This is a problem that is very frustrating for child care providers because the parent is not respecting your time as a professional. A parent orientation and a well-written parent handbook with clear policies can help reduce the problem of parents arriving late. A parent handbook should include a specific policy about parents arriving late. Many programs charge parents a stiff fee (e.g., $10) for every five minutes they are late. When a parent first enrolls a child in your program, take time to orient that parent to your program and your policies. Make sure they clearly understand the consequences of being late. The key to a late-parent policy is enforcement. The policy must be enforced every time parents are late even if they are only a few minutes late. Parents who have to pay high late fees are more likely to begin arriving on time. If you want to give a warning the first time parents are late, you might hand them a written reminder of the policy, along with a notice that your late policy will go into effect the next time they are late. If you are part of a child care center staff, your center will need to make decisions about staffing when parents are late. The director and staff will need to decide which staff member(s) will stay with the children until the late parents arrive and how the staff will be compensated for the extra time. These issues should be discussed in advance so that staff will be prepared when a parent is late.

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