Concerns About Early Pickup Expectations and Child Comfort at After-School Program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child is safe and able to sit around for 15 minutes bored while they wait for you, I’d pick my battles.

Today, he was running through the hallways. How is it that if I pick up my child at 5:00, I cannot get past security and must wait for my child to be brought to me due to safety concerns, but after 5:45, those concerns seem to disappear?

It's not okay that he's running through the hallways if he's unsupervised or misbehaving. If an adult is with him and supervising, then it's fine. They are allowed to use the hallways for physical movement.

I'm not sure what the rules are for when security must be there. It could be that their contract ends at 5. You could ask.

It is fine that he is ready to go and it is fine that he is in a room near the door as long as an adult is with him.

You need to get straight in your own head what you're actually complaining about, and figure out which are real problems and which are just your preferences.

[Anonymous]

Six means six. They don't have to spare anyone any minutes. The staff probably needs to get their own kids by a certain time, or catch a bus, or get to an evening job, or whatever. Six means six.

If you complain about him being gotten ready, you will annoy all the other parents who appreciate their child being ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly are the “ safety concerns” OP?

well, the kids are wondering around and anyone can get through the front door -one ring the gaurd opens to everyone has an easy acess to kids- we cannot pretend that school shootings do not happen.

Perhaps they did “spare the children a moment to collect their belongings” — prior to and in the process of getting them ready to be picked up as scheduled.

again I arrived 15 minutes BEFORE

Were you expecting the teachers to wait until someone arrived for each kid to begin this process?
yes the same if I were to pick my child at 5:00pm


“Poor kids”? Really? In any case, If you can’t “physically accommodate their expectations “ — which, as far as I can tell, are about picking up your kid on time, then perhaps this particular program won’t work well for you. And, yes, this is normal. The teachers probably are eager to leave. Just like you, they have scheduled responsibilities and appointments.

Well, as I am told the aftercare should run till 6:00 the teachers should not have any expectations to leave before 6.

Right, they want to leave at 6. Not after you show up at and it takes a while for you to collect your kid's stuff and get him out of there. Actual 6. Because they are busy just like you.

What are talking about grabbing little jacket, hat and backpack and walking him takes at most 2 minutes. When I pick my child early -I never wait more than 5 minutes, They do not have to dress my child and they are free to leave as soon my child is in my reach. I can dress my child . They do it to hurt my child and send me a message

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly are the “ safety concerns” OP?

well, the kids are wondering around and anyone can get through the front door -one ring the gaurd opens to everyone has an easy acess to kids- we cannot pretend that school shootings do not happen.

Perhaps they did “spare the children a moment to collect their belongings” — prior to and in the process of getting them ready to be picked up as scheduled.

again I arrived 15 minutes BEFORE

Were you expecting the teachers to wait until someone arrived for each kid to begin this process?
yes the same if I were to pick my child at 5:00pm


“Poor kids”? Really? In any case, If you can’t “physically accommodate their expectations “ — which, as far as I can tell, are about picking up your kid on time, then perhaps this particular program won’t work well for you. And, yes, this is normal. The teachers probably are eager to leave. Just like you, they have scheduled responsibilities and appointments.

Well, as I am told the aftercare should run till 6:00 the teachers should not have any expectations to leave before 6.

But it does mean that the teachers should be able to leave AT 6 — which means that the kids will have to have their coats on and their things assembled a bit before 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly are the “ safety concerns” OP?

well, the kids are wondering around and anyone can get through the front door -one ring the gaurd opens to everyone has an easy acess to kids- we cannot pretend that school shootings do not happen.

Perhaps they did “spare the children a moment to collect their belongings” — prior to and in the process of getting them ready to be picked up as scheduled.

again I arrived 15 minutes BEFORE

Were you expecting the teachers to wait until someone arrived for each kid to begin this process?
yes the same if I were to pick my child at 5:00pm


“Poor kids”? Really? In any case, If you can’t “physically accommodate their expectations “ — which, as far as I can tell, are about picking up your kid on time, then perhaps this particular program won’t work well for you. And, yes, this is normal. The teachers probably are eager to leave. Just like you, they have scheduled responsibilities and appointments.

