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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My DD goes to a brilliant nursery with flexible hours, so she can for example start at 10am instead of having to pay for a whole morning session. It really helps.

Also, as a young single parent who works and does a full time degree - help from my dad is invaluable. Couldn't get by without him. Feel very lucky!

I'm currently a SAHM with 5 DC but have worked full time and used a combination of nurseries and family support when DH and I were both going to work.

Nurseries suited us better (we even had 2 DC in different nurseries at the same time at one point - the things you do eh!) but the cost was astronomical and we only had 2 DC at the time. I took the view that it was worth it at the time because my employer offered a non-contributory pension scheme and was paying for me to do professional qualifications, but I was also concerned about taking a break and being able to return to my career.

Our family support came in the shape of MIL, with whom I've always had a fractious relationship. I would deter other people from going down a similar route because it does not help 😬. Also, it's such a big ask for parents who have done their time raising kids. It's really not fair. The school gates are full of grannies and none of them look like they're having a good time. I'll not be doing it.

grandparents!

Childcare is ridiculous in the UK.
You wouldn’t think we were put on Earth to have children.
Unless your very lucky with having family around there is no way in reducing childcare costs.

We are on Tax credits because we earn a very low wage and we struggle. Tax credits pay near enough 70%
It doesn’t matter how much you earn because tax credits is like a catch 22. So if you decide you want to earn more money that month because it’s coming up to Christmas it won’t work because you’ll end up having to pay tax credits back in over payments.

When are the government going to help low income families and not just single parents?! This is exactly why there is so much benefit fraud in the country!

A nanny may seem to be an expensive choice but with three or more children it can work out more cost effective than other forms of childcare. Many nannies are registered with the childcare regulator and thus can be paid using childcare vouchers.

I have found that organisation is the key to making it work. If the kids or myself aren't ready on time then it throws my whole day into chaos. I made sure that I timed the drop offs so that it works for me. I am also lucky in that I have help for those times when I need it too.

Once your LO starts school join of set up a Facebook or WhatsApp group for the class-ours has proved invaluable for sharing lifts and childcare when the school changes drop off/pick up times for school trips etc

Planning. Make a timetable and make sure everyone knows it and understands it.

Communication is key always make sure your talking to childminders and people throughout the day, keep in touch via mobile phone

wraparound care is so important!

I had to stay at home to start with as we couldnt afford the childcare costs but remember There are free 'early learning' classes available for all three or four-year-olds (starting from the term after your child's third birthday). Also Children of families on lower incomes, and those on some benefits, may qualify for this free care from the age of two.

Also a friend of mine does a nanny share because
Often parents with a nanny are looking for a way to share the cost, and socialise their offspring, so they are open to sharing.

childminders are a brilliant option
,and they are Ofsted-registered, so you can pay for care in vouchers.

Many will do also do a dedicated drop off and pick up for specific schools, which make them a great option for school age children

We have no family nearby but form a mini mum's network to help each other with school pick ups etc if needed. After school clubs are also a godsend!

I was lucky enough to be able to go back to work on a flexible basis, and with home working on the agenda as part of my employers building management (10:7 ratio of desk space) I plan to work from home in the near future to work when my OH is home. I have a local playgroup which runs wrap around day care, and operates as a nursery would but without the rigidity of having to pay to keep a placement open. With my family credit we are enable to have a super work/life balance. I also have the backstop of grandparents if I was ever totally stuck.

I Don't work but my friend does so what we do is - I take her kids to school, pick them up to mind at my house (free) till she finishes work everyday at 6pm then at the weekends she's off work so she has my kids 10am - 4pm to return the favour. She can afford to work by doing this and only has to pay for their tea each day instead of childcare and it works great as it gives me a break from my own kids that I wouldn't get otherwise. When my kids are all in full time school I'm hoping that I can work from home so I can carry on helping her and her helping me at weekends

After having my first daughter and trying to make the right decision about when and if to return to work and whether I would go back full or part time,I went to the citizens advice who were so helpful. I explained my options of returning to work either full or part time and my childcare options and costs and they sat with me and worked out for each scenario how much I would earn,how much I would receive in benefits, such as child tax credits/working tax credits for example and which way I would be better off. It turned out I would be £50 better off for working full time so it ended up being an easy decision to make.
I would say don't rush into the decision and consider all of the options and gain advice so you are well informed. I am so glad I didn't return to work full time as I would have missed out on so much with my daughter and would have worked an extra 2 1/2 days a week for only £50 a month more.
I think there are a lot of childcare options out there and feeling like you have made the right choice for your child is important,I would say phone many childcare providers,go and have a look around and take your child with you so you can gage what they think of it.Take advantage of free trial sessions so you can see what you all feel about the provider and ask as many questions as you like. people do not mind questions and don't think you can't ask something as it will sound silly etc as it is your child's safety and well being at stake at the end of the day.

Working from home is a godsend as I have 3 children, 2 at different schools thankfully the nursery is a little flexible and don't mind that we drop our daughter off a little late and pick her up early at the end of the day to coincide with sons school run. Definitely does help having family/friends nearby to help every now and then

Teaching your children how to walk to school.

I use the before school club when necessary & they give my son his breakfast too, so I don't need to worry about feeding him before we leave home

My husband and I used to both work 'part time' in order that we only had to put our son in nursery 1 day a week (not actually part time, but condensed hours) however, my son loved nursery and thrived on the routine so we changed back to full time hours (him in work, me as a student) recently and are very happy.

We also chose to use the nursery attached to my university and are very happy with it! It's subsidized so slightly cheaper than normal.

I think it needs both partners (if there are two of you) to be prepared to take on elements of the logistics. When we just had one kid I did all the drop offs and most of the pickups. Now with two my husband does most of the nursery stuff while I do most of the school bits - neither of us could regularly do it all.

Grandparents and friends from Church are our go to emergency options...

For us it's a blend of negotiating flexible working, enlisting help from grandparents and using childcare.

Take advantage of what help family and friends can give but don’t take the piss!
We’ve had situations in our extended family where Grandma wasn’t allowed a day out to celebrate her own birthday because she was permanently looking after the children (and yet their parents would happily book a day off work when it was their own birthday).
Another relative worked until she was 70 because she said the minute she retired she knew she’d be expected to be a full-time unpaid childminder.

We’ve also witnessed several families totally rely on grandparents for care but as soon as the child is old enough to be independent Granny is dropped like a hot potato and is lucky to see any of them once every two months!

I deal with people aged 60-85 so it’s a conversation I’ve heard lots of times.
Most of them are glad to help because they adore their grandchildren but it’s caused unhappiness and friction within the families too.
I think if at all possible it’s better to use professional childcare and I definitely think the government need to be doing more to enable this.

I work pt but on my working days i've changed my house (so i start early and finish early). That's essential really as otherwise I don't know what we'd do.

The only thing is I want a new job but it's so hard to get one and start off by asking for flexible working! I wish more employers were genuinely flexible. I feel trapped in my current job but I'm going to suck it up till my youngest is in school.

Changed my hours that should say!