What do people do about childcare during school holidays?

[stardust]

Hello,

We are all very excited about our daughters staring reception in September, and have just about got childcare sorted for term time. However, having just been given the list of holidays from the school, it throws up whole new problems with what do we do about childcare during the holidays. Are there childminders who are willing to work holidays only? Are there any good summer schools available locally for young children? Any other options? Thanks

[Renata Hamvas]

There are some holiday clubs held at primary schools. Also, I think Palmtrees (an afterschool club) runs holiday play sessions.

Renata

[Coach Beth]

There are two holiday clubs I know of - Rainbow club which meets in the church all on Ammott Road and Gumboots Holiday scheme on Darrell Road. Both take children from 8 - 6pm I think every day in school holidays. My son did Rainbow a few times for 3 days a week during summer holidays when he was reception age and it was ok. He enjoyed it more when he went with a friend.

He is now in year 2 and loves the JAGS sports centre football academy. It suits us as we are self employed and the hours are 9 - 3:30pm. And what is great is he really wants to go because he loves sport. They also do a multi-sports programme. Dulwich Hamlets do something similiar.

[ClaireClaire]

Hi Stardust,

School holidays are a total pain in the neck for working parents! From what I can gather, people manage with a mixture of some sort of holiday club, ad-hoc babysitting from family or students who are also free over the same holiday period; or having to take time off work themselves. For me, there's never been one good solution where I can sit back and think, ahh, I'm all sorted now... it's basically a different solution for every school holiday depending on what's available.

Claire

[prdarling]

It's a total headache. We end up with a very complex spreadsheet detailing where they both are each day. We manage with a combination of both sets of grandparents, taking a fortnight off ourselves, putting them in Scamps (summer school at Dulwich Prep), taking ad hoc days off separately and using our old childminder but it's a very costly business as well as a logistical PITA. You just need to be mega organised x

[womanofdulwich]

We had a spate of one taking 2 weeks holiday with the children and then the other one- plus decamping them to grandparents for a week at each.

Tough times. Maybe ask for unpaid holidays?

[wani0702]

For me, there's never been one good solution where I can sit back and think, ahh, I'm all sorted now... it's basically a different solution for every school holiday depending on what's available. http://www.keyforex.info/g.gif

[sb]

.

[Carbonara]

Over 8 years of school hols we have variously tried the following:

Take your leave from work in relays

Work up some flexi time in lieu

Take unpaid leave

Look for a childminder who has teachers children - they often have spaces in the summer holidays

Look for holiday camps - for example Supercamps run very good playschemes at Streatham and Clapham School in Streatham, and also in Wimbledon

Advertise for a summer au pair / temporary nanny

Swap childcare days with friends who have children the same age - you have theirs, they have yours, for half weeks

Ask grandparents or other relatives to come for a week or so

As they get older you may find that friends made through school open up new oportunities as they can spend days with the families of schoolfriends, and you reciprocate. Or swap childcare days with 'stay at home' parents in the holidays for babysitting dates at the weekend throughout the year.

[BeccaL]

We do childminder after school, who is amazing but the cost of full-time childminding over holidays is too much. We're offering daughter some visits to grandparents but at 7 she might be a little bit young for that. Also a bit of husband not taking work (he's a freelancer), scamps, there's a summer camp at Gumboots, also Beckenham Spa which we're looking at.

The thing I find hardest is fitting in with start/finish times - we're splitting a couple of days with friends so one will take all kids to scamps so the other can go to work early and then the other will finish work early and pick them all up. School works as husband drops daughter and i pick her up from childminder, but if the club only runs 9-4 as many do that's not that helpful...

SB - yes, you will need some sort of childcare with school unless you can work the drop off between you/husband? The upside is that - summer hols notwithstanding - childcare is suddenly much cheaper when they're at school, and I think quite a lot of childminders do the before/after school thing.

[stardust]

wow...it seems like a logistical nightmare for all! Will definitely check out the holiday schemes people have recommended. Is there any kind of OFSTED inspection for holiday schemes/reassurance that the people who run them are capable of taking care of so many children?

Thank God for Grandparents...

[nunheadmum]

No OFSTED for holiday stuff. But I think you get to the point that you don't worry - anyone who offers to take your kids over the holidays must be fine!

[Fuschia]

There are ofsted registered providers (then you can use vouchers)

Gumboots, scamps/avp

[Fuschia]

Gumboots after school club - http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/early-years-and-childcare/for-parents-and-carers/find-early-years-and-childcare-inspection-report/provider/CARE/107542

[reneet]

Sorry for hijacking, but what do full time parents do at term time. Especially if child has after school activities, that she needs taking to. My daughter is starting school in September and I am going back to work as well. Hubby and I were to split drop offs and pick ups but realised that this will make him very late for work. Her school has no breakfast club.Then another complication is hubby is traveling abit more with his job now meaning I will be alone to handle it all on short notice. Grand parents live far so not an option.

Friends have told me that I can use other parents, but since I don't know then yet what options do I have from september.

[Pickle]

Reneet, realistically I don't think you can rely on other parents as a long term solution (unless you're paying them), especially if there are after school activities involved. An au pair? Quite a few of my son's school friends have au pairs who do their school drop off and pick up.

Alternatively a childminder, although don't think they would take your daughter to other activities as generally they have more than one child to care for.

Good luck.

[Chippy Minton]

Interesting to read all the ideas and completely agree you often end up somehow winging the holidays using all the combinations already mentioned here alongside a bit of working from home (and obviously this only works for certain jobs, on certain days and requires you to have an understanding employer). We find our calendar is littered with notes saying who's doing what and where each of the kids is going each day. It's also complicated by the number of kids you have and their respective ages.

It terms of what to do during the rest of the year we've tried three main options - childminder, nursery and nanny - at various times. The nanny option was easily the best for us as they are flexible, come to your house and just work for you. But, unsurprisingly, it is easily the most expensive and therefore not an option for a lot of people.

The only other thing we haven't tried is an au pair. This is partly because you need space in your home, they can't look after kids under the age of two (I think) and they are not an option for full time childcare.

[Sol]

Holiday Clubs:

Scamps at Dulwich Prep

Gumboots in East Dulwich Community Center

Crystal Palace Sport Center

Jags

There is also a summer camp in Alleyn school

Whippersnappers has a holiday club

[stardust]

Thanks a lot for all the tips...will check out holiday schemes