nursery drop and run

[oblongs]

I work for a large organisation which doesn't usually involve weekend work. Recently though we had to organise a few open days through the year on saturdays. We've just been sent an email saying that the company nursery will open on these saturdays to look after under 12 year olds for free in appreciation of those who volunteer to work on these open days. At the moment no one can be obliged to do these days, but generally we try to divide them up as fairly as possible. I'm worried that this will be used to strong arm parents who don't have alternative childcare into using this service. This is also a one-day thing- there would be no settling in visits or similar. Am I being unreasonable to think that it isn't appropriate for parents to be pressured into leaving children from 0-12 years in an environment and with people that they are unfamiliar with? I remember when my son started nursery we had hour long stay and play sessions and so on so just dropping him off and leaving would have felt rather harsh. AIBU?

Could you reply and say that you really appreciate them taking into consideration those with small children and their childcare needs, however you would require more information about care providers before relying on this service and would they mind providing details (eg. Crb checks, agency details, prior experience, ratio of carer to child)

Also maybe mention that you would like to have the opportunity to meet these people beforehand as you would any care provider for your child

They may be very happy to oblige. They may think.... Oh what a faff fine we won't ask you to work.

Nunyabiz, that is BRILLIANT! . if they're genuine, they won't mind and will welcome it. if its a rhetorical device to strong arm colleagues, they will be very cross. I like your style!!!!

I don't see the problem - they are offering the service to help employees on these rare occasions so why is this bad? Who is being pressured? They are not obliging anyone to use the service or to work.

Sometimes I really think employers can't win.

What Katiepoes said. And also, as it's a company nursery, then presumably lots of employees use it during the normal working week, so they're simply saying they can still use it on the weekend. It's probably not really aimed at people who don't usually use it. And as it is actually a nursery, then I would say it's fair to assume that CRB/ratios etc. are just part of their normal busienss.

But I suppose for any people who don't, then it is an added offering if they do want to use it. Is anyone actually being strong-armed/pressured/anything of the sort?

Sorry OP, but I think YABVU.

I read your post and thought 'oh how lovely and thoughtful: someone in OblongsHR has actually taken the time to think about how to enable volunteering across the entire work community in a manner that doesn't exclude parents'

I certainly don't see this as some sort of devious and cunning ploy to get all the pfb parents in on their day off.

FWIW, I suspect it depends on how many dcs you have and the age of your children. You may be being a little over protective or pfb about the idea of a drop off for one day: my dcs are 3, 6 and 9 and I would (and have) happily chucked them into a free creche thing for a day in this sort of situation. And they've had a total blast ever since dd3 was 6 months old in fact.... Stop worrying and don't email anyone about settling-in and visits: you'll just look like a total arse :)

Some children need settling in, some don't. At my preschool, I was the first to get the tap on the arm (10 minutes after we arrived) to say I could leave. DD cheerily waved, "bye bye Mum Mum", and ran off to play

I could happily bung her in a strange childcare, no problem at all.

hum, I take your points. I suppose I was a bit because when I left our dog with a puppy play provider - yes I know he's a bit pampered pooch- they insisted on a short stay and play too and that's for the dog! I know some children are fine to be dropped off but some aren't, especially tinies, and i'd worry that people who want to keep their jobs 'feel that they want to volunteer' may be pressured into using this service on children who aren't happy with this. It seems odd to me that a supposedly reputable nursery would agree to be associated with it.

I've read and re-read, can't find the sinister intention in this some employers really can't win.

Hmmm I agree that I would be grateful they were being family minded (and thus show gratitude by acknowledging first off) but I disagree that you will sound like an arse by emailing them (obviously as it was my suggestion lol)
I think it's what responsible normal parents do. Perfectly reasonable to want to know who is looking after your children. I would never 'assume' that crb checks etc had been done especially if these care providers are also volunteers as well. I also never had to do settling in time with my DD (pfb) although it was offered. But on the other hand I had carefully researched this care provider/seen offsted reports, reviews etc etc. and yes followed my intuition that she was happy and comfortable being left. perhaps some would consider that over the top, I just consider it my job as a responsible parent who is leaving my child in the care of someone else.

