Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To think childcare gets more complicated as children go to school

47 replies

Catdogwormfrog · 28/04/2015 07:30

Currently I work 2 days a week and I'm a teacher and I work about half an hour away from where I live. Dp also a teacher. We both start at 8.25

We have two kids 2 and 9 months. Both go to nursery on the days I work at a nursery next door to my work. It's open 8 til 6 so I can drop them off with a fees minutes to spare. It's easy.

I'm thinking about when they are at school now. There is a shortage of childminders in our area, our neighbours couldn't get one. And before school club only has 10 spaces and don't take reception! After school club is also limited so many of the children get a minibus to another local school for it.

How do you all manage?? Is there something I'm missing?
I would love to be told iabu.

(Because of out jobs, starting an hour later isn't really feasible, although I will be cheeky and ask! And we don't have family nearby)

OP posts:

Sirzy · 28/04/2015 07:34

Are there other schools with better afterschool facilities which you could feesibly get into?

Can you get on childminders lists now to move over?

Do nursery do any school drop off/pick ups?

Marmaladedandelions · 28/04/2015 07:34

If it's just an hour or so before and after school for 2 days a week wouldn't an au pair be an option?

LineRunner · 28/04/2015 07:34

I only managed because I found a childminder who took my older child to school, while I took the younger one. (Infant and Junior schools on different sites!) I found the childminder through word of mouth locally, as she wasn't advertising via the Council at that time. So do talk to other local parents.

It's really difficult, I agree.

Nothavingfunrightnow · 28/04/2015 07:34

YANBU and neither are you being "cheeky" to ask to start work later - as far as I know (and I could well be wrong!) you are entitled to ask for flexible working hours.

HappySunflower · 28/04/2015 07:35

Your best hope is to move them to a childminder before your lest starts school. That way your foot will be in the door space wise. I would start looking as soon as you can as good childminders do get booked up quite far in advance.
Would your husband consider dropping his hours to work three days a week? That way you wouldn't need any childcare at all.
All of that said, you have two years I suppose, so a lot could happen in that time.

Momzilla82 · 28/04/2015 07:36

It is tricky. YADNBU. And you haven't got to worry about covering the half term and summer holidays. Then there's when they're ill. If we had to cover those out of our annual leave entitlement then we'd never be able to go on holiday as a family.

But plenty of people will be along to tell you YABU as school is not childcare (even though as a teacher you know this).

This is why we chose a school with great wrap around care 745-6pm, and a holiday club.

thecatfromjapan · 28/04/2015 07:38

Try and find an au pair share; advertise to find another parent in the same boat and swap childminding duties for each other; sabotage your career (or, occasionally, dh's); put pressure on scho to increase their childcare provision.
You really do have my sympathy: it's ridiculously over-hard.

Original poster

Catdogwormfrog · 28/04/2015 07:42

Thanks. I know it's a while away but I'm the type to worry well in advance!

Schools very competitive around here so I imagine this is the only school we'll get into. I can't beleive they only have 10 spaces in breakfast club for a school Whig has 3 classes in each year group!

I'm considering maybe quitting my job and tutoring on an evening. Or looking for some probably non existent 9.30 til 2.30 job!

OP posts:

Icimoi · 28/04/2015 07:45

Absolutely! I found it much more straightforward when all I had to organise was child care all day every day I was at work. Once they were at school there were all the complications of getting them picked up, often at different times, plus half terms, holidays, teacher training days, days off for illness etc etc.

shewept · 28/04/2015 07:46

Childcare for school age children is more difficult.

When the kids were under school age working ft was a breeze. I used nursery for the old one 2 days a week and the rest was split between me and dh. The younger one didn't need nursery, we could manage between us.

But now both are at school. With the 3.25 finish, inset days, holidays, sick days, friends if the school meetings, fairs, bun sales, book sales, sports days, family days, aspire mornings, last minute assemblies and concerts. Working ft became more difficult. Then add on the old HT who used to basically thank everyone for coming to these things and its such a shame so many parents don't support their kids like we do. So basically calling parents who couldn't make it, crap.

It became such a pita that me and dh opened our own business at home. Built it up, then I left work. Then we built it some more, paid the mortgage off and he left. So we both work from home. We are very lucky and think its a real struggle for parents who both work.

BuyMeAPony · 28/04/2015 07:49

We have the same problem here. I was considering stopping work anyway but it was the nail in the coffin of my career. Well, temporarily.

