to think that this country needs to improve wraparound care for school age children

[PontOffelPock]

There is rightly a lot of focus at the moment on the cost of pre-school childcare.

However, for us at least, the real killer has been the lack of decent, affordable wrap around care for school-age DCs. Its nigh on impossible to find an available childminder near our school to do the pick-ups, there is no breakfast/after-school club, and we both have an hour commute, so we are increasingly reliant on family. The holiday club we enrolled our DCs in is very expensive. I wonder how on earth other parents who both work full time (and one parent isn't a teacher) manage when school hours are 9-3 plus all the holidays.

AIBU to think that this needs some focus so that parents are able to work full-time if they need to?

We are blessed to have cheap wrap round at our school 7.30am - 6.30pm. Holiday club £30 for full day. It's a god send and invaluable for working parents. It can be done

I get that rollonthesummer but my point was what do. The working parents do if that's all the childcare that's on offer?

Huskywoman, you say never give up your career to support your partner. But that's exactly what your partner, who is a sahd, has done!!

I'm glad you asked that usually - I thought I'd missed something

Sorry - women, don't ever give up your career to be supported by a partner. We leave ourselves too vulnerable, it's a bitch finding good childcare/supportive employers.

When a couple splits women usually are RP's. Better to be in a job where you're valued and have that advantage when sorting out flexible hours than fighting against loads of applicants for a job while having to negotiate flexible hours with a career gap behind you. Men don't have the stigma.

Don't get me wrong, DH would go for 50/50 residency.

I know you what mean huskywoman dh is taking a break from his to be a sahd. I would never do it myself though its too bad for your career!

Yey, I don't feel so unusual. I've never known anyone else with the set up we have (in RL). This is why Mumsnet is great.

Yeah my kids are resilient and do what I tell them.However I don't want them in a hall with low numbers of adult help and bored.

Ideally I'd like them out on their bikes,playing with their mates or doing the huge variety of activities they choose to do after school at home.

If that couldn't happen I'd be happy to use and pay for our after school club at school as it stands now but not with fewer adults,less stimulating activities and to do homework in.

Oh and Husky you're supported by your partner why exactly can't anybody else gave the same?

Many of us in RL work as a family unit and do what suits us as a family best.It sometimes involves a sahp which(shock,horror) may be the mother or father.

Mother or Father at home is fine. Women being the default because due to shitty childcare and being in crappy jobs due to nothing but the assumption that having a vagina means you are the primary carer isn't.

You take a career break with baby 1. You then take a job with lower hours or wages when you try to get back into work. Baby 2 comes, woman is then the lower earner, guess who stays home.

Do what you want, just make sure it is what you want, not what's expected.

Getting a bit fed up with the assumption that sahm are dim and foolish.

Many of us do it because we want to,have planned for it and are well qualified to make decisions properly.Being a sahm doesn't = brainless and weak.

lol at the massive hypocrisy from Georgesdino and huskywoman!

Didn't realise sahms were raised in a social vacuum with no gender stereotyping influencing their decisions.

I love how sahm or sahd is fine = dim and foolish. My DH certainly isn't.

Yeah and dh knows it. Hes not academic or career minded like me so hes suited to sah.

Tiggy - I think that was in response to an earlier post by a SAHP who told me that I was obviously very competent as a WOHP but that she was not so competent and can't do all that (unless I had an extra 2 hours in the day). Therefore good job I don't have to

Yeah my kids are resilient and do what I tell them.However I don't want them in a hall with low numbers of adult help and bored

None of us want that - which is why good after school care is so important.

I find it extremely odd that people believe their DC's personalities are determined by their working pattern.

My friend works p/t, she has two DDs. One loves afterschool activities and organised activities generally, to the point where it's almost impossible to get together with them, the other DD hates afterschool and holiday club and is a home body. Much to my disappointment my DS is also a home body, most unlike myself.

Do people seriously think that all children in f/t wrap around care will experience it in the same way? Some will enjoy it, some not so much. I guess those that don't enjoy it so much don't mention it as they know that it's not optional if their parents are to work.

Of course they won't experience it in the same way - and that should be recognised by good quality after school care with a range of different activities and levels of support.

I agree sirchenjin that good quality after school care is important, but even when that exists some DCs just aren't well suited to long days in a formal environment and just want to be at home.

Our afterschool is very good and the helpers do play with the children - I often come in and find DS playing UNO with one of the ladies, but I believe he would still struggle if he was there 5 days a week.

Not getting mixed up at all, Oscar, the cost of living here, not just London, is far steeper than N. America, not just housing but basics like electricity, power, gas, water, council tax and transport.

And again, renting here is very expensive and dominated by six-month leases an unregulated letting a industry and individual landlords on the margins of viability, leading many, many people to 'mortgage them,selves to the hilt' in order to avoid rentals.

...and conversely some children aren't suited to being at home in an informal environment without noise, plenty of activities and lots of other children to play with.

We could go round and round in circles with this, but ultimately, this thread was about whether wraparound care in this country should be improved. I don't think anyone could argue against improving wraparound care for those parents who need (or want) it.

That's very true sirchenjin and I certainly don't disagree that there should be provision of good wraparound care.