Holiday childcare for under 5's in school nursery?

[needabreak5]

DS1 has just turned 3 and will be eligible for 30 hours childcare from January and a full time place at the pre-school attached to DS1s school. Will be so much cheaper and easier for us in term time (single drop off) and he can attend wraparound so we get childcare 8-6 but at a much more convenient location than his current nursery. However, there are no holiday clubs for those below reception age? Just wondering if others have faced this dilemma and have been able to access childcare in holidays for 3-5 year olds? We didn't have this issue with DS1 as he stayed in a private nursery until he started school.

Are you sure you’ve looked at all options? The main one near me that is all over south London will take 3 year olds for half days. I’ve also heard of others e.g. some Barracudas that will take 3YOs but haven’t personally used them. The sports activity ones around us mostly take from aged 4 so that should be an option for the last year of nursery as long as you don’t have a summer baby. Also do you have gym membership? If you upgrade to a fancier gym a lot of them have childcare facilities and holiday camps.

This is ultimately why we didn’t put our child into school nursery.
Worth asking private nurseries to see if they’ll have them. But holiday clubs round here usually need them to be 5 (something to do with ratios) so ruling our younger reception children too

Look at the local private schools who have a nursery intake. Because they take children from 3 they usually have holiday club wrap-around care from 3 as well during the school holidays. And usually (certainly in this area) the holiday clubs are open to children who don't attend the school.

@jannier

You could try for a childminder......but many won't take a child of preschool age for only pick up and drop off ....I won't the little does not get to know you so is unsettled at the busiest time of day, Ofsted require us to still do planning and learning for them, I'm registered to do exactly the same as nursery and school nursery taking the funding why would I pick up the dregs for a family that dosent think I'm the best option thats like saying I like shopping at Tescos but Sainsbury's have better delivery slots so I'll pay their delivery charge and they can get my shopping from Tescos and bring it to me. Id say find a childminder near your school that you want and use your funding stretched all year with them. Or you might be lucky and find one who will do half days and split the funding 15 hours at each.

I understand this is frustrating for CMs but we left a private nursery because DS has SEND and they weren't supporting him adequately. We moved to an inclusive SEND pre-school but they only offered 9-3, term time only. We were incredibly lucky to find a CM who would do pick ups and holidays but we paid her a much higher hourly rate to make it worth her while.

Now DS is at school and DH is a SAHP as it is so hard to find enough wrap around and holiday cover for little ones with SEND.

@AshGirl
I'm a trained Senco, portage, autism support ECAT, Eleanor, and more. I take children who don't settle or benefit from nursery raise EHCP etc. Then help parents battle with school when they do start and are in holding becouse they go backwards being one amongst 30 and 2 or 3 adults.

IME a lot of holiday clubs are not insured for under 5s. I was in the OP’s position a few years ago, and just had to keep the DC in private nursery until they stated school.

This is why we're sticking with our day nursery until school, despite the school nursery being much closer, much cheaper, and liking the idea of him making friends there.

I'm just hoping some of his day nursery friends live near us and will end up going to the same school. I know from local parent groups that childminders are in very short supply around here.

IME school nurseries are more geared towards families with a SAHP or one who works very minimal hours. We’ve kept DD in private nursery until she starts reception. Once you factor in wrap around care, holidays etc it’s no more expensive and a lot less hassle.

It's not really easier if you have no holiday cover.

This is why my 3 year old does 2 days with her CM and 3 days at a charity run nursery. The nursery has longer summer, easter and christmas holidays than a private nursery but not as long as a school nursery.

Also the school nurseries around me can only give you 6 sessions or 3 days. This is because not all the primary schools have a nursery. So quite a few children use a CM for the days they aren't at nursery. Some of the CMs, like mine, will pick up or drop off from them as well plus take the children in the holidays.

We did some days school nursery and some days in the old private nursery (as school nursery wasn’t to 6pm), so just used extra days with the private nursery for holidays. With the bonus that they took them up to age 8, so the DC went there in school holidays until they were about 7 and 5.

Some of the national chains do take from 3 (have a look at camp Beaumont) but you will pay for it. I do think though that 3 year olds need a level of care that holiday camps are not always best set up to provide. We ended up using a lot of camps post lock down before my 4yo started school and it was quite a test of her resilience tbh. She got on fine and loved it but she had to be more independent and self sufficient than she would have needed to in nursery or even reception. Did mean that starting school was a breeze though.

It’s why lots of people who work full time don’t use school nursery and keep their children in private nursery until school age. It might be Slighfly more expensive but you don’t have to pay for wrap around care, nor source the holidays. Personally in your situation I’d keep DC at private nursery till they go to school!

I really don’t understand why people think the school nursery will be better when it gives them the problem of holiday childcare
Just leave them in the private day nursery
The curriculum and learning is exactly the same in both places
Then you won’t have the hassle of finding holiday care
This is a problem entirely of your own making and can easily be avoided