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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

TheWildRumpyPumpus · 28/04/2015 08:15

I would look to move both kids to childminders now (presuming that you can be confident which school they will attend). Then you aren't fighting with everyone else to get places once schools are allocated.

GraceGrape · 28/04/2015 08:15

I'm a teacher, working 3 days a week. M dd1 goes to the local village school where there is no after school club and no childminders. I have to use a private breakfast and after school club at the nursery where dd2 goes. It costs a fortune (£30 per day) but I worked out that I am still probably financially better off like this than doing something like childminding. Tutoring would be good but the key hours for tutoring are 4-7, so you still need after school childcare. The other advantage of teaching is that you don't have to pay for childcare in the holidays.

shewept · 28/04/2015 08:19

Have you looked into home schooling support. A fee friends of mine home school. They get their kids together twice a week to work with a tutor and some have the tutor individually if their child needs extra support in a certain area. The scope maybe limited but it could be during the day and support evening tutoring. So you didn't have to work every evening.

seventeen · 28/04/2015 08:28

Interesting thread.

I'm a teacher too. I've just changed my job for next year, in anticipation of exactly this problem. New role is flexi working so early/late but afternoons free for school pick up/sports days etc.

It's easy right now - I drop him at cm on the way to work and pick him up on the way home, but once we factor in school, it's a whole new problem!

Original poster

Catdogwormfrog · 28/04/2015 08:28

Yes it's really good about theholidays.

Home school support sounds interesting.

OP posts:

LadyCatherineDeTurd · 28/04/2015 08:40

If there's such a shortage of CMs near you, maybe you should do that instead of evening tutoring. By the sound of things, you'd be beating parents off with a shitty stick! But no, YANBU. We've not really needed much childcare so far, but now we have two and one is not much more than a year away from starting school, the logistics seem much more difficult. And I would make one fucking terrible CM myself.

EatShitDerek · 28/04/2015 08:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Catdogwormfrog · 28/04/2015 08:46

Lady- childminding is looking like a decent option at the minute although I don't think I could hack it all day.

I think a lot of people have grandparent to help around here

OP posts:

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 28/04/2015 09:08

I think your situation is pretty unique. For the vast majority of people, their children starting school makes things much, much easier in terms of childcare.

fairylightsbackintheloft · 28/04/2015 09:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lambsie · 28/04/2015 09:21

This and having severe sn in the mix as well is why I don't work. I used to teach but even part time would mean having to find childcare when there isn't any.

PurpleCrazyHorse · 28/04/2015 09:23

DH and I were working 9-5 jobs when DD started school and it was a nightmare. We obviously had school holidays to cover too, plus inset days and then the inevitable sickness. I'm now a SAHM.

We used a mix of childminder (after school) and private breakfast club (before school) which meant we had cover when CM was on holiday/unavailable and also in the holidays when breakfast club didn't run but DD was too young for a holiday club. We only saved about 1/3 of our childcare costs from DD being with a CM 3 days a week f/t to the cost of before/after school and holiday care costs from 5+yo.

LadyCatherineDeTurd · 28/04/2015 10:03

Maybe you could just offer wraparound OP. Assuming you close doors about 6ish, you might see more of the DC in the evenings than you would tutoring. Could even do term time only so you get the holidays. I know that sounds nonsensical, but there's one local to me who offers that and she's always full. She lives right near three primary schools, so with the staff there's a steady supply on the doorstep of people who only need 39 weeks a year covering.

blondegirl73 · 28/04/2015 10:13

You are absolutely not BU and that's why I get so RAGEY about stupid politicians and their fixation with 'free hours for 3 and 4 year olds'. I wrote a very angry blog about it the other day, actually.

I think your best bet is to find a childminder now. My kids have been with the same childminder since the youngest was tiny. She had them all day back then - took them to preschool when they were that age, and now takes and collects from school. She has them all day in the holidays/inset days/election days whatever. The downside is she does go on holiday herself obviously, unlike nurseries!

If you start looking now, even with a shortage of childminders locally, you're bound to find a good one by the time your children are at school.

nottheOP · 28/04/2015 10:17

DownWithThisTypeOfThing · 28/04/2015 10:24

Oh yes it's a pain.

Even if your school does have breakfast club/after school club, it's expensive ( if I wanted mine to go every day it's £55 per child per week). Which sounds good compared to nursery fees but breakfast club is 50 minutes and after school club is 2 hours. Which doesn't actually give you that much flexibility if you've got a 9-5 job.

Luckily my employer is very flexible and I can avoid using after school club so this helps.

Make friends with other working school parents. Sharing childcare for inset days etc halves the amount of leave you'll need to take. Better still if you've got 3-4 parents you can have a reciprocal agreement with.

It's hard. You will need to plan like never before. But as they get older it will ease off again with extra curricular activities, visits to friends, growing independence etc :-)

NoParking · 28/04/2015 10:26

We need 7.30am-7.30pm cover and the only solution was a nanny for the days I work. Once both kids are at school I'm thinking of breakfast club (if / when I can get a space for both kids in the right days) and an after school nanny who will also cover holidays - perhaps annualised hours. It might be easier if you only need term time after school - there must be people employed by holiday camps or plays genes who would be free in term time.

addictedtosugar · 28/04/2015 10:27

Anyone else near you who also works PT who could do with a hand getting the kids to school a few days a week?
You do a couple of days, they do a couple of days, til a place comes up a before / after school?

Could you offer before / after school, term time only child minding???

hennybeans · 28/04/2015 10:29

Like others, I think your best bet is too switch over to a childminder now/ put your name on their waiting lists.

I also wouldn't discount sending them to a private school. Yes, you would be working for tuition, but you could still keep your job and pension. I have school age DC and I spend a huge amount of my evening time taking them to various activities like swimming and dance. IME, with private, a lot of that is done at school for you so you drop them off early and the school takes care of everything, then you pick them up late and that's it.

Another option is moving somewhere with better provisions.

Most people I know here work part time, have family nearby, and use the after school clubs- or some combination.

DancingDinosaur · 28/04/2015 10:33

It depends where you are. I'm lucky as the local church run a breakfast club which starts at 7am and dinner club which finishes at 6.30pm. They drop off and pick up from school.

SingingHinnies · 28/04/2015 10:40

If there are a shortage of childminder's op and limited out of school care why not be a childminder yourself, have a couple of kids and do drop offs and pick ups with your DC's, that way you will have an income and be able to get the kids to school

gamerwidow · 28/04/2015 10:45

It doesn't help your situation op but this is why we chose a cm instead of nursery for dd. Get on a cm waiting list if you can. My cm has had dd since she was 14 months and the only thing that changed on the transfer to reception was the price. A good cm will also be there for inset days, holidays and other emergencies.

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