To ask what you pay for before and after school care? Astounded at the cost

[thinkingmakesitso]

I have a 6 & 8 year old and it is the best part of £500 to put them in before and after 5 days a week . And it doesn't even start early enough for us...

That is more than my mortgage and is just not affordable. STBEX has been providing it up to now, but the tosser has been asked to leave his accommodation and has no job, so may need to move back to his parents, 90 minutes away.

So I will need to pay all this myself and will get nothing from him either. My other option is to let him move back to the spare room but I really can't face that either and feel it would confuse the children and lead to an unpleasant atmosphere.

But those fees I just can't believe. How do people afford it? Why do people talk as if once they reach school age childcare is no longer much of an issue? I can pay it, just, but it will be the end of treats/having any savings/ feeling that we are 'comfortable'. . I get all the tax credits I am entitled to btw.

AIBU to think the cost extortionate?

£368 per four weeks. That's just for one child Monday - Thursday after school until 6pm and Monday - Wednesday 8am - school.

£7 a day. Except I don't use it as sahm now. Previously I lived in fear of it folding!

I have thought about an au pair, but I don't think it is any cheaper - in fact would cost more as I couldn't do the voucher thing. Would be flexible, though, as my other problem is the hours of the club aren't really enough for me...

A lodger is looking like a distinct possibility, though scary too.

We pay £4.50 for breakfast club from 7.30am and £12 for after school until 6pm. Both run at school by staff employed by the school. Same price for last 6 years. No sibling discount.

Thanks for all the replies - I just don't know how people afford these fees, especially on my sort of income - not huge (not HR tax-payer), but too much to qualify for much help.

Sounds like you are just going to have to do what you can to minimise your other outgoings for the next few years. Can you extend your mortgage term to reduce monthly payments? Are you claiming maintenance from your ex's??? If not, you really do need to.

Look for a nanny share??

Astounded by these wrap-around care costs. DS's school fees at present are £700 per month, including 8-6 before and after school care inc. lunch and some clubs.

I'm also astounded at all these costs, and relieved I live in a 'deprived' area. A lot of schools around here have a free breakfast club, because without it the children wouldn't eat.

Before school is 8-9, £3 per day, per child.
After school is 3:15-6. £7:50 per day, per child.

So £10 a day.

I think there is a slight reduction for siblings and again for full week.

Gosh, I only have one ex, Random! No point claiming maintenance as I know he has nothing. Well, at least we had a good holiday this year . Don't know how he will look his kids in the eye as they grow up .

Sorry, I think the £10 is for both sessions..

£3 breakfast
£7:50 tea
£10 both.

We live in a deprived area of the North East and our childcare costs would be similar to yours for wraparound care for two - mornings £5 each, afternoons £10 each. This equates to £5850 for a 39 term year, plus £40 each per day during the holidays. In total, we'd pay approximately £8kpa in childcare.

For the sort of utterly crap salary I could now earn, I worked out that after petrol costs and childcare, I'd net about £3k pa for a FT job.

How will you be covering the 13 weeks school holiday, now that your ex is/may be moving away?

Fortunately I am a teacher. I really feel for people who have to fund holiday care on top of this.

£2 breakfast club. £5 short afternoon club to 4.30 £8 to 6 with hot dinner. So £10 max with 2 meals. It's packed out!!!

Sorry I misunderstood when you said "the ones that are his as well as mine" I thought you had another child from a previous relationship

If he is claiming JSA he still has to pay.

I live in a very deprived town in the NW. Local school doesn't have breakfast and after school clubs, so parents use the nearby private nursery.

£9 for breakfast club
£16 for after school club.

Having two children I would need to pay £50 a day for wrap around care. Couldn't possibly afford that.

city in NW
breakfast club £3
afterschool £6. afterschool only runs 3.30-5.30 though. I'd rather pay more for it to open until 6 and be able to stay in the office a little later.

I live in the NE, so deprived area overall but we live in a naice part of town. Wrap around care at the private nursery my youngest goes to is £8 per child per day for the morning session and £12 per child per day for the afternoon session. Very convenient to have a single pick up for all the kids and the care there is excellent (Ofsted Outstanding, and they have fanastic staff, lots of whom have been there years and have looked after all three of my kids).

School reputedly have an after school club but I know no-one who uses it, more useful are the activities that happen after school on site, my kids go to football until 6pm on one night per week, and that only costs £4.50 per child per session. Maybe investigate if there are any options like that to save yourself money.

Our mortage is only half that of our monthly childcare costs (3 kids), and we pay more in August because the older two need to be in all day childcare. Still cheaper than what we pay for the 2 year old thankfully.

The asc is $25 a day per child here in Sydney (not sure about bsc - it might be all inclusive). That's $125 a week which is about £63 converted. So two children £126 and it's basically the same as what you are paying. Wow .... $1000 a month for 2. Never really thought about it. However, they don't make a lot out of it. Staff, insurance and other overhead costs eat up most of that.

A lodger is looking like a distinct possibility, though scary too.

Have a look at www.mondaytofriday.com or www.spareroom.co.uk for a Monday - Friday lodger. You'll still have your house to yourself for weekends.

I did this when I worked in London and was often only there Tues - Thurs.

Actually higher earners only get £124 a month tax free in childcare vouchers. The tax on £124 is not very much.

When DD was in a crèche for afterschool club, they collected her and fed hot dinner daily. It was €408 per month from 2pm to collection (open until 6.30pm), 5 days a week. At the time they weren't doing breakfast club but I know they are now doing that and a drop off to school. Those fees are from 2011, so have risen a little since.

Now, DD is in afterschool club in school, so she can do extracurricular activities in school. The ECAs are roughly €55 each per 10 week term for an hour a day (so we pay about €275-300 twice a year for 5 different activities), and the afterschool club is €6 an hour - from end of school/ECAs to 6pm, including a hot snack (rather than dinner) and homework supervision. We really only moved as DD wanted to do the ECAs and crèche couldn't collect at any time other than end of school.

I also have a minder coming to the house for an hour before school, to supervise DD getting up and breakfasted, and dropping her to school. She charges €12.50 a day for that hour as it is early (7.30am start).

Would a live in au pair be an option? I think they are less than £100 per week and you might be able to negotiate school holidays.......
Sorry if someone has already suggested this haven't hd time to read all posts.

£15 a day or £70 a week for 7.30am to school and school to 6pm, including breakfast and dinner.