how do working parents get their children to/ from after school activities?

[Fmm]

Title says it all really. At school there seems to be an assumption that one parent is stay-at-home (ideally with no other children to care for!) and so can drop by school at pick up time, take kids to, say, a 4pm ballet/ swimming class, pick up said child half an hour later. If I am working til 6pm and picking child up from after school club/ childminder, doe that mean that any extra curricular activities will need to be at weekends? or after 6.15pm when we are home? Thanks.

[Monkey]

There are plenty of after school activities (music, sports, languages...) at our school. The activity leader picks up from class and drops off at the after school club, which goes until 6.00pm. Seems to be the only solution unless you have a minder looking after just your children (typically ?10 an hour).

[Fmm]

Thanks - hmmmm, the activities seem to be 4 til 4.30 or 5 latest.

[Sol]

If you don't have anybody else who pick them up and take them to the activities and you work Monday to Friday then the activities will need to be on weekends

[Saffron]

We're shortly to be confronting this problem too!

I understand some childminders will do this, depending on the age/activities of the other children. Also, what about a nanny share? Or, if you have friends/other parents who only work mornings, perhaps you can come to an arrangement for the afternoons?

What about a university student? This would be a nice source of extra income for a masters or PhD student.

[mrs.lotte]

My children do loads of the after school activities run by their school, they are taken from the classroom to the activity by the staff and if I'm unable to collect they go on to the after school club. Starting after school activities on site at 4 is ridiculous and there must be loads of people whose children miss out as a result. If I were you I'd raise it with the head and governers

[Fmm]

The school doesn't run many after school classes/ clubs, and doesn't do Rainbows, swimming or dance/ gym which my little one's most interested in trying (aka begging for mummy to enrol her in for over a year). I guess like said earlier, we will need to book out our Saturday mornings for a couple of classes rather than precious family time (or lie ins, in my dreams!)

[mrs.lotte]

Perhaps speak to the governers/head about putting on more classes, offer to canvass level of parental support (in conjunction with PTA) or do a share with another parent? They take yours to an after school activity you take theirs to a Saturday one?