Late Pick-Ups from Elementary School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't be that parent. Pay for afterschool care.

I'd love to, but they won't take all kids.

I could think of several reasons for this (complex medical needs that can't be safely met, for example), but one is age: just because a school has PK doesn't mean that the external aftercare contractor can/will take PK students.

Probably best to call the school office and ask about the procedures for emergency/one-off delays, including whether or not a child can be sent to aftercare based on a parent phone call alone (they often have to be pre-registered and "members" of the aftercare program, even if they only use it once per year). But if this is a chronic conflict between (for example) parent getting out of work and being able to drive over to the school, and you have to get lucky with the traffic in order to pull into the parking lot 10 minutes after dismissal, then this just doesn't work, and it will not get any easier without a change of plans.

This is when you activate your personal village: talk with other parents/guardians, see if a little friend's mom can take your two kids over to the playground for that missing 10 minutes on those three days per week you're going to run late, be able to text a neighbor to rush up to the school or more than one friend to stop your kid on their way out the door and wait with them. You can't get the school to do this for you: that extra 10 minutes is a favor that almost everyone could use, which is why it can't be available.

What even is 10 minutes late? How long after the final bell?

Not everyone has a personal support network, so sometimes all you can you is rely on whatever you can get from school and CPS.

True, not everyone has an existing personal support network. But every kid has classmates and every kid has a teacher. In my experience, teachers may be willing to post and/or distribute a simple class announcement. This one could be something to the effect of: "Any guardians who would like to form a pickup playgroup for 15 minutes after school dismissal to take turns watching kids on the playground, please email/text XXX." Not an invasion of anyone's privacy or an inconvenience: those not interested can ignore, those interested can respond. Sometimes you have to start making a community if you don't have one already.

If a child is turned away from aftercare programs, do you really think such an arrangement is going to be practical?

Could be, depending on the reasons, the child, and the family. Certainly no more impractical than hoping that school staff will hover outside the building or half-monitor the child indoors until the guardian turns up. My only point is that this situation calls for a little more creativity than just hoping the teachers will generously provide a free window of childcare.

[Anonymous]

You could look at the bus routes and find one that is at the end of the route but still close to your home/job. The bus will buy you some time. And you may be able to pair up with someone at the stop to help hold your child for a little bit.

[Anonymous]

I used to teach at a rural low-income elementary school. When kids didnt get picked up, teachers had to take turns (in pairs) waiting with them- sometimes until 8 pm for CPS to come pick them up. It was frustrating that we weren't legally allowed to drop them off and had to wait instead. CPS was so overburdened that it would take forever for them to come get the kids. Felt so bad for the kids

[Anonymous]

Every school is going to be different OP, so you just need to talk to yours. At my school, car riders are dismissed at 3:20pm. We wait with them at the car rider pick-up until 3:45 (our dismissal takes a bit longer since there's a magnet program at my school, and many parents drive their kids, as well as the patrols duties ending later). If at 3:45 they haven't been picked up, we take them up to the main office to call. Someone is in the building since we have after school programs, but kids can't just be "dropped off" there. They sit in the lobby or main office until their ride arrives. Thankfully we've always been able to get ahold of a parent/guardian/emergency contact, but calling the non-emergency police to do a welfare check or something is on the list of next options.

[Anonymous]

I think most parents have a back up plan if something goes wrong. Another parent, a relative someone that would be able to pick up if the metro is delayed, traffic whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every school is going to be different OP, so you just need to talk to yours. At my school, car riders are dismissed at 3:20pm. We wait with them at the car rider pick-up until 3:45 (our dismissal takes a bit longer since there's a magnet program at my school, and many parents drive their kids, as well as the patrols duties ending later). If at 3:45 they haven't been picked up, we take them up to the main office to call. Someone is in the building since we have after school programs, but kids can't just be "dropped off" there. They sit in the lobby or main office until their ride arrives. Thankfully we've always been able to get ahold of a parent/guardian/emergency contact, but calling the non-emergency police to do a welfare check or something is on the list of next options.

My kids ES is similar. Car rider line takes forever. Dismissal is at 3:20p but the car rider line is going strong until 3:45 or so. Kids go to the main office after that. No MCPS school is dropping a random kid off in aftercare until a parent comes. Aftercare can not legally accommodate a kid that isn't registered. How old and mature is your kid. Lots of kids play on the playground after school under their parent or a babysitter's supervision. If your kid is mature enough, tell them to go to the playground and you pick them up there.

[Anonymous]

Going to the playground can't be a solution. What about when it's pouring? Or freezing? Parents need to figure out some way for their kids to be met on time - school is not a personal babysitting service, and parents being continually late makes kids embarrassed and unhappy. (I know, after a decade on afternoon car-loop duty.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to teach at a rural low-income elementary school. When kids didnt get picked up, teachers had to take turns (in pairs) waiting with them- sometimes until 8 pm for CPS to come pick them up. It was frustrating that we weren't legally allowed to drop them off and had to wait instead. CPS was so overburdened that it would take forever for them to come get the kids. Felt so bad for the kids

That’s ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Look into outside childcare centers. One school near me doesn’t offer before and after care. A group of kids take the school bus which drops them off at their sitter’s house. Other daycare centers offer after school care and provide bussing.

