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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect pre-school to sort out childcare during holidays

341 replies

Springishere0 · 23/05/2017 13:39

My toddler will be eligible for 30 free hours' childcare from September. We have two options for pre-school: one at the primary school near us and one at the private nursery he goes to now. It's great that they offer this, but the only problem is that both do not have any childcare cover during holidays. My husband and I both work and do not get enough holidays to cover 13 weeks; plus, it would be nice if all of us could be off at the same time!

Holiday clubs etc. do not cater for three-year olds and we do not have any family that could look after our child for a whole day. My sister lives abroad and says their pre-school offers paid childcare all year round. AIBU to think that it's ridiculous that pre-schools are not sorting out cover during school holidays? What are we supposed to do?! Angry

OP posts:
JassyRadlett · 23/05/2017 17:17

What will you do when he goes to school?

Maybe she'll RTFT, and see what she herself wrote in answer to that question pages ago.

GerdaLovesLili · 23/05/2017 17:19

Why the snark? Until recently there were Surestart centres that offered the free hours during term-time and you paid for top-up extra hours during the holidays and any over the 15 during the term. Then the Terrific Twos thing happened and Surestart funding got axed. Many of the centres decided to take only over Twos and only for the funded 15 hours a week, leaving parents who had relied on them to work, up the creek without a paddle: no wrap-round-care, no holiday care, and if you had an under two- no care at all. Lots of private nurseries wouldn't offer the free 15 hours because they found the funding inadequate to cover their staffing costs, and there weren't suddenly more child-minders and nursery places to cover the loss of Sure-Start places. It sucked. It still sucks.

The UK should be supporting parents of children under school age to work, and there should be easily available child-care to facilitate this. I don't think OP is suggesting that she should get more than the free hours that she has been offered for free, just that more private nurseries should accept free hours during term-time and deduct the cost from the total bill and that they should provide holiday care, or that there should be the equivalent of the wrap-round care that schools provide for school-age children available for pre-school aged children. Other countries manage this very well, some other countries even manage to provide it free at the point of delivery, why can't we?

StealthPolarBear · 23/05/2017 17:33

Surely there must be a mistake? Very unusual nursery that won't offer ft places for 3 and 4 year olds

cheminotte · 23/05/2017 17:37

Are you absolutely sure there is no cover? My DS went to a nursery attached to a private school. At 3 he went to pre-school (complete with uniform) and we started getting billed termly rather than monthly. But there was a holiday club available and you could pick and choose which days you wanted. Same location, same staff.

Tazerface · 23/05/2017 17:40

There's no private nursery in your area that will take the 30 free hours as part payment? I don't think you've looked hard enough.

Topseyt · 23/05/2017 17:44

It is a transient problem common to many, many parents of preschool children. It will gradually resolve itself as your child gets older, but for now I really cannot see that you have any option except to swap to another nursery or childcare option that meets your needs as they are NOW.

Either that or you will end up joining the club frequented by those of us who were forced to stop working for a time because of childcare issues.

I must admit that I do have some sympathy with your point about the 30 free hours a week because I had the impression that it was a policy supposed to help and encourage working parents, although my youngest is now 14 so it wasn't around for us anyway and I didn't need to look too far into it.

NotISaidTheWalrus · 23/05/2017 17:48

I only get the legal minimum holidays, so how can I look after my child during school holidays?

Same as every other fucker does, you pay someone to mind them for you¬!

BikeRunSki · 23/05/2017 18:03

Why can't the child stay at the private nursery and OP pay top up out of term time? Did I miss something?

liquidrevolution · 23/05/2017 18:08

Umm there are term time private nurseries which do holiday clubs. My DD goes to one... She is 2.9.

StealthPolarBear · 23/05/2017 18:11

Bike the op says the nursery only offers the funded place for three year olds - no option to top up

SocksRock · 23/05/2017 18:12

I don't have any help during the holidays. I work 20 hours a week, preschool covers 15 of this. I pay for extra preschool sessions during the term and in the holidays I pay for my 3yo to go to private nursery that is open all year round. It costs me £60 per day. On top of the £60 per day I pay for the older two to go to a play scheme, it actually costs me money to work during the holidays. Just got to suck it up I'm afraid.

Belfastbap · 23/05/2017 18:18

If his nursery currently offer term time only, how is the OP managing to work at present?

Or am I being dense.?