Anyhoo, lots of parents work part time, so many of my friends traded each others' kids if they worked different days. Some others shared "nannies" - usually local students. Once we got to know each pther better, people took other people's kids to after school activities. But it mainly seems to be very cobbled together while everyone waits for places to come up and before and after school care.

LadyCybilCrawley · 28/04/2015 07:50

I have a white board on the wall of the family room which gets updated each Sunday for the coming week to include all school, sport, doctors, groups, hobbies, Birthday parties, etc

It looks like a gant chart

Each person is color coded including form of transport and responsibility for transport

We review each night at family dinner (and we always have family dinner regardless of day no matter how late - within reason of course)

I have a local university student who helps me with transport (school to sport practice for example) for extra money

I actively recruit other mums for carpools where it makes sense and we can help each other out and I make sure to help them whenever asked so I can feel confident of return favour when necessary

This is quite possibly not helpful - sorry

Original poster

Catdogwormfrog · 28/04/2015 07:52

Thanks for the support. I'm impressed that people manage.

I'd love to have my own business, we both would. But have no idea what we'd do so that's rubbish.

My current thinking is train as a childminder which I don't fancy doing really, doing any tutoring I can get on an evening and marking exams in the summers. But then there's pensions etc to worry about!

We had even thought about private schooling as the wrap around care is better and there one next to where I work so drop off not too hard. But looking at the figures, is be working to pay for their schooling, and with decent schools around here I don't see the benefit

OP posts:

Morelikeguidelines · 28/04/2015 07:53

Having au pairs has worked for us.

Dd's school has no before school club and you can only have one after school activity club (so one day) per week (nothing in reception).

Alwaysfrank · 28/04/2015 07:55

A couple of the TAs at our school look after children before/after school. I have also known one or two staff from local nursery schools (not day nurseries) do this.

Good luck you are right, it does get harder!

Littlemonstersrule · 28/04/2015 07:58

For us it was much easier as the school ran its own before/after school childcare on the premises. Much easier than the pre school years.

If you only work two days maybe another parent will be willing to help in exchange for childcare by you on other days.

Ledkr · 28/04/2015 07:59

Agree totally, and you won't even have the holidays to cover.
Dd goes in September and I'm lucky that the after school club is a good one with vacancies.
The holidays are a nightmare tho, especially for dd1 who although is 13 doesn't really want to spend the whole day alone.

Marmaladedandelions · 28/04/2015 08:03

I have a big age gap between my eldest and my younger 2. DD2 will start school in 2020 with her sister in the school year above. By that time, their brother will be in year 9. I don't know whether I can ask him to do collections and pick ups for money or whether that's too much to ask

munchkinmaster · 28/04/2015 08:04

I'm going to look to start later and hire and after school nanny type person. I also wondered about sharing with my pal. Take hers two days per week.

Mine are two years away from this. To be fair it's one of the reasons may get a nanny for dd2.

What I do know is I'm stuck working part time.

toomanywheeliebins · 28/04/2015 08:04

YANBU. I work three days, my husband works ft. Our eldest child starts reception in Sept. There is thankfully a breakfast club.
The school is some distance from our nursery so DH is looking at various 'crate bikes' to transport them both. Car is out because it's London and would take forever. School nursery just half days so no use for working parents and school finishes at 3.15. The after school club is not on site and significant distance in wrong direction.
My husband has just requested to reduce hours to help with one pick up and we have to pay a currently mythical person to do the rest. Which will mean our childcare costs will increase and that's before we think about the holidays. Just exhausting

Sirzy · 28/04/2015 08:04

Marmalade just as a warning I know our school won't let anyone under 16 pick up.

bigbutsrus1 · 28/04/2015 08:05

Make lots friends I wouldn't be able to manage if my friends who I have met through my children growing up didn't drop them off to school! I work three days a week and we all share the school runs out. Or if someone is a stay at home mum I have hers for tea or if she needs to be somewhere. I don't feel bad as I often drop them at 8 and they walk to school at 8.30, so not too much trauma!

flora717 · 28/04/2015 08:09

I'd love to be a childminder (they are needed here) I am a SAHM at the moment (training to be a TA), but our private tenancy does not allow it.

TheEggityOddity · 28/04/2015 08:09

I think if you are proactive and ask mums who already do the drop off and pick up, you may find someone willing to do it for you as a very low level childminding service. I'm pretty sure there is a law that a couple of hours is below the childminding framework threshold.

littlesupersparks · 28/04/2015 08:13

My children go to a school where I could find a childminder rather than a local one. Is that an option?

Flip

1 2