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Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 7:29:29 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
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From: land of limbo
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I am looking for some input from parents on this issue. I run the before and after school program at the Christian school here. I have a helper most of the time. Here are some basics on how the program works:
1. Parents sign up for time in 1 hour blocks: till 4:30 or 5:30.
2. There is a cell phone so that if they arrive early they can call and I will bring their child.
3. I bring the kids down about 10-15 minutes before their scheduled pick up time to wait (so at 4:15 and 5:15)
4. ANy child who is K or younger must be with someone older than 18: me as my helper is in high school.
Here's the problem, most of the kids are early ed (K and younger) so they must stay with me. It seems that the parents are coming about every 7-8 minutes for their kids. I will have one parent call so I gather up that kid's stuff plus all the young kids to walk to the lobby to meet the parents. Many times I will get a call from another parent as we arrive or another parent pulls up so then all these little kids have to walk back to the classroom (down 2 hallways) to get Johnny's stuff.
I emailed the principal to discuss this. A couple suggestions I made were that
1. we find a place to keep everyone's stuff near the door so we don't have to make all these trips back and forth for books at least or
2. some kind of walky talky so I can call back to the room and have an older child bring down Johnny's bag.
3. Limit pickup times to every half hour
I generallly have at least 12 kids a day...today there were 24 at one point.
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L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 7:32:42 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
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From: land of limbo
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I think part of what I am thinking is wondering if as a parent you would be upset if you were told you had to wait 20 minutes to get your kid.
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L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 7:45:08 PM
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PrincessDonna
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If I worked all day, I would not want to wait to get my child. From my experience, when my son was in daycare, I was exhausted by the time I came to pick him up, and wanted to get home and start dinner and our evening routine.
Why don't the parents come up to get their kid? Why do you have to bring kids to parents? That's not how most daycares work.
If nothing else, I would definitely have the kids keep all of their stuff near the pickup area. Less lugging, less chance of things getting lost too.
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<<-----------Brian + vacuum= sexy man!! 
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:14:43 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
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From: land of limbo
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They lock the school so that people can't just be in wandering the halls who don't belong there. That's why we need to bring the kids out to the parents. After hours there isn't someone in the office to buzz them in.
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L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:22:11 PM
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cindybode
Posts: 1547
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From: Northwest PA
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I would definitely not want to wait to pick up my child.
I would suggest piling the kids' stuff by the door so you don't have to keep running back and forth, or seeing about using another classroom that's closer to the door. I can see the walkie talkie working if you have someone who could bring stuff down.
If worst comes to worst and you have to limit pickup times, make them every 15 min rather than every 1/2 hour.
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If you lock in any creature, from rats to chickens to pigs to people, 10 to 30 or more in a box and force feed them you'll create little monsters. Confinement Education School Operations (CESOs) just don't compare to naturally pastured free-ranged kids.
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:26:45 PM
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Jenny-Fair
Posts: 6284
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From: WA
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quote:
ORIGINAL: zoebob
I think part of what I am thinking is wondering if as a parent you would be upset if you were told you had to wait 20 minutes to get your kid.
Yes, I would. 20 minutes can make the difference between being able to eat dinner or not on some nights.
Ideas:
Send the high schooler down to watch for parents and let them in. OR, certainly it would be all right to have her do the hauling kids down thing.
Take all the kids' stuff down right after the school is locked up--then it doesn't need a storage place because the doors will be locked and everyone gone, so what will happen to it?
Don't do the 4:15 and 5:15 everyone-downstairs times since the majority of parents aren't coming at that time.
Have them install a buzzer button in your daycare room.
Move the entire after-school program to a room nearer the door.
_____________________________
Tony: Ziva, did you kill Houdini?
Ziva: It is possible. I do not remember all their names.
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:35:03 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
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From: land of limbo
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Jenny-Fair
quote:
ORIGINAL: zoebob
I think part of what I am thinking is wondering if as a parent you would be upset if you were told you had to wait 20 minutes to get your kid.
Yes, I would. 20 minutes can make the difference between being able to eat dinner or not on some nights.
Ideas:
Send the high schooler down to watch for parents and let them in. OR, certainly it would be all right to have her do the hauling kids down thing.
I think the school still wants to avoid having people in the halls but this could be a solution.
quote:
Take all the kids' stuff down right after the school is locked up--then it doesn't need a storage place because the doors will be locked and everyone gone, so what will happen to it?
I did suggest this (or some sort of near the door storage) to the principal. It would save some of the trips.
quote:
Have them install a buzzer button in your daycare room.
They already have walky talkies because that's how they do car dismissal and that's how the elementary classrooms can call the elementary office. The call button goes to the HS office. This was something else I suggested to principal.
quote:
Move the entire after-school program to a room nearer the door.
This isn't likely to happen. I am in a room that is a bit of a multipurpose room. I don't think they want us in a regular classroom because 1. it kicks the teacher out of her room right at 3:30 and 2. then the kids are more restricted in what they can do. The room I use is used by the music teacher 3 days a week and for chapel on one of those days. There are some big tables set up but no student desks and it has a temporary wall that can open into another room that is used for drama. The whole room is a sort of double multipurpose room.
This is a new program to the school. It's only the second year. Last year if I had 12 kids including my own it was a BIG day. This year 12 is about normal. There are a lot more kids this year.
I am guessing that finding an area in the lobby for their stuff and use of the walky talkies may solve the problem. The kids all get time to eat a snack and the ones that have homework spend time on it but then they could take their bags down to the lobby.
