CMs who do school pick ups...

[booyhoo]

if you have two or more mindees that finish school at the same time but at different schools, how do you do that?

i am waiting to do my pre-reg course but am thinking through all sorts of potential issues beforehand and trying to find solutions. (so you might see me popping in here quite alot with daft questions) where i live, most CM's offer school drop-offs and pick-ups and a list of schools that they do but it could take 10-15 minutes, by car, to get through town at pick-up time from one school to another so i can imagine there being a problem getting there on time for all the children if they have 2 at different schools.

Unless one school finishes at a considerably different time then you cannot do pick ups from seperate schools.

Something to think about at initial meetings with parents, yes?

yes, that's what i was thinking, so i guess that the CM's who have the lists of schools just dont take on mindees from one of the schools if they already have one at another.

yes that's right

Any more qs for me?

Not possibly normally. However ... one primary school in our area has infants and juniors finishing at different times and children with siblings can stay for 'story time' and have a later pick up and this is how I got round the problem a few years ago. I don't do it now, because it is just soooo stressful if the children from the first pick up come out late, or the teacher wants to speak to you about something.

not just now, but i'm sure i'll have a new one tomorrow.
thanks BALD

all the schools near me and only 5 mins in the car apart so sometimes i will pick at one school and drive to the next and the keep the children at the office till i get there. i wouldnt go to anymore than 2 schools as by the time you got to a 3 it could be 3.15/3.20

doesn't the school mind keeping the children in the office?

the schools in my area do not like keeping the children at all. i had 3 months of zapping between 2 schools at a midday pick up and it was very stressfull - rushing the children from one school to the other and worrying about the other child being kept waiting.

If you start picking up from 1 school, and get an enquiry for another, I would contact the school before you decide as some schools will be quite happy to let children wait in reception until you arrive.

We pick up from 2 schools 1st school Infants finish at 3, juniors at 3.15. 2nd school they all finish at 3.30. Its pretty tight at times as often the children are let out late, teacher wants to talk etc traffic is also a nightmare at that time of day. I find mornings harder as they both start at the same time.

You will also find that you may get more mindees from 1 school, check them out and see which ones have a breakfast and afterschool club, target the one closest that doesnt offer wrap around care as this will be your main one. Also you can soon fill a car up from one schoool, we have to drop off the first load, then go for the next, we have a 7seater, really need a minni bus, but DH point blank refuses

not schools fine. they have children getting school buses and things so they are still busy sorting those children so by the time i get there, there are still children leaving the school. also an after school club pick up from there and all their children meet at the office and wait to be picked up as usually a play work just gets dropped off to get children and has to wait to be picked back up

I only collect from one school because I think its unfair on a child to ALWAYS be picked up last every day and its not good for your reputation to continually collect late.

If you have a registered assistant or partner who is permitted sole care then you can arrange to collect from different schools more easily. As I work alone I direct parents to childminders who live near their chosen school (who hopefully will return the favour) and explain I can only care for their child if they can arrange transport.

i agree Ayla99, it isn't fair on a child or the parent to know that they are always going to be hanging around.

i'll be working alone so it wouln't be possible to do it anyway. i wouldn't want to be constantly under that pressure and feeling guilty, that's why i left my job in the first place.

Same as Ayla99, my school also have people still lingering, however I am paid to collect these children on time and I wouldn't want them left til the end every time. If I absolutely had to, it would be with the agreement of the parent being happy for their child to be left a little longer (AND knowing their child wouldn't be upset by this). I'd also want in writing that the school were also 'officially' ok with this.

dont be tempted to say yes to all requests, just because a school comes out at 3.15 it doesnt mean you can grab the child and go..

remember parking can be a nightmare,
children are slow and it looks awful if a cm is hurrying children in the playground or looking harassed and not coping.

one school pick up is enough per day unless the times are substantially apart, I think at least half an hour.

also remember your business will suffer if you are late, or the child is left standing till last... good business can be picked up in playgrounds and also lost...

I took on a child at a different school and there was a 10 minute window - supposedly, which would have enabled me to get from one school the the other.
I also arranged with mum and teacher (school) that if I was late for any reason I would
a) try to get a message to them
b) they would 'hold' onto the child in reception (as they do for children waiting for pick ups from the local after school clubs)

Well, what a blooming nightmare, and NEVER again.
If any of the children were late coming out from school 1 - that made me late
Traffic
Sometimes school 2 let out early
Teacher (school 2) decided they could not hold onto child as its against their policy (I did point out that they do it for the AS club pickups)

Tried doing school 2 pick up first and that didn't work.
I tried it for 4 weeks and it caused me so much stress and aggro that I wouldn't do it again or even recommend it unless there was quite a big time difference.