Snow Traffic

[Momboss]

Does anyone send out reminders to parents mid day if its snowing that the weather is looking bad and to plan accordingly in order to be on time?
they make me feel guilty for asking for a late fee but i have a life too!

[GirlMomma]

I live in the Midwest. We get a fair amount of snow every winter. I don’t send anything like that out to parents. I would still charge if they’re late.

I watch the news several days before a winter storm and put parents on notice. I close if the schools close/our county is under a travel advisory. If a winter storm is expected to hit around 4-5, I will close early so parents can pick up before it even begins.

[Blackcat31]

No, I just charge the late fee and let the parents worry about making sure to be on time.
I double my late fee for each occurrence so it deters them from continuing to be late.

If I were you, I would definitely mention upon drop off on any snow days that you still expect timely pick up and leaving work early may be something they need to do in order to pick up on time. I would make it clear that difficulties during snow is NOT your issue to manage. If sending a reminder text during the day, solves the issue for you, I see nothing wrong with doing so.

As for feeling guilty, they can only make you feel guilty for their bad behavior if YOU allow them to.

[Cat Herder]

I not only charge the late fee, but add it to their 3 strikes and out. They are parents, they need to plan and keep their kids safe. I am preparing both the kids and the parents for public school.

[e.j.]

If your policy is to charge a late fee and your dc parents are aware of that, you have every right to charge them on days they arrive late for pick up. I won't say, "Don't feel guilty" because I know it can be hard not to feel that way but it's not like it should be a surprise to them.

I don't send reminders but I also don't generally have a problem with late pick-ups due to bad weather. We do get storms, but most parents are able to get here on time. If they're late, it isn't usually by that much and it doesn't bother me. You shouldn't have to send reminders, but if they cut down on late arrivals and help you to feel less guilty about charging late fees when you have to, I'd say it's worth doing.