After school/holiday club for nursery aged children

[drspouse]

Bear with me, our childcare is a bit complicated!

Currently (well, in 2 weeks) DS will be starting reception and DD will continue with 2 days at nursery and 1 at a CM (and 2 days at home).

We are considering moving DD to the school nursery for the one day, keeping her at her lovely nursery for the 2 days. She would not be able to go till Sept 2017 anyway as she's 2 but a summer birthday.

DS will be going to after school club either 2 or 3 days a week so the logical thing would then be for DD to go (as they take them from 3) on her 1 day in school nursery.

I am worried though that this is too many settings - school, nursery, after school club... and potentially holiday club... because currently the CM will take DD through the holidays obviously.

We are sending DS to the holiday club. The school is too far from the CM for her to do school pickup, she does another school, and though the CM is lovely she is best at providing a warm family atmosphere for babies and toddlers and we are not sure it's massively stimulating for preschool/school aged DCs which is why a) DS is going to the holiday club when necessary not the CM and b) we are considering the school nursery instead of the CM for DD's last year before school.

Does anyone else use the after school club for 3yo DCs? And how has this worked out? What about the holiday club (that would be mainly in the summer before Reception though so maybe not quite so much of a stretch).

[SisterViktorine]

I think it will be too many settings for your DD. I also think you might be underestimating how tired your DS will be when he starts school- it's far more tiring than nursery. IME (Primary teacher) after school clubs vary a great deal in their quality and I, personally, would not put a very young DC in an after school club that catered for a very wide age range.

I think ideal scenario would be childminder near school who can do all wrap-around/ holiday care for both DC until they are in KS2.

[VioletBam]

I don't think...from what I've seen at after school clubs that they're suitable for smaller children.

I agree that a childminder would be better.

[drspouse]

We don't have a choice with the after school club - as both of us have to work full time on the days we work - so he does have to go to after school club.

We had the choice of disrupting DD's very firm attachment to the current CM (who is lovely and also has many practical positives apart from the distance to the school) and putting them both with a new CM (like gold dust here, so we just didn't bother looking) or putting DS in the after school club two days a week (we did find a babysitter for the third day, who he already knows very well, so though this is another setting for him it is one to one and more like family).

So we decided that DS could probably manage two days in after school - and yes we know he will be tired but that's the unfortunate consequence - we just thought it was better to keep the disruption on his side rather than disrupt both of them at the same time!

[drspouse]

Thanks both and I have to say I am inclined to agree - but I think if it is a CM it will be our existing one.

Our neighbours' two DDs go to the same school and the younger one is a lot younger for the year (i.e. she's less than 18 months older than DS but is going into Y2) and has been going to after school club every day since day 1 of Reception so I think they are reasonably well set up for the youngest children who are actually in school.

But it is the question of nursery aged children.

We might consider a couple of weeks of holiday club just before she starts Reception, a friend whose DC2 is going to a different school where their DC1 already is has done that as an intro type thing.

[SavoyCabbage]

Do you mean she would do the morning and the afternoon session at school nursery one day a week? And then to the after school care at school?

[drspouse]

That was the thought, Savoy. But she'd have to go to holiday club for some days too. They both advertise themselves as 3 up.

[SavoyCabbage]

I don't see that there will be much of an advantage to her to go to the school nursery for one day a week. It will be much more full on than being at the CM. As she isn't going every day then she might feel a bit left out with songs they are learning and things like that.

Will the school let you have a morning and an afternoon session? At ours, there would be nowhere for her to be during the lunchtime as we are on a break and the rest of the school have a different time for lunch.

[drspouse]

They do have an option for morning, lunch and afternoon. About half the children do 1 or more full days apparently. It's an EYFS building meaning transition to YR is very good (though DS will be in Y1).

[smellyboot]

At our school loads of the 3/4 year olds do after school club, breakfast club and holiday club. Big state school some mix and match with CM and private nursery and come do full weeks at school.
They all seem to cope fine with whatever they do.
Our ASC and BClub has age appropriate stuff for all ages