School Holiday Cover

[Reamhar]

I'm trying to work out how this works for most parents, so please be patient with me if this is a really stupid question.

I'm going back to work in June doing school hours 4 days a week, so I have the school pick ups and drop offs covered by this. DS1 starts in reception in September. DS2 will start nursery in June when my new job starts.

My problem is what to do with DS1 during school holidays. There seem to be an awful lot of days to cover, and the amount of help that DH can offer is going to be limited because he travels a lot for his work.

So I wondered if childminders do such a thing as holiday cover only? Or am I dreaming the such a solution exists?
If I had put DS2 with a childminder, might they have been more ammenable to taking DS1 during the holidays.

I'm worrying about this now, and thinking that my choice to take a lower paid job with good "school friendly hours" was the wrong one. That maybe I should have gone for a part time 9-5 job which may have paid more money, required the assistance of a childminder to collect/drop of DS1 to school, but where the relationship would at least exist to request holiday cover too?

Any suggestions? Just how to people manage to do this?

OK the options are:
holiday clubs
childminder with school holiday spaces
nanny or ad hoc childcarer in the holidays
relatives

How much holiday do you and dh have between you? Can you work longer hours on fewer days in school holidays?

We do a mixture of nanny two days a week, dh and myself working a four day week and filling in gaps with the school's holiday club.

A patchwork option is often what works! I am feeling smug because I have already sorted DD1 (in Reception) out with:

Week 1: Church holiday club 3 days
Weeks 2 & 3: we're on holiday
Week 4: Theatre course 3 days
Leaving only weeks 5 & 6 to sort out. In fact DD2's childminder will probably do weeks 5 & 6 but I think it would also probably be possible to find a childminder just for the hols. It would also be worth asking DS2's nursery because they will often take 5 year olds in the summer hols (DD1's nursery often used to).

Hello I'm a childminder who STRUGGLES to get people who want ONLY holiday care. I'd be more than happy to take someone on who just wanted cover during the holidays. Perfectly normal for childminders to do if they have the space.

I recommend you look at the Childcarelink Website (if you haven't already) and just ring round. Hopefully you'll sort something.

My childminder does this. She has dc2 full time and dc1 before and after school plus holidays. Well sorted but not cheap. Check individually with CMs. They are usually v. flexible as long as they have the space.

Hello,
I am a childminder and I would take on only holiday care too. Ring a few up and ask them.