Understanding a late fee
Where the charge comes from, and what to do if you think it's wrong.
Where the fee comes from
Late-pickup fees are based on the check-out time recorded in the app — the same time you can see on your child's day. There isn't a second clock, and the fee isn't someone's estimate at the end of the week.
That's useful if you disagree: you and your center are both looking at the same record, including who signed your child out.
The amount
The rate is your center's policy, not a RoundUp setting, and it should match what you signed at enrollment. If you can't find it, ask for the policy — a reasonable request, and centers expect it.
If it looks wrong
Talk to your center first. Common and genuinely resolvable causes:
- The check-out was recorded late — you left at 5:58 but a teacher logged it at 6:10 while settling the room.
- You were there on time but waiting for a teacher to bring your child out.
- The center closed early or opened late for a reason that wasn't your doing.
A director can correct the time or waive the fee, and corrections are recorded rather than overwritten. Raise it the same week while everyone still remembers the evening.
Please don't dispute a late fee with your card issuer before speaking to your center. It freezes the payment, creates work for both of you, and is much slower than a two-minute conversation at drop-off.
Avoiding them
Phone if you know you'll be late. It rarely removes the fee, but it lets the center plan staffing, and a teacher waiting with a child who knows a parent is eight minutes away has a very different evening than one who doesn't.
If the fees are mounting up
Talk to your director. Repeated late pickups usually mean a schedule that doesn't fit rather than carelessness, and many centers can offer a later collection option or a different arrangement. They'd generally much rather solve it than keep charging you.
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