afterschool care/ childminder/ nanny in West End

[msapplecider]

hi everyone,

I raised this in another thread regarding Hillhead Primary being oversubscribed/overcrowded, but parents of new P1 have been informed by the school that there may not be any after-school care provision at the school as the current provider (Karemore) has closed their waiting list. I am aware that there is another provider who collect children from the school and take them to Maryhill but we won't be able to collect my child before 6 from Maryhill so this won't work for us. It seems that this provider in Maryhill is likely to have a long waiting list anyway.

So, we are in this worrying situation where DD is about to start school in August, while both DP and I work full time and so in need of a reliable childcare plan until at least 6pm. The school is not really able to help - they just advise us to try getting on their current providers' waiting list and try local childminders. We have never used any childminder/nanny in the area and also ideally, we would prefer it if DD was being looked after in a group setting rather than just with one or two other kids (although we accept this might not always be possible).

I'm just wanting to start this conversation to ask if any of you are in a similar situation - maybe we can form a group and pressure school/council/whoever a bit more so they can give us more practical support? Or if any of you may have suggestions - maybe you know of a relevant service, or know a good childminder or nanny I could try? We are in Finnieston and if anybody knows anything local that would be a huge help.

Many thanks in advance for any idea you might have!

Hi.

I have my son at the after school in Maryhill which is really St Georges cross. Have you tried to speak to the staff at Safe til Six as they might be able help in regards to what other childcare is in the area as they are also linked to the nursery.

Not particularly handy but both Broomhill and Hyndland primaries have excellent after school so might be worth a try.
You could also ask around among the p1/p2 parents. Perhaps someone would collect your child along with theirs and take them home. If you find someone you like they may even do tea and homework !

Sorry, no ideas. We took ds1 out of Karemore when I went on mat leave (no concerns with the setting btw, he loved it and the staff are great, just wanting to save the money) and we've been unable to get him back in.

Luckily for us, dh had taken additional paternity leave and was able to change his hours so that he can do school pick up on the days I work. No help to you if you're both full time.

We did ask around but couldn't find a childminder, although we didn't try too hard as we had already decided on the reduced hours option.

Part of the trouble is that there used to be another After School Club operating but it closed down (again, I didn't hear any complaints at all about the setting, but the company operated a nursery on the Southside which got slammed by the Care Commission and they went bust). Because of the increased numbers and therefore lack of space, the Head was reluctant to lease the space to another provider. Karemore's waiting list therefore exploded.

There's been some talk about the Council leasing another building for out of school care (Kelvinhaugh Primary was mentioned) and there's certainly enough demand for a company to make a go of it I would think. Definitely worth contacting the council to make your voice heard.

thanks ladies! I got in touch with Safe till Six and put DD's name on the waiting list, but was told that the list is way too long already and that I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. I sure will be writing to the Council and will be asking at other neighbouring schools. I'd love to hear more on this if anyone has any more ideas.

Good luck.

Safe til six is a fab after school care but is very popular.

I think we were just lucky getting a space as the school my son is at doesnt have a waiting list

Hi there, Dunard primary has an after school club and holiday provision x