Share your childcare tips with The Childcare Voucher Providers Association - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

Sorting out reliable childcare can be a difficult task for any parent. The struggles of trying to organise appropriate childcare can sometimes turn your whole day upside down. With that being said The Childcare Voucher Providers Association would like to hear about the tips or shortcuts you have for arranging your childcare, whether you’re a working parent or not.

Here’s what the Childcare Voucher Providers Association has to say: “We are on a mission to ensure that working parents have the best support possible for arranging their childcare. And this includes a genuine choice in the financial support that best suits their families. We think it’s great that the Government is focusing on improving access to childcare support and we welcome the additional choice that tax-free childcare will bring to accompany the support that millions of parents have received from Childcare Vouchers.

However, the Government wants to close the voucher regime to new parents in April 2018. For many parents, Childcare Vouchers will provide far more financial support than tax-free childcare, including for couples with one working parent who won’t be able to claim any financial support at all under tax-free childcare. That’s why we think rather than closing one scheme, the Government should keep the voucher scheme open as well as tax-free childcare to give parents a genuine choice and access to the support that best suits their family. If you agree with this then please feel free to sign this petition to keep the voucher scheme open.”

Do you have any tips on managing your childcare around a busy working life? How do you manage when you have to drop your kids off at different providers? Have you got any tips that save you money? Or perhaps you enlist the help from family members as well as childcare providers?

Whatever your tips are share them on the thread below, where one lucky MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck.
MNHQ

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Literally going back full time in a few weeks after doing odd days here and there, I'm very worried to see if the will work... going back isn't even worth it but I'll never profess in my career and be able to provide a better life for my child if I loose my skill set in the market. Childcare needs to be more affordable and later aswell! My nursery charges through the ear for the extra 6-6.30 ... and even then I worry about what happens if something happens in the commute home.

Keep to a routine and work as a team with your OH. That way it's not stressful and you know what's going to happen and when!

If you get to know the parents of another child near by using your child-minder and you have enough room for an extra car seat/buggy space you can take it in turns to do the pick ups or drop-offs in a way that works for you and can save you a precious few extra minutes when it's not your turn.

I'm very lucky that my work are quite flexible - I can WFH and make up hours if I need to leave a bit earlier/start a bit later!

Find an available childminder through word of mouth to fit in with your childcare needs.
If possible, take it turns to do pick up and drop off with your partner.

I work full time and have changed my working pattern to 7am-3pm so I can pick up DCs from school. DH drops them off at the childminders in the morning before school.
The very early starts are really hard in Winter though!

Individual childminders are absolutely brilliant if you are lucky enough to find a local one. Often they are much cheaper and more flexible than local nursery providers. If you opt for a nursery, shop around and go with your gut feeling - it should feel 'right' as soon as you walk in. I visited lots and lots of nurseries until I found the right one for my son and don't regret my choice for a second as I knew he would be happy, safe and looked after by some brilliant people when I was at work.

We didn't live near grandparents, and childcare costs are astronomical, soI only returned to work once,y son started school. Now my son has been diagnosed as autistic, so I still only work part time, as I can receive emergency phone calls that means I have to hot foot it somewhere, in addition to appointments and the like, as my husband works 45 miles from home (about an hours journey) It is just so much easier and stress free.

My dd is on a part time - term time only contract (im a part time teacher) so I only pay when I use it (no holiday weeks to cover). I also don’t use Mondays so don’t have to worry about bank holidays. Both my husband and I get childcare vouchers. His go straight to our childcare provider but mine don’t as due to our contract our fees are different each month. Because we didn’t have any fees in August it acts as a buffer for the more expensive months.

I do most drop off and pick ups but dh arranges to finish early if I need to stay at work late. We don’t have family nearby however got through a sticky spot when dd was ill and couldn’t go to nursery by asking sil (who is a student) to stay at ours for a few weeks (thank god for longer uni holidays!)

We are very lucky as both my husband and me work from home so are able to divide our time up to take the kids to their various schools and activities.

I've never really had an issue but I do rely on family a lot to help with childcare and picking my daughter up from school because i'm working. Thankfully I have a family member who works in a school so they run on the same schedule as my daughter. It's just a nightmare if she's ever ill as I usually have to lose a days pay

My only suggestion is to use childcare vouchers (if this is the best option for your family finance wise) and to use flexi-time to manage drop offs/pick ups in different locations. I can't wait til they are both at the same place during the day!

We work opposite days and hours at times to ensure that the children are looked after, grandparents are a great help too, we are very lucky

I'm really lucky that my child minder takes both mimy kids as there is more than one of them there so they can do school run and one stay at home with the little ones

My mum or sisters look after my kids

Check what work will provide - My HR department can find suitable care providers and have made my own working week flexible to cover care and medical emergencies. Don't be afraid to ask!

Both myself and my husband share the drop offs and pick ups which make it a lot easier plus we're lucky to have family nearby. Definitely having everything ready the night before helps as well as meal planning. It's hard when they're little and not at school or in different places but it doesn't last forever and does get a lot easier quite quickly!

Ive always found grandparents to be the best solution to childcare , ive been so lucky with my mum and dad

My husband worked shifts so we organised drop off/pick up around his shifts, & my full time job. Family step in for the odd times as needed so we are very fortunate.

I was really lucky in being able to pair up with another set of parents and between us we worked childcare between us. The other mum worked the same place as me and we asked to get different shift patterns which also saved either one of us taking any days off to cover a sick child as the other was always available and luckily both our children got on well and now going to the same nursery.

make the most of the childcare voucher scheme, but also tka eup offwrs of help from family or friends

Working part time, living near the grandparents also helps as they are both retired and need keeping busy to keep them out of mischief

My parents and my in laws take it in turns having my children 2 days a week Whilst am at work so I have a really good support network and I don’t pay nursery or after school fees

Start childminder/nursery before your maternity leave ends to get into routine before you return to work

A combination of wonderful grandparents, working part time, flexible work hours, a good employer who provided towards child care costs all helped us with our pre school child care. Things are still very difficult for parents of younger children but maternity leave has improved and our council are giving free full time nursery places now. Neither of which were an option when our DCs were little.

As a single parent, when my son was very young I could not have managed to work without the help of my mum. I was lucky enough to get financial assistance for childcare provision but even with that, I could only afford some of my working hours covered by a childminder taking care of him, otherwise it just became pointless to work as the cost outweighed the wages. The older kids get the easier it is, what with school and after school or breakfast clubs to bridge the gap, its still logistically very hard in the mornings though and its super important to be organised and aware of what is required each day.