Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 13:14     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think late mornings are less disruptive than a 2:10/2:40 end time to schools. No one in a regular job can end work at 2:30 to get their kids. You'd have to work shift work or part time to make that schedule.

I think we could make schools better if they ran 8 hours a day. Kids scores aren't exactly great these days, so maybe everyone could use an extra hour of tutoring


And even more recess.

The problem, if you've ever worked a public facing job, is if you are open to the public 8 hours, a single staff shift is going to be over 8 plus "lunch break." That's why a lot of places are only open 7 hours - time for setup, opening, and closing within one shift. Places with longer hours tend to have extra staff and everybody's part time but overlapping.

I know teacher lunch is inconsistent and I believe they're FLSA exempt by default, but I think the length of their day is a serious consideration here.


Do teachers get free lunches? I’m in a similar role where I’m hourly and we have to work 8.5 hours.

I don’t want teachers to be the ones working longer hours. Extra recess would likely fix a lot of disciplinary problems and longer lunches. Also more specials classes. My kids don’t get language or an instrument, both of which I had in elementary school.


At my kids' school it's the teachers who supervise lunch and recess. Do you have designated staff for that? Who wants to work for 1-2 hours in the middle of the day? Also, specials teachers are teachers, and even if having more specials gives the classroom teachers more planning periods, they can't leave until the end of the work day, which is after the children go home.


Np sounds like a great job for bus drivers. My friend is a bus driver and only gets to work 6 hours a day. She wants full time but they only have 6 hours to offer her with the entire middle of the day free.

At our school the aides watch lunch.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 09:20     Subject: Re:Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We are a small single lane neighborhood of 45 homes in MoCo. One neighbor who lives steps away from the bus-stop at the entrance of the street, provides before-care from 6:30 am till bus comes.

She has three kids. Before care consists of - sitting in her family room watching TV until the bus comes. Oh, she is an immigrant. Does not charge anything. She has the phone number of the school, bus depot and the driver.

She will ask the kids if they have had breakfast, tells them to finish their homework if they have work left, and she will ask them to check if they have their lunchbox. She will lend rain ponchos, coats, hats, umbrellas - to the kids. She has a covered porch and she also keeps water bottles in a cooler and snacks for the delivery people during summer.

She is a gem.


Wow she does sound like a gem. What a sweet woman to help keep kids safe and well cared for in the before-school hrs.


Yes. She and I are friends (she is from my country of origin) and our kids are friends. When I was struggling with before care, she offered her help. When I offered her payment, she refused. When other parents in the neighborhood approached her and she just extended this offer to everyone who needed it.

By the way, in our country of origin, neighbors would offer this sort of childcare (before school, after school) routinely, and no one would dream of taking payment for it.
Anonymous
Post 01/24/2026 08:31     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:I figured out this stuff when I was in my 20s and saw my friends suffering.

So I waited until I was in my 40s to have kids . I was the boss by then and could set my hours.

It is amazing to me how people don't think ahead.


Everyone can be confident that their career trajectory will result in setting their own hours in their 40s and that they will easily still be able to have kids at that age?

It's amazing to me how some people completely lack empathy or imagination.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 18:45     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think late mornings are less disruptive than a 2:10/2:40 end time to schools. No one in a regular job can end work at 2:30 to get their kids. You'd have to work shift work or part time to make that schedule.

I think we could make schools better if they ran 8 hours a day. Kids scores aren't exactly great these days, so maybe everyone could use an extra hour of tutoring


And even more recess.

The problem, if you've ever worked a public facing job, is if you are open to the public 8 hours, a single staff shift is going to be over 8 plus "lunch break." That's why a lot of places are only open 7 hours - time for setup, opening, and closing within one shift. Places with longer hours tend to have extra staff and everybody's part time but overlapping.

I know teacher lunch is inconsistent and I believe they're FLSA exempt by default, but I think the length of their day is a serious consideration here.


Do teachers get free lunches? I’m in a similar role where I’m hourly and we have to work 8.5 hours.

I don’t want teachers to be the ones working longer hours. Extra recess would likely fix a lot of disciplinary problems and longer lunches. Also more specials classes. My kids don’t get language or an instrument, both of which I had in elementary school.


At my kids' school it's the teachers who supervise lunch and recess. Do you have designated staff for that? Who wants to work for 1-2 hours in the middle of the day? Also, specials teachers are teachers, and even if having more specials gives the classroom teachers more planning periods, they can't leave until the end of the work day, which is after the children go home.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 22:17     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents

1) I have a 100% remote job

Also..

2) live within walking distance to elementary and middle schools so kids once a decent age can walk to/from school on own. Helps if you have a number lock that allows them to get into the house with a code. Also helps if kid has a smart watch.


Anonymous wrote:Our local elementary schools start at 9am.

We tried before care, but it was almost empty and kid found it depressing. Too young and too far to walk to school on own (no bus).

How are working parents handling this? Do they get to work around 930/945? Have a crazy short commute so 845 drop off and get to work by 9? Hiring nannies or local grandparents for mornings?

My career has definitely suffered by being the morning drop off; somedays I dont get until 10 which hurts.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 22:16     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think late mornings are less disruptive than a 2:10/2:40 end time to schools. No one in a regular job can end work at 2:30 to get their kids. You'd have to work shift work or part time to make that schedule.

I think we could make schools better if they ran 8 hours a day. Kids scores aren't exactly great these days, so maybe everyone could use an extra hour of tutoring


And even more recess.

The problem, if you've ever worked a public facing job, is if you are open to the public 8 hours, a single staff shift is going to be over 8 plus "lunch break." That's why a lot of places are only open 7 hours - time for setup, opening, and closing within one shift. Places with longer hours tend to have extra staff and everybody's part time but overlapping.

