How do parents drop children off at school if they work 8-5pm

[Mrstumbletap]

DS goes to school next year, and I'm trying to fathom how people drop off and pick up when they work longer than the school day. What do you all do? Childminder? Childminder then breakfast club? After school club?

Yes I found it impossible and had to give up work in the end. I couldn't find a childminder who could do every day. Plus I had two children in different schools with different start and finish times. Breakfast club didn't start till 8am in one school which was too late for me to get to work.

I did do a combination of private nursery with pick ups and drop offs (most reliable,) local childminder one day a week, nanny that came to the house am and pm and family help occasionally. The nanny and childminder were entitled to holidays/annual leave and that was a nightmare to cover.

Then I had inset days to cover, appointments and illnesses and school holidays, Occasional school closures eg snow days and strikes.

It was a wonder I ever got to work at all.

Are you a single parent, you haven't mentioned whether you have a DH/DP and what their working hours are?

We were lucky to get places in breakfast club (from 745am) and afterschool club 3 X a week (until 630pm). Grandparents help out on one day and I am off work one day a week. My hours are more flexible than yours but I often have to be in early / stay late and so DH and I share the drop off/pick ups

ceevee I was going to ask the same. OP do you have a partner?

My DH and i shared drop off when the childrrn were little.

I wouldn't be doing homework with a four year old! The world has gone mad.

Au pair is probably the best idea, if you can get one.

If you haven't already finalised your primary school choices ring around the local schools (not just your closest) to ask about their wrap around provision and which external providers do drop offs/pick ups for the schools.

I know parents who have gone for out of catchment and less popular schools on this basis.

DH does most drop offs to breakfast club, and then works late.
I go in early and do pick ups from after school club.
Then we spend most evenings taxi-ing the DCs to hobbies, and finally get to see each other when its nearly bedtime!
Thank God for weekends!

yy, check whether your chosen primary schools have breakfast and after school club. I didn't apply to any that didn't.

Having said that, those clubs may have huge waiting lists. I want my dc's to do an extra breakfast club session and they went on the list last June in 14th and 15th place. It will be a few more months until their places come up.

I gave up my career because of this.

Sorry, not the response you wanted but it was really important to me to support my kids, be thereat pick ups, sick days, school holidays.
No family support and OH has always worked away a lot, so me working fixed hours like this would have negatively impacted the kids.

I had a great job as a research scientist, but even years later never got back to doing that job.
Very happy kids though.

I really would change your job/hours if possible. My son has recently started school and is really tired after a 08:45-15:15 day. Giving children huge working days (when many adults are shattered after their own) seems unfair. Sometimes needs must, but I really would try to find something else, or spread your existing hours over 5 days instead of the four you do at the moment.

nanny then au-pair, it's impossible otherwise.

Hubby is gone by 6.30am so cannot be of any help. Breakfast clubs start too late, after school finish too early to be convenient, and I think it's unfair to impose such long days 5 days a week on a little one.

Then you have holidays, sick days, inset days, and most jobs don't give enough days off to cover for these (I wouldn't expect them to).

That's great if you can, Mind!

I am a nurse so was able to switch to night shifts. It was a killer for my health and Dh and I worked opposite shifts for a few years to avoid childcare costs which was tough.

13 years later, I've just moved back to day shifts as the dses are old enough to fend for themselves for a bit.

I would also wait until you actually know what school your child is going to in April. Applications haven't even closed yet so as a childminder I won't be signing up any children until I know what school they are going to. Been stung with that before!

AdrienneVole, it was a necessity. No choice really.
Although I loved my job as a research scientist it was very incompatible with parenthood. I often worked 70 hours a week, often at short notice would have to make 5am starts sometimes, lots of travel to conferences etc. So short of getting a full time nanny I jacked in the job.

OP, you probably don't know what school he'll be going to yet? CMs usually do a school run to a specific school. It's also potentially a bit early for them to know if they'll have a vacancy in September, though possible I suppose if a child is moving up to secondary. I think the time to start asking around is when school places are allocated. But don't despair if it takes a while. Some families may give notice at the end of the summer term for example.

There's often a fb group set up for new starters at your school where you could ask. If one of your fellow parents is a CM they may be starting doing the school run to that school exactly when you want. there could also be people who know people via older siblings. Also look at any local authority/children's services listings of CMs. I found if you call a few who list that school pickup, they'll know all the CMs and if they don't have a space may be able to recommend someone.

I still haven't got back to my job as a scientist 19 years later!

For the first year (agedwe had a nanny, then dh was SAP for 18 months, following that we both worked pt with reciprocal arrangements with other parents. 18 months ago I took a ft job with a 10 minute commute, dh still WFH 2 days a week allowing me to do 2 longer days (I do 9-5, 730-5:30, 8:30-4:30, 9-3 and 8-5) and we still have reciprocal arrangements. Short answer there is no easy solution, you need to be innovative and flexible, it gets easier as they get older and one gets more senior.

Like others, DH and I changed our working days to make it fit. DH starts later some days, and I finish earlier to pick the DC up, except on Wednesdays when it's the other way round. My parents also help pick up twice a week.

Ours is 8 start. I have just had to get a job that could fit with that. 8.45 start at the nearest big town.

Breakfast club in the morning, childminder to collect in the evening, then when she got older she could stay in school longer.

Have you spoken to the school, they may have some recommendations...

Breakfast club in the morning, childminder to collect in the evening, then when she got older she could stay in school longer.

Each to their own. I would find that a pretty miserable schedule for my kids.

OP - I didn't find childcare.co.uk very useful either. The best response by far was from my ad in Gumtree. We found a local student with childcare and primary school exp. who's also willing to do full days in some school hols. Can you try that?

Try everything you can:

• ask local parents for CM or nanny/babysitter recs,
• use local noticeboards (eg in colleges) or Facebook groups to advertise,
• use your council website for CM details and ring around (Councils usually have a list of local childcare providers)
• put your name down for school club places (dd's school told parents it was full at the time of application but it was expanded significantly before term started);
• if there's any chance of changing hours at work, take it.

And try not to worry too much about using wrap around care, we were told horror stories of exhausted children in after school clubs but the Reception aged kids at dd's school are loving the clubs. In fact have had to sign dd up for one or two cause she feels she's missing out!

Looking at the other thread on the number of activities that some kids do after school, I think my kids have a more chilled time at afterschool club! Certainly when I go to collect them, they don't want to leave!

Got my CM from council website having had no luck with childcare.co like yourself.

Our b/f club doesn't start until 8.
Rubbish!