# Day Care Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924 "2010-04-21T22:18:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/21 "2010-04-23T13:30:28Z")
No charge? Wow. Every daycare I’ve ever used is more than happy to charge you a dollar for every minute you’re late. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/22 "2010-04-23T13:34:00Z")
I used a daycare that closed at 6 pm. Kids not picked up by six meant you paid extra, and it was charged _by the minute_. But it was an excellent daycare. I just made sure I was there on time. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/23 "2010-04-23T13:38:05Z")
Try finding a daycare near your work. That may help a bit with the timing of the drop-off and pick-up. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/24 "2010-04-23T15:20:13Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > No charge? Wow. Every daycare I’ve ever used is more than happy to charge you a dollar for every minute you’re late. My experience is that they charge exorbitant rates for poor planning on the parents’ part, but will be quite reasonable for emergencies, especially if you phone and let them know what’s going on. Blizzards qualify as emergencies. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/25 "2010-04-23T15:32:49Z")
The only daycare I knew that charged told me that the policy really wasn’t for well-meaning parents occasionally stuck in traffic. It was for the low-lifes who went out partying after work and left their children at the daycare until they got good and ready to come get them. In other words, the time I showed up breathless and scared shitless at 6:05 I didn’t have to pay anything extra. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/26 "2010-04-23T15:42:27Z")
> [@Ludy](#): > > We are meeting with one option tomorrow. It is a day home and the hours seem a bit more reasonable. The only thing that strikes me as odd is that she responded to my e-mails within minutes of me sending them. No matter what time of day it was. I guess I just think that if you are looking after kids, why are you on your computer all the time… That could just be me overthinking things though. I will find out tomorrow. She might have a Blackberry/iPhone/other smart phone so that she can stay in contact with parents who have questions/will be late, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/27 "2010-04-23T15:51:50Z")
Or she could sit on the computer all day smoking and eating Cheetos, while the kids are locked in a closet. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/28 "2010-04-23T16:01:45Z")
Meh, not really a problem as long as the closet is childproofed. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/29 "2010-04-23T16:41:07Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > My experience is that they charge exorbitant rates for poor planning on the parents’ part, but will be quite reasonable for emergencies, especially if you phone and let them know what’s going on. Blizzards qualify as emergencies. 🙂 Yep. The charge was there for the “poor planning” and those that will take advantage (I just need to run to the grocery store as well as the “well, it was only one drink at happy hour” set). They had discretion to not charge when it was stuck in traffic. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/30 "2010-04-23T18:55:09Z")
> [@Ludy](#): > > We are meeting with one option tomorrow. It is a day home and the hours seem a bit more reasonable. The only thing that strikes me as odd is that she responded to my e-mails within minutes of me sending them. No matter what time of day it was. I guess I just think that if you are looking after kids, why are you on your computer all the time… That could just be me overthinking things though. I will find out tomorrow. She might use a Blackberry or similar. I respond to emails immediately all the time, and I’m never on my computer at home. ETA: As previously said! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924/31 "2010-04-24T01:35:53Z")
> [@kathmandu](#): > > Meh, not really a problem as long as the closet is childproofed. Well, I think she should share the Cheetos. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/day-care-question/536924.md?page=1)