Pre-School Parent helpers

[tinytalker]

My dd's pre-school expects every parent to help out at a session at least once a half term. This is to help with snack time and clearing up, so that a member of staff is free to work with children. This is great in principal, however, it is always the same mums who help more than once a half term. Plus the staff are struggling most days with no parent helpers. They say they can't cope without this help. As a committee member I try to approach parents to help out but many say "i work" or "I'm too busy" or "I've helped this term already" Now I wonder if this is an unrealistic request to ask for regular parent helpers? So many now work or have young babies/toddlers at home. The pre-school are talking about allocating each parent a day to help and if they cannot swop they will have to pay for an extra member of staff. Is this fair? What is the solution? What does your nursery/pre-school do?

Well as a parent of a child at pre-school and who works as a childminder I wouldn't be able to help out therefore would not be sending my child to your pre-school! I think asking the parents to pay for an extra member of staff is out of order. Maybe I am in the minority, will watch replies with interest.

Our pre-school had enough staff! helpers were a bonus.

Our preschool has enough staff

they onky need help if someone is on holiday or sick

maybe as a committee member you need to raise fees so you can afford more staff, or advertise for more children?

I think they need to raise fees and get more staff. Ours does request parent helpers, and there are some, but there is no pressure at all and I think the aim is so that you can see your child in the preschool environment. I don't help as I have a smaller DD and I want the time he is in preschool to do activities with her and get a bit of a break. I would not be impressed at any compulsion.

The pre-school dd1 used to go had it as a pre-requisite that you must be able to help out the same number of days per half term as your child went per week (eg 3 sessions a week meant you helped 3 times per half term). If you couldn't, and you couldn't find anyone else to take your place (eg the child's father, a grandparent etc) your child couldn't go. (of course parents didn't always turn up and I think the usual suspects were often asked to cover but it worked ok on the whole).

I think this is fair enough, it helped keep the costs down and also meant we all felt we had a stake in the playgroup. It was a good way to meet people too.

They were very relaxed about you taking your other dc's with you - I used to take dd2 when she was just over a year and she loved it! Others would bring baby's in strollers.

This wasn't childcare for working parents so that wasn't usually an issue. One of my friends went back to work part-time while her dd was there and she did have to jig things round a bit, but I think her mum did her stint once or twice.

And parent helpers just play with the kids, not snacks and clearing up.

Our pre school did it. They just put up a rota at the beginning of term and if parents wanted to swap they did. They made a special case for me, because I am a Childminder and whenever I had a free day, I just gave another parent 'the day off'. They knew I would do it at least once a term, so they were happy. They did point out that it could be Mum, Dad, Grandparents, Auntie, etc.

You can't charge parents extra if they are using Nursery Education Funding to pay for the sessions.