I do all hand overs at the door. In winter parents are allowed into the hall, but in summer they stay on the doorstep. I explain at initial visist why I do it - can be unsettling to other children if there are parents walking through, children tend to settle better if parents just drop off & go, I haven't got room for all the parents,children are often reluctant to go home if parents come right in while they are still playing, most children start to play up at home time, so it's best to get them out of the house asap.
But, I make it very clear that they are very welcome to come in if they need a chat, and I do invite them in regularly to see what their children have been doing, how I've got things set out etc.
Then there are times like today when we were playing in the garden, completely oblivious of the time until the first parent arrived & my son sent them through into the garden. The others followed shortly after. It was lovely having them all there together as they got to see the children playing and having fun. But they all realised why doorstop handovers are better when all the children refused to go home & went out throwing temper tantrums
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