Sign-in at School

I've worked in schools for about twenty years and for the most part all schools have everyone sign in. Just a safety factor.

At my daughters preschool we had an id number that we entered into a computer and the door would open to let you in. If you didn't have an id number you couldn't get in. There was usually someone sitting at the front desk if anyone needed help. I liked it. It felt safe to me. I don't ever remember anyone complaining.

Isn't it funny that the parents get so put out by safety requirements?

They want to back up in the drop off pick up line, beauce they are safe drivers and would never run over a child.

They want to be able to tell their children so and so will pick you up today, but the parents think it takes too long to send a note or call the school to tell them. So when the school refuses to release the student to someone the parents are upset.

If the school has this rule for Kinder, then do it. What is the big deal?

When you have multiple children, everything is harder. But that is just part of it. No one is sitting in the office saying, How can I make these parents life hell.

I know our daughter was worth my time, every time. The hassle of parking and the 2 of us walking to her class? this was my honor , my pleasure and part of being a parent.. It also gave me peace of mind knowing I saw her in the classroom.

Tell these parents to deal with it. So many other things to fight about, but not this..

Our preschool had sign in/out at drop off and pick up. Sure it was annoying to get in and out of the car, parking, etc. especially with babies in tow, but most people understand that you just don't let three and four year olds walk in by themselves. Five year olds in K? Yes, they should be able to handle it, but most people want their three and four year olds passed safely (and supervised) from one adult's care to another.
I would suggest, as I do to MOST complaining parents, don't like the system? CHANGE IT. Organize a group of parents to supervise drop off/pick up. Only then will they see the actual amount of work involved in caring for very young children away from home (and only then will they realize how silly they are being for not just walking their kids into class like most parents have always done with this age group.)

No parents were allowed in my son's preschool (YMCA) without signing in and presenting a photo ID. For drop-off though, it was simple: curbside, no sign-in.

My view is simply this: Their school, their rules.

Don't like to sign in at a pre-K program? Then find another one which lets people come and go willy-nilly.... and then let those parents fret about security and 'how do they know who is coming or going?' etc.

It only takes a minute. Parents at our school are supposed to sign in any time they come to visit or volunteer. It takes about a minute or so to log into the computer, let it know where I'm going, grab a sticker and put my name on it. They do this to keep track of who is in the building. Yet, quite often many parents show up for things and choose not to sign in. The teachers are often more than happy to remind unidentified adults that they must sign in at the office.

Laurie A-- your observations are quite astute. Amazing how 'inconvenience' and 'inconsiderate' can both be applied to the same situation from different perspectives, huh?

My daughter is in the 5th grade and her school requires that you sign in AND give them your driver's license to hold in order to get a visitor badge. When you leave you sign out, turn in your badge and get your license back. I'm at the school ALL the time, and they know me well but I happily follow this procedure each and every time.

We sign in and out for preschool.

We have no sign in for drop offs and pick ups, and generally everyone knows who belongs to who. You sign yourself in when you are out of the "window". We did, however, sign in when DD was an infant/toddler and it was the protocol all the way through the daycare's prek level. Like anything, if it is a new system, you adapt. Since the school shootings a year or so back, all our elementary schools have been outfitted with different doors and buzzer systems. If it's not arrival or dismissal, you need to be let in, go to the office, etc. You do it because it's a safety net for your kid. People with babies in strollers adapt.

When my kids were in preschool, we did have to sign the kids in and out. I'm not sure, but I think that's part of the licensing rules here. I have never seen nor heard of a preschool not having a sign-in procedure. I remember that it made me nervous when the girls were in kindergarten, and there was no such procedure. They were just let out with all the other kids at the end of the day, and I worried that they'd run out into the parking lot or something. (They never did.)

My daughter's preschool doesn't require sign in or out. They have a consent form for pick up that is signed at the beginning of the year and will release the child to whomever is on the form. They know the pick up adults so no need for a sign out. They do require that you walk your child into the classriom. It is a small school. One class of 4 year olds and one of 3 year olds.

The preschools and daycares I have used all have a sign in and sign out.

The schools are accredited and will be fine if the 'accredited police' check the log and a signature is missing. It is a big deal to the schools and they are very polite, but have to remind parents to sign in/out several times a year. Even though the class had 10 kids with 2 teacher the log still needed to be sign. It did not matter that is is super small and familiar.

I will be honest I do not know people who police the sign in, but I believe it is through the state.

Also, anyone can sign them in or out (meaning another classroom parent while you wait in the car), but there needs to be a signature.

My children's preschool is part of a vocational high school. We don't have to sign in at the building entrance, only outside the preschool room. It's pretty obvious when I walk in with my little guy that we're there for school. She (the receptionist) has stopped me at the desk when I've gone in on non-school days. The preschool at the local elementary has a preschool-only entrance and I think it has a lock code that parents use to get in. I do find it odd that parents at your school have to basically sign a visitor log every day. You'd think there was some way the school could make the process easier for everyone.

Regular schools you only have to sign them in if they are late or out if you are picking them up early. Preschool you signed them in and out

My son was able to take the bus to PreK, so I didn't even have to think about it. I did drop him off and pick him up a few times. PreK was in it's own wing with an outside door and a class of only 20 kids and most riding the school bus, soooooooooooooo ... the teachers actually new all the kids and parents and we did not have to sign in or out for drop off and pick up. I think if PreK didn't have it's own door (which was always locked on the outside) there would have been more to it.

Visitors to the school do have to sign in and out, so if I were dropping him off late or visiting for any reason I would have to sign in and out. So it really is a secure school.

When some of my kids were in a more formal kindergarten setting parents definitely had to sign the in and present ID and pick ups too. My grandneice's school requires signing in and out with ID every day.

If there is a second way to come in there should be a second sheet near that entrance for convenience sake.

At the preschool we use now, we have to sign in/out. My older boys went to a different preschool and we didn't sign in/out.

At all our kids school pick ups when they were younger the teacher brought the kids outside and we drove up, we lined our vehicles up along the driveway, and the teacher would help the kids into the car.

One other school had the kids lined up inside a glass area and the parents would park in the parking lot and go up, we'd hang around for 10-15 minutes before they came out. When the kids got out of class they'd line up until the teacher saw the parent then they'd let them out.

I have never had to take the kids into the school, we drove through the drop off line and just let them out. The first few weeks of course we wanted to go inside with them. We did NOT have to sign in unless it was during school hours. Once the bell rang if we wanted to go past the office we had to sign in.

I think what you're going through is ridiculous. It's way too complicated for me. I would want to drop off kiddo or walk them in then leave. When picking up they need to bring them to the door and let parents stay in the car.

We just drop at the door. The parent walks the child to the meeting area where the teacher is waiting for them. Before the rest of the "big" kids enter the building the preK teacher escorts the kids to the classroom (so they don't get lost in the chaos of entering school). No check in. This is how it has been at two different locations. Why does the parent need to walk the child into the building at all? Maybe on day one or two to make sure the kid knows where to go, but there is always a meet the teacher day the day before school starts so you can show your child where the classroom is.

At pick up, the kids are assigned a number and this number is put on a permanent tag on the back pack. When the child is picked up the caregiver has a paper with the same number and the child is then released to them. After about a week the teacher has built a rapport with the families and knows who is picking up. If someone different is picking up, usually an email is sent to the teacher to give them a heads up.

As a mom who once dropped a preK kid off with a little one in tow, and often bad weather, I much prefer to drop at the curb. By the time the cold weather comes, the routine is down and everyone knows what to do. I would not be happy having to lug in a baby either.

However, if we are entering the school then sign in / out is required.