After school pick ups?

[Jazzybeats]

Hi there - me and DP both work. We are thinking ahead to when my eldest starts school next Sept.

Youngest will be in nursery 8-6 3 days a week and with grandparents 2 days a week.

We need wrap around care but I’m not sure of the best options.

Ideally someone to pick up my eldest from school and look after him until we are home (so 3-6pm).

After school clubs are over subscribed here so not really an option.

Do I need a nanny? Childminder? Something else? Not really sure about my options.

Getting recommendations is tricky - it seems like most of our friends in the local area have a sahp and so no one uses wrap around care... what’s the best way to find someone good?

When I was looking for wrap around care I asked at my DCs school first. They had a list of childminders that did drop offs/pick ups. I know not all schools do this but it would be a good place to start. I would also put your DCs name down for the school after school club if there is one.

Does the nursery operate an after-school club? Otherwise, try asking at the school. My childminder is a dinner lady there but doesn't advertise so I wouldn't have known without asking.

You need a nanny if you want someone to look after your child in your own home. Childminders take children to their homes and you would collect them from there.

I used a childminder. I was really glad for my DC to have a change of scenery after school. They could either play or chill out, have a snack and a drink. It was a much more homely environment.

My eldest (6) goes to a lovely Childminder. She is great. Does all kinds of stuff with them. The older kids that go there much prefer it to the after school club, which doesn't cater well for older children. And it's good for my daughters confidence to mix with the different age groups. Ask around me to see who other parents recommend. Good ones get filled up quickly though, so you need to hurry.

Thank you all! For those that use nannies, how did you find them? No one we know has one so getting reco’s is proving tricky...

A child minder that does school runs would be your best bet.

How to find a nanny?:
Agencies ,childcare U.K. advertise locally.
A nanny would be your employee.
You would need to :
have a contact
Set up a payroll and provide wage slips.
Agree a gross wage and pay any tax or NI due , including employer NI
You might have to pay maternity pay, statutory sick pay, redundancy after two years.
You would need to pay 5.6 weeks annual leave.
Nannies are paid @ £10-£13 gross per hour depending on your area . You must pay minimum wage.
Nannies generally work 10-12 hour days. A 3 hour day is not very popular and you will find it difficult to find someone . Generally you therefore need to pay more per hour eg £13-£15 per hour.
Can you afford a nanny for one child ?
A childminder or after school club would be much cheaper .

We found our after school babysitter originally through Sitters (she's a qualified nanny who is now a dinner lady). She was our regular babysitter.

Our last ASB we found through Gumtree (a local student doing a childcare course who also volunteered in a school).

You don't really need a full on nanny for a couple of hours a day for a school age child. I'd recommend Gumtree as well as sites like findababysitter etc.

It's also worth advertising in local colleges etc.as students can be great.
Nb childminders often don't cover the school hols if they have their own kids but students often do.

Ring all the local nurseries near to the school and ask if they do school pick ups
Many do, they also offer holiday clubs too