Nope, cannot see anything wrong with this at all - what a lovely gesture from your employers

When I use new holiday clubs for the DC, there is no 'settling-in' time, stay and play etc so can't see how it is different (apart from the age although DS1 wasn't even 4.5 when I used the first holiday club in Reception).

As it is an already-established nursery, the staff will be used to children and ensuring they are ok.

Another one here who can't see the problem. I never meet the people looking after my DC at holiday clubs... Idrop them off at the local school and they are picked up and taken off to do whatever from there. I can just imagine their faces if I said they needed a settling in period!

What on earth is a puppy play provider ? .

I think you are seriously over thinking this, it is a fantastic gesture for employers to make. Agree with spooky - whenever I have used holiday scheme/PGL/church based summer schemes etc etc there is no 'settling in policy'. I appreciate it is hard if your child finds that sort of thing difficult, but I couldn't keep my son away from holiday activities .

I would love it if my work did this. DH and I work together and it is invariably me who doesn't do the overtime (DH is more senior, so is usually needed more at work). I know the staff at my works childcare, and they love my kids (I'm not sure why, apparently my children are nicer to other people) and I know they would get extra special care.

Neither of my DDs would have given a monkeys. Both are totally happy to be left with anyone.

DD1 because she's a totally self reliant, self confident, doesn't need other people character.

DD2 because she's the polar opposite loves and needs other people, and got very bored of just mum.

I also think that it's great your work does this. On the basis that parents who already use the nursery would be fine with it, and parents of older children (say 3/4+ would also be fine with it) it's really only a potential issue for parents of babies/toddlers who don't already use the nursery - I'm guessing a minority of parents - definitely less than the number who would struggle to find childcare on a random weekend day anyway!

Unless your dc are very young yabu. After all do you stay at every party they attend, sports session or activity and supervise them yourself ? At least this is a regular crèche with staff used to doing it and presumably you will be on site.

puppy play provider... is like a creche for dogs. They go and play with other dogs for a while while their people do other things. its like a dog walker, except um indoors.... (hides head in shame)

Ok, i think i am overthinking this, i just remember DS when he was little and he would not have taken kindly at all to being left with someone he didn't know. We didn't go out of an evening for the best part of 2 years until we found a babysitter we were confident with and who would come and meet him during the day. He'd have cried his eyes out if we'd just handed him to a stranger and gone 'get on with it'. And I suppose I was thinking of younger parents (of whom I am no longer one ) who might feel they had to volunteer and so use this service when they don't usually. as a rhetorical strategy management's 'no problem if you can't work saturday, the staff nursery has been opened specially for people like you'. makes it impossible to say 'actually, i will chose my child's carers thank you very much, and you didn't specify working saturdays in my contract, so i'm not doing it'. I would also worry that having turned up for work on the day, armed with the children, parents would feel that they couldn't back out even if their children were face down on the floor shrieking in fright at being left because they were somewhere strange with people they didn't know. No-one would recommend leaving a child in a strange place with strangers on the first day back to work after mat leave for example and most nurseries have policies about settling in.

oops. maybe I should've been clearer. This is a nursery that deals with under 5s usually. So Lizs for example. yes when he was 0-5 i did stay at every single party and event he went to. As did every other parent.

sorry I don't understand, so your dc are over 5 now ? This is an option to facilitate voluntary Saturday working , not a mandate . If employees have enough notice they may well be able to make other arrangements ie. husband/partner , grandparents or visit the nursery beforehand, if they do not normally use it for their dc. How many people realistically are going to be just dropping cold and working ?

I Def agree with pp that there are 2 issues here: age of children and number of children in family. Very different leaving a 1 year old solo (non verbal) child to leaving 2 siblings age 8 and 6,who can understand where and why they are being left, plus be bribed if necessary

As children get older it is far more common to leave them in unknown situations due to their experience and understanding. Also leaving them with a sibling (or siblings) makes a massive difference as that person is a key attachment figure, esp for the younger ones.

Yanbu for thinking this isn't appropriate for a child under 3 but any others up to 12 would probably be fine. Plus the crb checks etc are probably a red Herring as nurseries can't run in the UK without all that in place!

I wouldn't want to leave a preschool child in an unfamiliar childcare setting like that, but I'd be fairly happy to leave a school-aged child (relatively unlikely to be face down on the floor shrieking in fright at being left) there.