To be struggling with nursery only opening at 8

[humpbackwhalestail]

I am a teacher and have to be at work for 8:20.

Nurseries only open at 8 which means I’ve had to choose the closest one. It still gives me a tight margin for getting to school, parking, getting into school and to morning briefing/meetings.

AIBU to wish there was a bit more flexibility with childcare?

It's tough isn't it. Some open earlier but they're few and far between.

Child minder? Or do you have a partner who can do drop off?

Plenty of nurseries open at 7.30, there's childminders, nannies, au pairs...how much flexibility do you want.

There aren’t any childminders I like locally. I’m a single parent. Thank you

Cronuts possibly they do, but none near me!

An au pair wouldn’t be suitable and I haven’t the room anyway and I certainly can’t stretch to a nanny.

My DDs nursery opens at 7.30 but is advertised as opening from 8 as you have to pay extra for the 7.30-7.45 drop off, is it worth asking the Nursery if they open a bit earlier if you pay?

Is there one nearer work?

It’s the closest one to work. I have asked all of them re opening hours but they are all 8o clock.

It just makes it all quite hard as then you’re battling with peak hour traffic, too.

A neighbour of mine is an unofficial childminder, she drops children off at local schools and Nurseries for parents who start before the schools/Nurseries open, try something like that?

It is hard OP. All you can do in the circumstances is make your boss aware of the situation and that you're doing your best and keep in mind that it won't be forever.

Yanbu.

I've no idea why some people come on here talking shit about getting nannies and au pairs, as though everyone just has it within their means to employ someone and the cost and everything else that goes with it.

Not to mention finding a good one that you actually trust.

It's tough op, I won't just leave my dc anywhere with anyone, finding affordable childcare that you like and trust, that also is flexible is not always easy.

My ds nursery opens at 8. Even if I found earlier childcare I'm not going to just pull him out of somewhere that he's settled.

Thanks, it is hard isn’t it! I know it doesn’t last forever but I just wish there was a bit more flexibility with childcare.

Could you look into nanny sharing?

I live in a small town and all of the nurseries now open at 7.30 so I was just suprised that there isn't one near you that does. I'm assuming your very rural then if you know each childminder well enough to dislike them.

@woolly it's hardly talking shit, plenty of nannies are self employed so no need to become an employer and some do job share etc which can even work out cheaper that nursery especially for those of us who have more than 1 dc.

Have you explained the situation to your work? They can’t be annoyed at you if you’re late some days, it’s totally out of your control.

Revisit the childminders? The whole day in teaching goes to pot if you start late doesn't it.

I find the 6pm finish hard as I’d prefer to have childcare near to our home but traffic in my area can mean I arrive home any time between 5.30 and 6.15 and I’m very conscious that being late to a nursery stops people going home so don’t want to risk it.

The nursery my dd goes to is open from 8 but if you ask them (and pay an extra fiver) they can go from half 7 but they dont advertise this. Maybe yours wpuld do the same if ypu asked?

Teaching isn’t really like other jobs. They can be annoyed at me because the children are there at 8:30 needing to be registered.

Not particularly rural. I suppose it just depends where you live.

Nannies aren’t really a “thing” here. I don’t know anyone with a nanny at all.

Sympathies op, childcare hrs and getting to work can be difficult... Will he or she go to your school, when the time comes, or is that just too far away to think about yet

I teach secondary but no I don’t really like children attending the same school as their parents. Too many possibilities for awkwardness.

I have a similar issue. There are 4 nurseries within a 10 minute walk of a train station. The earliest opening nursery is 7.45. One doesn't open until 9 (pre school, no breakfast club). I've been offered a job after 3 years as a sahm but am probably going to have to turn it down as I can't find childcare. I need to be on the train before 8 and the 7.45 opening nursery is just too tight to drop off and make the train. I can't find a childminder for the morning, can't start job any later in the day. We're in a commuter town so I assume other parents must be using nannies/au pairs/all the child minders as the timings just don't work. Pretty gutted .

Oh it is a pain isn’t it. I’m a teacher and Ds goes to the school I work in (but a different bit) we have weekly staff meetings that start at 8am, but I can’t drop him off until 8am on the other side of the campus so am always a couple of minutes late. Even though he’s onsite!

I sympathise OP.

I remember having to drop off at the nursery for 8am and needing to catch the 8:15 train for work.

I'd literally be waiting outside the nursery for 8am, running in, chucking my children at the nearest staff member, running to the car to drive 0.1 of a mile and then sprinting to the station.

My nursery did do an earlier start, but charged on top of the normal day rate. I only needed an extra 5-10 minutes but would have had to pay the full fee, so I just struggled on. For 3 years!!!

I sympathise too OP. Luckily DS's nursery opens at 7:45 - that 15minutes makes a world of difference to me!