Childcare & Timetable nightmare

[UghMug2]

We're really struggling getting timetable to arrange childcare. I've just left uni & my oh is going into 2nd year nursing (we were very ahem mature students!) we have a 5yr old going into p2. I'm trying to arrange affordable childcare before & after school for only two days a week when I know I'm working in case my oh is timetabled on those days but the university don't give out timetables until the first day back & no matter how often we call they won't hint at what days will be early starts or late finishes. The breakfast/after school club is really inflexible with changing days and are saying they're already fully booked on one of the days we might need. There are no others nearby and all the childminders need set days too or are full. Our neighbours are all in their 80s + so can't ask them. It's a nightmare trying to plan in advance when the university won't help. I know this has been brought up with them for years and nothing ever changes. How do parents who need flexibility deal with this? We don't have family nearby to help out & hiring an au pair as read on another thread is somewhat beyond our means.

What do other parents do?

Not helpful but I'm looking at losing a days work - which we really can't afford, but DH needs to do this course. Rubbish isn't it! We can't even contact nursery to see if they have days available because they're shut for summer and have given no indication of when induction will be so i'll probably be working

I would put the word out among everyone you know, and I mean everyone. Someone might be willing to do a swap if you can offer other days when you can look after their kids before/after work. A teacher I know has found that the school secretary at her children's school wanted some extra money and is doing her before/after hours.

In a similar situation we advertised on Gumtree for the hours we needed, we got someone very good but nearly bankrupted ourselves covering it. It was more hours than you need though which is likely to be more popular.

TBH I would book the breakfast/afterschool club for at least the day when they are free and you are working, and ask to go on a waiting list for the other day. I think you just have to bite the bullet initially and hope for the best. It is so difficult when the timetable doesn't firm up til the last minute but I guess they don't know the final numbers and/or staff.

If you don't know what days you need, then it probably would have been better to book wvwey day and then drop the days you don't need when you get your timetable.

Book all the sessions, then cancel the ones you don't need as soon as you know the timetable. If the breakfast club is busy, they'll almost certainly be able to fill your dropped places so probably won't mind.

If I booked all the sessions I'd have to pAy for them and give 30days notice to cancel them. We just don't have that kind of money :(

Dammit half my post disappeared.