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

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Having understanding employers who are flexible with arrival and leaving times really helps.

I've never returned to work since having kids, as we simply couldn't afford to pay for childcare using what I was earning. As it is, I've always walked the kids to school/bus stops myself.

Other working Mums used to ask if their kids could tag along as well, which I didn't mind at all (if the kids were well behaved). What I did mind was when some of those Mums expressed the idea that I really should get a job! I'm not sure how their kids would have got to school if I had done!

I don't have any tips but will be reading through all these comments in the hope they provide me with inspiration as i'm trying to go back to work but with one in school and one in nursery its proving really difficult

So we aren't fortunate enough to have family close by, so we can't rely on this as a fall back. Many friends however are in a similar situation so we have found a way of all helping each other.
Many of us have 3 little children and trying to juggle childcare with our own businesses and extra curricular activities is tricky! But taking it in turns to child care / drop at clubs is working really well! As long as everyone takes their fair share!

I only work when my partner or grandparents are off to save money on childcare which is so expensive!

I was really lucky as when I needed childcare I was offered a homebased opportunity instead! Prior to this I only needed someone to collect the youngest from the school bus for 30 mins.

I worked longer days to free myself up for time on the days i wasn't working, I shared childcare between Nursery (aided with computershare vouchers) and my Mom had him one day a week

There is no way I could have afforded to go back to work and pay for childcare for my two sons. I'm really lucky in that I have a great family who have helped me so much. There is always someone who is happy to have the boys. Now that my boys are a bit older we could probably manage without any childcare, but only if I were able to get flexible working hours. Something that's perhaps worth speaking to your boss about.

We're really lucky that we live near both sets of parents. It's wonderful that we get help but that also our children have a wonderful relationship with their grandparents who adore them. It also means we can work guilt free knowing that they are happy

I work the night shifts at work, It's hard most days I look like a Zombie but needs must and all that!

would be impossible without the grandparents

Childcare costs are high so have held out having another child for now till we can afford to (with the mortgage too).

i have to enlist help from my mum who drops my son off at my childcare provider as im in work, i later pick my son up from my mums. xx

my mom and dad help out a lot, without them it really wouldn't have been worth me going back to work.

The answer for me was to not take my children to anyone but to have someone come to my home to take care of them on the days i was working at the office. I also spoke to my boss at work and managed to get him to allow me to work from home 2 days a week and so it all worked out for me and allows me to be more organised and still work but be around my children too.

my parents have been a savoir!

split drop offs with hubbie - each one responsible for one child at his/hers respective school

I don't know how parents who work full time cope with childcare! We've always had one of us at home so it wasn't an issue for us but it did mean that we didn't see much of each other as we had to work weekends too. Then he went back to work full time while I went to working his 2 days off, but I don't know what we'd have done if we couldn't live on that as I can start work at 730 and not get home until gone 11pm and he can work all sorts of hours - no paid childcare to cover for that except a nanny!

I work school hours so I can save on childcare then I work longer days during the holidays so i can have days off with the kids

The only way we can afford childcare is by family helping. Find it good to set up some playdates in the hope that they will return the favour and have your kiddies back saving on childcare.

I did part time work as the cost of childcare for all three of mine did not make it financially worthwhile to wok full time. I did enlist the help of other parents occasionally. Also after school clubs were very useful to give me some extra time too so one year I offered to do an after school club which the school were very happy to accept and I felt I had given something back to the school.

I've made arrangements with my employer to work from home two days a week and will work from my mum's house so she can look after the LO.

I am very lucky, my mum and dad will look after my little one when I return to work.

I found that I could not go back to work because childcare costs were too high where I live. With one child it is extortionate and for 2 it was totally unworkable. I would have been working just to pay my childcare costs. More disappointingly the school nursery places which used to be free for a full time place at 3.5 years, the funding was withdrawn and now all children only get a part time place and you have to fund the rest yourself! I think it would be good for the government to fully fund school nurseries so all parents have a full time place when their child is 3.5 which would give many the option to return to work and not have to worry about the costs of childcare. Also the benefit of early education would be good for the children too.

I used my holidays to take one day a week of to save on child care