childminder or after school club for 4 year old?

[BendyLikeBeckham]

I am struggling with school choices. there is only one school that the current CM picks up from and DC may not get in there. other schools have after school clubs. there is a lack of CM in my town and he is very settled with this one. is reception too young for DC to go to breakfast club and after school club? it would be a very long day.

Depends on lots of things.....does your child get tiered in a normal 9 to 3 day would they cope with then playing solidly without chill time for another 3 hours? Do the after school clubs have effective monitored chill areas with staff ensuring its not a free for all space....or are they sat on ipads and if so are you happy with that?
Is our Lo a confident happy to go to all if needs help person or are they needing a cuddle and reassurance. Will you be bale to do homework at pick up or do you need and environment that supports this?
Only you know your child but what does your cm think a good cm should give an honest unbiased opinion.

it's hard to say. he is tired after half day preschool now by it will be another 9 months before he starts school.

I can't visit the schools before stating preferences on the form.

I had the same choice and went for after school club, the main reason being that they offer childcare year round (holiday club during school hols) whereas the childminder took 4 weeks off of each year meaning I would have had to synch my annual leave with those dates.
DD is now 6 and has been at the same after school club for 3 years, she loves it.

My DS is in yr 1 now and went to after-School care a couple of times a week from the start of reception. He LOVED it. Saw it as an extended play with his friends, rather than School. I had to drag him away screaming each time! He complains now that he doesn’t go 🙄

We use afterschool club but dd1 isn't a huge fan because it's mainly older ones there. Also a childminder would do a hot meal at 4.30pm whereas we are getting home after 6pm and she still needs tea.

Unfortunately we have limited flexibility on holidays and need childcare guaranteed so we will stick with the after school club, but I do think childminder would be easier day to day.

Bear in mind how easy (or not) it will be to get your child into the after school club. My daughter was on the list for 8 months before we got a call to say she was 'nearly at the top'!

We used a childminder in the end as dc2 was there through the day anyway, but it has worked out well as dd can chill after school with a couple of other children and the childminder gives dc their dinner, so I just pick up, bath, supper, reading/playing time then bed, without the hassle of making dinner.

My son went to after school club, I pulled him out after a few weeks and found a childminder instead and she’s brilliant. At the after school club he was either wandering round bored or sat watching the older ones play computer games, they didn’t seem to understand the needs of the younger ones. He only got a snack too but was too tired to eat tea by the time we got home. The childminder gives him a full cooked meal and there’s plenty of cosy spaces to chill if the kids are tired. It’s like a big extended family, my son’s never been unhappy there once in 3 years. She charges per hour rather than per session too so works out cheaper.

lots of mixed reviews here! thanks for taking the time to reply. I guess it depends hugely on the club, the CM and the child!!

I’m a cm and agree it varies massively on the child. I’ve found some children just want to come home and relax. Watch tv, colour in quietly, play in the garden. Other children want a full on game of football and to run off all their energy once school finishes. As a cm, I don’t really have the resources for the second option so the school club would be a better fit for them.

You know your child and what the cm is offering compared to the after school club. FWIW, I get a lot of enquiries from parents at the school club asking if they can swap to me, but because of my ratios, generally if they haven’t been to me as toddlers/preschoolers I can’t fit them in.

I don’t provide tea though, we have a drink and snack when we come in, but it’s far too stressful to be cooking a hot meal to serve at 4.30 when we don’t get in till 4 and there are so many children around needing entertaining.