in thinking that breakfast clubs are for working parents

[nametaken]

and not for non-working parents who can't be bothered to organise breakfast for their dcs.

Of course parents working counts as extra need - as much as any other need which has been mentioned. If, however, my kids wanted to go but were told the places were full, i would have to accept that. There is no actual necessity for them to go. Wouldn't it be an arse though if i were working from 8am and then had to pay for an hours worth of childcare just because some layabout had packed their kids off in the morning for a slice of toast with their mates...

And i use the term 'layabout' in a slightly irate-but-not-serious fashion as i am on benefits, and DH got called it by someone who was supposed to be helping him look for work today.

i dont see why working should be classed as extra need. if you choose to work you get the benefits that come with the extra income - school clubs are not an extra benefit of working. if you choose to do something you shouldnt get priority over the people who choose not to. if you choose to have kids and a job then you have to deal with the crap bits like finding and paying a childminder. if you choose to have kids and not work you get to be skint! i dont remember being told no job means my kids miss out on school activities

our local school on the big council estate was the only school that offered a breakfast club.. i presumed it was to do with helping the children of those who couldnt afford breakfast.

thread has probably moved on but just in case not mentioned yet....

learning mentors encourage kids who are struggling in one way or another to come to breakfast club as an avenue to address other issues they may be having, academic, social, emotional type things.

breakfast clubs can be more than about food.

my sahm mate had her dd2 go when she was v. pg with DS1 becuase her dd1 who is much older could drop DD1 off at her primarey on the way to her secondary. DD1 had to leave quite early to get to hers in time so breakfast was easier at school for all involved.

If being in work was so likely to guarantee extra income, i would agree, but fact is, it just doesn't. Otherwise dh and i would have been in work long ago. I wouldn't expect my kids social life (which they can have after school) to proritize over someone being able to pay their mortgage, which may not have cost so much when they started it. Selfish no?

Kiskidee...that is a need...but surely that kind of thing can only be sucessful where there is enough places for any child in the school to go if they want to, and not be pre-booked, as the OP was probably referring to.

thanks godzilla, another sahm mate of my mate commented that she was being lazy for this arrangement.

The whole idea of the euphemistically named Breakfast Club has always made me really, really sad.

Children spend long enough at school without forcing them out so early. To put them into an institution for breakfast is all wrong.

I know I'll offend people but I don't care. To me it's barmy that this sort of behaviour has become normal, espcecially when they also have to go to after school 'club' too.

It really saddens me.

well in sept, both ds's will be going to breakfast club and both will have cooked meals at lunch. the reason for breakfast club is because I have a 100+mile commute to uni and have to be there for 10am and the reason for a cooked meal is not because im lazy(cos Im def not)but because otherwise they would only have a cooked meal at weekends(at after school club tea is just sandwichs, fruit etc)

I think to come on here and post your op yabu because why people send their kids is irrelevant and none of your buisness, your gripe is with your brother-go rant at him instead.

100 mile commute to study.

Madness.

commitment

spider - my kids love school clubs. they only go when they ask, its not sad for them at all. it sad if they dont want to but dont assume they are all forced to go!

if you have a job that depends on childcare in the morning you would be very silly to not have guaranteed childcare! pay a childminder or find a breakfast club at a local nursery where you know you will have a place every morning. you cant assume you should have priority over kids whose parent/s dont work. you can always find a need - my baby is a terrible sleeper and i need to stay in bed. i also need some me time. i need to go to the docs, to take the car to the garage etc etc. you can usually have some sort of choice over whatever you need to do.

You do not however have a choice over whether you have PND, whether you have to deal with a disabled sibling or whether your child has eating problems.

No they are not only for working parents. They are for everyone, and there are many different reasons why they are set up/ accessed. As are after school clubs.

I think the more kids the merrier. Its up to the school the employ enough staff to run the breakfast club. Rather than ranting at SAHMs it would be more productive to ask to the school to employ more staff.

Prehaps the school should get the "lazy" SAHMs CRB checked and offer them employment as additional staff so that more children can attend the breakfast club.

Legally you need 1 adult to 8 children and only two of the adults need childcare qualifications.

My son's school has 500 children and we have never had a problem booking him into breakfast club when needed. Typically there are 40 children at breakfast club.

Problem solved and then EVERY child can go to breakfast club who wants to.

A sucessful breakfast club makes money for a school which helps all children.

What about a single parent on benefits who wants to go back to work? They find a job they like (and one that pays the bills etc) but it has an early start. The job means a lot to them in terms of their family's future. Shouldn't their need for a breakfast club place take priority over another parent's wish to let their child socialise with his friends in the mornings?

Having access to a breakfast club facilities can be life-changing for some parents, I would argue. For others it's simply a nice extra.

Spidermama - how is it any different to any other extra curricular activities?

DD goes to breakfast club when she asks to go, and she also has 1 & 1/2 sessions of after school club - again, because she wanted to go. It is run by her preschool staff who she missed, she has friends who go because their parents work. She thrives on being around other children to play with, and DS is too young to be much of a playmate atm.

You may find it terrible being at school so long, but just ask her if she wants to leave school without after school club, and see what the response is.

ds2 and ds3 often go into school early (from 8am- although they have breakfast at home). They go in at that time because I have to put ds1 on his school bus - he's disabled and the bus picks him up from home- right at the time I would have to be standing in the schoolyard with ds2 and ds3.

I can do many things, but haven't mastered being in 2 places at once yet.

There is no reason on earth why a well run breakfast club shouldn't be able to cater for every child that wanders through the doors in a morning searching for toast. There should be no need to prioritise, we shouldn't seek to prioritise. Each and every child should be able to go should they wish to.

Flamesparrow - you made the point to Spidermama that I was going to make: ds wants to go to brekfast club. It's not part of school - it's somewhere he can meet and lay with his friends and he gets 15 minutes playing in the playground before school starts. Everyone wins.

Glasgow's "Breakfast Club" for all - with no need to book - does come at a cost though. It'll be part of the reason that our council tax is over £2,600 per annum - and that's not even the top band!

Ok, there's no reason on earth why a well run breakfast club can't cater for everyone....what about a breakfast club in a school where most of the kids are from low income families? They can't afford to pay enough for the club to employ extra people, and the parents aren't available to voluntarily supervise...what then?

cory - thats obviously a need, something you cannot change and do not choose. the people dealing with that should have the priority.

if i got a job it would change my life. what happens if bfast club is taken up with people who dont need a job as much as me, should one of them get booted out?

My ds used to have a second breakfast when he arrived at playschool. He's an only child and adored eating with the other kids! There was no extra charge.

If there are limited places - I do think that the working parents should take priority unless there's a proper reason like illness or transport to other schools or caring responsibilities. Not being bothered is a lame reason but it is probably really good for the kids. Do the lazy inlaws have to pay or not?

The club my dd goes to is not over subscribed so I am not taking the place of a child with working parents whose perceived need is greater than mine. It is not subsidised either .. it is a voluntary thing run by the TAs and the school canteen staff. The amount I pay covers the food dd eats...items are individually priced. As others have said my dd goes because she wants to. I wouldn't force her to go if she didn't.