Would you change your child's nursery?

[12missafew]

Would you change your child's nursery if there was another nursery which was the same as their current one in every material respect (i.e. quality of care, quality of early education, quality of food, safety and happiness of children, cost) BUT offered much more flexible hours?

By flexible hours I mean you would be able to choose exactly the days and hours you needed between 5am and 11pm, Monday to Friday, charged at an hourly rate. You could be up to two hours late on any day without any late fees (any extra hours would just be charged at the standard rate). You could also drop off your children up to an hour early if you let the nursery know the night before. For a slightly higher fee (about 10% more) you could sign up for a plan which would let you change the days and hours you needed on a weekly basis

As you might be able to tell I am considering opening a nursery (in London) which would offer the flexibility I've described above, but I don't know how much parents would really value it. What do you think? Crucially, 1) would you change from your existing nursery / childcare provider, and 2) would you have picked the more flexible nursery if it had been available when you were choosing your nursery / childcare provider? I know it's hard to imagine a nursery which is the same as yours in every other way, but please try!

I want to try and help parents if this is a real problem, but I am not sure if it is.

If you could let me know if you live in London, and how old your children are, and what sort of hours you / you and your partner work that would be really useful.

Thanks!

Alana I really like the sound of that, I always want ds home in his own bed which involves a lot of juggling. That would be the perfect solution.

I agree with insancerre - I would be concerned that a nursery offering those kind of hours had no real understanding of children's needs for stability, predictability, time at home and/or with parents etc. I'd also be highly doubtful that good-quality staff would want to work there.

As a feminist, I really want to support the idea of 24-hour childcare. But I just can't feel OK about shunting children around like that. (And I am a lone parent - have just had a few v frustrating enforced days at home with a poorly toddler - but that's what happens when you're a parent.)

I think the problem with childcare for their own children is not as much with those who necessarily need childcare all the time but those who have older children. School after school clubs for example might finish at 6 so they can leave from a 5:30 shift and get there on time. Even if the childcare from 6 was free they would still need to get out to school to collect the child and then bring them back to an environment which isn't really set up for older children. They would then also need the time to listen to them read, help with homework etc. Or a parent might be happy to let their 11yr old make their own way home from secondary school and watch some tv, do some homework for a few hours, but not alone until 11pm. I think that you would have serious issues with retaining parents under your model.

The home option sounds better tbh. Or a nursery offering the longer hours without as much flexibility so at least everyone knows where they are. It would be different if you were say attached or next to a hospital where you could guarantee that there would be random patterns of shifts and overnights. I think though otherwise you could find that you and someone else could have to end up sitting there until 11pm with just one child some nights.

I am a highly qualified and very experienced Early Years Professional and I would absolutley not consider working in such a nursery.
I work very hard to ensure the nursery where I work is as child centred as it can be.
Yes parents need high quality childcare for their children but also children need stability and routine.
I think nurseries should offer care between 8 and 6.
If parents need care outside of these hours then it is up to them to decide who provides that care, i.e family, nanny.
There is a demand for different shift patterns and longer working hours but I really feel it shouldn't be at the detriment of the children's need for stability and routine.

I would be concerned about the pressures on staff who do NOT have children. Those with children are sometimes unable to work extra and be more flexible with regards to the hours they work and any changes to their routine. This would leave those without children to be asked to take up the slack which in turn would cause resentment and bitterness amongst staff.

I wouldn't switch. DD already has long days at nursery when she goes. I would like the 'take them home and turn into a babysitter' option to be avaialble though.

However if I were in a job where I needed more flexible care - I'd be there like a shot (thinks of call centre used to work in where there was a 3-week cycle of shifts 8-4, 9-5 then 12-8)). If the choice was between staying employed and having DD in nursery late, or being unemployed and struggling a lot, I;d want to do the former. I knew too many people who had to quit because of the shift patterns conflicting with childcare.