Going back to work

[LittleMissOverthinker]

My youngest is 3 next week and I’m really wanting to go back to work!
It’s petrifying me about childcare though.
He gets his free 15 hours and would get the 30 if/when I start work. What do you do in the holidays?
I never had this trouble with my eldest as his childcare was payed through tax credits to a nursery that was open all year. But now my youngest is going to a school nursery so will only be open term time. I don’t have family that can help out etc.
Any advice would be great from people who are in a similar situation x

You factor it in to your budget.
You select childcare that is open for the number of weeks you need.

Get him in to a nursery rather than I pre school. Nursery tend to open 51 weeks a year. The funding will be stretched to cover all those weeks and you top up what's needed.

I’ve moved him to a preschool to make it easier hours wise. He will be doing the usual school hours (9-3) the same as my eldest. Nurseries only do 8-1 or 1-6 which means shorter working hours for me as I’d have to pick him up earlier.

No they don't. Nurseries do all sorts of different patterns of hours.

What are you doing about wrap around care for your older one, when you go back to work ?

Or a childminder? I accept funding and you can choose your hours.

If his birthday is December he’ll be funded from January, if his birthday is January he’ll be funded from after Easter. Your post isn’t clear when his birthday is.

You could use a childminder for wrap around care for both your children - they could also maybe do days in the holidays too.

Or does the school do a breakfast/after school club.

You can still take advantage of tax credits on anything you pay. Stretched funding is about 22 hours a week

The nurseries around me only do the fixed hours hence why I’m putting him in a pre school.
He will funded from January.
Ive only looked into working in school hours so not really thought about ‘wrap around care’
It’s not the school time funding I’m worried about, I have that sorted it’s just for school holidays I’m wanting the information for

So you have a job on your radar that means you can drop them off at school, get to work, do the job, get back to school and pick them up, within school hours?

Maybe you can find one that is term time only too then ??

Ok so if you want 30 hours for January, you’ll need your code by 31/12. Otherwise you’ll miss the deadline.

I won’t get the funded 30 hours for jan as I don’t have a job yet. I’m talking hypothetically.... just so I know as much info as possible.
I don’t think people are understanding what I’m trying to get at

You must have a private nursery nearby that covers the standard 7-6 hours. Not everyone can work school hours near you! They would deduct your 15 or 30 free hours from the days you use.

Private nurseries do often have waiting lists though especially once the free hours kick in.

Otherwise childminder should will drop off and pick up from the school nursery and usually will cover school holidays too.

You can search childcare providers on the ofsted website for free. Then go and visit and make a decision.

Hey OP

You need to apply now in anticipation of starting work in the next 30 days. If you wait until you find a job then you won’t be funded for the additional 15 hours until after the Easter holidays.

The holidays are always difficult. I’m a contractor so largely don’t work during the holidays and/or rope in any willing grandparents and use DHs annual leave. It’s difficult but you’ll work it out!

What do you do with your eldest in the holidays? Our nursery kindly let us pay termly for my youngest which suited us as we needed holiday childcare for eldest anyway (we use annual leave and family).

Irregardless of nursery times etc because both kids will be doing school hours now or in the future. I’ll try and rephrase....
I’m a single parent, with no family help, so no one to have them in school holidays. I will have to rely on holiday clubs/child minders or something equivalent to them. I’m wanting to know if tax credits/universal credits or anything else help you out with childcare costs through school holidays?

BacktoMA I haven’t worked since having my youngest so I’ve always been there to have my eldest in the holidays

It isn't that we don't understand what you are trying to get at, so much as you seem to be being somewhat unrealistic (maybe naive?) about the likelihood of getting this job that you can not only do within school hours, but also travel to and from.

In reality, you will need to be thinking about wrap around care - that then impacts on the availability of holiday care.

So, CMers who are looking after your dc (out os school) all year round, will normally look after them for the whole day in the school holidays, but don't (very often - I'm sure there are some out there ) take on children for 3 or 4 weeks of the school holidays.
Many day nurseries have before /after school clubs and will do holiday care as well (for children up to 8 yrs).
Once they are 8 then there are holiday clubs dc can go to - all sort of interests.

If you do an internet search for Family Information Services + your area, then you will get the number for the people in your area that hold a central list of childcare providers. You can then ring around and find out more about what is available locally.
If you live in a City, there will be providers that offer all sorts of options. Obviously if you live very rurally / in a remote area, choice is likely to b more restricted.

x-posted.
Yes, you factor in the costs over the year and that is what you pay for childcare, averaged out. (or certainly used to when mine were little - get that confirmed and don't take my word as things change)

So if it were £30 per day during term time, for 38 weeks, then you have 5 weeks you can have them, and you are paying 9 weeks at £100 per day, then you work out what the average weekly cost is, across the year.

I was in exactly the same situation as you.

I found a childminder close to my full time job. I dropped the dcs at the childminder on the way to work. She then dropped them at the pre-school, collected them later and gave them a snack. I collected from her after work.
During the holidays she had them full time, up to 48 weeks a year. My annual leave covered the rest.
It worked well, she had been childminding for 32 years and was a massive support.
Good luck

Sorry wrong thread!

I think with your youngest you can still use the tax free childcare account for holiday childcare eg childminder or holiday club if it's Ofsted registered until they start at school.

Beyond that I'm not sure.