Bozza's childcare dilemma...

[bozza]

DS (7, year 3) has been going to this CM since he started in reception. He was in day nurserry prior to this and didn't attend school nursery.

Because we have two intakes in this area 4yo DD (May b'day) is not due to start in reception until January. However we decided she had been in her day nursery for long enough and most of the children of a similar age were leaving (many to do half days in reception) so we decided to put her into the school nursery and with the CM on the 3 days I am working.

So she started with the CM the last week of the school hols and then started school nursery (which she loves) this week. Last night the CM told me she is finishing. A before/after school club is due to be set up sometime this term which I would be interested in using. But....what about the school hols? And also what about the afternoons until Christmas? And what if the afterschool club is delayed?

Could you ask the cm if she'd consider carrying on with your dc until Christmas? Some cms offer holidays only so there may one local to you. Or are there any playschemes in your area? Have a look at childcare link, it'll give you details of local school holiday clubs aswell as other cms.

Where are you based Bozza?

Is childcare link a website? We are in a smallish village in West Yorks. CM did say that she wasn't hurrying to finish, as in telling us now so as to give us plenty of time to make alternative arrangements.

Part of the school hols can be covered by mine and DH's hols, swaps with friend and going to stay with family (did 3 weeks of that this summer) but I think it would be hard to do for all 13 weeks.

I think I will investigate the progress with the out of school club and ask the CM what she knows about other CMs that pick up from our school (whether they have two places etc) as she is the co-ordinator so should have a reasonable idea.

But I am still stressed!!

www.childcarelink.gov.uk
childcare.direct.gov.uk
Both the above will search the same database. The database is based on the information entered by local authorities into a system called iChIS.

Not all childcare providers are listed on the iChIS database (online edition), as providers can opt-out of it, some fall under a category which the online system does not search (due to Government contract issues) and also some local authorities are better than others at adding the information.
So, use the database to get a feel for what is in the area, and to establish the contact details for your local authority Children's Information Service. Then contact the Children's Information Service and ask them for a physical list of childcare providers (some send will send it via E-mail, others via the post).

Thanks nick. Have had a look at the childcare link and it is quite useful. Just wonder how up to date the listings are, because obviously I need two places in the 5-8 range and not many are showing as having that. I assume most people will have filled those places before term started.

Really quite bad timing on the part of the CM. Feel bad for DD being messed about becaus will probably end up in school club, but may also need different CM up until Christmas....

And I do the school run two days a week, so know who quite a few of the CMS are - just not there exact quotas/numbers day by day.

Bozza (with the duplicate Twig family ) .. this is my nightmare .. I don't understand how people work when they need after-school some weeks but full days some weeks too

it is a huge thing to me coming from the full-time SAH part to considering potentially working after DD's reception year .. so next Sept .. I'm intimidated by it

why don't you get an after school nanny - someone whom can do afternoon work up until christmas?!

we were very pleasantly surprised by holiday clubs/playschemes when our after-school/holiday nanny arrangement went belly up... is there anything like that where you are?

twig, hire someone say 3pm/4pm - 7pm or whatever year round and fill in the holidays with playschemes.

My friend uses after school club and holiday clubs, and is very happy with them.

I shall be using after school club soon, but am teacher so holidays not a problem.

OK update here. The other problem is that DD is not happy at the CM. As far as I can tell this is because in the afternoons (12-3.30) there are no other children. So really the priority is to get her out of there in the afternoons.

I am not sure that where we live I would be able to get an after school nanny and also I imagine it would be rather expensive.

Anyway I am feeling a bit better about the situation. I saw a few friends last night and discussed the situation. My friend who is a governor and on the steering committee for the new out of school club says they were hoping to start it in october but it may be delayed until January. Another friend suggested sending her back to her day nursery for afternoons but I don't think they do collections. But then I was reminded that the mother of one of the girls at school nursery actually owns a day nursery in the next village so that might be a goer if they could be picked up together. Then that just leaves mornings and after school for DS. But my friends said we could cobble something together until the club starts.

twig that was the good thing about the childminder - different hours (and pay obviously) in termtime and holidays. And DD loved the week (3 days) she was there in the hols - trips to the farm, soft play, park, library, ice-cream parlour. I think my children could go to their grandparents a bit in the holidays - although no use in termtime as too far away. And with being part time I could do some swaps with friends. I also have 24 days hols (which is 8 weeks) because of pro-rata bank hols and buying an extra week. Then there is DH's hols.

Our afterschool club also runs a holiday club - maybe you could ask if this is a provision they will be offering?

Will definitely ask. But it is still early days yet.