to think total lack of childcare just before xmas day is ridiculous?

[littlestmummystop]

My dd's school shuts on Dec 19.
I work till Xmas eve.
Most of her usual play schemes are shut from Dec 19 and I am having to ring around begging and calling in favours to find someone to look after her.

AIBU to think there are loads of parents who work up till xmas eve ???

CM have the right to take holidays. Are these not agreed in advance before placing a child with a CM? Haven't used one - so genuinely asking the question. We sed a nursery and knew from the outside that the nursery would be closed on all BH plus a couple of training days a year plus a week over Christmas, inc Christmas Eve.

my sister is struggling too- both her and her dh have to work boxing day or be sacked- n their contracts.

fortunately Mum is about but if not they'd be stuffed

otoh my other sister runs a nursery that only closes christmas day / boxing day

my cm takes two weeks in august, a week at christmas and another at easter. we pay 50w a year. that's the contract. i use a relief cm who usually minds teachers' children so it all works very well.

you are lucky if you do not need enough childcare to warrant a contract.

But not ALL cm take time off at xmas, other than xmas day and boxing day. So surely if you are that stuck you would look down that route?

I don't understand how people can moan that nurseries are closed at xmas. Surely they tell you that at the start and YOU chose to put your child there? You could have chosen one that met your needs in being open all year except BH?

I have no childcare availible anytime of year so have to rely on family as I do all year.

I would advertise at a local college, there may be childcare students who would be willing to do a few days babysitting, they will get paid and get good experience too.

I can't work full time at all because I can't get childcare that fits around school.

What do you mean there are no childcare avaliabe? Do you not have any CM, nurseries etc anywhere near you????

Actually no, until last year there were no childminders that picked up from my childrens school. There are now two and suprisingly they are both full.

No after school club unless I pay for a taxi to pick them up from school and take them 20 mins to a nearby towns club.

Getting my kids to their afterschool activities would be a pain too but I suppose everyone has that problem too.

I am lucky granny now lives inthe village and if I am working they go their after school and she can manage a few runs into actvities but not all the time.

I will have to wait until kids are old enough to get the bus into town themselves [gulp].

skrimbo - wow. I wish it was like that here! I am a CM and desperately trying to fill vacancies! there are hundreds here!

THats what its like living at the back of beyond, there was a questionarie recently about if you would use an afterschool club, TBH I wouldn't now, they go to granny's if they need to after school now. I could have really done with it before she moved into the village.

For pre school it is easier plenty private nurseries in town if you need full day care.

Its the after school activities that are difficult some start at 5, 5:30 and 6pm if I worked until 5:30 or six I wouldn't get back to the village in time to get them back into town. Don't think granny would want them 5 afternoons a week anyway.

So i am stuck with part time occasional work, I would struggle with a fixed hour part time job even because I rely on MIL so if she goes on holiday or has an appointment I am stuck.

Perhaps I should do childminding

I'm sure that if you put an advert up in your local 6th form, or college, you would solve the problem.

that's the problem we have with setting up after school clubs, there just isn't enough children to warrant it. and parents have to pay for a full term which alot cannot afford.

it's hard