School holidays - how do you cover

[SparkyUK]

Sorry if this is a really basic question, but I've never dealt with it before. How do you cover school holidays if both parents work? DS will start school in a year. DH works full time, I work part time but as a freelancer so in theory could just not work during school hols (or cut back hours) but I was considering going permie. If I did though, I couldn't just take 12 weeks+ holiday a year - so how do people cope?

I grew up in America where you get sent to camp for at least part of the summer holidays. The rest of the time, my parents were both freelance so I think they just fit work around us, or sent us to my grandparents lived down the road. They also left us to fend for ourselves at a rediculously young age (and aside from a few black holes in my knowledge of child rearing, we all turned out okay!)

[CMOTDibbler]

Holiday club. Theres lots of them round the country

[jelliebelly]

Dh and I cover what we can with separate hols apart from 2 weeks in the summer when we have family holiday. Use holiday clubs and grandparents for the rest.

[clemetteattlee]

Holiday clubs - they have them at local schools, youth groups, my workplace and (for £££) King's Camp.

[BeehavingBaby]

Mix of holiday club, relations, leave, activity sessions and occasional ad-hoc childminder to replace school and fantastic but term-time only CM for the 3 DDs. All on a spreadsheet a year in advance!

[talkingnonsense]

And holiday camps here in the uk are usually day camps- ie no camping! Usually an activity from say 10-4, with wraparound care for working parents as an extra.

[VerySmallSqueak]

Both our annual leave taken in full at different times,and my Mum filling the gaps.
It has meant we haven't been away on holiday,so I'd like to try to address that next year.Just not sure how,yet.

[SparkyUK]

Family is all overseas unfortunately, so that's not an option for the moment. (Note to self: find out how old they have to be before they can fly alone.)

I'll have a look at holiday clubs. I'm in South London though. All the schools are over subscribed -- Would I be right in assuming the same for holiday clubs? Are the independent from the schools?

[marbleslost]

We use a childminder. Some don't have as many dc in the holidays so will take on for school holidays only. We try to spread our holidays out - so my dh will take three weeks, I'll take three weeks and then we'll have two weeks together - so that covers 8 weeks of the 13.

I try to spread it out so that she's not going to the childminder for a long block - so two weeks here, two weeks with me/dh then two weeks with cminder in the summer.

There are more options than you'd think. We live in a small town but I know of three holiday playschemes (run by leisure centre, schools, churches), and two supercamp type things.

It's not as bad as you might think to find help.

[talkingnonsense]

Also private schools often run camps available to anyone, your local council probably has one at the leisure centre, church, and poss do a childcare swap with another working parent.

[Thorpster]

Hi SparkyUk,
Holiday clubs are great but also other mums.

We take it in turns in the hols to have each others kids for a day at a time. It sounds hard work but actually they all play together and it's much easier.
Also if you could arrange your work around a few hours per day you could use a babysitter (16-18 yr old) who would love the extra cash and could take your DS to the park for an hour or so and do some art/play at yours.

It is tricky but like BeeHavingBaby said use a spreadsheet. I print out 8 weeks of the calendar and start filling it in so that there's something going on each week, some trips, friends, relatives etc It's a military operation but definitely do-able!

[Oblomov]

I have no family or freinds that can have my 2 ds's.
Your local county council should have a programme:
surrey
They have 4 weeks of clubs in the summer.

There is also 2 breakfast clubs that run in our 2 schools, both charge £2 per day for breakfast club, term time.
During half terms, inset days, and all holidays they have all day provision.

= NOT CHEAP. But just about do'able !!