Before and after school childcare - what do people do? Post Reply

[Lulubear]

I am likely to need before and after school/nursery childcare before too long. My son's school don't offer any before/after school care and my daughter will be going to a nursery school rather than daycare so will need before and after nursery care. Having done a bit of research it doesn't look like there are many (if any) local childminders offering this type of service. We don't want a live-in au pair at this point in our lives. I am wondering what other people do in our circumstances? I don't want to pay a nanny to sit at home for most of the day. If anyone could share their bright ideas or experiences of childcare in these circumstances I would be most grateful! I have considered whether we try and split the job into before school and after school since it might be easier to find two different people available at different times of the day. I also wondered about nanny shares although I imagine it could be quite complicated and maybe not something many nanny employers would be keen to agree to share on as it would mean lots of extra school runs for their children as well. To add to the complication my children have quite a big age gap so the youngest will still be a toddler whereas the oldest will need homework supervision! I did think about possibly combining the morning drop off with a housekeeping/cleaning role but the after school childcare would need someone with a good enough grasp of written and spoken English and reasonable education level to supervise homework. Does anyone have any ideas or experiences to share? Thank you!

[Roo]

I really don't think there is a simple solution and I imagine something that so many people struggle with. One possible answer could be some flexible working - one parent starting later and then just getting an after school nanny from 3-7pm. Or trying to get some relative help for the morning slot. - Going to be tough to get someone over for the morning and just do a couple of hours - unless perhaps you could find another mum who you could drop off your children with or have a child they could bring along to you....

No simple solution - i think everyone just juggles it as best they can!

[Springtulips]

Some families hire a nanny housekeeper or nanny PA so that the time during the day is utilised nanny housekeepers do full cleaning, laundry, ironing & cooking. Nanny PAs do laundry, ironing, cooking & light housekeeping (tidying/dishwasher/bins etc) plus food shopping, post office & dry cleaning runs, any errands, clothes & present shopping, taking cars for service, valeting etc, anything that needs Doing! As well as the extra jobs there is always someone on hand for the school holidays and if the children are ill or if there are deliveries/workmen so it works well for families who are out at work all day. I'm looking for a nanny PA position i have an ad on here at the moment

[Happymama]

Hi - we used an agency - Little ones London - who found us an amazing after school nanny. It wasn't cheap to go through an agency - but 3 years in we have the same nanny who is a teacher at a local nursery and who was looking for some extra hours after school.

But I am not sure how this would work with your daughter being at nursery as I know they finish earlier ?

Good luck !

[pie81]

Will your daughter be in nursery school just for mornings/afternoons?

If so then a full time nanny would not be sitting around for most of the day but only for 2.5 hours (once the nursery run is factored in) and only in term times. Remember there are 13 weeks holiday, also small children are off sick a lot! The people I know with one in school and one in nursery school do still have a full time nanny.

Another option, but may not work for you - Chestnut Grove nursery school do before/after care for their nursery school children and also for school age children at certain local schools.

[Lulubear]

Pie, I have the option for nursery school 9-3.30 although I may opt for mornings only for the first term and build it up as my daughter will probably be too tired to cope with the full day immediately. If I do end up hiring a full time nanny then I would want her to do mornings only in the nursery so I need to start planning for this soon as I will have to pay the nursery deposit quite soon!

[Lulubear]

Springtulips, I like the idea of the nanny/housekeeper option or maybe nanny/PA. I just wonder though whether this type of job would attract someone suitable to supervise homework for a school aged child? My son is not yet old enough to be completely independent in his homework - he needs a bit of a nudge and someone keeping an eye on him. Sometimes the homework definitely needs a bit of input from an adult.

[Springtulips]

Hi lulubear, often nannies in their 40's 50's Ike to go into nanny PA work, I'm in my early 40's and am a British norland nneb nanny and it's just the sort of work I like! I love the organising side of things and can help with homework and school projects and fun outings for the holidays. It's definitely worth looking into, families that I've worked for like the fact everything is taken care of, and not just the children's things