So its reached that
time when you have to go back to work after a nice maternity leave with your
child as these days very few of us have the luxury of staying home even if we
want too. The continuous rise of living vs
the cost of childcare. Is it worth it???
I'm very pro for
women and men working and not because it pays my salary!!! This is the year
2016 and its a very old fashioned view to expect women to be the one to stay at
home. Lots of my friends are starting to
have children and with a niece and nephew within both sides of the family my
siblings/in law siblings also have to face this dilemma. Now I am not a parent and I never claim to
know it all but having worked in nurseries and as a nanny for a long time I can
give some pros and cons to different forms of childcare.
Nursery/Preschools
I was having this conversation with my sister
in law recently who will be returning to work in the later half of the
year. She has a very good career but
will be going back part time to start with so she can still have some time with
my nephew. When she and my brother in
law are at work my nephew will be in a nursery.
This leads into the
consideration of nurseries in the debate.
By no means are they cheap, for under two year old children the average
price for a fulltime place across the country is £1000 a month (5 days a week
roughly 7.30am-6pm). This is a lot of
money and for many people will take up a good proportion of a household income.
Preschools tend to
operate term time only and school hours but your child has to be over 2 1/2 years old. If these hours suit you and your family they
can be great as they can give you a lot of
the same perks of a nursery.
Preschools tend to now be attached to primary schools so can be a great
way transitioning into your chosen primary school.
Pros:
- Socialisation- Your child will be on a ratio of one adult to three children (0-2years), one adult to four children (2-3 years) or one adult to eight children (3+ years). They will learn not to have one to one adult attention which will teach them important life skills and prepare them for school.
- Opening hours- a standard nursery will be open all year round for full days which will suit most jobs.
- When your child turns three you are entitled to 15 free hours a week 38 weeks a hour in a registered provider
- Preschools are cheaper in cost
Cons:
- Policy's on illness- These may be quite rigid when it comes to inclusion from nursery depending on the type of illness but from a professional perspective it is hard to give your poorly child the attention they require when you have other children to care for.
- You will still have to pay for absences from nursery!- This can seem unfair but nurseries are businesses and would lose money if they allowed you just to take your child out and expect not to pay for it.
- Preschools are restricted in opening hours and starting age of children
How to research:
- Internet searching
- Recommendations
Childminders
I have a very good
friend who is a childminder who used to be my boss and she has such a lovely
set up in her home and a gorgeous playroom and big garden. I'm never saying never but I personally do
not have the space in my house to facitate it for one and second at this point
of my life do not really feel the urge to run my own business. Never less I think the option of a
childminder is absolutely great and another sister in law is considering a
childminder for my niece to enable her to work more hours. My niece at 2 years old is a very socialable
little girl and I really think she will excel in this kind of environment.
Pros:
- When your child turns three you are entitled to 15 free hours a week 38 weeks a hour
- Pay with childcare vouchers as all childminders are registered with OFSTED
- Degree of flexibility-long hours available
- Highly qualified
- Regularly inspected by OFSTED as they have to be registered
- Socialisation with other children
Cons:
- Not exclusive for one family and have set policies and procedures
- Cant guarantee backup childcare if they are ill or have holiday
How to research:
- Internet search for ofsted registered childminders in your postcode
- websites such as gov.uk or childcare.co.uk.
- reccomendations
Nannies/Au Pairs
Nannies are without
a doubt the most expensive option for your childcare. The luxury of having the individual attention
for your children does come unfortunately at a cost. Nowadays there are ways around making the
cost less by Nanny Shares with other families in your area in which you would
split the cost. Au Pairs can make this option also more affordable as
they come and live in your house and your provide them with food etc and a
small amount of pocket money weekly.
Ultimately Nannies and Au Pairs do the same type of work but hiring an
Au Pair will mean more restrictions as they often are coming to the country to
learn your language, experience a new culture, studying etc.
Pros:
- More flexibility- good if parents travel for work and are away from the home or work irregular hours. You can also have live in/live out/part time/fulltime nannies.
- Enables children to be in their home environment or pursue their interests for example afterschool activities.
- Close relationships- If you get it right the relationship between a nanny/au pair and the family they work for can be great. I have found that you learn so much more about a child seeing them in their home environment and its very special to be welcomed in to a family.
- Nannies are regulated to have certain qualifications. If you pay to have your nanny ofsted registered you can use childcare vouchers as a method to pay their salary.
Cons:
- Expensive (Nannies)
- Can be a pain if your nanny is ill so a backup plan needs to be considered
- Au Pairs are restricted by working hours so you would need to check the small print on hiring one.
- Au Pairs are short term solutions generally a year so do not always provide consistency for your children.
How to research:
I recommend to all
parents looking for a nanny/au pair to go through a local agency. This is how I got my current position and the
process is made easier for the nanny and the family. The agencies will vet the nanny prior to even
sending them on an interview so you will have been checked for references,
criminal checks, qualifications. They do
obviously charge you a fee for doing this but I really think if you way it up
it takes the hassle and the worry away from you.
Another good
platform for looking for these can be Childcare.co.uk in which you can register
and search for childcare that you need near to you.
Hope this has given
some food for thought and would love some feedback
Nanny Bicester xx
Twitter-@nannybicester
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