until the deadline if the time you pay for - quite what staff need to do or when they leave is no concern of yours and up to management to sort out. I would ask that it is made clear to staff that you are paying until 6.30 and have never been late and so you cannot understand what any irritation is about.

It's a shame because it leaves a nasty taste and seems to unprofessional in their part. Perhaps you can say that this is how it feels but you hope this can all be clarified and the food relationship restored because you value the care they provide. Then wait and see what the response is. Hopefully they will apologise and confirm what you're thinking.

If they insist on suggesting you are out of order or late, I think you'll have to look elsewhere.

When I worked in retail at minimum wage, we had to cash up etc after the last customer left the shop. We weren't paid past the closing time.

Sounds like they've got used to you picking up at 6.

I had this once with a nursery. I normally picked up at 4 or 4.30, but had paid until 6. Mentioned in the morning I'd be collecting at 5.30, mainly just so that DD didn't wonder where I was, and all hell broke loose as they didn't have the staff to cover. Changed nursery quite sharply after that - if people are paying for a service then you should be staffing that service.

It is bad practice to expect staff to stay beyond the time they are paid until, in this kind of low paid work. When it happens, staff often feel annoyed with the customer.....but actually it is the management they should feel annoyed with because it is they that are cutting corners in staff hours, nothing to do with the customers.

Be clear that it is none of your concern if staff are there until 6.45 clearing up. You have paid until 6.30 so understand you can collect until that time. Bit management require staff to stay longer after that, that is between management and staff. Say that you resent any suggestion or implication that you have been late when you never have been and that if staff are staying late it is your fault. Say you are only responsible to be there to pick up on time and that quite when the staff are there or not there is something between them and management.
Ask for confirmation that yes, because you pay until 6.30 you can collect on any day until that time. This is the bottom line.