Before school childcare

[thirtyseven37]

Looks like I'm going to have to turn down yet another job. They need me to be there for 8:10am and I can't drop kids at breakfast club until 8am.

Does anyone employ a nanny/mothers help who arrives early, say around 7:30, helps kids get ready and then takes them to school?

How would I find someone to do this? Who would even want these ridiculous hours??

Do you have a partner who works staggered hours to you? One drops and the other collects? Or could you ask to start and stay later in your new job?

No. I need something where I don't rely on my partner. It's teaching so unless I ask not to have a tutor group...

Just seems so unfair that I can't make this work. I'm a woman trying to get back into full time work so I can support myself but I can't because lack of childcare.

I would try:

1. a card in a shop window, might suit someone retired who wants to make a bit of extra money. Maybe Make the hours a bit longer - ditch the breakfast club, so that it’s not just 30 minutes.
2. asking the job if they would accept you coming in later. Point out it won’t be forever.
3. think about if you can do a childcare swap with someone/two people. They take your children in with theirs to breakfast club and you have their child over the summer for a day/week or something.

How about trying a childminder? You would obviously need to get the kids ready and drop them there.

Helpful ideas thank you

Unfortunately they won't take children before 8 and I've already tried them all round here and they are full

Is Koru Kids near to you? It’s pretty useful round here as I live in a university city.

I would check the directed hours for the job you've been offered. I've never worked a teaching job that started so early. I can't imagine how it's fitting into directed hours (unless it's a very early end of day)

To be more specific, I would need to be there for a meeting once a week at 8:15am and then at 8:25 on the other days. There's a 5 minute walk from car park to main body of the school. I guess the latest is need to arrive is 8:15 and then 8:10 on the meeting day. It does all seem very very early. The kids go at 3pm

I just don't know how I can make this work. Any other teachers out there?

On a good day, journey is just under 20minutes.

Do you not have childminders near you?

Thanks. When do your directed hours begin in the morning?

Yes there are 5. Two are not doing the school run and the other 3 are full.

I’m a teacher- it’s hugely stressful, and I have a partner to help.
I do child care sharing- I swap some holiday baby sitting for pick ups/ drop offs. It’s hard, because I end up with house full of kids in holidays- but it kind of works.
there is a pvi nursery here that does wrap around for school - it’s available from 7.30 am- 6pm- not cheap, and hugely unreliable!

So apart from the day with the meeting you could drop at breakfast club at 8, 20 minutes drive (8.20), 5 minutes walk into building (8.25), start. It's tight but doable if you can find someone for that one day.

Warn the new job, but tell them you're working on it

Go on waiting list for all the local childminders.

Check if any local nursery's also run wraparound with drop off.

How old are the kids? As in will they be able to walk themselves within the next few years?

This is why our Primary School is extremely popular with the teachers of the neighbouring Secondary school... they drop them off there at 8am and can be at work at 8.05am!

Childminder was the only way I could get to work on time. We were incredibly lucky to get an extremely flexible one who was happy to only take him the weeks DH was traveling.

I asked one of the TAs at the children's school if she wanted to do it. She came to our house at 7.30am for several years, took the kids to school when she went into work. Worth a try?

8.30 on two days a week when we have morning meetings. 8.40 on the other 3.
Students arrive at 8.50.
Suppose it's dependent on what time kids arrive also

Do any local nurseries do wrap around care?
They may open earlier than the childminders.
I know one of our local nurseries does their own breakfast club type thing from 7.30 and then school drop offs

I’m a teacher. When choosing a school for my daughter, a 7.30 start at breakfast club was essential to me for exactly this reason. I rejected one which didn’t open early enough. I couldn’t make 8am work either, not many teachers could unless they work at the same school the kids go to, or partner does the drop off.

I mean it’s a big step but this problem won’t change, can you look at moving your kids to a different school with an earlier start at breakfast club?

A colleague of mine (I teach too) is in the same boat and put in a flexible working request to not have a tutor group. Schools are pretty desperate for teachers so you might be lucky.

Have you asked breakfast club if they'll take the kids a bit earlier? Ours advertised being open from 8am but some parents paid extra to drop at 0745 as they had a staff member willing to come in earlier for extra money,