After school wraparound care

[Fupoffyagrasshole]

Not sure if this is best place to post or not

Daughter starting reception in September - currently work 4 days a week 8.30-4.30

I have the option of working over 5 days so that I can finish at 2.30 so I can get back to collect daughter at 3.30 instead of using after school club.

Means il have to send my 1 year old to nursery 5 days though and stops me having a 1:1 day with the baby which i really enjoyed with my bigger girl for the last 3 years - being able to do thing midweek days when its quiet. I feel a bit guilty that he wont get the same time and will be in nursery full time essentially.

But I also have guilt putting my 4 year old in after school club!

It will also be a bit of a rush for me to leave work and rush to get her then on to get the baby (husband can help with nursery pick ups some days and will do all school drop offs)

what do others do? would you avoid after school all together if you could or would you use it and have your day off in the week with the younger child!

My DS loved after school club at that age. They played with their friends, did various sorts of games and crafts and sometimes cookery.
The different year groups mixed as well which meant that they knew some of the older children who always looked out for them at school.

I'd keep your day off!!
Mine likes ASC well enough. Loads of kids are in it. Don't give up a whole day and time with your baby just to avoid a bit of ASC.

Keep your day off! Also probably cheaper to do x4 ASC than 1 day at day nursery for the youngest. DS did it even in the school nursery so we could do 1 pick up since sibling up the school finished later. He loves it!

thanks! it just sounds so stressful to me that ill be rushing around like a md woman to make it all work!

Husband going to see if from Jan he can compress his week a bit (do one day 8-3 so he can get her - so would only be 3 days i suppose that she needs to go there!

Shes used to longer days at nursery 8-5.30 at the moment

She is very social so she might actually enjoy it!

good point! the nursery is 105 a day or something like that eeeeeeeeeep

Definitely use after school club. My kids love it. It means you don't have to rush from work every night, and think of activities to keep them busy 5 nights a week.

Also if you move to work 5 days you'll need childcare for 5 days every school holidays rather than 4.

Also an excellent point!

DT’s loved breakfast and after school clubs - lots of complaints if we collected them early and interrupted their playing time with friends

Didn’t even think of this 🤣

I work 5 days 8.30-2.30 around DS school. Also have a DD (3.5) in nursery.
I've done it since DS started school so DD knows no different. I leave DD in nursery until 4.30pm every day

I get time with DS after school for a few hours which is nice and I compensate not having a day with DD by sending Saturday mornings together (dance class and us time). DS has football which DH takes him too.

It does make for a hectic week tho. I'm always at work or doing a pick up/drop off. At an activity for the kids or doing the shopping. Our weeks have to be military planned esp as DS has alot of activates. I sometimes feel sorry for DD but I remind myself when she starts school she will benefit from what DS does now.

I would 100% do the 4 days

After school clubs can be great

Day off with your 1 year old much more important than a handful of extra hours with the 4 year old (these tend not to be fun times anyway, more tired/grumpy times)

Day off with both in the holidays

Much less rushing around

My daughter started a school doing 4 days of after school club until 5.30-6 and breakfast club 1-2 times a week. I kept my day off. She did struggle a little bit in the first half term. School was very stimulating and at the time after school club didn't have as many reception class members in and she found it underestimating.
My mum volunteered to take her after school one day a week and my partner switched his working from home day to my office day so she only needed breakfast club a couple of times a month and was in after-school club 3 days a week. More of her class started using after school club after the first half term and the after-school club learnt more about her and what she liked so she found it more entertaining.
After this she's enjoyed after-school more and I think she would have been fine keeping at 4 days but also very much enjoyed her few hours with grandma, we paired it with a day I did an exercise class in the evening so I also had the benefit of not having to do a rushed collection before the class. I was made redundant in February so now she only does one day a week in after-school club but only until 5 just to keep it as a familiar place but now complains she's leaving before her friends!
I don't think there's anything wrong with 4 days a week in after-school, especially finishing relatively early at 4.30. that's not to say there might be some teething issues during that first half term with all the change and adjustments!

Interested in all the answers as I will be in almost the exact same position word for word but the following year although need to sign my 2nd up for nursery ASAP since it has a long waiting list.

My first is summer born (so just turned 4 in Sept) so am wondering if she might find after school club too tiring. She also has a medical condition which can make her more tired than other kids. Long days at nursery are fine but she still naps.

Will you actually get a place at afterschool club? I'd check they have spaces for YR before deciding anything.

I have to decide before they close up next week (or whenever school holidays are?)

They take as many children as want a place in after school - but i have to commit to it now for sept - December!

So i need to make a decision soon :)

What's the cancellation policy for after-school club? Could you sign them up for after-school club and change your mind over the holidays? We just have to give 24h notice to change after school club days.
I'd be tempted to try after-school club for the autumn term and reassess then.
How much notice would you work and nursery need for the change in hours.

My daughter was 4 and a few weeks when she started school.
She found it harder than nursery at first to be honest even though she was doing slightly less hours during the first half term.
My daughter still has severe silent reflux and this can impact her sleep. On bad night she can be up 5+ times in pain and doesn't get good quality sleep. Her school have offered to give her naps on days she's had poor night's sleep. She stopped napping at nursery at 2.5 even though she continued having them regularly until 3 and occasionally right up to starting school when at home so it's not something I've taken them up on as I think it would be a fruitless endeavour!

They have a duty to make adjustments for those with medical conditions so if she needs naps during school whilst she adjusts it is worth a chat with the school to see if they can accommodate a nap or some quite time during the day. My daughters school has a sensory room and this gets used for kids that need some quiet space. My daughter has had use of it when she's had a bad week either due to her reflux but also because of being 4!

Can change each term! I was half thinking of changing my hours just sept - dec and then switch back in January!

my job are chill so they don’t mind what I do tbh once I get my hours done

That's good, I was only allowed to make changes to my hours /working pattern once a year.
A few of the parents in my daughters class had temporary flexible working for the first term then going back to their usual hours after Christmas.
In our county at least, 2 of the longest half terms are in the autumn term so not only are you battling with a new situation you have got longer between the holidays. The spring term was quite short for us and I did see the difference

To be honest how do you think your child will be, we had the same situation last September but my son was in the school nursery the year before and he was and is shattered even after a normal day. Many kids manage ASC from reception but reception is Tough on some kids and year one even more so as they start KS1.
I've switched to 5 shorter days and my partner is still on 4 for the little one, it works but honestly there's no give in the system we have.
I'm hoping once they are both past reception we can put them both in ASC and get our life back!

Just to add to the above ASC is not usually all or nothing, you might be best to book one or two days a week at first and see how it goes.

thanks so much everyone !! Lots to think about and good to hear what others have done !! I think what we will do is just try work it out between us that she only needs to go 2 days (3max) we can manage that I think (both of doing a mix of staring early finishing early type thing) get through to Christmas and re plan the Jan term based on how it all went 🤣
luckily we both have pretty chill flexible employers.

shes a very social little girl - she makes friends in the park anytime we go to a playground and loves pre school and gets annoyed when I pick up early as she wants to stay until the end everyday !
So hoping she feels the same at school - am conscious though that nobody from her pre school will be there so it be a whole new set of children to make friends with. and it will be a big change for her !

guess we just have to roll with it see how it goes :)