Advice on ChildCare Options

boobar

Hi,

I'm just looking for some advice. My wife and I have a little daughter, she'll be 4 in a few weeks.

She goes to preschool (ECCE) and creche at the moment. She's in fulltime childcare as we both work fulltime. She loves the creche and her little pals.

We're going to let her go to school in September. I'd like to know how other couples manage the holidays first of all i.e. we couldn't take the whole summer off and also what childcare options they use i.e. a creche, a childminder in the house etc.

Sorry if these questions are basic, but we just want to explore all the options available and I have to admit there is some guilt at not being there for our daughter for the whole Summer as we both work fulltime.

I'd like to hear how other parents handle this. Sorry for the long post.

Boobar

MaxCharlie

My 5 wag old goes to a creche who have after school facilities - they do school pickup ,dinner and homework and snack later in afternoon. During holidays she will go for longer days and between family etc the routine is kept. If your child likes a creche routine i would continue this - especially when they are used to lots of people around them and the variety of different minders. Whereas in someone's house that variety is not present

ash23

My daughter is almost 9 now. When she started school she attended the same creche she always had, just in their afterschool room. On days off and holidays she attended full time and I paid the full rate.
Last year she was reluctant to attend full time. She still loved the creche but she had outgrown it. She was 8 and most of the children were a lot younger so she had nobody really to play with. So I got a babysitter and they looked after her at home. In order to afford this I took 2 days a week annual leave so that I was only paying for 3 full days.
That was fine but it meant I didn't get much of a break from work all year.

She was not happy about going back to the creche in September so I found a mother of a child in her class who takes children afterschool and she also takes them full days so that's where she is at the moment and probably for the foreseeable future.

boobar

ash23 wrote: »

My daughter is almost 9 now. When she started school she attended the same creche she always had, just in their afterschool room. On days off and holidays she attended full time and I paid the full rate.
Last year she was reluctant to attend full time. She still loved the creche but she had outgrown it. She was 8 and most of the children were a lot younger so she had nobody really to play with. So I got a babysitter and they looked after her at home. In order to afford this I took 2 days a week annual leave so that I was only paying for 3 full days.
That was fine but it meant I didn't get much of a break from work all year.

She was not happy about going back to the creche in September so I found a mother of a child in her class who takes children afterschool and she also takes them full days so that's where she is at the moment and probably for the foreseeable future.

Thanks Ash23,

I know all kids are different, but I have seen some older kids in the creche during summer time and to be honest they look lost and bored.

Your idea of taking leave 2 days a week is something that I'm looking into myself for the Summer. Maybe have my daughter attend some events aimed at 4 to 8 year olds and take leave/parental leave for the rest of the time.

I've heard of a lady down the road from me who is looking to look after children after school so that is something to look into for September.

sheebah

Afterschools do homework, have dinner and play with friends - while at home is great when they are a little older(childminder) the afterschool programme is worth it and it covers you on half days, school holidays and after school hours.

best of luck with it!!

boobar

sheebah wrote: »

Afterschools do homework, have dinner and play with friends - while at home is great when they are a little older(childminder) the afterschool programme is worth it and it covers you on half days, school holidays and after school hours.

best of luck with it!!

Fair play Sheebah, I think you're right. There's plenty to keep my daughter occupied with the afterschool option. I suppose I was looking at it in to narrow a way, by just focussing on the creche option. The homework, dinner, and play with her pals looks attractive. The creche where my daughter is currently run an after school service, but they service a number of national schools in the area and the school where my daughter goes may not be served if there aren't enough children there to run a pick up service. Fingers crossed there'll be enough, but I'll check out other options also. Thanks Sheebah

Fittle

I'm a single mum (to an almost 10yr old), so only have my own annual leave to consider during summer and school holidays etc. The first thing I will say is that every July for the past six years, I have been VERY stressed with how I will work out the Summer hols...but every September I look back knowing my lad has a great summer (even though I might not have had one full day off work!), so you will manage it;)

My sons summer hols are usually managed with a combination of summer camps and childminder. In previous years, I have been able to work two full weeks of half days, have put him in summer camp from 10-2 every day, and been able to collect him - this of course means I am still in work every day (so no lie-ons!), but it also means that he's been very happy. On the days he's not in camp, I take a few days off here and there and rope in my friends who are also parents from the school. Last year, I found the most amazing community run summer project for 6wks...he went on day trips every day, and the minder collected him at 3, which meant I could take two full weeks off after the summer project.

