After school childcare

[ArtemisBean]

I'm starting to budget for how much this is likely to cost when DS starts school and trying to get my head around what our options are. I'm sure it varies from school to school and town to town, but how flexible are after school clubs in general? For example, do you have to pay for five days between 3-6pm regardless of whether you need all that, or is there an option to just book the days and hours that work for you?

You just book the days and hours you need.

We have 3 sessions to choose from per day & can book individual days/sessions.

We book the days we need. It is one price if you pick up by 4:30, or dearer if you pick up between 4:30 and 6.

Varies hugely, but most childcare, you need to commit to what you want. So, no, you don't need 5 days, but yes, you usually do need to book the same days - ie - you book Mon, Tues, Wed for the term, or year. Usually you can't just drop in on random days as obviously the service needs to know how many staff they need, at the very least.

Some you can pay for the hour / part session..... ie "I'll pick ds up at 4.30 each time", but others charge "per place" and have a fixed amount whether you collect at 4pm or 6pm.

Some schools have a very different sort of breakfast club, subsidised (usually in deprived areas) where anyone can rock up and there is a really minimal fee. This is a different sort of breakfast club though, often staffed by school staff and usually set up to try to get breakfast into dc that otherwise wouldn't have it. Obviously, others at the same school benefit from it.

This is really helpful, thanks everyone. Can you still use your tax free childcare account for this type of care?

Depends on whether you intend to use before/after school clubs run by the school or a childminder? Our childminder is £18 a day (£90 a week) but DD gets breakfast and dinner - drop off 730 collect 530. 5 days per week term time Only. Most childminders will either have full week or part week places. You can't chop and change days - if you decide one day to pick her up yourself you still have to pay

School clubs are cheaper but can be impossible to get a space in - I tried for years - can't put name down in advance and it's practically a riot when the places are released. I couldn't handle the stress as I needed to be confident that DD had reliable childcare in place before we put her name down for the school

And it depends on the setting as to whether they are signed up to the tax free childcare account- some are some aren't

School clubs and a CM take vouchers (our two are old enough that we both signed up for that) so I assume they also take tax free childcare.
Sign up early for school clubs as others have said!
Some holiday clubs are independent and don't take vouchers, and one option for two kids is a babysitter to take them home but they also are usually not registered.

Ours after school club is £12 a day regardless of when you collect, including a snack and a drink. It runs from3.15 until 6.

Mornings from 7.30-8.45 are £4 including toast & fruit

Oh god, the thought of having to fight for a place sounds pretty grim. I'm dreading that to be honest. Hate uncertainty and my workplace and DH's are so bloody inflexible 🙁

Email them and get your name down now then!

@Oblomov20

Email them and get your name down now then!

Mine wouldn't accept anyone on to the waiting list until they had a confirmed place at the primary school - results don't come out until February but the deadline for application is November if I recall?

For us it was chicken and egg situation - we couldn't apply to her particular school without being confidant of having childcare (very few childminders cover the school) but we couldn't apply for a place at the school club until after we had an offer accepted at the school and even then there was no guarantee of getting a space!

Very stressful time! Luckily we found a lovely childminder who was prepared to hold a place for us for what would almost 12 months - paid deposit to her in the November to start school the following September. Had DD not got into the school we would have had to lose the deposit but it was worth it for peace of mind

At our club you book the days you need, morning/afternoon, with various drop off and pick up times at different rates.
Breakfast 7.45 to

Breakfast 7.45-8.45 am -£4.75
After school club 3.15-6pm - £8.50

At our club you couldn’t book spaces until the week before term started. But was no trouble getting a place and when I asked if there was much competition they said everyone gets a space that wants one. Sounds like I’m lucky here! We can pay for different pick up/drop off times depending on what we need.