Child Care Outside of the Funded Nursery Care Offered

[Tinkermum24]

Hello Everyone

I am new to this forum, and well new to the UK.

I will be relocating to Glasgow, East Renfrewshire towards the middle of the month. I have an almost 4 year old that will be starting nursery school in August (part of the funded 3 hours)

I would like to get some views on how you mums manage being employed and sending kids to school/creche. Do you send them to the creche in the morning (i.e. 7-9) then they start the funded care (9-12) then you send them to creche again in the afternoon (12-6) until you come home from work?

I would like to start work, but I am clueless on how the creche system works? Is it that expensive that most mums opt to stay at home since the salaries are almost the same as childcare costs?

Any views or thoughts are welcome

Thank you :)

[longestlurkerever]

It's a pain isn't it? Round here (London) the school nurseries tend to offer the free hours in 3-hour blocks each day term time only and private nurseries find lots of ways to calculate your entitlement so you can't actually use it all. Childminder often charge for a full day if they're doing a pick up from nursery as they can't offer that space to anyone else (though you might strike lucky if this suits someone with eg their own nursery aged child). I was lucky that one of our local school nurseries offers the 15 hours as 2.5 school days (9-3:15) and has a before, after school and holiday club that will take 3 year olds (most won't) but it's not our nearest school so she is having to transfer in September when she starts reception.

Good luck! If you can find a way to make it work it does significantly reduce the childcare bill but it's a logistical nightmare.

[longestlurkerever]

Ps some private nurseries will offer pick ups from the school nurseries but they tend to be the pricier ones. I am not very familiar with the creche system, is that a Scottish thing? Some of the school nurseries have a limited number of full time (full school dat term time only) places too that are more affordable options but that still didn't suit me as I wanted fewer longer days

[addictedtosugar]

If you need FT care, the simplest way is often to just use the 15 hrs at a day-nursery, who will discount the bill for you. This probably isn't the cheapest!

We too have a school that offers 2.5 days. So I pay for 3 full days at nursery, and then 2 breakfast clubs and 2 after school clubs. I spend my wednesday lunchtime driving to nursery to take child to school - its the only one they won't do. But generally school nurseries and FT working isn't particually compatatible :( a full day is cheaper than a half day and after school, and means if I can't make the lunch trip, childcare is still OK!

I would call a creche childcare used for a couple of hours somewhere convienent e.g. the gym, and wouldn't use them for FT care.

[Tinkermum24]

Thanks for the responses.

Its a night mare trying to get my head around the hours and how it will work...

How do mums that want a career and children make this work them is a mystery...

In Scotland I get the 3 free hour entitlement, but what do I do for the rest of the hours

I need to seriously do some digging around...and see how I can get this right.
Apparently the school that I have the little one enrolled only offers 1 hour of wrap around care, and thats that...
I suppose I need a full time nursery for the rest of the day..

Any one on MN from Glasgow? I would be keen to connect and learn from your experiences?

[prettybird]

You might be better posting in the Scotsnet to get more localised advice.

Note sure exactly what the policies in Glasgow City Council are: whether you need to be in a council nursery or whether the "free" hours can count towards time at a private nursery. Remember that the hours are term-time only.

Some childminders will pick up from the council nursery after the half day.

Not sure what the policy is in East Renfrewshire - but don't assume it'll be the same as Glasgow.

I was fortunate in that although my childminder didn't do pick-ups, dh had taken voluntary redundancy and started working at home shortly before ds started at nursery, so was able to pick him up and drop him off at the childminder.

[prettybird]

Once your dc starts school, Glasgow City Council currently runs Breakfast Clubs from 8.15 for a nominal fee (the policy is currently under review).

Most schools have After School Clubs up to c5.45 - but there may be waiting lists to get into them.

Many people have to rely on finding a childminder who will do pick-ups.