Help! WWYD loss of wraparound childcare

[TubbyCustard88]

Hi everyone,

I am in a massive panic and would love some advice/suggestions!

As title suggests, my primary aged children (6yo twins) previously had after school pick-up and care until 5pm provided by a local nursery. A few weeks ago, the nursery announced that they would be ending the after school provision in September.

I started contacting local childminders and providers, of which the pool to choose from is fairly small in my town. Every single one has responded saying they do not offer pick up to that particular school.

So... now what? My partner and I both work until 4-5pm, I do not have any nearby family or friends whose working hours would allow them to help. I am off for the summer, so now have 5 weeks left to find some kind of solution.

All I can think of now is applying to change their school ASAP to one that has wraparound or nearby childminders. But that seems an absolutely crazy extent to go to, and I feel I am missing something obvious... please help!!!

There is a new government programme to extend WRAC.

It was announced really late by the Conservatives so LA’s are being but you could contact yours and ask about plans and places.
We have a new WRAC officer, to implement the programme with schools and settings.

Perhaps something is on its way.

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/05/13/before-and-after-school-childcare-what-is-wraparound-childcare/

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d859af6efa83001ddcc55b/National_Wraparound_Childcare_Programme_Handbook.pdf

After school nanny? Depending on where you are, you might find a student who finishes before them and could do it.

Oh OP what a nightmare.

Here are a few suggestions (and bear in mind if your DC are going in to year 3 next year, you only need a solution for 3 years or so - I think a year 6 child is OK to get themselves home and be there for 30 mins or so).

Do you and DH both work five days a week? Any chance one or both of you could condense hours and drop a day, or finish earlier on one or two days a week?

Could one of you temporarily drop hours to have the same result?

Is there another mum or two you are friendly with who would walk your DC home and have them at theirs until 4/4.30pm? It's not so very long after school, if you can be home by then?

Could you find someone like an A level student - a friend's child maybe? - who could pick them up and take them back to your house and stay till you got back?

I realise that some of these suggestions are a bit bitty but it may be that it has to be a patchwork solution for a while.

When the school starts back up can you ask them if they are willing to get an external company in for after school care? I was in the same situation this time last year. Was very lucky the headteacher sorted out a club to come in 3-6pm

Can you and/or your partner flex your hours at all, or drop an hour a day?

Thank you so much to everyone for your suggestions! Contacting the school to see if they can offer anything seems like a good next step - I think they offer some clubs already but they are a bit patchy at the moment. Hopefully might change based on your post @FayKM

Partner and I currently can't change our working hours at all due to daft and complicated reasons! But feeling so much better after reading your suggestions!

Does the school offer any clubs they could join? My dd went to all sorts of random clubs (film, knitting, Lego, football etc).

If not I would move schools, what else are you meant to do 🤷‍♀️

And contact the LA. They will (should) be abreast of plans. Your own school may not offer WRAC but there will need to be something local that you can access.

My daughter did this while she was at college working for a local doctor. She got the bus to the kids school, walked them home, set them off on their homework and then did whatever tea had been prepared for them. It's worth a try.

Start advertising for an afterschool nanny - possibly a student or newly retired person. Presumably you'll need some care in the school holiday too?

Asking the school would be a good first step - this happened at my kids' school just as people were drifting back to work post-pandemic - as more people could continue to WFH, it no longer made the privately run after-school club viable, so the provider pulled out two weeks before the start of the new school year.

School stepped in to run it temporarily via TAs wanting the extra money - and they've maintained the provision since then as it's obviously balancing out.

We managed by DH flexing his working hours a bit - so breaking to do school pickup then working later into the evening - but my kids were older so can just get on with stuff when they're picked up and brought home on a night.

Are the nursery open to you advertising a wrap around opportunity to their staff? They simply may not be able to afford to staff it but you may be able to.