Wraparound Care. Hours too long?

[Aarg]

Hello,

I hope everybody is well.

I've never posted before, so please forgive me if this is not in the correct thread.

I have a question regarding the hours involved for children who attend breakfast clubs and after school clubs and was hoping for some advice/opinions from parents who also send their children to these clubs.

Basically, I have 3 children aged 7, 5 and 4. Come September they will be in year 3, year 1 and Reception. I have not worked since the eldest was born, but now, as my youngest will be attending school for a full day I would like to go back, as we as a family are struggling with the cost of living. When/if I go back, it will mean the children will have to be in breakfast club at 7.30 and after school club until 5 everyday. My husband would probably be able to pick them up at 4.30 a couple of days a week.

My question is, do these hours seem excessive? To me they do, but everybody around me keeps saying lots of children do it and they cope. Both my husband and I are teachers which would mean we would be able to spend all the holidays with the children, hopefully mitigating any ill effects of the long hours during term time.

I also don't understand how we will be able to fit in al the homework, dinner, bath, reading, extra curriculars etc after school if I'm not going to be home until about 5.30 and the children have a bedtime of 7.30. I'll only get to spend about 2 or maybe 2.5 hours a day with my children.

What do you guys think? Does anybody who is also in a similar situation have any advice? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Kids will get used to it. We have a nanny Wednesday afternoon at home to break the week up.

You’ll get loads of unhelpful commentary about how you are putting yourself before your children. Luckily I’m a man so don’t have to put up with the same nonsense. My DW took some horrendous flak! Funny old world.

Something to consider - my two hated after school club and breakfast club, even though it was on very rare occasions when neither of us were home and was never both clubs on the same day. They had friends there so it wasn't that they weren't able to settle. I'd look at having a nanny instead if possible so at least they can be at home.

I'm a teacher too. We did this for years. It's fine. It's after school club, not prison. The kids have each other too. With three of them, I do think it could be worth pricing up a nanny or nanny share though. We only have the one DC so not affordable for us, although we had an after school nanny from Koru Kids briefly after Covid.

Bills and pension contributions are important!

To address your other points, extra curriculars during the week may need to go. As you've the school holidays with them, make up for it then. And DH will need to contribute to the other stuff more if you're currently doing all of it.

I don't recommend part time teaching despite doing it myself. It's part time pay for nearly full time hours normally.

It doesn't seem like a big deal at all to me - 4:30/5 isn't late at all. Ours are usually there till 6 and are perfectly happy.

Where do all these amazing nannies come from? Who on earth wants a job between 7:00 and 8:30, and then again from 3:30 to 6. Well I mean you could probably find someone, but I’d bet you wouldn’t want 90 % of them near your children.

OP they will be absolutely fine. As someone else said, they get you all the holidays anyway if you’re teachers, and it’s all they will have ever known. You are not talking about leaving them in childcare until 6:30 every evening. I also totally agree with the post saying that you will be made to feel the most guilty as the mum - it has taken me a long time to not feel that guilt any more.

DS does 7.30-5.45 3-4 days a week but he would be doing an activity until 4.45 anyway and in the hour at after school club he eats, sometimes does his homework or plays games. We get a lot of quality time together on the weekend.

My oldest coped fine with those hours from reception. My youngest has had to do those hours on occasion at pre-school and does ok but it's not ideal for her. Our After-School club has optional activities but you can just read or play or just relax, they have TV on sometimes. Kids that stay after 5pm have to do homework or if they don't have any the juniors help the younger ones. We did reading early morning, not sure if this will work with youngest. We did extracurricular stuff in the school day or at the weekend but now my oldest is older things are later in the evening. At ine point she was eating a packed-dinner at After-School Club then being picked up and walked accross the road to Brownies. It is essential for our finances that both of us work.