I know teacher lunch is inconsistent and I believe they're FLSA exempt by default, but I think the length of their day is a serious consideration here.


Do teachers get free lunches? I’m in a similar role where I’m hourly and we have to work 8.5 hours.

I don’t want teachers to be the ones working longer hours. Extra recess would likely fix a lot of disciplinary problems and longer lunches. Also more specials classes. My kids don’t get language or an instrument, both of which I had in elementary school.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 22:10     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In our district school (elementary) starts at 8:20 (doors open/bus arrives at 8:00) so I put dc on bus at 7:40 and get to work by 8:05. Dh is not involved at all in the morning routine; he starts work at 6. But then he is able to meet the bus. So I guess our answer is to stagger schedules.


This would be my ideal schedule, our ES doesn't start until 930, with 9am bus pickup. So beforecare it is, we stagger schedules but meetings may start at 9 or 930 so doesn't work to not start the commute until then.


That is crazy late. Is this some sort of Montessori with lots of rich SAHMs/"retired" dads?

Our kid's school starts at 8:30am. Drop him off at the drive-thru at 815am and he hangs out with other kids in the gym. Can drop off as early as 730am if you pay for before-care.

930am is just really weird.


In FCPS, half the ES schools start at 8:30 and the other half start at 9:30, for bus reasons. This was a factor when we chose where to live, because 9:30 is untenable.

To your snarky comment, private schools in my area start at 8:00, or earlier for certain specials, because parent convenience carries more weight.


This is not accurate. The latest school start time is 9:20 and there are not that many of them. My kids' school actually starts at 9:15. Our bus comes at 9:00 and DH and I stagger our work from home days. When we both have to be at work, we ask a neighbor whose child is in the same grade if they can watch her for 30 minutes in the morning and bring them breakfast (muffins, donuts, coffee cake, etc.).
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 21:58     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
I am lucky that our bus comes at 8:15 for a 9:00 start. I am able to get into work on time. My DD hated after care. I was usually able to flex my hours but not always. I looked at the school's bus map and found a high schooler that lived near one of the stops. She watched DD in her home. I only needed 45 minutes to an hour and that was perfect with her schedule and was cheaper than after care because I didn't pay for holidays/spring break, etc. The babysitter is now in college and DD is old enough to be home for a little before I get there.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 21:58     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
We adjusted our schedules to stagger - so DH goes in super early to get home for dismissal at 4:05, and I handle drop off at 9am. I pay the exorbitant express lane fee to get to work around 930/940. Our SACC before care has a waitlist.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 21:48     Subject: Re:Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:We are a small single lane neighborhood of 45 homes in MoCo. One neighbor who lives steps away from the bus-stop at the entrance of the street, provides before-care from 6:30 am till bus comes.

She has three kids. Before care consists of - sitting in her family room watching TV until the bus comes. Oh, she is an immigrant. Does not charge anything. She has the phone number of the school, bus depot and the driver.

She will ask the kids if they have had breakfast, tells them to finish their homework if they have work left, and she will ask them to check if they have their lunchbox. She will lend rain ponchos, coats, hats, umbrellas - to the kids. She has a covered porch and she also keeps water bottles in a cooler and snacks for the delivery people during summer.

She is a gem.


Wow she does sound like a gem. What a sweet woman to help keep kids safe and well cared for in the before-school hrs.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 21:26     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:I think late mornings are less disruptive than a 2:10/2:40 end time to schools. No one in a regular job can end work at 2:30 to get their kids. You'd have to work shift work or part time to make that schedule.

I think we could make schools better if they ran 8 hours a day. Kids scores aren't exactly great these days, so maybe everyone could use an extra hour of tutoring


The 5 and 6 year olds in my school are completely melted down by dismissal. Schools don’t need to force march young kids through more hours of school just because that’s how many hours their parents have to work.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 21:20     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:I figured out this stuff when I was in my 20s and saw my friends suffering.

So I waited until I was in my 40s to have kids . I was the boss by then and could set my hours.

It is amazing to me how people don't think ahead.


While there were times where managing child care was very difficult, it was worth not risking age-related infertility or birth defects, as well as having more years with my kids. But, hey, different people have different values.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 21:06     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:Our local elementary schools start at 9am.

We tried before care, but it was almost empty and kid found it depressing. Too young and too far to walk to school on own (no bus).

How are working parents handling this? Do they get to work around 930/945? Have a crazy short commute so 845 drop off and get to work by 9? Hiring nannies or local grandparents for mornings?

My career has definitely suffered by being the morning drop off; somedays I dont get until 10 which hurts.

Spouse and I divide up the drop offs and pickups. The school door opens at 8.40. We drop off sharp at 8.40. It takes me 15 minutes to drive to my office, about 30 min for spouse. We then do our 8.5 hrs from the time we get in. The parent who doesn’t drop off does pickup. My kid goes to aftercare so we don’t do before care.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 20:50     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
Anonymous wrote:I work in the government and we have to do 8.5 hours in the office, so getting in at 9:45/10 would make life miserable because I’d need to be physically in the office until 6:15/30, which wouldn’t allow me to get my kids from aftercare, which ends at 6. So……. Before care it is! Nowadays my kids schools start much earlier, thankfully.


Right but does it make sense to blame elementary schools for the unfortunate reality or Elon?
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 20:48     Subject: Elementary drop off and working parents
I work in the government and we have to do 8.5 hours in the office, so getting in at 9:45/10 would make life miserable because I’d need to be physically in the office until 6:15/30, which wouldn’t allow me to get my kids from aftercare, which ends at 6. So……. Before care it is! Nowadays my kids schools start much earlier, thankfully.