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New adventures into childcare - advice please!

2 replies

1MillionSelfiesTakenByMyKids · 09/07/2017 07:25

So I'm potentially going to be going back to work in the Autumn - first time in employment since having children.
I have a 6 year old and a 2 and a half year old.
I would be doing (probably) 4 days a week inside school hours or very slightly over and I'm trying to figure out the best childcare option for us.

  • Would it be worth pushing to do 3 days of longer hours?
  • Preschool for my 2 year old and a childminder for any wraparound care?
  • Childminder for the 2 year old?
  • part time nanny share and no preschool? Esp if I could do the 3 day option?
  • what do I do with the 2 year old during school holidays when the older one can do summer camps etc?

All these decisions made exponentially harder by the fact that the preschool attached to our junior school (that is handily on the way to work) is oversubscribed so it's hard to get more hours, and is not going to be offering the 30 hour funded weeks to 3 year olds.

I'm finding it a bit of an emotional upheaval as it is without these sort of logisitics to worry about.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
nannynick · 09/07/2017 07:47

Work backwards... look at the hardest time to find childcare - school holidays.

Look at how much annual leave you and any other adults in your household get and when they can take that leave. Grandparents... are they able to help with any childcare if they came to visit?

Does your 6 year old really want to go to summer camp and do the hours fit?

A childminder will have some time when they are not providing childcare, often during some of the school holidays - so would you coordinate your annual leave with when their service is not available?

I suspect that a childminder will be most viable and I would have 2 year old with them all the time as they may not offer wrap around hours for pre-school and a childminder is just like a mini-preschool.

overmydeadbody · 09/07/2017 07:53

You might find it hard to get a childminder willing to offer wraparound care for a preschooler unless you pay the full day rate.

Maybe contact a few in your area and see what they offer?

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