_____________________________
L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:38:24 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
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From: land of limbo
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Also, next year this shouldn't be an issue. They expanded their early ed program this year and the plan is to build a new building for next year. It would have a big central room for large motor skills and then classrooms and a few offices around the perimeter. This is where the extended care program will be next year...God willing. It will work much better from there.
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L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:39:46 PM
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Jenny-Fair
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From: WA
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I meant a door-opening buzzer button, so that if a parent called you, you could buzz them in.
Your room doesn't have an outside door? Or is there another multi-purpose room with an outside door? Alternatively, until the weather is yucky, you could all be on the playground for the last hour.
_____________________________
Tony: Ziva, did you kill Houdini?
Ziva: It is possible. I do not remember all their names.
My Blog
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:40:56 PM
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SuccessinTruth
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Make it easier for everyone, put their stuff closer to the door, the people, not the rules, are the most important.
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/8/2008 8:42:43 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
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From: land of limbo
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no, my room doesn't have an outside door. It's the first hour that is actually the craziest. I generally take the younger kids and those without homework outside as soon as they are done their snack and leave the helper inside with the older ones doing homework. THere is a cell for the program and so the parents call when they get there. I then have to have all the kids line up, the appropriate one(s) find their stuff and make the trip down to the office.
I see what you mean by a buzzer. ALthough, if we are going to be in a different building next year they might not want to go through that.
_____________________________
L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 8:32:45 AM
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Row1
Posts: 246
Joined: 12/2/2005
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lawsuit.
done.
in most states, there are child-to-employee staffing ratios. like one adult per 6 kids. If you have two staff and 12 kids, you are legal. If you have the 13th or 14th kid, you are supervising children outside of the law.
as soon as one problem happens - a kid falls and gets a concussion - you have a lawsuit. you have absolutely no defense because you were under-staffed.
so, ASAP you need to figure out the staffing ratios for daycare, especially those kids at kindergarten and younger. these ratios go by ages (the ratio is usually closer to 1:1 for younger children than older children).
tell the school they are in violation however many days of the week in the past couple of weeks. It is unlikely that you could legally be watching these young kids with a 1 adult : 12 children ratio.
After they consider the costs of a walkie talkie set and a volunteer versus a lawsuit, then they find an additional volunteer or employee plus find the whopping $150 it will take to get a decent pair of walkie talkies.
all of this coming and going would be much easier with the 3rd person, plus a walkie-talkie set.
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 8:50:28 AM
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PrincessDonna
Posts: 10417
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From: Cow country, Upstate NY
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quote:
in most states, there are child-to-employee staffing ratios. like one adult per 6 kids. If you have two staff and 12 kids, you are legal. If you have the 13th or 14th kid, you are supervising children outside of the law.
Good point, however, I'm not sure this would apply since this is a school and all children are school-aged. It may fall under the umbrella of the school, which would not need to have a 1:6 ratio.
Worth checking into though...
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<<-----------Brian + vacuum= sexy man!!
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 8:51:25 AM
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Row1
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i think the ages include below-kindergarten.
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 8:53:36 AM
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PrincessDonna
Posts: 10417
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From: Cow country, Upstate NY
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I missed that. I still think if they are there as part of the school, it is probably covered under the school's umbrella. That has been my experience with the Christian school I serve on the board of.
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<<-----------Brian + vacuum= sexy man!!
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 8:54:09 AM
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GregandJenny
Posts: 615
Joined: 2/16/2006
From: Near Seattle Washington
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My wife works in daycare here in WA and the ration for school age children to 1 staff person ( only 1 person has to be over 18 if more than 1 staff) is 1 staff per 15 children. I think in pre- school it's like 1:10, and toddler like 1:7 and then infant s like 1:4. I know it veries from place to place but I think she is ok.
G
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 8:58:49 AM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: land of limbo
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I checked the laws for my state and we have been OK. Two of my children are actually old enough to be helpers in the program as opposed to children under care even though I counted them as children.
_____________________________
L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 11:26:30 AM
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29redballoons
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From: Georgia
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In Georgia...
ratios are:
infant - 1 yr --- 1:6
1 - 2yrs (walking) --- 1:8
2 - 3yrs --- 1:10
3 - 4 yrs --- 1:13
4 and older --- 1:18
After 18 you must have an assistant.
The same ratios apply at school, until after 1st grade.
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Red
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 11:29:32 AM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: land of limbo
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these kids range from 4 through 5th grade. Our ratios are hire than that.
_____________________________
L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 11:30:25 AM
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Jenny-Fair
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From: WA
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In WA, you can only have 2 kids under 2 per adult, and no more than 6 kis per adult, in a daycare situation...however, this isn't really daycare. It's an after school program. And this isn't really about whether she has enough staff, it's about dealing with a very inconvenient set up in the best way possible.
_____________________________
Tony: Ziva, did you kill Houdini?
Ziva: It is possible. I do not remember all their names.
My Blog
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 11:35:43 AM
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zoebob
Posts: 8767
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: land of limbo
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That's true Jen.
Putting on my mod hat:
Let's keep this to the discussion of set up not staffing.
DO not discuss, etc etc
_____________________________
L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 1:56:43 PM
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29redballoons
Posts: 675
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From: Georgia
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Well, I think they should look into either adding a doorway, which is not too terribly expensive if there is a current window...or either giving you an extra staff member to shuttle the children to and from the current doorway.
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Red
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RE: Child care pick up issue - 9/9/2008 1:57:28 PM
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Jenny-Fair
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From: WA
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A doorway would be ideal, Red.
_____________________________
Tony: Ziva, did you kill Houdini?
Ziva: It is possible. I do not remember all their names.
My Blog
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