to wonder how other people cope with before school childcare?

[nothingbyhalves]

dt's about to start school. I have to be on the road to get to work on time at the latest at 7:50am, dh at 7:30. The majority of breakfast clubs start at 8am. I'm a teacher, so there is no flexibility over my hours in work, and dh can occaisonally be late, but it can't be a regular thing. How the hell are we supposed to get around this one? our budget is stretched to breaking point with childcare costs as it is.

How do other people manage?

Change your hours or change job to a more local school?

Find local childminder? Au pair? Childcare exchange. Lucky that breakfast clubs start at 8am, that seems early to me.

Im watching with interest as I will have to use before and after school clubs in future and even though it is a couple of years away I get anxious thinking about how I will manage! Child care costs are a bloody nightmare.

I had a childminder who took all the kids to school then picked them up after. She lived a short walk from the school. She also did summer holidays.
Opened as early as the first parent needed, we dropped off at 7.30 and she closed for the day at 6pm

we use breakfast club at school - 8-9am ex drops them as I have to leave at 7:30

Been looking for a job closer to home, but nothing has come up. It is not possible to change my hours. No childminder wanted to take on twins for only a couple of days a week. As they are twins, childcare exchange isn't something I have really investigated, as there are 2, seems a lot to ask. Will have to look into an Au pair, just thought it was out of our budget.

I have a 'babysitter' come to our house at 7.15 and do school drop off at 8.45. She works in a nursery and doesn't start till 9.30am

I went in early and came home early to do the childminder pickup.

DH went in late, did the dropoff, then came home late.

It was the only way we could manage it; luckily we both had flexible employers.

Our breakfast club used to start at 8am however enough parents contacted the school and they now start at 715am

Have you spoken to the breakfast club? Mine officially doesn't start until 8 but in reality they're there from 7.40 and I take DS in at 7.45 (the train to London leaves at 7.55). No extra charge, I buy them a big box of chocolates every term

I'm a childminder and I start at 7am, give kids breakfast and take them to school. Then pick up and have them until mum comes. I do charge more for starting that early because I find it bloody hard to get up at 6.40.

Can't find a solution I'm afraid. I had to turn down a job recently for this very reason.

I hope you find a way. Maybe a local Mum at the same school could help? I would ask breakfast club to advertise for you to see if anyone would be willing to take DC when they drop theirs?
Small contribution to petrol etc.

ask at the school.
our breakfast club recently started opening from 7.45, instead of 8am, due to popular demand

Teacher here too.

Our breakfast club opens at 7.45, so it's do-able for me to be at work by 8.15, which is later than I'd like & means I have to be VERY organised re: lesson prep. (I'm not, so mornings when I do the drop off rather than dh are very flappy!).

Sometimes local nurseries do an early club - one practically next door to my dc's school has an arrangement whereby you drop the dc off anytime from 7am, & they crocodile them into school at 8.30 after giving them breakfast & before most of their pre-school mindees arrive.

I gather it's pricey though.

Try childcare.co.uk? You might find a pt nanny willing to collect them & drop them at school, especially if a young one looking to get a couple of notches on their CV.

Both DP and I are teachers so I fully appreciate where you are coming from. My partner has to leave for work at 7.30 am, DS's school opens at 8am for breakfast club. We both work part time though, me as a supply. At the moment, I have maternity cover in a school that is max. 20 mins away so every Wednesday and Thursday am, I drop him off at 8 and go to school. The rest of the time either I or DP drop him off at his normal start time.

It's slightly trickier when I do day to day supply when I never know which school I will be working at. So, I can't take on any jobs which are more than 20/30 mins away. It can get pretty stressful though, especially stuck in traffic and/or lost.

A lot of my teacher friends use their parents to drop off - is that not an option for you? The rest use childminders to drop them at school. A lot of the children in my class have those specialist centres that drop off groups of children.

Both the nurseries local to me do a school run.

As a teacher is there any chance of finding a parent who would drop yours off in exchange for some holiday childcare?

I have a lor of sympathy OP, because some of the solutions here are not always available.

I live in very affluent and very rural area (we bring average salary down significantly ) in village where I am one of 3 working mothers (indeed, we have SAHPs as sometimes neither need to work!!!),

No demand for before/after school club.

Nearest childminder in local town 10 miles away.

No space for au pair.

This is why we ended up with a nanny.

I'm considering going back to work and there are local childminders who will do just the 2 or 3 days I want (they have different numbers for their before and after school care to daytime care I think). They would also have my 1 year old.

I'm struggling with whether to return to work so its good to hear from teachers who are managing it. I'm not sure if I want my daughters first term at school to involve someone else. People around here have family to help or don't work and seem to think I'm mad for considering it. (my husband works away).

Would be good to be reassured its manageable (or told its nuts and I should wait until they're bigger!)

We've had a local breakfast club set up which opens at 7. Then walk the children to school for 8.50am

I use a childminder as I often have to drop off at 7.50am to get to work (LEA Nursery) so that I can finish early enough to collect. Dh works 7.30-4.30pm

I'm loving the child care solutions - folk make it sound dead easy! Or maybe I'm just envious of people with access to child minders. There is 1 child minder who does pick up and drop off to dd's school. The child minder is a 15 min drive in the opposite direction from where I work. And is open 8-6. I can just do an 8am drop off and get to work but can't get back there by 6.

Fortunately there is an after school club but its bloody expensive.

I know where you are coming from with twins - I always felt awkward asking anyone to "share" lifts / drop offs etc because you're asking them for twice as much help as you're offering in return!! Its tricky.

Is there absolutely no flexibility with your H's job? How far away is he from work? I have a long commute so on the days that I work (3 days) he drops them at school / nursery which is about 20 mins from where he works so he can get to work for 9.15ish (without having to use breakfast clubs)He's obviously not a teacher. He then works late (usually all week!!) to make up time. I leave ridiculously early so I can leave early and collect from after school.

I would second the other suggestions re nursery - do you have any contacts with staff from nursery - at my DDs nursery, quite alot of the staff help families in a morning and then take them to nursery / school for just before 9 as they start at 9 (and it doesn't breach any of the 'poaching staff' rules).

Our Breakfast Club starts at 7.30am.

We don't use it until about 8.05am though as nursery (for younger dc) doesn't open until 8am and it's on the way.

Au pair for us.

Have you asked breakfast club if they will review their hours, I did, they then sent a letter out asking if there was a demand and were overwhelmed at the response so now open at 7.30