Holiday childcare. How do you do it?

[ScrambledToe]

I have either been a teacher or freelance so never had to work school holidays. With a dh who works offshore 3on 3off, this has been really handy as it can often fall that he is not here at all for school holidays.

A new job has come up, related to my freelance work that I am keen to apply for, but it is a normal job with normal holiday entitlement. 24 weeks a year. I don’t even know what’s normal!

Just trying to find out how other people do it!! Who looks after your kids in the summer?

I booked extra time in nursery. Also his previous childminder.
Asked grandparents for odd days.
I took two weeks off work.
DS father took a bit of time off.

Lots and lots of planning involved to fill the six week holidays.

Holiday club for school age and sometimes childminders will take children for holiday care.

A mixture of things - we take time off (together and separately), DS goes to holiday club (locally there is multisport, tennis, cricket, drama, watersports), often a week at PGL when I'm travelling so DH doesn't have childcare juggling.

Me and DH do alternate weeks holiday throughout summer and just overlap for one week so we’ve got some time as a family.

I’m lucky that I can work weekends if I need to so that means I have more days off during the week, not ideal but it means we don’t have to find someone to have them.

Arrange days in advance with friends to have each other’s children.

Call on any family willing

Basically it’s planned like a military operation and all on the calander who is where on what days!

Are family a big part of it? We live no where near family so they couldn’t help at all.

They’re both school age so will have to look in to clubs and stuff. Thanks

We have zero family help, so every minute is either down to us or paid. Some people drop kids off with family who live further away for a week or more in holidays (our neighbours have their GCs a huge amount) - would that be an option for you if they are willing?

Holiday Clubs for about half of it, rest is our holiday entitlement together/separately, some swopping with friends and (if we can afford it!) taking unpaid parental leave. I also work from home occasionally too and do flexible hours to fit in with stuff - realise that I'm lucky I can do that though. It does work it just does take a bit of planning!

We manage on compressed hours, leave and paid for care as we don't have any family help. Does mean we don't get much time off together.

If your DH lives offshore I’d stick to the freelancing or the teaching if I’m honest...

Holiday club, tennis club, drama camp etc
Summer au pair
Childminder

No family help....swaps with other parents, holiday clubs, annual leave, chidminder and Flexi hours...

Holiday club, annual leave and parents.

Plan ahead. Get a printed out calendar. I Book a hol, their dad books a hol for them, playschemes, and them getting underfoot for at least a couple of weeks! I work from home so can manage and they're 11 and 9 so easily managed/ can go swimming together etc.

Do up a spreadsheet
Research what's available
Pay through the nose - also forking out for extended hours as they frequently end at 3pm (ffs)
Take leave
And this year... take unpaid leave.