Holiday clubs for Late Birthdays

[randomsabreuse]

How do working parents manage holidays in reception?

Hoping to start working now DD is starting school and trying to get childcare ducks in a row before looking for a working pattern...

Most of the holiday clubs that are "reception up" actually mean 5 and up - so what provision is there? Some allow 4 hours/day for reception aged kids but that doesn't exactly facilitate working...

Is it just nurseries/child minders? But 4 yos are crap for their ratios too!

Can see why au pairs are so popular - not that many would want to live in a sleepy market town with no language school and no reslistic public transport to a decent sized town!

I’m a childminder and I have reception aged children, why would they be crap for my ratios?

I was under the impression that the rules for 4 yos are stricter than 5 and up on numbers...

Bit more research suggests that all reception children are "young children" for childminder ratio purposes, but holiday only cover is possible as extras - however my town has very few childminders so the likelihood of one having spaces for holiday only rather than holiday plus wrap around is rather slim!

Once a child is in ‘full time school’ they can be counted as an 5+ for the purpose of ratios for a childminder, even if they are still 4.

However childminder is unlikely to have space for an "extra" if not used for wrap around all year by that child or a sibling... plus they will probably take some holiday. Trying to work out a realistic working pattern with no local relatives and a DH in a medical profession is hard work. Couldn't get any childcare before DD was 2 due to a shortage of spaces anywhere!

Can’t hurt to ask surely? I have lots of children who come TTO or slot in around each other during the holidays.

I'm a cm too and take on school age children for holidays only. They take the places of my "term time" only after school kids"

Lots of cm 's do this so ask around.

SuperCamps and Kings Camp take 4 year old, but they're not the cheapest.

No more expensive than a childminder or nursery £36/day in advance...

Actually Kings don't do 4 yos, have to have had 5th birthday! Live chat confirmed.

Supercamps do but are predominantly South East.

Looks like returning to work got even harder!

Whereabouts are you? I was going to suggest Barracudas, but they are also predominantly in the SE of the country, although expanding I believe

West Midlands but might be moving, just definitely not to the south east!

Most schools have holiday clubs. Mine have gone to several different ones since reception. Both at their own school and other schools, all the private schools where we live run holiday clubs open to children of any school. Have you Che led the schools in your area?

We used a mix of their old nursery and a holiday club that took YRs. You're right a lot of them don't, but you only need one. The trickiest bit is the best holiday clubs often don't need to advertise that much. It's worth looking for local "mums" or neighbours' FB groups and asking for recommendations.