What do you do for childcare if you both work?

walletmoths

Hello everyone. Today my twins started school - yay! This means that hubby can now look for work (as he's been the no.1 childcarer), but we have no family nearby to look after the kids if he works full-time too. I was wondering what everybody does about childcare for school age kids - especially if there's a 3hr gap between school hometime and work 'hometime'?

I might be able to change my working hours a little, but there'll always be times when the kids need taking or picking up from school - as well as school holidays too.

Any ideas much appreciated

Jacko_amz

Most schools have after school/breakfast clubs could you use these? X

Hedgehog99

Didn't you think about what you'd do before you decided to have children?

hieveryone

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

Didn't you think about what you'd do before you decided to have children?

How is that helpful?

OP, I hope you find a suitable solution for your family. Maybe a childminder would take the kids for a couple of hours - lots of childminders round here do school drop offs/pick ups.

Mojisola

walletmoths wrote: »

This means that hubby can now look for work (as he's been the no.1 childcarer), but we have no family nearby to look after the kids if he works full-time too.

Could he find part-time work to start with?

You also need to plan for school holidays and times when the children are sick, not just after school.

Jagraf

I used holiday clubs in the summer, and after school clubs in term time, and worked full time. Childcare was expensive but it meant I could keep my skills up and make up the difference financially later in life. I was also a single parent for a lot of it.

There are holiday clubs all over the place and are great for the kids during the summer especially.

Jagraf

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

Didn't you think about what you'd do before you decided to have children?

The op wasn't moaning, just asking a question. Your response is a little like me asking where to buy a new house and you asking why I didn't think about that when I bought my last one.

carmina_piranha

I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but here there is an after/before school club and it is also open in school holidays and on the staff training days.

They open for breakfast, and up til around 6pm I think.

Otherwise there are childminders or there might be a nursery that does a school drop off and pick-up.

It's worth asking in the school office

Personally I work term time, so that's an option for your husband, depending on what sort of job he is looking for.

LannieDuck

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

Didn't you think about what you'd do before you decided to have children?

You really expect people to have childcare arrangements sorted out for nursery, infant school, junior school and (presumably?) secondary school before they get pregnant?

How ridiculous. Not only do you not know which nursery or schools your children will be going to (they all have slightly different starting/finishing times, and different provision of pre- and after-school childcare), but there's no way to be certain that both you and your partner will still be in the same jobs now that you will be then (infant school doesn't start until a child turns 5 years old). And what if you're relying on family to collect a child after school, then the family moves away or becomes ill?

The best you can do is have a general idea that you'll both have to be more flexible at work, or you'll use after-school childcare, or one of you will stop work, and then you work out the details later... as the OP is doing now.

Threebabes

I would go with a childminder. They are flexible and can accommodate school holidays.

WantToBeSE

Can he work evenings and nights? That way, you dont have to pay for childcare, or find any. He can sleep when the twins are at school too.

For example, if he works 9pm-3am, comes home, eats and has some R&R, then gets the twins to school and comes home to sleep until 3pm?