childcare at halfterm

[hev]

how do you get on with your childcare if you work at half term?i dont work now but when i did when steve was little i was forever juggling babysitters,it was very stresful at times,i heard on the radio that some people pay over ?1000 a month for childcare,wonder if that for nannies or a nursery?

when i get my eyes sorted i want to go back to work,nick does different shifts,the thought of suitable childcare and school holidays makes me nervous though!

[Paula]

Hev

 

Ive not worked since the kids were born and the eldest is now 14.

 

Its just impossible.The sort of job i could do that may fit in with kids pays sh*t money and so i cant afford child care.My husband works all houres and so cant be relied up on to be home at a certaine time.So i just gave up.

 

I sit at home bored stiff wondering of what might have been.

 

 

 

Just recently i decided to appy for a job as a casual escort of the school transport system that transports special needs kids.I got it.Its something i guess but its hit and miss but maybe one day itll lead to something more perminent.

 

My sister pays over ?180 for threee days just for one kid to be looked after by a child minder.When her other daughter is of school this rockets in price.

 

Thing is though shes got a ###### good well paide job and its worth paying the cost.

 

Most women work for peanuts and cant afford it.

[Guest flutter]

get a job in the school system?

 

the ohter thing that mite be handy dont know bout legalities ect, but locl colleges may have courses for specil needs or care, and students mite want to earn money in the hols?

[Jill]

At the mo it's not an issue cos The Boy is only 4, so he's been going to a private nursery since he was 16 weeks (I went straight back to work).

 

The private nursery was ?600 per month full time (ouch). We decided to take the hit; a career break for me would have meant career death & as I am the main wage earner, we couldn't afford for me to pack in work anyway (even short term).

 

He now has 2.5 days a week at special nursery and 2.5 days a week at private nursery & that cut the cost of the private nursery to ?470 a month (the special nursery is only open term time, so he's full time at the private one in school hols, so it doesn't equate to a 50% time / cost cut).

 

We're gonna hit this problem tho when he starts "proper" school in Sept. Hubby's going to see if he can work days regularly, so I can drop The Boy off & he can pick him up. I guess we might just about manage school hols between us, but that will probably mean no hols together

 

Thing is, not sure what else we can do. I know there are local childminders who do wrap round care, but are they going to be able to look after an Autistic child, still in nappies and get him to his special school (which you have to drive to)? I don't think so

 

Best of luck - hope you resolve this.

[Sallya]

I work nights, and have for eight years. It means that I'm always around for the school run and appointments and in holidays I don't have to worry about anyone else looking after them.

[loulou]

Hi,

 

I've just managed to get a term-time only contract, working school hours (i'm a midwife). I told my boss it was either that or i would have to leave (i don't have any childcare now). There is a new "Flexible Working Hours" government initiative, but when you read the small print, employers don't HAVE to honour it if it meant their business would be affected. Pants really!

 

My new contract is not ideal, because the shift starts at 7am, and i don't get there until 9.30. I've already had some sarcastic comments from my colleauges, like "Oh look at you, strolling in half way through the shift."

 

Hev, it may be worth trying to get some direct payments from Social Services, this could be a way to get a special needs holiday club.

 

Loulou x

[jayjay]

Hi all i went back to work when my son was 4 months old as i had been there for 5 years already and they offered me good pay to cover childminder ( i had a daughter 10 years previous, we were told we couldnt have anymore so you can imagine the shock we had ) , my childminder is the salt of earth we didnt know back then that my son had ASD but she was brilliant with him and we still keep in touch. Now that he is at school i have been getting my mum to help out in hols as luckly she retired the same year that childminder finished, but when i got diagnosis i told work that i had to have off at least 7 weeks a year to cover the majority of the school holidays or i would leave as i had to be fair to him and my mum, so far (its the first year)work have been brilliant but not sure how they will be as the years go on

jayne xx

[jen]

I work part time and have an aupair which works out really well for my child. There is the inconvenience of having someone living. My child would not cope at a childminders and hes now 8 years old and too old for a nursery. Holidays are a time for him to rest and recuperate putting stress on him by going to holiday schemes would not work.

I do not have any grandparents that I could leave my boy with. So I always have 2 weeks holiday at easter summer and a week at christmas and a 3 days off for each two of the half terms. My husband works long hours so I can not relie on him.

