Childminders club: How late is late?

[ssd]

If a parent was due to collect children at 5pm but always came at between 5.05 or 5.10 or even later somtimes would you be peed off or would you see this as acceptable?

Hi ssd

I've worked in a few child care settings, an after school club, day nursery and been a childminder. I don't know which setting you are in but i would say it's largeyly dependent on the frequency of the lateness? the kind of setting you are in? and if the parent actually realises that they are late?

I would warn them in writing and then possibly dismiss them if it is causing you problems.

I think it is one of the rudest things parents can do.

It is like they think they have more important things to do with their time than you and your family.[anger]

I had to dismiss one family because it got ridiculous they couldn't have any excuse worked only minutes away.

I would warn them in writing and then possibly dismiss them if it is causing you problems.

I think it is one of the rudest things parents can do.

It is like they think they have more important things to do with their time than you and your family.[anger]

I had to dismiss one family because it got ridiculous they couldn't have any excuse worked only minutes away.

hope you don't mind me butting in. from the POV of a mother and employer of a nanny, i always ring in advance on the very very rare occasions when i'm going to be late, even if it's just by a few minutes (this happens maybe a few times a year, for reasons beyond my control, like public transport meltdowns), and i would never, ever take it as 'just one of those things'. i find it very humiliating.
of COURSE they know they're taking the piss. definitely raise it with them and say it's not on. agree with KSM, it implies their time is more important than yours. impossibly rude.

I would just charge an extra 15 minutes each time they are late.

Just say that from January you will be introducing a late charge and would they like to renegociate their contact now ( to allow for that 15mons)so that they won't be penalised if they are late from 1st January.

I agree with KM - it's rude and disrespectful.

The other thing is:

If the parents are late then that means that childminder is then late for doctor/dentist/swimming lessons etc.

How is that fair???

Also late in delivery is bad too as it means our own children are late for school and then get into trouble.

Am i to assume that it's childminding you do ssd? In which case i agree with everyone else, If there is no "Good Cause" for the parents being late, and they are just strolling in at ten past with no sincere apology everyday then yes i'd be peed off. Do they work far? Are they genuinly finding getting to you on time difficult? When i was a childminder i had a policy in place that was quite harsch but it worked. I charged an extra £5 for every fifteen mimutes the parent was late, Unless they had called and i felt they had given my a "good cause" for lateness. But i certainly didn't tolerate constant lateness. Luckily cos of the fine i had in place nobody ever did. I simply explained when i told them about it that it was there to protect the time i have with my own family. I think kmc is right, if you can introduce something like that it'd be well worth it.
The nursery had a slightly differrent plan that my work better for you if she is normally only te minutes or so. If a parent was late more then three times in a month they were charged/fined £10. if it happened three times more within the same month, another £10. If it's in the contract they can't agrue.
I would try talking to them first though, find out if there really is a problem, and if so maybe the two of you caould arrange something. Ie you agree to stay (open) for fifteen minutes more for a slightly increased fee. If she doesn't like it she'll soon pull her socks up!

Definitely fine them for 15 minutes' worth of their time, every time, until the message sinks in, and make it quite clear you are working from YOUR clock/watch.
I always ring if likely to be any more than 15 mins off my usual pick-up time of 5.30pm, even though I have paid until 6pm. I just think it's courteous to keep people posted. I know how upsetting lateness is to ds' lovely after-school club coordinators too, they have to get home and cook their own childrens' teas FGS.

A lot of my parents pay pat their collection time....it makes me much more reasonable and flexible if something major goes wrong....

eg Mum collects at 5.45 everytime....she phones to say she is stuck in traffic (twice in 18 m) and coulkd I hold on to her DD....once til 6.05 and once til 6.35....No discussion about asking her to pay more - it's payback for all those nights she went early...

But regular 5/10 mins is a pain

Thanks for the replies. What makes this more difficult is that I've become friendly with this parent and I know this parent is late for EVERYTHING...I'm just another one on the list. But it does eat into homework/bath-time etc. (the 5pm I gave in my first post was just for an example,not the real time)

It's really annoying me, but I feel really awkward in discussing it.

Also for anyone who seen my post the other day about getting paid late, yes it is the same family

Yes PocketTasha, I'm a childminder!

Also I don't want to say I'll charge for lateness as my kids go for a bath 30 minutes after the children are collected, so we've only got 30 mins toghether for homework/chat and if I allowed them to be late and to pay for it then God knows when they'd turn up and I'd have about 5 minutes with my own kids

how old are cmb/cmg?

could you be waiting out in drive with them with bags packed and coats on etc. Obviously NOT if they were babies.

Could you pretend that you have to go out?

I think that it is awkward

The problem with fining them for being late is that if like the parents I was talking about money is not important.

But I do fine for lateness,

I think the same ssd

Time with DS is more important than extra money.

It is just not fair

It sounds really awkward. but if you're friends, then can you not simply tell her what you've told us (you put it really concisely, and really affectingly): that it's eating into your own time with your kids? and if the situation doesn't change, she'll have to make other arrangements, which would be sad for everyone?
IMO chronic lateness is a selfindulgence. she'll snap out of it if you give her no option. she has so much to lose.

ssd, sounds really awkard.. it's always harder if you have become friends. If you know her routine quite well, do you know if she /could get to you/ say, half an hour earlier? Perhaps then you could say that you are changing your times in the new year because you are noticing a negative impact on your family life/kids..
At least that way you don't have to blame her for anything and if you push your pick up time up by half and hour if she's late then it'l have less of an impact.

Hi SSD I've been both sides of the problem .. and I think its just plain rude

I would totally agree with saying as of jan you will impose a penalty charge for every fifteen minutes, or part thereof the parent is late .. a nursery round here would charge £10 per 15 minute period and I think as a penalty that is fair and makes it clear you expect punctuality

friendly or not .. I'm very friendly with DS's childminder and was extremely friendly with the mother of the child I minded too .. but you have to draw a line .. you are not doing them a favour you have a professional contract of work whereby they are paying for your services ... don't be walked over because you're a nice person

Turn the tables on her. My childminder often waits in the hall with her coat on and dd strapped in the pram, which always makes me feel guilty! You really must try it. I am so scared of being late that I bunk off work 10 minutes early and sprint off like a madwoman to catch my train.