Childcare disaster!!

[snoopy196897]

Desperate for advice please. Myself and wife have 4 lovely kids 5-9. She returned to work last year and loves her job. It meant her occasionally working until 19:30 getting home 20:00, I work fixed hours until 21:30. Until now she had a friend of hers to look after the kids until she got home at 8pm 2 sometimes 3times a week, she's on a rota so times n days can vary. Got home yesterday to find friend is no longer available from end of next week. Now need to find a childminder to look after 4 kids on random days of week form pickup from school finish until 8pm. Seems no one can take all 4 and I'm damned if I'll split my kiddies up and up to presence haven't found one that will work into random evenings. Do we have any options??? Other than her leaving a job she's happy in? I'm main wage earner otherwise I'd be stay at home daddy ilke a shot

Au pairs worked well for us but they would need their own room, and unless you know some Au pairs and their friends it would be difficult for you to find one at such short notice.

Looks like you will need to take holiday leave to sort something out,possibly with a local child minder?

Schools out so you could get a school age helper?

try posting on childcare.com - I've had success finding people to cover various odd times etc etc. You might need to focus on finding someone in the short term (and it will be expensive, but a nanny agency would be able to help) and then someone longer term eg from the start of the school year

If you get a CM you are likely to have to pay for set days. It's unlikely that any CM would have spaces for all 4 children and they don't typically work until 8. Your kids are split up during the day anyway...

Is there an after school club till 6pm then you have fewer hours to cover?

Can you request flexible working to start early and finish early?

Agree au pair best long term solution. Even if kids need to share.

Is there a local Facebook page for mums / parents? There are always people posting on my local one looking for random help. I'm always surprised at the number of responses some of them get in the sense that I wonder who wants to work at random times of the day / week. But times are hard and clearly some people do.

You need to get out there looking!