How fussy are you about parents dropping off before your opening time?

I know we all have different things that we just tolerate as part and parcel of the job, but I really don't appreciate parents trying to drop off even just a few minutes before their contracted time. Trying to work out if I am being a fusspot or not.

Good morning.

For me, it depends on the child and the parent, and also what time they try to drop off!
I have a couple that often drop off 5-10 mins early, and i know that's down to traffic and circumstances, and that's fine. It's also usually just before 8am, and if they need an earlier drop off, they ask.
I then have a family who start at 7.30 ... if they ask, then i allow an earlier drop off, but from the very first day they tried dropping 10 mins early, and I had to be firm and say they asked for 7.30 and please to not arrive before then, as chances are, i won't be ready.
I also have a 9am drop off who tried dropping early, but as i do school runs, i wasn't home till 9!

I also get bugged by late drop offs! I have been known to have everyone ready to go, or even been in the car waiting! One mum, i reached the point of saying, if you aren't here by X, then you will have to come and find me at Y! Or i left for the school run, and they had to wait for me to return.x

I am lucky that my earliest parent will not drop off until exactly the right time, they sometimes arrive a few minutes early but will sit in the car and wait. I am always rushing around first thing trying to get everything ready for the day and every minute counts. I have one that always arrives when we are out on the school run but they happily wait in the car too! For me it's the end of the day pick up where I get frustrated by late pick ups, sometimes it can't be helped due to traffic etc I have one wraparound child that seems to go either really early or 10 mins late very rarely on time :laughing:



Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather by the way.

The weather is lovely isn't it!

Have you managed to keep up with the course Pixie? Mouse, you've probably finished the SEN course now?... The SEN course is taking up a lot of my time, but I am being very thorough as I don't want to have to resubmit any of them. It has been tempting to just rush a couple of them when they were doing my head in and submit and hope for the best, but I didn't. I've got my last webinar in a couple of weeks.

Have you managed to keep up with the course Pixie?


To be honest I will be glad when it's finished now. I can't believe how you are doing the two courses as one is more than enough for me:laughing: I enjoyed the maths module the most.

Yeah, I'll be glad too. It will be strange having my Monday evenings back!

It’s was 31 there on Wednesday and the two little ones just flaked out on the floor in the afternoon. It was the coolest room so I let them sleep. We have air conditioning in our bedroom so sleeping has been ok.

The weather is lovely isn't it!

Have you managed to keep up with the course Pixie? Mouse, you've probably finished the SEN course now?... The SEN course is taking up a lot of my time, but I am being very thorough as I don't want to have to resubmit any of them. It has been tempting to just rush a couple of them when they were doing my head in and submit and hope for the best, but I didn't. I've got my last webinar in a couple of weeks.

I ended up dropping out of the SEN course. I was enjoying it, but it was a lot of work. I needed to take some time off due to a family bereavement and I just couldn't get back in to it. I really thought hard about dropping out, but was very glad when I did. The relief was immense!

How fussy are you about parents dropping off before your opening time?

I know we all have different things that we just tolerate as part and parcel of the job, but I really don't appreciate parents trying to drop off even just a few minutes before their contracted time. Trying to work out if I am being a fusspot or not.

I recently started to do an extra early start for one parent to help out for a short while. 7.45am is extra early for me! I did stress how it was the earliest time I would start so I wasn't impressed when she turned up on the first early day at 7.30am! I was polite but firm and she hasn't been early since!

On the whole, I don't like early starts, especially if it's the first child of the day, but for some parents I just seem to accept it. I have one grandma regularly drops off 5 minutes early, but she collects 15 minutes early as well, so I can accept that.

I ended up dropping out of the SEN course. I was enjoying it, but it was a lot of work. I needed to take some time off due to a family bereavement and I just couldn't get back in to it. I really thought hard about dropping out, but was very glad when I did. The relief was immense!

Oh, so sorry to hear that Mouse. Hope you are all bearing up. x