Well, as I am told the aftercare should run till 6:00 the teachers should not have any expectations to leave before 6.

Right, they want to leave at 6. Not after you show up at and it takes a while for you to collect your kid's stuff and get him out of there. Actual 6. Because they are busy just like you.

What are talking about grabbing little jacket, hat and backpack and walking him takes at most 2 minutes. When I pick my child early -I never wait more than 5 minutes, They do not have to dress my child and they are free to leave as soon my child is in my reach. I can dress my child . They do it to hurt my child and send me a message

Whaaaat? Why are you taking this so personally?

They have to stay until all children are out of the room. Then they lock up. It's not up to you when they are allowed to leave.

[Anonymous]

Do you pay for this aftercare? Because if it’s free I think you can bring up your kid being unsupervised running the hallway but not complain about getting your kid ready. If you pay, that’s a different story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Six means six. They don't have to spare anyone any minutes. The staff probably needs to get their own kids by a certain time, or catch a bus, or get to an evening job, or whatever. Six means six.

If you complain about him being gotten ready, you will annoy all the other parents who appreciate their child being ready.

yes 6 not 5:45

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly are the “ safety concerns” OP?

well, the kids are wondering around and anyone can get through the front door -one ring the gaurd opens to everyone has an easy acess to kids- we cannot pretend that school shootings do not happen.

Perhaps they did “spare the children a moment to collect their belongings” — prior to and in the process of getting them ready to be picked up as scheduled.

again I arrived 15 minutes BEFORE

Were you expecting the teachers to wait until someone arrived for each kid to begin this process?
yes the same if I were to pick my child at 5:00pm


“Poor kids”? Really? In any case, If you can’t “physically accommodate their expectations “ — which, as far as I can tell, are about picking up your kid on time, then perhaps this particular program won’t work well for you. And, yes, this is normal. The teachers probably are eager to leave. Just like you, they have scheduled responsibilities and appointments.

Well, as I am told the aftercare should run till 6:00 the teachers should not have any expectations to leave before 6.

Right, they want to leave at 6. Not after you show up at and it takes a while for you to collect your kid's stuff and get him out of there. Actual 6. Because they are busy just like you.

What are talking about grabbing little jacket, hat and backpack and walking him takes at most 2 minutes. When I pick my child early -I never wait more than 5 minutes, They do not have to dress my child and they are free to leave as soon my child is in my reach. I can dress my child . They do it to hurt my child and send me a message

How does it hurt your child to be... dressed in his clothes? This is truly weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you pay for this aftercare? Because if it’s free I think you can bring up your kid being unsupervised running the hallway but not complain about getting your kid ready. If you pay, that’s a different story.

yes I pay. and getting the child dressed is 20 seconds. IT is not about the lack of time to dress it is about the fact that the teachers are trying to "encourage" parents to pick kids early that way

[Anonymous]

I feel you OP. I direct a child care center and this is a pet peeve of mine. I don’t mind if they get the child ready a few minutes before 6, but 15 minutes is excessive in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly are the “ safety concerns” OP?

well, the kids are wondering around and anyone can get through the front door -one ring the gaurd opens to everyone has an easy acess to kids- we cannot pretend that school shootings do not happen.

Perhaps they did “spare the children a moment to collect their belongings” — prior to and in the process of getting them ready to be picked up as scheduled.

again I arrived 15 minutes BEFORE

Were you expecting the teachers to wait until someone arrived for each kid to begin this process?
yes the same if I were to pick my child at 5:00pm


“Poor kids”? Really? In any case, If you can’t “physically accommodate their expectations “ — which, as far as I can tell, are about picking up your kid on time, then perhaps this particular program won’t work well for you. And, yes, this is normal. The teachers probably are eager to leave. Just like you, they have scheduled responsibilities and appointments.

Well, as I am told the aftercare should run till 6:00 the teachers should not have any expectations to leave before 6.

Right, they want to leave at 6. Not after you show up at and it takes a while for you to collect your kid's stuff and get him out of there. Actual 6. Because they are busy just like you.

