2FT job and after school care....how?

[fhgr308090]

How on earth are people with FT jobs meant to manage with school aged kids. Ok this might sound stupid. Until now DT were both in nursery four days a week 8.30 till 5.30. We both work FT and whilst I might be able to do the drop offs, there is no way that we can pick them up as we live and work in London with a min.1hr commute. Cant go p/t as my job does work that way and DH's wont get it as he's the man.

Everyone tells me that kids hate after schools clubs when they are still little (which I get, four-year-olds thrown in a room with bigger kids doesnt seem like a welcoming environment). How does everyone else manage? Just checked and school finishes at 3.15 and then what? We've only just moved to a new area so dont have any local parents to ask. How do you plan the week if you both work FT. I thought nursery drop offs and pick ups were hard but what do people do with reception aged kids?

Not all kids hate after school clubs.
You could do ASC or hire a child minder to pick your children up and have them until 6pm, which is the standard pick up time.

I used a childminder until Year 1 and then after school club.

The local nursery might do an after school club (where they pick up) or try and reach out to local childminders who do pick ups from that school. Quite a few in our area do after school child minding.

It’s either after school club or a childminder. There isn’t really any other choice.

My DS loves after school club by the way so it’s not universally hated by younger ones.

My kids love after school club, although I felt a bit guilty at first. Give it a try.

I had a nanny until my daughter was in year 5. But she was at a school with breakfast club from 8am and after school club until 6pm. It's just my hours were longer than that and I couldn't make it for 6pm

We are definitely happy to try an after-school club, it's just that everyone has been cautioning us against it. Where we used to live everyone just used a nanny but I wasnt sure whether it would be difficult to find someone for two or three days. We've always used a nursery setting because it seemed easier, so might have to branch out and look for a childminder.

Get a nanny, use a childminder or send them to after school & breakfast club. For us a childminder has worked well because she provides wrap around and meals and also works the school holidays.

DS1 is 5, in Year 1, has been getting picked up by childminder 4 days a week since he started in reception. Doesn't hate it, doesn't love it, does sometimes ask why other kids all get picked up by parents which makes me sad but we just can't do it.

We have a brilliant childminder.

I’m always amazed by how many families seem to manage to do all drop off & pick ups but my dc thoroughly enjoy going to the cm and are really well looked after.

Good cm are in demand though - get booked in early!

Since you're a bit worried that they'll be with older kids at an afterschool club, my son's nursery used to have an afters afterschool for kids under 8 if there's anything like that in the area.

Not sure what you mean by local parents, do you mean your own parents helping with childcare or your child's classmates'/friends' parents?

Childminders and after school clubs. Even if I knew local parents I wouldn’t never ask them to have my children every pick up, the first two are your only option. It’s really very normal

Also if you are in circles where everyone uses a nanny, then it doesn’t surprise me that these same people would “warn” you about after school clubs. After school clubs are the reality for most people and there are many benefits to having your children mix with different age groups too

Oh by local parents, I meant that we dont have anyone else local to ask what they do and how they manage it. Most of our friends use nannies and there weren't any childminders where we use to live. But I don't think anyone uses nannies in in our new area.

How did everyone go about finding a local childminder? And how early did you start looking? DT will be going into reception next year. We obviously won't know which school they'll be going to until April (I think). So when do we need to start looking and booking a childminder

Our primary school has an AS club but only for 2 hours so 3pm-5pm and no local childminders that so pickup so we had to change hours. DH moved to 7am - 3pm and I did 9.30pm - 5.30pm. That way I did drop off and DH did pick up.

Honestly DD never loved AS club, she didn't hate it and had fun most days but she was tired by the time she left. Since Covid we've been lucky enough to move to permanent WFH so now do pick up, then DD just plays at home while we work.

You can look on childcare.co.uk or if you have Facebook I look for recommendations on there good luck! Its a minefield

We paid a local child minder to pick up, look after children at home, it's tough going in the early years.

I flexed my hours and work 7-3:30. School is close enough that I can get there for pickup.

Prior to that, it was a combination of the after school club/creche and a childminder.

I always used a childminder. I found it more caring & personal environment than an afc, and also more flexible around my hours & traffic!

My two go to ASC. DD1 hates it, allegedly, although sometimes will grudgingly admit it was okay. DD2 has loved it from day one.

One thing I would say about ASC is you still have to give them dinner so if you pick them up later it can all be a bit rushed. DH usually tries to get there at 4.45. Childminders are better in this respect because they will feed them.

I used a local FB group for recommendations, ours is amazing and actually helped out with DS1 when baby DS was rushed into hospital one night, its not her DS1 dislikes but more that he doesn't get home until later, sometimes one of us can finish early and surprise him by picking him up and he gets really happy about that. He had made friends at the CM though with kids in different year groups which I actually really like, it means he knows other kids throughout the school not just his own class.

works the school holidays.

This is a good thing to remember, a child minder isn't just for term time, they could do school holidays too. could be easier than juggling different holiday clubs in different places/times etc.

My DH and I both worked full time but we were able to arrange some flexible working too.

I did a half day on Wednesdays so could do pick-up then.

DH used to come home early on Tues and Thurs so could do pick up then.

DS went to a childminder every morning and Monday and Friday afternoons.

Later a breakfast club started and I started working from home on Wednesdays, so I was able to use the childminder a bit less.

DS school didn't and still doesn't have an after-school club as the local childminders have consistently lobbied against it.

As for the holidays we used a mix of annual leave, childminder, school holiday schemes and my mum doing the odd week here and there.

Childminders or after school club.

I used both for ds. Childminder until end of year 1 and then she was moving away so we joined the local ASC. They picked up from local schools and it ran in a centre.

Ds loved it!