Printable View
I all just a quick question. I have an enquiry for a after schoolie to finish at 5.30. Would you provide a meal or leave it as all my other mindees leave at 6.30-7.00 and we usually eat at 5.30. Should I make dinner earlier or just eat when the mindee has gone?
If you usually eat around 5.30 then I would continue to do that.
I do a fixed rate of £15 after school session 3-6pm and dinner is served at 5pm. I also ask that no children are collected between 5 & 5.30 so it doesn't disrupt dinner for the rest of them.
If you eat at 5.30pm how are you going to have a mindee leave at 5.30pm? How can you spend enough time on hand over of child and info if you are serving up dinner, washing hands and getting children to the table?
I was asked to have a child until 5pm pick-up, but we eat at 5pm. I gave option- collect 4.30pm, or at 5.30pm and they eat dinner with us. I was not prepared to change our whole dinner routine for one child. And it would not be safe to have rest eating while trying to answer door and speak to parent.
Think carefully before taking this on.
I would ask the parents! Explain that tea is usually served at or just past 5.30 and give them both options, at this time you can also explain that she may find you a, take time to come to the door as you need to make sure the others are safe and b, she'll not be able to stay and chat if you've got children waiting for their food!
I've had collections clash with food before now, it's a pain but not impossible plates are removed temporarily, and child is handed over at the door. Although parents want to pay to collect up to 5.30 in practice they often collect earlier.
Equally, sometimes my plans go to pot and tea is still ten minutes from being served!!
I agree with the previous posts... do not change your mealtime schedule. Let parent's know what your schedule is and suggest they pick up at 5pm and provide dinner at home or, pick up after 6pm and child can have dinner with you. That is how I have always worked.
I offer a good healthy snack for after schoolers as it is a long time to wait from lunch until home time at 5.00 for something to eat. As a family we eat late usually around 7.00 when we are all in and settled. My parents like this as they enjoy an evening meal with their lo's and families themselves. If I had mindees until later then I would think about it if the parent was really pushed for time and the lo was an early bedtimer (babies, toddlers).
My niece had a strict routine with her children, she never got up in the night for them much to the heart wrench of her husband and her babies slept through from 4 weeks old. They had strict lunch times, if they were out with granny/grandad or anybody else we were given a packed lunch and a time to feed the lo's, even nap time was scheduled to a time and set amount of sleep allowed. I am amazed by her having the will power to carry it through even to this day.
They are 4 and 6 and both happy and healthy and at night time they will just say "I'm tired now I want to go to bed please" so cute:littleangel:
So my point of going off the trail is perserverance works, do not change your routine if it is working for you, if you start to move the goal post you may set your self up for mayhem.;)
Would you supply a meal for a mindee leaving at 5.30?
We have snack too at around 4-4.15 depending on time back home would you just make this snack slightly more substantial?
I Find this thread very interesting I have never provided dinner in the evening. My last child goes home at 5.45pm. I give breakfast, am snack, lunch and pm snack. I believe children need to sit down with their parents to eat when they get home. I have dinner with my family after children leave. No cm where I live do evening meal
All my mindees leave by 6pm. We also do breakfast, lunch and a tea time snack (with other snacks in between when needed).Quote:
Originally Posted by tess1981
I wait until all mindees have gone until I have dinner with my family. My mindees go home and have dinner with there's.
Having said that, if your mindees are going home at 7pm then I understand the need for a more substantial meal.
To answer your question, I would ask the parents what they'd prefer. Whether they'd be happy for their child to have a tea time snack before home time or would they prefer their child had dinner with you and go home at 6pm.
I wouldn't change the dinner time but make this new child's pick time work for you. Make it clear that you all sit down for dinner at 5.30 so a pick up time would not be convenient then.
I do things a little differently than has been mentioned. I serve the evening meal at just before 5.30 for those staying. I have children collected at 5.30 too.
All parents who collect at that time are aware that I may be a while in answering the door. If I do take a while they walk round to my back door (with my permission) as this leads into my playroom anyway. My house lay out allows me this privilege while ensuring the safety of the children at all times.
I think it is all about risk assessing the situation and deciding how you would like to proceed. I personally haven't ever felt comfortable in asking a parent to extend their hours around a meal time. No judgement here just saying that's how I feel, and this is what works for me.