To ask your children’s experience of wraparound

[coralpig]

My children are preschool age and have been attending nursery part time since a you age where they are happy and settled. I was a teacher and left about a year ago for a breather and now work as a private tutor part time. It’s been a dip in income but better for my health. I had planned to go full time when my children reach school age.

Im now reading more about wraparound and school hours and feel that school doesn’t suddenly make things less complicated but potentially less for working parents. I miss working with others and have contemplated going back to my old job or a similar full time job but it would mean long days for my children at school and Wraparound.

Has anybody been in a similar position where they have had the choice of a ‘lesser’ (less fulfilling/ less well paid) job to allow for school pick up vs career development but full time wraparound .Can you share the impact of any on your children?

what doesn’t help is that I have memories of being jealous of my friends whose parents picked them up and were present for school events as mine were always working so I am definitely projecting.

Those mentioning supply- agency standard day id 8.30-4 do that doesn’t hugely help with pick up and drop off

No, I was suggesting it as an option so that you could - for example - use wraparound 3 days a week and then have two days either tutoring in school hours or just off

My DD is 9 and has been going to wrap around care since the age of 6 she loves breakfast club , less keen on after school club but she loves the food she's provided with her dinner and playtime. She's an only child so likes the company if I'm off work I will pick her up early but she sometimes complains. Children adjust

My daughter loves breakfast and after-school club and has never minded going. She loves that she can play with children of different ages. She's very sociable and confident as a result. She's in year 3 now and does after school club 3 evenings each week.

Think if they are used to long days at nursery it's easier for them as they've not known any difference.

One of our local child minders made a point of attending plays/sports days for her charges, bringing along her younger mindees just as parents brought along younger siblings. Whilst it's not quite the same as a parent being there, it meant the kids had someone there "for them".

For me it’s about part time. So my kids have wrap around care a few days a week. They are doable but they are long. They don’t mind the afterschool club a few days a week but would definitely protest if it was every day. I am glad I have a few days where I can pick them up and either let them chill at home/go to the park with them/take them to a sport activity.
I would go for a fulfilling job and put up with full time to begin with if you have to but push for part time as soon as your established.

Mine are now Y9 (13) and Y6 (10). Both went to nursery from 7.30am - 6pm from 12 months old as DH and I both had long hours, City jobs. They used to go to a nursery behind the bank DH and I both worked in. I'd drop them in the morning and get in around 7.45am (late for my job) and DH would pick them up at 6pm when he'd finished (and I was making up hours). I did drop to 4 days a week until they started school and went back to FT then. It was an early start for them, but mine and DH's jobs are not the most secure (banking) so it was important we both maintained our careers. We were glad we did as we've had 3 redundancies between us since we've had DC and had periods where only one of us was working and having to cover all the bills.

Once they started school we moved to a local wraparound who would have them 7am - 6.30pm which again meant long days for them, but they've never really known anything else. The wraparound we used were really flexible and happy to pick them up after sports fixtures and also took DD to gymnastics for a couple of years after school which we couldn't have facilitated otherwise as it was 4-5.30pm.

They've grown up into happy, well adjusted and very independent kids. Both swim competitively meaning 7am pool training and the early starts haven't been a problem as they're so used to them. I've never missed an assembly/sports day/prize giving etc, I'd take leave to make sure I went. I did miss out on the playground chit chat, but it hasn't stopped DC making friends and going to lots of parties, playdates etc and I've made friends through those.

It's not ideal, of course not, I used to feel so guilty waking them up so early in the winter and had so many comments from friends/family/strangers on the bus, about how cruel I was. I'm sure if given a free choice they probably would have preferred either DH or I to be at home, but we've been able to pay two sets of private school fees because we both carried on working, we have a lovely home, good holidays and enough savings to be able to pay for uni and help with house deposits when they are older. Overall, we're happy with the choice we made, it was a sacrifice of c.10yrs to provide financial stability for the rest of their lives.

I'm very firmly of the view though that there is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer, DSis took a totally different view and left work to be a SAHM when she had her DC, they are also happy, well adjusted kids, she just took a different decision for her family.