To ask parents of school aged children what hey do in the holidays?

[CherryChasingDotMuncher]

Having a chat with my friends yesterday, we all have kids under 4 (mine are 3.5 and new born). They are SAHMs, I work 3 days but currently on maternity leave. My 3.5yo is in nursery 2 days a week and will be until she goes to school in September. We were pondering what people who work do in half term holidays in terms of childcare. This sounds ridiculous but it's the first time I've thought "oh shit I only get 5 weeks holiday a year, who will look after them when they're off school and I run out of annual leave?!". DH is self employed so it's much harder for him to take holidays.

So can I ask what people do for childcare of small children who have to work in the holidays? I've planned to go back to work the first school day in January 2018 but I'm wondering if I may as well return after February 2018 half term (probably won't have enough holidays by then) save struggling to find child care.

This is why I work in a job I don't particularly like and I don't earn a great deal but it's term time only, school hours, so I get to take and collect as well.
They always have lots of clubs going on in the holidays and some places I think offer a discount if you book all week for example

Holiday club, round here there is a good choice of holiday clubs most of which run 8-6 and cost between 24-30ish £ a day.

Our council has a website where you can do a childcare search based on your postcode and you can search specifically for holiday clubs.

my son goes to holiday club and (thankfully) loves it!

Start looking and talking to people now. A lot is word of mouth. More activities they do more chances for holiday care e.g. Dancing, gymnastics all may run holiday care. A lot start at age 5 before that nursery may take. When childcare is running use it, we never go away in summer as there is lots of choice for childcare. Save your hols for half term and training days. A lot of holiday schemes are school hours only, working 5 short days v 3 normal days can be easier hols wise.

We used our youngest ones daycare last year but at £40 a day each it's a very expensive option for 3 kids

A mixture of annual leave, grandparents and school holiday club.

Lots of holiday clubs round where I live don't seem to take children under 5 so have stuck to the school run club up to now.

Holiday club.

The club I use take children from 4 years, once they are in school. I can pay per hour (I work short days, so just pay for what I need). Relatively cheap and cheerful, so not loads of sports etc, but the dcs get to play computer games, Lego, football and go to the park, so they love it.

Hire a teaching assistant as a holiday nanny. Eye wateringly expensive but it's only a few weeks a year.

Or Supercamps - marginally less expensive and will take them from 8-6 if necessary, but our local ones are so inconveniently situated that it does make for a very long day for all of us.

Or ship them off to grandparents for the week.

Grandparents cover 2 days and this summer we will use out of school club 2 days and DH working from home and keeping an eye on them one day. Try and get an out of school club where you can pay using vouchers via your employer so you get your tax back on it - makes a big difference. Our out of school arranges good trips and activities for full days.

You do also have be option of applying for Parental Leave. It's unpaid but you're entitled to (I think) 13 weeks for each child you have (the father is also entitled). Employer can't refuse it but can postpone it (which would obviously be no use) but best to apply as early as possible.

Parental leave can usually only be taken in full weeks.

We use our usual wrap around club who also run a fantastic holiday club, they are open long hours (7am-6.30pm) and take them out to the cinema, pond dipping, treasure hunts and even went on a tour of Wembley stadium last summer. They are utterly superb and a bargain at £30 per child per day. I'd be lost without them. They do more fun stuff with them than I could ever hope to.

Rather than working 3 days a week put in a request for annual hours. As others have said, parental leave - I'm on parental leave this week

We used to use a combination of childminder, holiday club, annual leave, grandparents, and friends who didn't say no quickly enough ;)

It was a massive pita and hugely expensive.

After three years of stress I got a term time job instead!

Mostly holiday clubs. I take some annual leave in Summer mainly but otherwise it's all holiday clubs although it can be hard to find ones with long enough hours to cover the full working day.
Many take childcare vouchers so if you are able to get those from your employer then that will help with costs.

Currently we use holiday clubs. We had a problem when DS was in his first year though as he turned 5 in the August. He couldn't use any of the holiday clubs until he was in Year 1. It was a nightmare and one of the reasons for me having to negotiate several weeks of unpaid leave with my employer.

Holiday club.
Work our holidays with our rest days so 2 days off 1 day holiday each that's 6 days covered.
Try to switch shifts so 1 work days the other lates.
Bloody hard work during hols. I'm on minimum wage & have to face the fact that during holidays we work effectively for free, with paying out childcare costs.
Just remember I'm setting a good example for them gets me through the shift

Holiday club from reception (aged 4).

Next year we will have NO holiday club as he will have turned 12. That's when life gets harder.....

Same here holiday clubs. Dh and I take separate weeks so we can cover more weeks holidays most of the time.it's the reason I'm still part time too.
Also look into childcare vouchers and see if that works for you if you haven't already.
Don't give up the job though. It's really hard the first few years but worth it when dc are teenagers and need money (mostly just to feed them!)

Holiday care at my son's ASC. They run exactly the same hours which is helpful and he loves it. I wouldn't ask someone who is not working - unless we were really able to do a mutually beneficial swap that worked for them too.

I work as a teacher, which i really dislike and really want to leave, but this problem in the holidays is the reason i stay.

When Our holidays dont match, 2-3 weeks a year, grandparents fight over them.

Childminders and annual leave here, very expensive and the kids get bored at the childminders (they think they are getting too old). Immmore concerned about what I'll do with them when they go to secondary, 8 just can't imagine leaving them for full days and toddling off to work...

Age 5 - 11 was a school holiday club which we also used for breakfast & after school care. Age 12 - 13 was a holiday club run by one of our employers which has recently had to close. We would always take a couple of weeks off together as a family, but the rest of our holiday was used for inset days, sickness cover etc. No family nearby and you can't expect to impose on friends in an emergency.

I do job that I think is beneath me, because it's term time only.

We juggle a combination of holiday club and annual leave. Last summer, I had my friends DD for 3 days and she had my DD in return the following week. It was a real help actually.
We unfortunately don't have any parents local enough to help otherwise that would take a few days off our hands too.

This February half term DS6 is spending 2 days in holiday club, 1 day with DH & 2 days with me.

This is pretty standard for holiday time. At Easter I'm taking him skiing (DH doesn't ski) & then he'll be in holiday club the 4 days of the other week.

Club is £20-25 a day so good value compared to Childminders & nursery.