Working before child goes to school or after?

[nextweekfriday]

Hi just wondering whether anyone has experience of planning out when they work when children are little?
I went back to work when my LO was 18mo the shes 3.5yrs old now and I'm feeling increasingly guilty having spend a year working in a very full on job..,I'm about to start a new one soon which I hope will be less demanding. But I'm starting to think could I try and afford not to work when she goes to school as I have no idea how you make childcare work when they finish school so early in the day. I know theirs after school clubs but I'd feel even worse at the thought of her going to school and then a club before she sees us! How do other people make it work?

Well, it depends on your choices in your area.

You can use before and afterschool clubs.
You can use a childminder.
Many Nurseries run a before and after school service for (a) local school(s) - which some parents like as they are going back somewhere familiar, although I have to say as long as you are positive about it, children generally transition very easily to wrap around school clubs.
You can do a combination - my dc went to breakfast club at school (which they loved) and then a childminder after school (who they also loved).

I am not sure why you would feel bad ?

We are terribly awful parents by MN standards and just use both the breakfast club and after school club wraparound care that is offered. DD just spends an extra 2 hours a day playing with her friends doing a variety of activities and has fun. School is actually open 7:45 to 17:45. I occasionally feel guilty too, but my DD knows we work hard to give her nice things in life and quite frankly if I didn't work I'd probably be bored and depressed so wouldn't be paying anywhere near as much attention to the DC anyway!

Well I feel bad because my daughter currently goes to nursery x2 days a week and x2 to my mums and Fridays I'm off. She's always reluctant to go to nursery and she's been going for nearly two years she still cries at drop off and has started to say she doesn't want to go. We've changed nurseries and it's not made a difference. My gut feeling is do I need to be around for her more? If I was around in the lead up and her begining school might she feel better supported and enjoy it more? I'm concerned that if we continue as we are she'll be reluctant to go to school every day (and the thought of that is concerning me as it's already quite wearing having two days a week of having to coax her out the door)

I stopped working shortly after DS started school (not because of that though) and it has been wonderful for him as he is a homebody who needs downtime after school. An extroverted child would probably find coming home to a quiet house boring but it is what DS needs. So child dependent.

We chose a childminder for before and after school care - wraparound 4 days a week, from 7:30-8am to 5-6pm. I think it is more relaxing for a 4 year old than a busy after school club - they still have the option to do fun activities, play outside etc, but if they're tired, the home environment is more relaxing and they sometimes just watch tv or have a quite lie down much as they would at home.