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Original poster

City of London Workers' Childcare Survey

34 replies

TurnAgainCat · 08/11/2004 17:45

Apologies if this is already on here, but have been away for a while and not up to date. Also, Marina was the one who first told me about this a couple of years ago. This is the link to the latest Corporation of London City Workers Childcare Survey with prize draw. If you or your partner works in the City of London please fill it in because they are quite an affluent local authority and may well provide better services if we all tell them what we want.
www.cesi.org.uk/childcareemployees.htm

OP posts:
Marina · 09/11/2004 15:27

Thanks TurnAgainCat, you beat me to it this year. City Workers Childcare Survey
Do please fill it in, as TurnAgainCat says, the Corporation is a wealthy local authority which is currently doing VERY LITTLE to support either its own working parent employees or City workers with families in general.

My wish list included:

How about a council-funded nursery in the Square Mile? Not all City workers earn £££ and places are hard to come by in any case

Holiday Club provision for City workers with children of school age. Could use echoing canyons of Barbican Exhibition Halls...

Being able to shop for children's clothes, toys and consumables (nappies, jars, toiletries) properly in the Square Mile would be nice too...the Corporation could be encouraging this.

beachyhead · 09/11/2004 16:38

Bump up again - I will fill it in

Marina · 10/11/2004 09:25

And another shameless bump, thanks Beachyhead.

binkie · 12/11/2004 22:43

bump... plus, TAC and Marina, have done mine. Also got carried away and volunteered for the focus group.

Marina, City/Barbican holiday club's a great idea. Maybe link up with Museum of London, too.

Anyone know what this "Children's (or is it Childcare) Information Service" is?

Original poster
TurnAgainCat · 15/11/2004 13:24

CIS is just a new title for the people at the council who send you out lists of registered nurseries and childminders, lists of schools, etc!

OP posts:
binkie · 15/11/2004 14:51

Thank you - and there was I thinking a lovely new fertile source of real ideas. Ah well.

Did you have a lovely birthday? My main job at work has just "cratered" as they say so having a bit of a MN fest today until something else appears (which is bound to be in the next five mins)

Marina · 15/11/2004 15:55

Well, the CIS can be just that in progressive local authorities binkie! I'll say no more than that.
I volunteered for the Focus Group too...

Original poster
TurnAgainCat · 16/11/2004 10:00

Hah, so did I. Shal we just ask the Corporation to sponsor our Xmas lunch

OP posts:
Marina · 16/11/2004 10:42

Now there's a thought TAC. They are happy to subsidise a sprout-hurling fest for all the grateful rank and file, so why not a civilised dissection of the lack of family-friendly initiatives in the City over lunch at Le Coq d'Or, or that place in Smithfield?

binkie · 15/12/2004 14:25

For you people, but kind of especially Marina, since you're my nearest work neighbour I think: what do you all do for buying Christmas presents and (especially) stocking-fillers near work? I've managed various bits & pieces from Museum of London, but it won't be long before the nephews are tired of the year-in year-out Roman coins.

Do you think we could persuade the Corporation to sponsor a Christmas fair in the Barbican halls?

DickWhittingtonsCat · 15/12/2004 15:05

There are a couple of Christmas fairs which I have seen advertised. Can't remember where but perhaps church near Leadenhall Market. I am perennially stingy and try to do as much shopping as poss online or in cheaper parts of town!!!

MariNativityPlay · 15/12/2004 15:13

Well, Binkie, this year I found some good things in Helter Skelter in Liverpool Street, but they're closing down . Presumably to make way for another must-visit mobile phone or bagel retailer.
Basically I do it all on the net. And it makes me so cross. I tried to buy dd some frivolous navy tights in that huge M & S at lunchtime today, nothing in her size, not even lovely ones with Santa all over them. I am totally fed up of being disregarded as a parent in the City on all fronts. It's like we're all invisible and so are our children.
I think your suggestion is a very good one. As you may know, the CoL has a Community Strategy, and very little attention it pays to the needs of children and young people and their parents in the City.
I am hoping for some comeback on this survey eventually and I also flagged all of these issues in a recent CoL employee survey.
I wonder if a group of us could make a formal representation to the Town Clerk's Department...

binkie · 15/12/2004 17:42

Hellooo, DWCat, I have finally cottoned on to who you are! Very appropriate & festive.

