CM CLUB:Late dropping off and collecting..what to do?

[StrawberryMoon]

present mindee's mum is always at least 5 mins late dropping off, shes aware i have to leave at certain time for dd's school run, but doesnt make difference..now, she's started turning up later to collect her..diff reasons, but one day was 20 mins(no phone call) another was 45 mins(phone call after already 20mins late)...dp thinks i should let it pass, but now i am actually able to charge, i think i should be adding the lateness collecting onto her fee..what do you th ink think??? and what would you say to parent?

do what my old charges nursary did... £5 charge for each 5 mins (or part of) that they are late

ie 1 min late = £5, 6 mins late = £10....

it was amazing that no one was EVER late to collect their children when this was religously enforced!

that is for late picking up btw... in terms of late arriving, thats tricker... but having all children in buggy / strapped in car seats, with hats / coats on whatever... and sticking minded child straight into buggy... or where she will be may have the message that you need to leave NOW, not in 5 mins

you could tell her taht you need to leave at X time, and if she is late and you have left you wont be back until Y time... giving the message that your life will continue with or without you mindee!

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Deffo agree with others

I had to sack one of mine cos it got ridiculous

btw it was deffo bad with no reason for it ie NO traffic or transport delays

Deffo charge them

It is rude and inconsiderate

I had this with a previous mindee and had several chats with his dad saying it mucked up our day if he wasn't dropped on time. We had previously agreed between 9:30/10 am but some mornings would be here at 11:30- without telling me!!! Although he was charged from 9:30am it was still annoying because I couldn't do anything with DD. But when one morning we weren't in because he was so late he never even called to ask where I was- I think he was so embarrassed.He never mentioned it but he was never late again.

Tell her if mindee isn't there by x time, you may be out and that it tough- she will have to find alternative care for that day and still be charged. As for being late collecting I would send a letter home and chat to her saying you know it can be an occassional prob but it is begining to affect your home life so you are introducing a charge of x amount for every 10 mins/5 mins or whatever you decide, they are late. I'm sure she won't be late very often then

thanks guys, well i have now just re-jigged t&c and emailed them to her along with a new form requiring her signaturing saying she has read and accepts them!
she has already read and signed my 'contract' but obv it wasnt 'offiical', even so..things like warm clothes when its blistering cold is just common sense i think?!

when shes late in morn, i lock up and walk to top of road..am greeted by 'oh am i late'??

i have noticed , that i stated anytime i am not called and parent is late more than 15 mins, they will be charged extra hour!..so can stick to that!

another prob which im sure many of you will have had??....getting them out of the door at home time?..................if theyre late already, then they want to chat about their/their childs day..where do you draw the line?

TIa guys

Don't let them sit down if they are late

if really late meet them in hall with child with hat and coat on and bag packed when you see car approaching

I have a really long driveway from the road to my house and so get plenty of warning of an approaching car

had mindee ready last time she was late, but she still chatted for good 15mins even tho i kept saying oh i have friends coming for dinner......think i need to learn how to tactfully force the issue!

I use a nursery and they really do enforce the £6 per 15 mins or part thereof late pick up fee! No late parents there... Its easy to chat about the childs day as the staff can't go anywhere till home time. But my friend uses a childminder who uses a form each day to detail food, nappy contents, activities and other things, gives the parent this each evening. Perhaps you could do something like that so that the parent doesn't have as much to talk to you about? If you really struggle with this mum you could always give her a months notice of termination of childcare due to her breaching the contract? I am sure that would have her toeing the line sharpish.

I agree late arrival is a pain, I have a parent who is sometimes late, she has to drive in from an outlying village to get here & therefore does get traffic problems. Therefore she knows that if she isn't here by 8.25 I will have left to go to school, she knows which way I walk & finds me along the route to drop off dd. Other parents have done this in the past or have had to wait until I am back from the school run, although usually if there are that late they have had the courtesy to phone me to find out my plans, as occasionally I don't even go home but straight on somewhere else.
I did have one parent who was extremely late one night picking up & I couldn't raise him easily, or the emergency contact!, Our whole family were sitting in the car outside ready to go out when he turned up, full of apologies & I did get paid late fees without quibbling as well.

I have had one person that was late and we went out, so they didn't get child care that day. I also have a mum that is really bad about when her partner is around (also her dd's dad) then they just keep her off without telling me. I still charge for that and find it amazing that people mess around a childminder, especially when I have her overnight and antisocial hours.

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Yes, would agree with that on the early arrivals.

I had one that was 20 mins early and I had just got out of the shower once!! OK I was running late compared to what I usually do, but still plenty of time before she should have arrived!

I hate it when they arrive with older siblings as well in the hols, and they just expect them to be able to stay as well.

For me, arriving early is an absolute NO NO! One of my parents who used to catch a bus to get to me occasionally used to arrive a little early, for me that is an acceptable unavoidable situation but for any parent arriving by car, for me is not acceptable to knock early.

I used to have a parent who used to outstay her welcome; pickup was supposed to be at 5.30, she started arriving at 5.10 right in the middle of childrens dinner time. Didn't mind making her a cuppa occasionally but everytime she arrived her LO wouldn't eat, played up terribly, and was pandemonium. This started to impact on the other mindees in my care so in the end I requested a meeting, explained that she needs to leave at 5.30 etc and why. I also told her that if her LO hadn't finished dinner by 5.30 then I would put in takeaway box for her to give him at home. This worked but was an extreme case to say the least.

If I did school run/pickups then I would leave at the correct time and expect parent to meet me on route or at school/back home.

One of my parents arrived 15 minutes early (first arrival of the day, so I wasn't ready - still vacuuming, getting toys out etc). What annoyed me more than anything is that she said that she knew she was really early, and that she knew how much I really hated early arrivals when they were the first to come ... but came knocking on my door anyway! I said something along the lines of "no I don't", but I obviously didn't do it in my Assertive Voice.

I try really hard not to get cross about things like that, but it really doesn't set me up nicely for the rest of the day!

Someone else on MN recommended not answering the door, but the hammering and bell-ringing tends to wake up the rest of the household.

At least you are all annoyed at mums turning up early... I know a minder who regularly is woken up by mindee arriving on time! So parent paying her for time spent washing, getting dressed which should be done before child arrives, after all her working day starts when the child arrives, can you imagine going to an office job in your pyjamas and washing and dressing on works time hee hee.

lol flibberty gibbrt... as a nanny i have done just that.... though i dont think it counds when parenst are leaving the house at 4.30am... the children are still asleep and i move into their speare room for a few hours! (and live 5 mins away, so get up and
drive their in PJs!)

also i regulaly dont eat my breakfast until i get to my charges house.... but its normal for nannies to eat with the kids anyway!

i charge a £5 penelty for late pick up plus the normal hourly rate on top

as for late drop off's if the parents have not phoned i always just set off and go out (to school, play group whereever) and i foget to take my mobile phone with me

DMO hows it going??..any new on money/mindee's that stopped coming??

NannyL, I think for a 4.30 am start the parents will probably put up with absolutely anything from you!!

hi strawberry
i'm not too bad
mindees dad got in contact the mother now has the girls
the grandad came on friday with £100 for me towards my fees and said he would try to give me £100 each week till they have paid up

still feel really sorry for the dad i hope he gets the girls back

glad you're getting sorted tho..very sad about the dad and children...he must be all over the place