However, I can't emphasis too much how important it is for you to connect with your childs schoolfriends parents...I honestly could not have gotten through the past few years without their support, particularly during long breaks in school, or random days he'd be sick from school etc. The support I've gotten there can't be paid for, so I'd encourage all parents who's kids are starting school, to make a massive effort to connect with the parents of other children in your childs class - I was often late for work due to the extra minutes I spent in the yard in the mornings chatting, and getting to know other parents...but the connection I've made with those parents doesn't have a price and can't be underestimated. Keep in mind that the other parents you meet on Day One in Junior Infants will be with you for the next 8years..it really is worth trying to connect with them - and it works both ways - they take my lad when they can, and vice versa.

boobar

Fittle wrote: »

I'm a single mum (to an almost 10yr old), so only have my own annual leave to consider during summer and school holidays etc. The first thing I will say is that every July for the past six years, I have been VERY stressed with how I will work out the Summer hols...but every September I look back knowing my lad has a great summer (even though I might not have had one full day off work!), so you will manage it;)

My sons summer hols are usually managed with a combination of summer camps and childminder. In previous years, I have been able to work two full weeks of half days, have put him in summer camp from 10-2 every day, and been able to collect him - this of course means I am still in work every day (so no lie-ons!), but it also means that he's been very happy. On the days he's not in camp, I take a few days off here and there and rope in my friends who are also parents from the school. Last year, I found the most amazing community run summer project for 6wks...he went on day trips every day, and the minder collected him at 3, which meant I could take two full weeks off after the summer project.

However, I can't emphasis too much how important it is for you to connect with your childs schoolfriends parents...I honestly could not have gotten through the past few years without their support, particularly during long breaks in school, or random days he'd be sick from school etc. The support I've gotten there can't be paid for, so I'd encourage all parents who's kids are starting school, to make a massive effort to connect with the parents of other children in your childs class - I was often late for work due to the extra minutes I spent in the yard in the mornings chatting, and getting to know other parents...but the connection I've made with those parents doesn't have a price and can't be underestimated. Keep in mind that the other parents you meet on Day One in Junior Infants will be with you for the next 8years..it really is worth trying to connect with them - and it works both ways - they take my lad when they can, and vice versa.

Great postFittle,

You've answered a lot of questions I had about Summer camps. I will be carrying some leave into the next leave year so the half day at work, half day on leave thing might work out well for me this year.

Your comments about connecting with the other parents are very well put and good solid advice as well. I'd be more than happy as would my wife help out and take a couple of the other kids for an afternoon especially if it meant they'd return the favour.

Great post, thanks very much.

Fittle

You're welcome:D

I have some very good friends who are stay at home mums, and who are my emergency back-up if my lad gets sick and needs to be collected from school for example - yes, there are others who could grab him if I needed them to - but the other parents know where the classroom is, know the teacher and so on. We still make the effort to meet up for drinks at xmas and at the end of summer hols every year as there are few of us who are in the school yard these days anymore (he's in 4th class now). An older mam who had a boy in 5th class when my lad started school, said all of this to me..and she was so right ;-)


Last tip - I spent a fortune on summer/easter camps over the years (100 pw average) and he loved them alright, but by chance, I found a summer project in my local area. It's community based, and not advertised to the general public, but is available for all children in our catchment area. It cost 30pw and he had a day trip every single day (clara lara/tayto park/the zoo and so on) and was run the same way summer projects were run in my day. So check out your local community centre, you might find something similar ;) Best of luck - her school days will open up a whole other world to you and your wife:)