The Is This Typical for a Preschool?

This sounds like the daycare my daughter was in for five years. I had no problem with it. Parents came and went as needed. Teachers always saw who the kids left with. We had a list of people who had permission to pick up. I certainly didn't feel like any extra security was needed. The need for extra precautions could depend on the neighborhood the building is located in, I suppose.

My kids' preschool is locked and has a fingerprint scanner for parents and staff and a doorbell for other visitors. There is staff at the desk by the door at busy times but not all the time. Parents were reminded not to let in people they don't know. I occasionally let in parent I recognize since this is our 4th year with this school. but I wouldn't let in someone I didn't know unless there is staff at the desk to see who it is (such as a delivery person).

My older one is at public school and they have a doorbell, buzzer and the office it right there--they are in some ways stricter than the preschool. This is a newer school building so the security was built in when it was built 5 or so years ago.

I visited a lot of schools as a social worker and all were careful with not letting a child go without identification and parent permission.

What is the physical layout of the entry door that parents are using? Is it into a hallway or foyer where no one is necessarily around? It sounds as if that is the case. Is there an office for the preschool? So visitors do not enter through that office? It may just be physically impossible for that to happen -- at my child's preschool years ago (in a church) the preschool entrance was into a hallway and the director's office was down that hallway some distance. You can't necessarily change the layout of the building, but you should indeed talk to the director (not the teachers, this is a director issue and possibly an issue for the parents' board if there is one).

A doorbell would work well. The issue would be the preschool staff AND PARENTS sticking to a policy about who answers that doorbell, or else you'd end up again with parents just opening the door for other parents (or strangers) as the parents come and go.

Our schools here (not preschools but elementary) all have a doorbell and camera setup: There is a small box on the exterior wall by the front doors; for entry, you press a button on the box, which rings a doorbell on the secretary's desk -- and she can SEE who you are as you stand outside the door, thanks to a camera in the exterior doorbell box that has a monitor on the secretary's desk.

Yes, sounds expensive, and would depend on the preschool having a staff member who is always present at a desk to oversee the coming and going.

The preschool at the church we attend has locked doors at all times but the preschool office has large windows that are about two feet from those doors and the director and secretary can see all visitors from those windows and must "buzz in" people for entry.

All that said....It is fairly typical, I think, for many preschools to be casual, even lax, about comings and goings. Many are in churches or community centers or other buildings with other purposes, and are arranged architecturally so there is no office near the preschool entry door. This isn't good, I agree, but if you bring it up to the school, see how they react. Then weigh your concern against the many positives of this school. It does sound great. The key thing too is -- can KIDS wander out?

Sounds pretty typical.

At the daycare we had a pass code to enter the building. Anyone who didn't know it has to be buzzed in.

In one school district you could walk in and go anywhere you wanted to really. You were supposed to check in at the main office though. I always did and never saw anyone do any different.

Where we are now the doors are locked so after the start of the day you have to be buzzed in. If someone walks out you could always grab the door real quick and gain access that way.

So to answer your question, Yes I think it's typical.

I've worked at a place like you describe, and it is a bit loosey-goosey. It really depends on the parent population and what sort of preschool it is. If it's a larger daycare, then it's advisable to have staff checking in with people going in and out. Some daycares have biometric devices (fingerprint recognition identification), others have key-punch systems where you put a code in.

I have to say, for what it's worth, that parents and teacher should be communicating directly with each other regarding anyone other than themselves picking up kids. Telling the front office may not ensure that the teacher knows, because as you noticed, office admin are busy. We want to know if Grandma Jane is picking up today instead of you or dad. Even more so in regard to acrimonious custody issues. We don't want to get in the middle of it, but we do want information regarding who is supposed to pick up that day. That said, after working with kids for a long time, the only close-call was a dad who came to pick up his kids and was too intoxicated for me to allow the children to go with him.

The lax security doesn't mean that the school isn't good, just that they need to reconsider how they are ensuring the safety of the children and the peace of mind of parents.

Take the good with the bad. No school will be perfect.

I suggest that it's not so urgent to check out who is coming in at the door. What is important is that staff be aware that someone has come in so that they can then deal with that person's needs. I suggest that the parent who lets someone in probably knows the parent. You're new and do not know everyone.

It sounds like the front door opens into a foyer separate from the classrooms. Is the office in the foyer? If so then the office would then talk with the person if they're unknown to them? Or if it enters directly into the classroom a staff person would be aware that someone has entered. I don't see getting thru the door as a problem if staff is then aware that someone has entered.

I am saying this based on my granddaughter's preschool. Yes there was a door bell but parents knew each other and let each other enter. It wasn't a problem. When I first began taking and picking up my granddaughter a staff member pretty quickly came to me to ask what I needed. Once they knew me they didn't pay much attention to me.

I also think that the staff and curriculum are much more important than having strict security. It's highly unlikely that a stranger is going to enter and be a problem.

Actually, not many child care centers I have ever worked at have had the front door locked. It may be more common where you live but I have only worked in one place that did this and they had an entry/foyer area then the door from there was locked with just a code for a staff to open.

I think it's a bit much to expect a parent who knows the other parents to slam a door in someones face just because. You say you're new, these parents may have had their kids here for years and all know each other. Don't be surprised if the director doesn't make a big deal out of this.

Totally typical. Even wanted... As that way parents can drop by unannounced to observe the classroom without the teacher knowing to see how things go on without parents present.

PICKING UP kids is a different matter. If a person can come and get a kid and leave with them with no one knowing who they are, that's a problem.

While coming and going is usually fairly relaxed, coming and going WITH kids is usually tightly monitored.

That may not always be 'bank' type monitored, though. My son's preschool we picked up on the playground most days. GREAT because you could chat with the teacher each and every single day. The teacher totally had eyes on / knew who was where (small playground)... And then parents signed their kids out at the front. Not like a drop in grocery childcare where wristbands and buttons and things mean 'bank' type security for kids... Because in preschool... The kids and parents (and nannies, grandparents, etc.) aren't strangers.

My first son's preschool was small, so there was only one class at a time. The door was locked until it was time to go, so to get in you had to be let in by staff.

My second son's preschool was in the YMCA. It was much like you described with people coming and going, one parent holding the door for another, etc. There wasn't even a checkout system - once the kids were released from the classroom into the hallway, it was on the parent to be the to collect them.

Both worked out just fine, no problems at either.

Our preschool door was never locked.
I never thought anything of it, the staff would likely notice a non parent pretty quickly.
And it may be a fire safety issue. I know our elementary school was never allowed to have locked doors or gates for this very reason, it was against the law.

My DD's preschool is locked during non-expected pick up or drop off hours. So if you are there before 12:15 or so, you need to be buzzed in. However, it's also very small so they know who belongs with who. You basically drop and pick up your child from the teachers and there's no middle man front office. If you are concerned about the policy or the implementation, you should ask. DD's old daycare was always locked and a staffer had to let you in, but sometimes a parent held the door for incoming parents (esp. if you were carrying a baby). If I need someone to pick up DD besides me, I tell them. Right now DH and I and her grands are the only ones on the pickup list.