Did you REALLY think I would let you in with the food in hand

[BlueRose]

So, I have one parent that drops off between 7:30 and 8:30, not a problem.
I have told the parents that if the dcg is NOT here by 8:15 (my clock) then She better have eaten a snack before coming. At 8:27am, they show up, with a chocolate Tim Bit in hand. The dcm asks if I would be ok for her to finish it in the daycare. NO. I told her that no outside food was aloud in the daycare, she could finish it out in the hall if she wanted too. The dcm just through it in the garbage. Now I have a screaming child. (no superise, she screams and crys most of the day anyway). As mom leaves she asks if I could have an early lunch as dcg has not had breakfast. I just calming informed her that lunch is served at 11:30am and that the other children will not be hungry until then. She did not seem happy as she left. I am not a restaurant I do not make lunch at different times for each child. I go by what the group wants, if they all want an early lunch then we will have one. If the parents would just drop off between 7:30 and 8:00am like every one else then their girl could have snack with the rest of the kids.

[Skysue]

I guess I'm just more relaxed then you are as I myself have never been hungry that early. That is why I do snack at 9:30am an I incorporate it as a breakfast type snack so all the children get something in them before lunch. Could you not save there am snack? That seems like a long time for the little ones to go from breakfast to lunch?

I do however understand your frustration as I have had parents drop there child off late after snack and simply say oh she hasn't eaten anything yet? I does interrupted my day if I have to prepare something right there and then. I would much rather give them something than let them go without as it just makes for a very grumpy child.

What about talking to the parent about raising there rate by 2.00 a day so you could provide a proper breakfast. I often find money motivates people, tell them that if the child comes without breakfast than they need to pay the extra fee for you to provide a nutritional alternative.

[playfelt]

I do an early snack too because of early arrivals and serve at 8:30 which gives everyone a chance to arrive and even those that come at 8 having just had breakfast can manage to eat something at 8:30 to top them up. It is a more breakfast type snack like dry cereal and fruit or toast or muffin and milk. It is then only 3 hours till lunch - long enough to get hungry but not so long they are famished. My early arrivals start at 6:30-6:45 and they manage to wait till 8:30 too. I do adjust the serving size for those that were the earliest compared to the latest arrival.

[BlueRose]

I do an AM snack at 8:15 to 8:30, then we get ready to go to playgroup or outside to play.

Playgroup fills up really fast. If we are not there by 9:15 we can not get in.

[Momof4]

I serve breakfast at 8:30 and lunch at 11:30 and afternoon snack after naptime at 3ish depending on the day. That gives the children nutritious food at approximately 3 hour intervals. By serving breakfast which is 2 items, for instance this morning we had chicken bacon and yogurt, I am saving the children from poptarts and sugary cereal and timbits! And the parents are happy because they don't have that extra worry in the morning. I know a lot of people think breakfast as a family is important but it isn't always a possibility.

[Mamma_Mia]

I think the bigger issue is this mom being PISSY because you dont want to change your schedule because SHE DIDNT FEED HER OWN KID.

Hey Lady......next time feed your daughter BEFORE coming to my house and we wont have a problem!

[apples and bananas]

I don't do an am snack until 9:15 - 9:30. My drop off's vary from as early as 7am and as late as 9am. So there is lots of free play until everyone is here. Then a quick good morning circle time and off to the snack table. Then it's outside or craft (or both on some days)

I guess I'm lucky, the only food that my daycare kids show up with is toast. I had one have a timbit once in the car, but that was because when mom came to drop off my drive was full with another client so she chose to go get her coffee first and ended up getting a tim bit for the little guy, he finished it in the car.

I have some fatal allergies in my home so I'm very careful on what comes in and what stays out.

[crafty]

Bottom line, your business, your rules ! I have some policies that are NON NEGOCIABLE NON FLEXIBLE at all times for all families... I have policies where I use my own judgment and discretion to apply or not and every situation is different. I wrote an entire new policy just because of one family. I felt they were ''abusing'' the system a bit and I had very negative feelings about it. On the other hand I have one family I am ok with beeing flexible on the same policy as I know their situation and it does not cause me grief. If you felt you had to say no to this family because it would be happenning more often and become a real problem then you know what... you did the right thing. For me if this was because of special circumstances like, if the family had to leave extra early for one reason and ate in the car, did not have time to finish and it it did not cause too much turbulance for me to allow the child to eat then I would have let it go but with a warning that it would not happen again or that this was a special situation I was willing to help out but would not be able to allow it all the time.

[Lou]

And the fact that it was a chocolate donut is a big no no here. That would cause utter chaos with the other children and is simply not fair. I DO allow parents to pack their childrena HEALTHY breakfast if they had been running late (snack isn't served until 9am), but if it's junk food there's no way it's coming in.

[Rhonda]

I feel for you BlueRose! I've had a similar problem with a family now going on 3 years. I have a scheduled drop off time, in the respect I'd prefer the parents all to be here before programming begins, that way my attention isn't divided or I don't have to stop activities with the children due to arrivals. Here, programming starts as early as 8am and snack is supposed to be 8:30. BUT, I have had one family who is late almost every single day for 3 years. After countless times speaking with the Mom, emailing the mom, doing official letters, posting it in my blog, etc, I didn't know what to do. Every day the child would come in with a cereal bar, timbit, and/or her milk. I don't mind occasionally a child needing to finish breakfast at daycare but all parents know they need to bring enough to share with friends. Every morning, is a bit too much. The family arrives between 8:15 - 8:30 but as late as 9 (today it was 9:14) and I used to hold programming and snacks for them, but have learned that it is easier to go on with scheduling because their schedule isn't predictable. It's been rough, there has been times I've waiting and waited in my driveway to go on field trips, finally after waiting 15 mins for them, I've called to find out they aren't even coming.

Just for that family I developed a 15 minute rule. If you don't either let me know you will be arriving late and when to expect you or the child is not present 15 minutes before an activity such as snack or crafts that that child doesn't get snack (unless the parent brings it) and for the activities I can't guarantee there will be enough supplies for the child to participate. I prepare things in advance and it's a waste of time to get things out for a child that may or may not attend. I have in the past kept a serving for the late arrival but then it became a waste of food because the child was/still is eating breakfast on the way here, the only difference is now the mom takes the food away before they come in.

I do have another family that has arrived late almost every day for 2 years BUT like what has been said before circumstances are different. When the Mom knew that she was going to be dropping off late almost every day she came to me, we discussed a plan, and she has been consistently late by 15 - 20 minutes almost every day. If that changes she lets me know. I can work with that, because it still allows me to plan. If I have an event planned she ensures she arrives on time.

Due to me having 2 late arrivals snack has been pushed back to 9. But I agree that 8:30 seems like a better time for morning snack, because we have play group for 9, or music lessons start at 9, or when it is hot outside the best time to be outside is first thing in the morning, etc.

In situations like this we all have different comfort levels and we have to do what is best for our daycare.