Childcare Advice in UK, tips, experiences on how you manage please!

[badaids]

Hello Everyone,

I am arriving back in the UK after an absence of 6 years living and working abroad.

I went a singly and come back married with a kid, knowing foreign childcare systems very well: All-day childcare for my 3 year old daughter was just £300 quid a month. I know a little about my native UK - that there is 15 hours a week free... basically half a day.

My question is this:

How do parents in the UK manage it?!

I work already and financially my other half will have no choice but to. We do already have a place in a local school's crèche from September this year. We don't have enough cash to pay an all-day private place or montessouri.

So, that extra half-day... who looks after my lovely young girly?! And can I get her there if we are both working.

Another crèche? Find a Nanny to share (looks best option)? Where do you find one? How do you manage ferrying the child around? STRESS.

We will live in Harrow btw...

I know that everyone's situation is different, but I'm struggling to get my head round the options and the logistics of it... ANY advice, experiences or tips you are willing to share will be most gratefully accepted!

Sorry to be a pain , thanks so much in advance.

(I imagine that there are posts like this ALL THE TIME. I did look to see if there was one similar, but I couldn't find one)

J

For care of one child, a day nursery or childminder are the viable options and they tend to provide care between 8am and 6pm. Some may provide longer than that.

The 15 hours a week thing is only during school term time. In some areas providers are not going to continue providing it at all as the amount they get from Government has been cut to a level where they can not afford it. You may not get offered all 15 hours. Some places may split it over a full year, rather than just term time, thus less hours per week.

Pre-schools accept the funding, so a childminder plus pre-school combination is used by parents. In that situation do expect to still pay childminding fees whilst your child is at pre-school, as the childminder can not resell the space to someone else. All childminders run their business differently, so you may find someone who does not charge whilst a child is at pre-school.

The local council can provide a list of nurseries and childminders, so you can establish cost and availability.

Check the local authority for nurseries and childminders, also check Childcare.co.uk.

I am not sure i understand your question about logistics. You get in touch with the nursery or childminder, get on a waiting list if oversuscribed, set up payment.

Can you please elaborate?

If you are both working ft you need to find a daycare setting or childminder with appropriate hours. You may get the 15 hours "free" (it starts the term after 3rd birthday assuming they are registered) but the setting can choose how this funding is applied , so you may get a discount per day with you funding the difference for example. You may qualify for some help with these costs via tax credits if you meet criteria. If you choose to use a sessional preschool , usually 3 hours either morning or afternoon during school hours, you'd need to find a cm or family member/friend to collect and look after her when she is not there and school holidays.

The 15 free hours in term times aren't usually useful as childcare for working parents - just think of it as education/experience for your DD. I'd find a childminder who can have her all day who will take and collect her from nursery (you will probably still be charged for those hours though).