Piratesandpants · 23/05/2017 18:21

Op, you are getting a hard time because of the entitled time if your posts. However, I do understand your point. At 3, my youngest was happiest at pre-school rather than nursery (the style and activities suited him more) but we were stuck during the holidays as holiday clubs seem to only start from reception age. It's difficult to get a bursary place or childminder just for the holidays.

mygorgeousmilo · 23/05/2017 18:25

Ummmm it's free. Anything over and above the free times you pay. If you need holidays to be covered then young choose the private nursery and then payback for the additional hours.

StealthPolarBear · 23/05/2017 18:37

Belfast the implication is he's under 3 and they do offer full time then. But when he turns 3 it's 30 hours only

misscarlar · 23/05/2017 18:54

We have had 30 hours free since September ( pilot area) our nursery is open all year and allow us to stretch so we get 22 hours funding all year round

bunnylove99 · 23/05/2017 19:23

I don't think the OP deserves the downright nasty comments she has been getting here. The system is not set up well to help parents work and it's clearly very hard to arrange continuity of care for preschool children. Her wishes are not unreasonable. She isn't asking for extra free help and wanting all round care for her child doesn't make her 'selfish' or 'entitled' what a lot of tosh! OP you will likely need to find a nursery that both provides the government free hours and let's you top it up. It's a shame you didn't realise that sooner. I sent mine to a local authority nursery which opened all year round because it provided for children with special needs, so they kept it all open. I hope you find something soon.

BackforGood · 23/05/2017 19:31

There are around 450 non maintained Nursery settings in my Local Authority. I can tell you that over 2/3 of them are open all year round. Now, I know this is a big authority, but I presume the proportion is the same in most parts of the UK. Then there are all the CMers in addition.
It really isn't rocket science to work out that if you need year round childcare, you choose a childcare option at a setting that provides it. I can't believe that anyone thinks this is a strange thing to do.

AllMyBestFriendsAreMetalheads · 23/05/2017 19:36

It used to be free education for the child. Now it's free childcare for the parents. It's a subtle change.

If it's childcare, I can see an argument that it should be all year round. If it's education, it makes sense that it's term time only.

The government call it childcare.

NoSquirrels · 23/05/2017 19:39

So are you saying, OP:

That you chose a nursery that only offers full time year round care up to 3 years old.

Then its preschool room/setting (3+) only offers care for school terms, and has NO provision for the children that used to be cared for year-round?

That sounds so unusual as to be extremely unlikely- it would be a terrible business decision if nothing else.

Why did you choose that nursery in the first place?

FeistyColl · 23/05/2017 20:12

It sounds as if you have chosen a day nursery with a highly unusual set up. I worked for many years in the early years sector and have never come across a day nursery that has different opening times for different age groups. I assume when you say 'moving to preschool' that your nursery refers to their 3-5s room as 'preschool'. That is not unusual - what seems bizarre is that this room operates for different periods of time to the other rooms. I can't get my head round that.

Stabbytheunicorn · 23/05/2017 20:19

The 30 funded hours are irrelevant. You would have had this issue regardless of how many funded hours you received.

So you should have made plans to find a more flexible setting that your child could attend all year round rather than one that swaps to term time when they are 3.

As for the "free" 30 hours.. are you aware that each hour will be subsidised by every setting that offers it? The funding given by central government will not cover the cost for each child's place. If something costs £5.70 per hour to deliver and yet you are only given £4 (or £3, or anything in between depending where your setting is) but you're told, no you can't charge the difference, you have to absorb the difference.

The government 30hr "free" policy looks great in a manifesto, but until the government decide to fund it properly, or change some rules so settings can ask parents to pay the difference this scheme will never work.

Vroomster · 23/05/2017 21:03

I have never heard of a private nursery that changes its hours to term time only for children over 3. Why would you do that.

Willow2017 · 23/05/2017 21:10

Leave your child where he us and pay the difference. The 30 hours are only for term time but some nurseries average it out o st the year so you pay the same each month. If yours doesn't then you will either have to move to one that does or pay for your own child's care same as every one else.

Why the hell is it the pre schools job to be open and free for you in term time?
The clue is in the name. He doesn't have to go to preschool he will get exactly the same care in nursery.

Bluntness100 · 23/05/2017 21:17

Same as every other fucker does, you pay someone to mind them for you¬!

That actually made me bellow with laughter. Very true.😂