Dealing with term-time only nursery?

[Canadagoosegoose]

I have a 1 year old and an almost 3 year old and I'm currently looking for part time work. My youngest stays at home with me and my oldest goes to nursery 2 days per week. It's a great nursery, she loves it, but it's term time only, with a limited holiday club. Obviously this isn't an issue now, but it would be if I had a job, say 2 or 3 days a week. I don't want to change nurseries really. What do people do in this situation? Do they use their annual leave to cover holidays? Do childminders offer holidays only? Do people just have loads of help from family? Or do they just change nursery?

I'm a childminder and I offer holiday only contracts.

I used childminder too when younger then holiday clubs when in preschool year

We do a combination of longer days and taking leave (parents separately), childminder and grandparents, have also done reciprocal care for a friend's child but it's less reliable as they may get ill etc.

My twins are on term time only - couldn't afford it otherwise. Both DH and I buy annual leave and then all school holidays are split between us. Means no holidaying together but we can't afford that just yet anyway - maybe when they are 3 and get 30 hours

Childminders locally only offer holiday only care to school age children as most under 5s in their care are all year round so don’t have the spaces others can’t not afford to hold an early years space all year round to only be used in the holidays, so I would phone a few to see what they offer.

Generally, once you are WOTH, people will look for childcare that operates all year round.
There are CMers that might take on school age dc during the holiday, but I wouldn't have though many that would take on babies / toddlers / Preschooler for 2 weeks, then not see them then a week, then not see hem then 2 weeks, the a week, then 6 weeks etc. It would be really unsettling.

Thanks got the comments guys. I think the answer would be to move her to a year-round nursery. She'd ge unsettled at first but it would be much better than her going to nursery one week, then childminder, then staying at home etc.

@Canadagoosegoose
Yoyte not working so surely a non issue?
They'll go yo school I'm a year, isn't that enough change?
And you'd have the same issues with school days.

Annual leave should cover a fair amount of it?

I would definitely change nursery. Why make things really hard for yourself before they start school?

I've always used a childminder from going back to work after maternity leave, it was much cheaper than a nursery and I know the lady really well anyway and then when they were 3 they went to the nursery attached to the local primary school for some sessions where they will stay until 11.

My contract with the childminder is term time only and she does wraparound for the nursery days and 1 full day and for my older one, school wraparound.

It works well as the childminder does do holidays "by arrangement" and so you aren't contractually obliged

We both use our annual leave over the holidays and tend to have one week at Easter, one week in the summer and afew days at Christmas where we overlap and then the childminder bridges the gaps. She sends a list out every year of the holiday weeks/ days she is working and we just work round it.

I work 30 hours over 4 days and my partner works his compressed hours over 4 days too so we only have 3 days a week to cover.

There's also holiday clubs you can book at either the school or sports/ drama/ music/ farm park holiday clubs.

Childcare is expensive we use the government tax free scheme and save 20% but even so it's a lot and if we had to do this 5 days a week for 2 it would be a massive expense.

I'd be looking to get a local childminder to help you out, mine is a godsend. I wouldn't bother changing nurseries If they are happy in there as they'll leave when they are 4 anyway but a childminder is more flexible with wraparound etc.....

some schools also have breakfast/ after school clubs too but I have friends who use these and you can only book a term at a time at our school and they go online to book then find there's no availability for the days they want/need whereas if you have an agreement with a childminder It's for particular days