Having a panic! Any ideas?

[cricketmum84]

Hi all,

Our lovely childminder has just let us know that she is giving up childminding at the end of August. Me and DH both work full time, DD is picked up by CM one day a week and kept until 6pm plus additional days when my in laws are on holiday (pretty regularly the lucky things!).

I've been in touch with every single CM that picks up from her school and they are all either full or finish at 5.30. After school club finishes at 5.30.

I honestly don't have any options do I?? I can't think of any other way round this than to drop my hours at work by 30 mins a day so we can be back for 5.30. However I'm the main earner in the household and in a management role so don't even know if I would be able to do that?? We have 1 car and me and DH work quite close together - he finishes half an hour before me then walks to my work so if I finished earlier I could pick him up and be back here to collect DD in time?

Does anyone have any ideas? Is there a glaringly obvious option I have missed?

Do you know any teens that would possibly pick up for you at 5.30? Then had back to your house?

Babysitter/ local student to pick up from after school club and take her home- limits the amount of time you need to pay for there and widens the field (you don't need an ofsted registered person for less than 2 hours). And put her on a waiting list for a childminder who does work til 6, as the babysitter arrangement is likely to be more short term.

Is there any possibility that you or DH could start work 30 minutes earlier so that you could leave in time for a 5.30 finish?

If its normally only one day a week then ask to have a shorter lunch or earlier start on that one day, yes holidays for your Il's will be a problem so you might have to take it in turns to have earlier starts and finishes then but presumably they are with plenty of notice not a next week thing. Then keep looking for a cm who will work later - sometimes if its normally one day they will work later than the advertised time so always worth asking.