OP, don’t be the parent that leaves their kid unattended. Do the responsible thing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The first time a parent is more than 15 minutes late we chalk it up to a one time incident that you can't always prevent from happening. However, when it starts becoming a pattern you 100% will be judged.
I once had to stay at my elementary school with a third grader until 5:15pm which was almost two hours after dismissal. Nobody on the emergency contacts would answer their phones. I was very close to calling the police when the mom finally arrived. Unlike private schools, we can't charge guardians for being late in picking up their children.

I wish my ES had that policy when I was young. We didn’t have buses, lived at the edge of town, and my sister and I would routinely wait by ourselves long after everyone else was long gone. OP don’t be that parent.

What can public schools do if it happens repeatedly other than calling police?

If the school gets to the point of calling the police, parents will have to deal with the police when they pick their child up. If this happens repeatedly, the school would likely file a report with CPS for neglect. This is not something to push them on which is what it sounds like OP is planning to do. If you don’t have a village, it’s (past) time to begin building one. Reach out to your kid’s friend’s parents and see who can help you and be ready to offer them help in return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't be that parent. Pay for afterschool care.

I'd love to, but they won't take all kids.

Why will they not take your kid? You have to reserve a spot the first day it opens. Or, you need to find alternative care.

The year my kid started in Kindergarten, the only kindergarteners who got into aftercare at the school were either kids who had been there in PK, or kids who had older siblings.

I agree that OP needs to figure out another solution, but not getting into aftercare isn't a sign that something is wrong with the kid or parent, or that they made a mistake.

[Anonymous]

I think if you were informed ahead of time of an early meeting, you should try to make it and make arrangements in order to. However, it should not be a regular occurrence that you have to drop everything and change your schedule all the time. A quarterly meeting seems reasonable. But if you really can't make it, you can't. Get someone's notes, ask someone to fill you in later or ask them to record it. I think that employers should not expect you to eat into your private time and hate if they expect that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to ask the specific school. Some will put your kid in aftercare and charge you for it, some will just wait if it's a one time thing, some will call CPS at a certain time. But this would be after calling every phone number they have for the parents and any other emergency contact.

At what time? And what does CPS do?

Aftercare would be fine, but that's not an option for all kids.

CPS takes custody of the kids. They may investigate as to why the child was not picked up and may also launch investigation as to the possibility of child abandonment.

No teacher or childcare wants to call CPS, but at some point if it becomes a pattern of late pick ups then they need to be notified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't be that parent. Pay for afterschool care.

I'd love to, but they won't take all kids.

I could think of several reasons for this (complex medical needs that can't be safely met, for example), but one is age: just because a school has PK doesn't mean that the external aftercare contractor can/will take PK students.

Probably best to call the school office and ask about the procedures for emergency/one-off delays, including whether or not a child can be sent to aftercare based on a parent phone call alone (they often have to be pre-registered and "members" of the aftercare program, even if they only use it once per year). But if this is a chronic conflict between (for example) parent getting out of work and being able to drive over to the school, and you have to get lucky with the traffic in order to pull into the parking lot 10 minutes after dismissal, then this just doesn't work, and it will not get any easier without a change of plans.

This is when you activate your personal village: talk with other parents/guardians, see if a little friend's mom can take your two kids over to the playground for that missing 10 minutes on those three days per week you're going to run late, be able to text a neighbor to rush up to the school or more than one friend to stop your kid on their way out the door and wait with them. You can't get the school to do this for you: that extra 10 minutes is a favor that almost everyone could use, which is why it can't be available.

What even is 10 minutes late? How long after the final bell?

Not everyone has a personal support network, so sometimes all you can you is rely on whatever you can get from school and CPS.

I’m pp. 10 minutes late every day then I am calling CPS after the 4th or 5th time.

Kids can walk home by themselves from first grade on. First grade seems young, but only kindergartners are required to be picked up by somebody from bus or school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't be that parent. Pay for afterschool care.

I'd love to, but they won't take all kids.

Why will they not take your kid? You have to reserve a spot the first day it opens. Or, you need to find alternative care.

The year my kid started in Kindergarten, the only kindergarteners who got into aftercare at the school were either kids who had been there in PK, or kids who had older siblings.

I agree that OP needs to figure out another solution, but not getting into aftercare isn't a sign that something is wrong with the kid or parent, or that they made a mistake.

+1 In our school aftercare slots for next year's kindergarteners filled up in January. We got one because we happened to see a Facebook post from the PTA saying it was filling up. A parent who wasn't on Facebook on those particular days is not a bad parent because of that, that's absurd.

I have heard of in-home daycares that pick up kids after school and care for them until the parent comes home. You can search for after school programs on the Maryland Family Network's Locate tool: https://www.marylandfamilynetwork.org/for-parents/locate-child-care