Have your daycare hours returned to normal yet?

[Anonymous]

Our daycare is enjoying the reduced COVID hours (8:30-4:30PM from 7:30-6PM) a bit too much. We worry that they will never return back to normal given that they have basically given themselves a raise by reducing the hours (they claim they use the hours to "clean"). Now that most parents are working from home, I can see how reduced daycare hours will become a "thing." Anyone else have this problem?

[Anonymous]

Our daycare extended it's hours by half an hour earlier in the morning. They still open half an hour later and close an hour earlier than they used to. They have the same teachers with the kids all day where they used to do shifts and combine classes during "aftercare".

Ours is a center and they reduced staffing significantly to comply with Covid regulations. They also had reduced enrollment. I think these things are ramping back up again but I don't think they're combining classes at all. I definitely don't think they've given themselves a "raise". If anything they've lost money.

[Anonymous]

Ours is still doing 8-4.30 instead of 7.30-5.30. But they do actually spend the extra time in the evening meticulously wiping down everything. I’m already going in to the office 3 times a week, so I hope they return to normal hours by fall when my DH might have to return.

[Anonymous]

Ours are still reduced (7am - 5pm, instead of 6:30 am - 6:00 or 6:30pm, can't remember which). They said they will extend hours when some of the restrictions are listed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare extended it's hours by half an hour earlier in the morning. They still open half an hour later and close an hour earlier than they used to. They have the same teachers with the kids all day where they used to do shifts and combine classes during "aftercare".

Ours is a center and they reduced staffing significantly to comply with Covid regulations. They also had reduced enrollment. I think these things are ramping back up again but I don't think they're combining classes at all. I definitely don't think they've given themselves a "raise". If anything they've lost money.

Same with ours, they're also not offering lunch. At this point I think it's a financial decision rather than Covid risks. My return to the office is not imminent (probably the fall) so it works for now but I know of families where neither parent can WAH and it's a struggle for them.

[Anonymous]

Ours has been operating at the same hours since they reopened in June 2020. It's a large center, if that matters; the ones I know with reduced hours are all in-home.

[Anonymous]

^^hours are 7:30 - 6:30

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours is still doing 8-4.30 instead of 7.30-5.30. But they do actually spend the extra time in the evening meticulously wiping down everything. I’m already going in to the office 3 times a week, so I hope they return to normal hours by fall when my DH might have to return.

Basic cleaning is good, of course you want the daycare to be hygienic, but the intense cleaning does nothing for Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our daycare is enjoying the reduced COVID hours (8:30-4:30PM from 7:30-6PM) a bit too much. We worry that they will never return back to normal given that they have basically given themselves a raise by reducing the hours (they claim they use the hours to "clean"). Now that most parents are working from home, I can see how reduced daycare hours will become a "thing." Anyone else have this problem?

Oh yeah, we are rolllllliiiinnnngggg around in all that cash!! Weeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Sorry you have to watch your own child for an extra hour while we do a deep sanitizing of the daycare every day so that every single child is healthy and so that we avoid a Covid case and not get shut down by the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is still doing 8-4.30 instead of 7.30-5.30. But they do actually spend the extra time in the evening meticulously wiping down everything. I’m already going in to the office 3 times a week, so I hope they return to normal hours by fall when my DH might have to return.

Basic cleaning is good, of course you want the daycare to be hygienic, but the intense cleaning does nothing for Covid.

LOL, I tried telling them this but they looked at me like I had 2 heads and went back to wiping even more assiduously. It’s a small in-home and the providers are terrified of getting sick so I’m not going to argue with them.

[Anonymous]

I think ours is taking advantage. In addition to the drastically shortened hours (8:30-5:00) they gave themselves an extra hour during a two hour delay, and then sent a message saying we shouldn’t use the center unless “absolutely necessary” that day due to staff shortages.

[Anonymous]

No and I doubt they will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No and I doubt they will.

What do you plan to do once WFH ends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think ours is taking advantage. In addition to the drastically shortened hours (8:30-5:00) they gave themselves an extra hour during a two hour delay, and then sent a message saying we shouldn’t use the center unless “absolutely necessary” that day due to staff shortages.

Yeah the weather delays were ridiculous at ours this year, but I gave them a bit of leeway as they aren't used to having to make the call themselves (typically followed a combination of the schools/school admin offices). What annoys me about ours is that they often open a few minutes late beyond pandemic 830 start time. I'll be standing with DC outside the door and see a group of teachers through the window, sitting and chatting and occasionally glancing at their watches. They must be going off the slowest watch of the group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think ours is taking advantage. In addition to the drastically shortened hours (8:30-5:00) they gave themselves an extra hour during a two hour delay, and then sent a message saying we shouldn’t use the center unless “absolutely necessary” that day due to staff shortages.

Yeah the weather delays were ridiculous at ours this year, but I gave them a bit of leeway as they aren't used to having to make the call themselves (typically followed a combination of the schools/school admin offices). What annoys me about ours is that they often open a few minutes late beyond pandemic 830 start time. I'll be standing with DC outside the door and see a group of teachers through the window, sitting and chatting and occasionally glancing at their watches. They must be going off the slowest watch of the group.

Well, if it's my center, then I'm trying to tell the teachers the plan to get the breaks, etc covered because a teacher called out or took a day off.

Or I'm doing the mandatory health checks, or whatever.