How much do you pay for childcare in reception year?

[wishIwasonholiday10]

I’m trying to budget ahead for when DD starts school and was wondering how much you pay for childcare if both parents work full time and no family help (i.e. breakfast club and after school club daily). Assume an expensive part of the country so particularly interested in hearing from others in a similar situation.

How does a childminder compare to school based childcare? I’m assuming a lot more expensive and probably hard to find if you are not already using one?

Ours childminder charges £10 a day to pick up until 6pm - so using tax free childcare that’s £8 per day 4 days a week (I finish early on Fridays)

school gates open at 8:30, doors at 8:40 and I’m at the office by 9 (2 mile commute)

I need before and after school wraparound 5 days a week. My bill is anything from £160 to £280 a month depending on if there are school holidays in that month. I budget £200 per month to go into tax free childcare and this is usually enough to cover the bill.

Breakfast club (7:45am earliest drop off) - £4
After school club £11, runs until 6pm. I’m in the South-East.

For me that would be £67.50 a week. £3.50 for breakfast club and £10 for after school club. Just over £2.5k a year.

At our school it's £2 per day for breakfast club and £12 for after school club until 4pm or £16.50 until 6pm. No local childminders drop off or pick up at our school.

Most people I know make sure one parent can do a drop off or pick up at normal school hours per day (usually drop off) so it's not so much of a long day.

£3 a day breakfast club and £17.50 for afterschool club til 6pm.

Breakfast club £5.75 from 07:30
Afterschool club £12 till 18:00
Childminder £60 per week for three days until 18:00 inc. proper yea

£6 for breakfast club and £16.50 for afterschool till 6.

School gates open at 8.35 so I can just about make it work without breakfast club most days. Dh and I take it in turns to drop off.

Have you also budgeted for holiday clubs? We use a variety which go from £20ish to £45 per day (fancy gymnastics camp). Some take tax free childcare and some don't.

Even though childminders may be more expensive than an after school club, if you are wanting holiday childcare, and have no family/friends to rely on to help out, it may be worth looking at local childminders. And don't forget that school normally have a few inset days per year which they won't be open for.

The nursery that provides the wrap around care for my kids primary (onsite but private owned nursery) is £4.50 per child for breakfast club 7.30-8.35 when school starts, and after school club is £10.50 per child 3.15-17.45 light meal included

If you are in an expensive part of the country you may need to budget £20 ish per day for wraparound care though some parts of the country manage it for £12-£16ish. However, lots of wraparound providers are not really suitable for a reception child as they don't have different areas and there will be enormous y6s charging around. I think this is a huge issue that tends not to get thought of when you are choosing nursery v childminder v nanny because for a lot of reception children it's best for them to have wraparound care from the same childminder or nanny they had previously for the first year, then they can start with the school wraparound care from y1, but if you just used nursery this isn't an option.

Breakfast club is £5.50 from 7.30am at my child’s school and then £10.50 after school until 6pm. So £16 a day/ £80 a week. You can use tax free childcare to make it cheaper so it works out at £64 a week for me. However I know that my child’s school is cheaper than most in my area as the school run it themselves. Most other schools are run by organisations that specialise in wrap around care and those are more expensive. I am considering changing my child’s school and the next nearest school charges £122.50 a week for the same hours so £98 with tax free childcare discount so works out at £1326 more per year.

Breakfast club runs from 7.30 and costs £8. There are two options for after school care but the one until 6pm costs £18. We had an afterschool nanny last year who was about £16 per hour so the school provision is much cheaper albeit relatively expensive for what it is.

School breakfast club is £4 where I am - no after school club but I do a pick up as a childminder and charge £15 til 5.30pm.