Marina, Helter Skelter closing down? Help!

Wishlist items for the Mumsnet/CoL Christmas Fair:

  • focus on fair trade stalls, as many as possible;
  • stalls for mail order companies (as you get at the Olympia Baby Kit Fair type events): particularly keen on that outfit that brings together things from museum shops worldwide;
  • masses of Christmas decoration ideas, including gaudy stuff, like those year-round American Christmas shops;
  • open for three days, 10 to 6? maybe with one late evening opening/one v early morning.

We don't need the nonsense extortionate accessory sector represented (Jo Malone candles, Lulu Guinness bags), as Royal Exchange does all that, firmly targeted at men with no domestic input whatsoever other than money-chucking.

How hard could it be? Shall we poll our workmates & see if it would appeal?

frogs · 15/12/2004 18:28

This reminds me of a suggestion a friend made a while ago for a sure-fire business opportunity in the City -- a toyshop of the Cheeky Monkeys variety for work-bound City dads to buy some domestic brownie points and assuage their work-all-hours guilt. I think she was proposing to combine it with a section selling wife-pleasing accessories of the variety mentioned.

Do you think it would fly?

binkie · 15/12/2004 20:12

well frogs, I'm not quite sure about that one - my feeling is that salaryman guilt is already fairly well served by the City boutiques, and as to toys, perhaps it's telling that Helter Skelter is closing down? Personally what I'd like year-round is just a branch of Woolies - basic simple everyday sundries, inc. navy tights for minimarina, gummed paper chain strips for me, emergency birthday presents - and nappies.

serenequeen · 15/12/2004 23:44

there's next on bow lane with a children's section, accessorize on cheapside do things for kids and the books etc on cheapside also has a children's section. not great i know, but i do manage at least some birthday presents from those three usually.

vivat · 16/12/2004 16:19

hear hear binkie and others !

KristmasBear · 16/12/2004 16:25

I walked down Cheapside today for the first time in a while - FANTASTIC if you want to buy a new mobile, every other shop sells them! RUBBISH for anything else.

MariNativityPlay · 16/12/2004 16:36

Mmm, I definitely agree with Binkie. I'd like to see a shop overtly catering to FAMILY needs, not all-hours daddies.
My lottery-funded dream would be to run a shop which sold
nappies (reusable and disposable - including Moltex) in all sizes
Proper range of baby and child toiletries and healthcare products
Bobux and Inchblue shoes in all sizes
Plan, Galt, Brio and Wimmer-Ferguson baby and children's toys
Parenting books and magazines plus good selection of stock for children
Decent selection of children's clothes - including sensible, non guilt-trip stuff like vests and tights
Jarred baby and toddler food - organic
All under one roof - sort of a non-poncy Daisy and Tom, actually - or a Woolies with nappies.
Woolies would be great...
Sometimes I let the dream extend to including a meeting room upstairs/out back where lunchtime NCT/postnatal support groups could meet. Kind of a ParentsPlace.

serenequeen · 16/12/2004 20:58

marina, i agree...

but does this exist anywhere?

serenequeen · 16/12/2004 21:02

not fair to slag off the city if this doesn't exist in nappy valley locations either.

and actually, i'm quite pleased about the availability of jo malone/l'occitane - when i can afford them (rarely!). don't see why the daddies should have all the fun!

merrykittymas · 16/12/2004 21:18

Next in bow lane does not have a lift down to the childrens section when I was in there the manager had to carry my pram down the stairs, he was very nice and aoplogetic though.

MariNativityPlay · 20/12/2004 14:27

I love Jo Malone and L'Occitane too, SQ (as you know ) but don't need to shop there as often as I need nappies and wipes, sigh.

snowmeltsonthebeach · 20/12/2004 14:31

But do you really want to lug nappies home from the City - doesn't Boots in Liverpool Street do them. Hear hear for stocking toys - am sooooo behind on that count - might just raid the stationary cupboard!!!

MariNativityPlay · 20/12/2004 14:59

Given that we can't rely on our local convenience store (quite large Co-op but always seems to be sold out of fripperies like nappies in the right size, wipes etc), we do sometimes have to lug them home, alas. Agree that it is not a question of this being enjoyable.