Racing To Day Care An Evening Ritual

Few things are more absolute for commuting parents than day care closing time.

Harried moms and dads have been known to sprint out the door from work and drive maniacally through traffic, cutting off other drivers and taking traffic lights well into the pink zone to make it to their day care on time.

Could it be because they miss their children so intensely they can’t wait another minute to see those happy faces at the end of the day?

More likely, their day-care provider has an understanding with them about the importance of picking up the kids on time - an understanding that probably includes a late penalty of a dollar or more for every minute beyond the appointed hour.

That economic incentive is a powerful motivator for being on time.

Personally, I like it because it gets me out the door like clockwork. I find if I absolutely have to punch out at 5:30, somehow, I’ll make it happen. Everything else falls away.

And I can understand the need for day cares to make the pickup times hard and fast.

Nancy Gerber, president of the Eastern Washington Family Daycare Association, says providers don’t necessarily like being hard cases about closing time, but if they aren’t, people being people, the limit would get stretched every day.

“By our nature, we’re care givers. We care about families and we understand the situation parents are in,” Gerber says. “We don’t like to say $1 per minute, but on the other side, we have our own family. … I need to respect my own family as well.”

It’s not unusual for child-care providers to put in 12-hour days, Gerber points out, and many of them have children of their own to take care of.

She says the late-pickup policies among the 100 or so members of the day care association vary from no charge at all to $1 a minute with a $5 minimum.

Although she has had problems at times (such as a child staying late into Christmas Eve), Gerber says she no longer charges a late fee. She works with parents to make sure they understand their obligation to be on time and call if they are unavoidably delayed.

Her advice to parents is to plan ahead, have a backup available if you’re detained, and call the day care if you know you’ll be late.

If traffic is especially bad or icy roads cause delays, most providers understand and allow a grace period, Gerber says.

“My hope is we can come across with mutual respect, valuing others’ time and commitments,” she says.

Have day-care providers ever dropped a client because of chronic lateness? It happens says Gerber. If someone is hours late, with no notice, for instance, that’s clear grounds.

The worst case she knows about is a child who was left for an entire weekend. The parents finally picked up the child and then disappeared, never bothering to pay a $300 bill.

If you’re having trouble with late pickups, one strategy might be to go with a provider located near your workplace as opposed to near your home. This saves you some of the time you would spend driving to the day care after work.

, DataTimes MEMO: On Your Way is a Valley Voice column focusing on commuter lifestyles and issues. Your views on any of the topics discussed are invited. Please write: On Your Way, The Valley Voice, 13208 E. Sprague, Spokane, WA 99216. Or fax us at 459-5482.