Childminder and nurseries open 51 weeks a year! Is this a fairytale?

[goforit99]

My 2.5 year old is eligible for the 15hr free childcare for 2-3 year olds. When I signed the contract for this, I was advised by the body that organises these hours and pays the childminders, the if I take 11hrs per week, I will get 51 weeks of childcare (instead of 15 hrs over 38 weeks) meaning my daughter will be covered during half-term, summer hols etc..
i explained this to the childminder but I found that she tends to take a couple of weeks hold here and there so I’m wondering where are my hours going as she doesn’t make them up! I am struggling to find any childminders or nurseries that are open throughout the year! I am starting full-time work soon and will be topping your after the 11hrs but I don’t know what to do when nurseries/childminders are away. I am a solo-parent and don’t have the privilege of grandparents or other members that can assist.

any advise? What do those in the same situation do? I will probably have holidays to take but is that the only solution?

Ours is open 51 weeks, minutes bank holidays. Montessori day nursery. They don't stretch funding though, so we have to pay in full during the holidays.

It seems unlikely a childminder would be open 51 weeks as that would mean they never took a holiday. Here there are private day nurseries open 51 weeks a year that take them from babies, and then term time only childcare that takes children from 2. Have you looked in any larger towns near you?

All the private nurseries I’ve dealt with (dozens) open 50 or 51 weeks a year, some close on bank holidays.

Childminders won’t be 51 as they have to take their own leave with no one to cover - or if I did come across one which opened 51 weeks a year I wouldn’t be happy, as that way lies burn out!

Preschools, school nurseries, tend to operate term time only.

Do you work 51 weeks per year OP?

Are you just calling School Nurseries? You need to google private day nurseries.

Who is the body that organises the 15h? I liaised directly with the nursery. I've never seen a year round 11h option, that's not to say I've seen everything.

Are you only working something less that 11h a week? What is your plan if our child is sick btw?

You’ll probably find that nurseries that are open 51 weeks of the year are a lot more expensive, and have a lot more add ons, than a childminder so you would end up spending more anyway despite ‘losing’ two weeks of funded hours. Why not just plan your holiday to coincide with hers? Or will you not take any holiday at all in a year? If you do, you’ll be ‘losing’ the free hours from those weeks as a nursery will still charge you for the weeks your child isn’t in nursery.

They are adamant that there are CM’s that cover 51 weeks

I can’t imagine you will find a child minder that works 51 weeks a year. Do you work 51 weeks a year, @goforit99 ?

@Lavender2021 thank you! I may have looked at the wrong types of nurseries! I will be paying after the hours she is entitled to are used so I know re extra costs, especially once the 30hrs kick in.

My DC went to one of the National chain nurseries. They were open every day except Christmas Day, NY Day and bank holidays.

@Beggingforsleep that's a good point! I’ll look into different nurseries as per suggestion above and once I know my holiday entitlement , will work that around her time.

Are you already using the childminder you mentioned in your OP, and looking to use the funded hours to reduce the bill, or are you about to return to work and need to find suitable childcare that will be available all year round?

As everyone else has commented, private day nurseries are generally open 51 weeks a year, while school nurseries would be term-time only. Which type have you been looking at? It seems very unusual for there to be no nurseries that open all year round in your area.

Like you, DH and I had no family nearby to help out with childcare, and chose a day nursery rather than a childminder, mainly because we felt it was more reliable - if one member of staff was ill, the nursery would be able to provide cover and still open, unlike a childminder. Plus there would be no issue with having to cover the holidays that a childminder would take over the year.

Most are open 48 weeks a year - 2 weeks shut in the summer, one at Christmas and one at Easter

Ha - I couldn't find a nursery that isn't open all year where I live! I didn't want to but I've ended up putting my sons in 5q weeks a year.

Aw, I work in one that opens all year apart from 2 weeks at Christmas but have been looking at a different setting that only closes on bank holidays so keep looking in your area x

Nurseries open the full year are really really not a rarity, it is the normal set up for a private nursery. You need to phone round more as it sounds like you have not been contacting the right kinds of nurseries. Do you have friends with children in nurseries that can help with some local information? Some may not be willing to spread the funding, they all deal with funded hours differently and are not obliged to but as others have said it works out the same over the year anyway.

if you need full time cover shortly you need to get on the case as a lot of nurseries have waiting lists too

In my Local Authority, just under 1/3 of PVIs operate term time only, therefore leaving just over 2/3 that are open either all year except BHs, or some that do also close the extra 3 days between Christmas and NY.

PVI = Private, Voluntary and Independent, ie all the Nurseries that are not 'maintained' Nurseries - either school Nurseries or Stand alone Nursery schools maintained by the local authority. So PVIs include all the day care in converted big old houses, it includes purpose built nurseries, it includes those that meet in Church halls and Scout huts, and, oddly, those at Independent schools.

Childminders - like all workers - obviously take holidays, and if you use a CMer then you tend to tie in your Annual leave with when they take their annual leave. There are the odd CMer who works closely with another CM who sometimes can arrange cover with the other CM if you can't make that work. So no, CMers don't work 51 weeks a year as a rule but that is how people make it work.

You're looking at stretching the funding which not all childminders (or nurseries) offer.
We are not under any obligation to offer stretched childcare, the funding is for term time only.
Please also note that funded hours don't pay bank holidays.
Speaking as a childminder, I don't offer stretched funding for 15 hours, as 11 hours per week is not financially viable, as we are limited to the amount of children we can care for.
In addition you may not be eligible for the 15 hours free childcare once you start working full time.As your child is age 2,15 hours free childcare is dependent on the specific benefits you receive - which I'll assume you won't receive once you are working full time.

My DCs nursery was open 50 weeks of the year. Closed two weeks over Christmas and Hogmanay. (The latter is big in Scotland).

Normally choosing to close the same dates as the local schools.

Not a state or school linked nursery though - a private nursery.

The nursery we’ve chosen for our daughter is open 51 weeks a year and open on bank holidays, we also don’t pay for the week they are shut.

Are you around London? I'm not, but all the nurseries where I am are open all year other than bank holidays and between xmas and NY. However I'm always shocked that my friends in London's and surrounding areas seem to close for a week at easter and a couple of weeks in the summer and a couple of weeks at christmas. So may be dependent on where you're located

I live in London and pretty much all private day nurseries are open 51 weeks a year.
Playgroups and preschools which take children from 2 upwards are usually only open term time only.

Absolutely not a London thing. The people you know just don’t have their children in private daycare nurseries.

DS is in a private nursery and they're open all year aside from between Christmas and new year so they do exist. I'm in central Scotland. Small town.

They’re not rare. I’m not sure where you’re looking but the only nurseries I know that close in school holidays are the ones attached to schools.