What are talking about grabbing little jacket, hat and backpack and walking him takes at most 2 minutes. When I pick my child early -I never wait more than 5 minutes, They do not have to dress my child and they are free to leave as soon my child is in my reach. I can dress my child . They do it to hurt my child and send me a message

How does it hurt your child to be... dressed in his clothes? This is truly weird.

15 minutes in the winter jacket indoors with theater running - overheating , skin rash, to name a few

[Anonymous]

I’d be annoyed if my 3yo was dressed ready to go doing nothing when I arrived.
I don’t expect the staff to put a coat and hat on my kid, I can do that in 2 mins.
They’re probably paid until 6pm, it’s a long day, and they’re ready to get out the door.
If the latest pick up time is 6pm they should be paid until 615pm so they’re not feeling unpaid if a parent is a few mins late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly are the “ safety concerns” OP?

well, the kids are wondering around and anyone can get through the front door -one ring the gaurd opens to everyone has an easy acess to kids- we cannot pretend that school shootings do not happen.

Perhaps they did “spare the children a moment to collect their belongings” — prior to and in the process of getting them ready to be picked up as scheduled.

again I arrived 15 minutes BEFORE

Were you expecting the teachers to wait until someone arrived for each kid to begin this process?
yes the same if I were to pick my child at 5:00pm


“Poor kids”? Really? In any case, If you can’t “physically accommodate their expectations “ — which, as far as I can tell, are about picking up your kid on time, then perhaps this particular program won’t work well for you. And, yes, this is normal. The teachers probably are eager to leave. Just like you, they have scheduled responsibilities and appointments.

Well, as I am told the aftercare should run till 6:00 the teachers should not have any expectations to leave before 6.

Right, they want to leave at 6. Not after you show up at and it takes a while for you to collect your kid's stuff and get him out of there. Actual 6. Because they are busy just like you.

5:45 is not 6. If they are open until 6 then they should expect to be there until 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you pay for this aftercare? Because if it’s free I think you can bring up your kid being unsupervised running the hallway but not complain about getting your kid ready. If you pay, that’s a different story.

yes I pay. and getting the child dressed is 20 seconds. IT is not about the lack of time to dress it is about the fact that the teachers are trying to "encourage" parents to pick kids early that way

Dude you're taking this way too personally. And blowing it way out of proportion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly are the “ safety concerns” OP?

well, the kids are wondering around and anyone can get through the front door -one ring the gaurd opens to everyone has an easy acess to kids- we cannot pretend that school shootings do not happen.

Perhaps they did “spare the children a moment to collect their belongings” — prior to and in the process of getting them ready to be picked up as scheduled.

again I arrived 15 minutes BEFORE

Were you expecting the teachers to wait until someone arrived for each kid to begin this process?
yes the same if I were to pick my child at 5:00pm


“Poor kids”? Really? In any case, If you can’t “physically accommodate their expectations “ — which, as far as I can tell, are about picking up your kid on time, then perhaps this particular program won’t work well for you. And, yes, this is normal. The teachers probably are eager to leave. Just like you, they have scheduled responsibilities and appointments.

Well, as I am told the aftercare should run till 6:00 the teachers should not have any expectations to leave before 6.

Right, they want to leave at 6. Not after you show up at and it takes a while for you to collect your kid's stuff and get him out of there. Actual 6. Because they are busy just like you.

What are talking about grabbing little jacket, hat and backpack and walking him takes at most 2 minutes. When I pick my child early -I never wait more than 5 minutes, They do not have to dress my child and they are free to leave as soon my child is in my reach. I can dress my child . They do it to hurt my child and send me a message

Then perhaps you can tell the teachers that you will arrive consistently by 5:45, and that you will dress your child yourself. And then you need to do it — so that you and your child actually leave by 6. Keep in mind though, that this might be confusing for your child if the other remaining kids are getting ready to go home while your child is not. Keep in mind too that if the group activity for all of the other kids involves getting ready to leave, your child will probably have to wait while this is happening, unless you’ve already come early to get him ready to leave yourself. Keep in mind also that your “at most 2 minutes” might play out differently for teachers working with multiple kids.