nursery opening hours

[scottishgal09]

I need to go back to work so will soon be putting my 9 month old in nursery, only thing is that the earliest I can find any nursery open is 7 am to 7 pm. The 7 pm closing time is fine but I really find I need a opening time of 6 pm. I also work Saturday mornings so need something that is open 6 days. Start time should be at least 6:00 pm but I struggle to find this. Do these type of nursery’s exist? What are the opening and closing hours for your nursery’s? Why don’t nursery’s take into account that some parents need to work 6 days 🤨?

A 2017 study by SEED (the largest ever conducted) concluded that mixed childcare (eg, some days with nursery, others with relatives) was associated with poorer outcomes than one consistent nursery setting

and I suspect being homeless led to the poorest outcomes of all.

Does this generation of nursery kids feel hard done by as they didn’t go to mum and toddler groups and spend all day with mum? I doubt many do

well quite. I was at home with my mum until I was 5 other than the odd morning at play school but I can't remember it. My son doesn't remember going to nursery until he was 4.5 either. It's all really silly and the Nordic countries don't have all this angst.

All that said OP, if you think about all this a bit more you might find some solutions. We thought our son would have to have wraparound care every day when he started school but through variations of flexible working we managed to reduce that to two days a week.

It’s not “people on here” it’s well documented and researched.

A child spending 5 days at 12 hours per day and then a sixth day for a portion of the day in childcare isn’t that far removed from a child living in a group home environment.

Neither you, your children, me, nor anyone else can comment on how our brain was developing in the first few critical years of our lives as it happens on a subconscious level.

It is accepted that toddlers and babies need a secure attachment to their primary caregiver. This would be tricky to maintain when the baby will notice very little of their caregiver 5.5 days a week. Remember the baby will be pretty much asleep at drop off and pick up Monday to Friday.

If you have a spare room in your house how about an aupair whose role is too get your child to nursery at their opening time 7-8, and to take them to a class on Saturdays?

You may have issues with covering nursery closures and sick leave. Our nursery you are required to have an emergency contact who can get to their setting within 30mins to collect child. Honestly I've heard childminders are better for under 2s than nursery so maybe you need to look for better ones?

I was talking about outcomes of mixing childcare vs one consistent childcare.

It's still not what OP is asking.

and I suspect being homeless led to the poorest outcomes of all.

And homeless is relevant why?

OP has already said that the nursery she has found opens after 6am.

So why are people getting worked up about a 6am start when it is rare for nurseries to open up that early and OP isn’t likely to find one?

It isn’t going to happen.

Because they are fuming that she'd even want it.

It’s not the start time. A hospital based nurse might work 3 x 12 hour shifts a week. It’s the fact that they need 5.5 days and it includes very early starts.
That said, there are 2 parents in this situation. If they could both flexi or compress their hours, they could reduce a bit of time.

She's not asking about how to reduce time. She's not asking about nursery impacts on children. She's asking about nursery opening times.

People have explained why nursery times are why and how they are.
People have suggested a childminder or nanny - I think that’s helpful. There may be more flex there.

I’m sad that you don’t think spending time at home, going to the park, playing with their toys at home, baking, seeing friends, playgroups, music classes, time in the garden, on their bike or scooter, or to just play freely in their own space is not a good thing for children. Nursery is a good place for kids yes, but it doesn’t replace the benefits of being with you and your partner spending time together. Kids need downtime, nursery is a long day of sharing adult attention all day. If two babies are crying and the 3 staff members are already changing nappies/putting a baby down for a nap/settling another/giving a baby a bottle or whatever, then that means there isn’t always an adult to pick them up and offer comfort. It’s not abuse, it’s the limits of 3 adults caring for 9 babies!

You mention doctors having this level of childcare a lot - I worked as a nanny for 2 doctors when I was younger. Their hours were long and it was difficult for them to leave on time because surgery may run over or emergencies happen. So they had in home childcare, because they knew 40-60h a week in childcare wouldn’t be sufficient for their work hours for 2 kids. The mum went back to work part time after her second, she took Fridays off which had a salary impact but it meant she spent time with the kids at home just doing normal things. Yes a career is important but I think people are imploring you to consider (from their place of being a few years down the road) that this time vanishes so fast and absolutely no one has ever said ‘I wish I had worked more and seen my children less’.

I hope you find whatever you’re looking for, I honestly would consider working even one day less a week (and perhaps your partner too, or even a half day) because the schedule you’re proposing is a lot for all of you and especially a very young baby.

Ignoring how very strange the OP's posts are...

In your position, if I couldn't reduce working hours, hands down I would choose a childminder over a nursery. I've used both with my children and I don't understand why you're so against a childminder, they provide the same (sometimes more) experience as a nursery but within a more home-like setting. To be honest what I really think you need is a nanny, but you've said you can't afford one so... a childminder would be the next best thing and are more likely to be flexible with start and end times.

Firstly, nurseries that open that early are rare as rocking horse shit.
Secondly, your child will have more stability being looked after by the same person each day. Given that they are going to be spending far more waking hours in a childcare setting than they will with either of their parents, I think that is important.

Also I do think you need to take on board what PPs have said about when your child starts school. You will not be able to find a school with wraparound care for the hours you need, so best start planning now.

There have been some that have plainly explained why. There have been many others who have done it while adding a kick to the OP for good measure. And many more declined to answer the question at all and simply decided to add the kick.

I was responding directly to another posters comments - hence using the quite function.

@Didimum

The reason the OP is struggling to find a nursery that opens at 6am and stays open till 7pm AND is open on Saturdays is because they don't exist.
And the reason they don't exist is because, and I can't believe I'm saying this again, it has been widely proved through years of research that it's not in the best interests of a child's development to be away from their primary caregiver for that many hours a week.

That is the point that you seem to be spectacularly missing in this whole thread.

Does anyone know what doctors do for childcare arrangements please?

Mine charged per day but also charged extra to drop off at 7.30am rather than 8.00am

I've also used one that charged per hour to suit shift workers, which also meant they knew who many staff they needed in early and how many they needed late.

No nursery is going to charge the same from 6am as they do from 8am

Personally, DC has 3 days a week in nursery (max 8-6, usually 8-5) and 4 days at home with me or DH.

Well why do you not get boarding nurseries then?
Pack them off on Sunday night pick them up Friday.

Several things wrong there ....

OP is not looking for a nursery opening at 6 and closing at 7. She is looking for one open at 6.

Nursery opening and closing times are based on supply and demand of the majority of client use and nothing further.

I said in my very first post that the OP will not find a nursery offering a 6am opening time and that she is unreasonable to expect to find one and she is unreasonable to discard the option of a childminder

No points missed. But thank you for your service.

All comments are directed at both the mum and dad.
They seem to think their child is better in nursery than with them.
One, other or both of them need to dial their hours back so the child actually knows them and doesn't become institutionalised.

That's not the reason they don't exist, they don't exist in the UK because the UK apparently doesn't care about shift workers. They exist elsewhere.
But even in those that do exist, they might not allow that many hours altogether, for the reasons you said.

Probably supply and demand and cost. Boarding schools are able to operate because the business model is successful and client uptake is healthy enough.