Blended/mixed childcare

[Jeni1206]

Hi there, my DD has been attending a day nursery for a year now and really loves it. However I am keen for her to do a few sessions at our local preschool too, to help her with the school transition next year. She loves the nursery so I'd rather not take her out if I don't have to, plus it provides me with holiday cover (I volunteer 2 mornings a week).

With the latest guidelines, you are advised to only use one setting, but it doesn't specifically say you can't use more. My nursery seem okay with the idea of her doing a couple of mornings at both, but the preschool are going to get back to me and seem less sure about it.

Does anyone else use more than one childcare setting, or have any experiences of being told then can/can't?

Hi, I think it is very much down to the individual settings some are happy others are not so there is no norm. I would say locally I have found people are only using one setting and that local nurseries will not share care.

Quite common here. School nursery is only offering half week 9-3 to bubble the children, so parents need alternatives.

I used two pre covid, post covid was told I can’t so I choose the pre school... my other child is at the other nursery as isn’t old enough for pre school. Most the kids at preschool have older siblings in all other schools

I think some childcare settings have used covid as a way to get children to increase their hours. There is no official ruling to say dc can only attend one setting, but some settings have chosen to say only one setting in the hope that the child comes to them full time rather than splitting their hours.