Hello I’m sure this has been discussed over & over again so apologies in advance...
We have just had our New Starters Parents Evening & given the timetable for the staggered entry. Whilst I completely accept that this is a great idea and generally fully support it, having looked at the logistics of it I’m not sure where to start. We have also paid in full this week for breakfast and after school club for 21 days in September to secure our place but as our daughter doesn’t actually start full time
until 16 Sept the timetable doesn’t allow us to use the first 10 sessions totalling £265. Having spoken to the wrap around care club they have advised that we still have to pay for them even if they’re not used & they cannot carry them over & they have advised that historically parents have used them as settling in sessions before their children start full time. As both myself & my husband work full time & not locally to the village we live in, neither do we have enough annual leave to cover this period despite all our leave being planned around our daughter & childcare requirements I’m feeling a bit stuck (& penniless 😀), we would have continued with her current childminder for this period (who she will stay with for holidays) but lives in the next village and on the commute to work - we only have one car as we work the same company & no family locally with many of our friends in a similar situation. I guess it’s common to have to pay two lots of childcare for this time & I just need to suck it up but it just seems that those parents who have to work full time are being penalised a bit by all this...sorry for the rant but was just wondering how others arrange this kind of thing? Thanks for reading and any ideas much appreciated 😊