child care gap a worry for parents in paid work
posted Friday, November 28th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
A close friend of mine’s daughter has recently turned five. She’s ready to start Prep next year, which is the first formal year of schooling. Up until now she has been attending a child care centre for three days a week. But after Dec 31 her child care centre has told my friend they can no longer take her daughter because she is considered school age. However, school does not actually start til the end of January. So the little girl’s mum contacted the school to see if there was a vacancy in the school vacation care program for the first three weeks of January. They said no, because she hasn’t actually started school and therefore she’s not eligible. It’s certainly a catch 22. Has anyone else’s child been caught in this kind of gap?
I remember that being an issue for quite a few of my friends. It was a grit your teeth and get through it somehow experience. A bit of leave, some sharing with fellow parents in the same boat, some beggging of grandparents, etc. etc. Fortunately, it’s only the one year, but it was really hard!
Not all childcare centres do this, though – another friend of mine says her childcare centre is always really full during January for just that reason – they push the ratios for that month, knowing that a fair few people will be taking leave.
It’s even harder if they are not five yet – quite a few vacation care activities have a five (not school) limit, so a five year old has some chance. But both my kids were four when they started school, so no chance (and the childcare centre didn’t go by age, just whether they were starting school that year).
Jennifer said this on November 28th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I would suggest Family Day Care for the gap, they will have carers who are working through the holiday period and they won’t exclude the child on the basis of whether she has officially started school yet or not.
Xmas break is a nightmare as far as day care is concerned. They just close for 1-2 weeks and don’t give a hoot what parents who can’t get leave have to resort to in order to have their children cared for.
bri said this on November 28th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
The day care centres around me don’t seem to do it, in that when I was looking for care, they all told me that vacancies would come up in February when school went back.
As Bri said, Family Day Care is great in that respect. My carer is away for nearly all of January, but they are finding us alternative care. I love Family Day Care. I don’t understand why there isn’t a major push to try to look after the ABC fallout by recruiting more FDC people. A long term solution that seems to work really, really well.
Ariane said this on November 28th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
I have to agree Family Day Care is a good solution. My daughter went to Family Day Care right up until Kindy, and now she’s in Prep. I personally liked family day care because of it’s homey, non-institutionl feel, and my daughter’s day care mum was definitley worth her weight in gold. However, some parents worry about the family day care option because firstly they get to drive your child around, and secondly some see this option as not being ‘educational enough’. However, I disagree as our family day care mum taught my daughter so many ‘life’ and ’social’ skills but most of all was a consistent, and loving face each day, with a very safe and predictable routine.
aztec-rose said this on November 29th, 2008 at 9:25 am
They get to drive your kid around? Wow, not in mine. The Infants Home, who co-ordinate it in our area, send a bus once a quarter to take the kids to their playgroup (which is extremely cool by all accounts), but our carer doesn’t own a car big enough to drive them anywhere. I love the fact that she takes them walking occasionally, though.
I just don’t get the obsession with education. If you really want something educational for your pre-schooler, choose a day care mum who doesn’t speak English. Then your kid gets to learn a skill that will help them all through their life.
Ariane said this on November 30th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Not all child care centers do this. Look for a good licensed child care center near you in yellow pages. I suggest trying a family child care cxenter in there interum.
Peggy Neau said this on September 5th, 2009 at 9:36 am
interesting writeup !!!
children assessment said this on November 13th, 2009 at 7:02 pm