To wonder how we can afford before and after school clubs?

[Dustbunnie]

My son turns 3 in October and he can start at the school nursery from the January (term after he turns 3).
Both me and my partner work, me part time and him full time, but our DS will need to go to morning & after school club due to the times we leave and get home after travel. He’ll only need to be there for half an hour before school and an hour after.
It’s £5.00 for the morning and £9.00 for the afternoon. I couldn’t believe the prices when I read them!
We are on universal credit which tops up our wages, can we get help towards these costs?! Otherwise it’s extortionate!

It should be cheaper then what you were paying before he started school nursery plus you will get the 30 hours which should reduce the overall bill. Do you work enough to qualify for that?

Surely you’re getting the free hours when he turns 3? That will be a massive reduction?

What are you doing now for childcare?

Childcare is so expensive!

What hours will he do at nursery?

Our school nursery is either 9-12 or 12.30-3.30 and you can’t do before or after school clubs at school until you’re in Reception as breakfast club is 7.45-8.30 and after school club 3.30-5 so there would be big gaps.

As above do they definitely do it for school nursery children? If they are in just mornings or afternoons?

Both my kids schools didn't do it. Great if they do, but yes, that's what I paid when ds was in full-time school.

I got tax credits or working tax credits (still don't know if there's a difference) which covered most of it, but I was single and didn't earn that much at the time.

You can use tax free childcare which will reduce your bill by 20%

Can you not try and tweak work hours so that you only need to use one of the clubs not both? It is a huge expense.

If you need it for childcare you really need to be looking at a private nursery as normally the wraparound care is for reception and above.

I suggest looking for a childminder that can do drop offs and pick ups at this school. It has to be cheaper than £14 a day.

He’s currently at a private nursery.
No chance we can tweak our hours as we both work in schools.
Currently we get the nursery bills paid for through universal credit.

Universal credit pays 80% of your childcare bill. You just need to submit the invoice each month.

That's cheap, ours come out at £20 a day for both morning and afternoon.

Might have to keep him at the private nursery until he starts reception then. I didn’t realise the wraparound care doesn’t include nursery.

As long as you are both working over 16 hours a week you will get the 30 hours free the term after he turns 3. That will help. UC will pay some of the remaining.

Most school nurseries will not let you use the breakfast and after school clubs as its a totally different adult ratio to children when they are younger.

Keep him where he is. Can you up your hours at all at work so you are more full time school hours?

@Dustbunnie

Might have to keep him at the private nursery until he starts reception then. I didn’t realise the wraparound care doesn’t include nursery.

I would check.

But if you ds is in the morning, they don't have after school club over lunchtime.

And if he is in afternoons they don't the equivalent of breakfast club, over lunch before afternoon starts.

And most just won't take kids under reception age, due to staffing. Worth enquiring though.

My childcare costs a similar amount but there's only me to pay it as a single parent (I'm on a low wage and don't get any child maintenance from the ex). School holiday childcare nearly kills me, it's around £90 pw.

It's much easier when there are two of you. It sounds like you need to create a budget to work out where your money is going so you can see if there is anything you can cut back on. Can you increase your work hours or look for another job that's full time?

That seems cheap, but actually it doesn't sound right for a nursery child (around here anyway). Are you sure you aren't looking at clubs for primary age children?

Wraparound care might include nursery. All 3 of mine went to school nursery and the private nursery provided wrap around care. It was more expensive than you have quoted though because I needed them to take them and drop them off.
You just need to ask the question.

@Dustbunnie

Might have to keep him at the private nursery until he starts reception then. I didn’t realise the wraparound care doesn’t include nursery.

All nurseries are different but most school based ones only offer morning or afternoon sessions so obviously the wraparound offer doesn’t really help.

What hours will he be doing at nursery?

Can you adjust hours so I've of you can drop him off and one pick up? Even if you can do that 3 days a week it would help. We've both consolidated full time over 4 days which means we only need 3 days childcare a week, we will continue this once DS is at school because you pay the same for an hour and a half after school club add you do for thirty minutes

UC still pay up to 85% for wraparound care

Are you sure he’ll be able to attend? At ours no nursery children are allowed, then reception are only able to do breakfast club. After school doesn’t let reception attend until after Christmas.

My DS stayed at private nursery until
Reception for this reason

After school clubs are usually only for primary aged children. Some local private nurseries do drop off and pick up to the nearest nursery school but the DC stay at the private nursery for the rest of the day and the full daily rate is charged.

Our school offers wrap around care for the nursery children, we used it and were able to claim it as part of our 30 free hours, the wrap around care was classed as a 2nd provider because they were a separate business to the school, but otherwise no issues once it was set up. DD did 3 days a week, full day at nursery and then after school club.

I don't know about universal credit though I'm afraid, but surely if they are paying towards your childcare fees now, then they would continue to do so?

My school lets nursery children do wrap around sessions, so clearly some do.

That seems really cheap, our before and after clubs come to £20 a day. Keep him in private nursery if universal credit are paying.