 

My child would not cope if I worked full time, but we keep the balance with me working 4 days a week. I take him to school every morning and collect him on 3 afternoon.

 

My aupairs have all been aged 20 years, because we follow a strict regime she just continues when I am away.

 

Jen

[pumpkinpie]

I used to work 4 days a week but a new tougher line at work meant they were not prepared to honour holidays, at time my mum had just passed away and I knew if I didnt leave I was heading for a breakdown - again! So I am on a career break at mo. Its stressful enough looking after little p, and rest of familiy I dont know how I had the time to work.

In my area there is no sen childcare.

[rainbow queen]

hi

i dont work but find it hard to cope with the holidays,they used to run playschemes at one time but i asked last year and i think its has stopped in our area.

i have booked my 2 sons in for 2 afternoons at a private nursery which is next to there school-which do out of school clubs i could only afford 1 till 6 for 2 afternoons for both of them which is ?12 so thats ?48 in total.i have done it for 2 reasons really so they can look foreward to something to do as we dont go many places due to all the probs that come with it-and to give me a little break to go get some shopping,ect... not sure if i could afford to do it every week in the school hols but had an awfull time of it last year[as they fight all day long and drives me nutts][im single mum].

ive just applied for friends for lesuire in this area which is charity that takes disabled children out to do things they like doing-he can start it in summer so hoping that will help,learning to do new activitys that we wouldnt be able to do normally.

[witsend]

Hi Hev, school hols are a nightmare for us! Being a single parent who works I struggle constantly with this problem. At the moment younger son OK cos he's at nursery, but have to be around for older son and just don't have enough holidays to be off work with him all the the time when he's off school . He hates kids clubs and doesn't fit in whenever I have to send him there I feel awful and so does he!

Have got this half term off, but recently had to take day off with youger son who wasn't well and won't get paid for that, did think about using one of my annual leave days up for this but then I would have to put older son in kids club this half term and don't honestly think he's cope so just have to lose a days pay!!

It's all a juggling act and feel constantly stressed out by it, next time I'll ring in sick at work myself - don't like lying but feel I've got no choice!

Luv Witsend.

[Kathryn]

It is a bit of a headache but as I only work two days a week, we can mostly get around childcare problems and I am lucky in having a flexible boss who knows I may have to reduce my hours in the holidays - but that I'm available at short notice to do a bit extra in termtime. I'm lucky to have a job like this, I guess.

 

At 16 and 8 my children are able to cope if I leave them together for short periods, although I wouldn't do it for the whole day. I'm certainly not ready to work full time - the hours I'm doing now suit me fine as L still needs a lot of support.

[tmf]

What a topic to open!!

 

My employers are a nightmare......i went back to work when callum was 4months old, but luckily did evenings so it wasn't effected. Anyway to cut a long story short my job (checkout manager) was made redundant...arghhhhh. I had to take on the new role but unfortunately that meant days and although my hrs are relatively good, come school hols its a b***y nightmare.

 

Up until the summer last year it was fine, then callum got dx with AS and i found my support network of childcare suddenly came to a halt. After working for a comapny for 9yrs of being loyal, i feel all i do now is constantly let them down which does nothing for my self esteem i can you!

 

Giving up work is not an option, my manager has no kids herself so is completely unsympathetic to the situation. She doesn't understand that my aspie frets if he does not know who or where he is going, then before you know it world war 3 has broken out because he becomes amazingly frustrated and can't cope.

 

I have been looking at something that is term time, but around here it is a case of not what you know but who you know and in all honestly couldn't afford the drop in wages.

 

Just wish there was more hope i could give you, sorry i give you a negative outlook to childcare in school hols, but thats how it is for me.....

 

tmf

[jen]

you can apply to social services for a grant for child care for children with disabilities. There are so many grants available and its first come first served.

 

I do not know the exact name of the grant but was told to apply for it last year but it had already been allocated.

 

some special schools also do play schemes for special needs children in the holidays. Kids also provide holiday provision for special needs children

 

Jen

[elainem]

that's why I work crappy hours and always get stick at work for being part time - they don't get why I am at home during the day when kids at school. things is my AS ds is off so much with illness due to low immunity that if I worked in the day they would sack me within 6 months!! My hours mean it doesn't make any difference in school hols I am always there in the day.

 

It's not nice though, some of the full time workers can be a quite hostile about p/t - but they should try it - part time hours equals part time pay. off me soap box now

 

Elainex