Working parents with children

[Guest nastasia]

Hello, anyone with experience on both parents working and having babies/kids? How to they cope with it and what time you fetch your little ones after work at childcare or school?

[Tappers2oz]

Urgh never mind then.

 

Edited; as obviously I didn't answer correctly so I deleted it.

[Sustain]

Hello, anyone with experience on both parents working and having babies/kids? How to they cope with it and what time you fetch your little ones after work at childcare or school?

 

School drop off then rush the 45 mins to be in work by 9am

 

After care rush to return by 6pm or get charged by the minute

[Guest nastasia]

Thanks for the reply Sustain. Actually what are the normal working hours in melbourne?

[jac2011]

In the UK mine have been in pretty much full time childcare since 2008, children are now 10,8 and 3. If they enjoy their childcare facility I think its great. Mine sometimes moan if I pick them up early or I cancel a day. I do miss them and I wish I had more time to live life in the evenings but they do so much in their time in the clubs and are socialising and making friends. I think its the parents who suffer more. At the end of the day, due to us both being out all day every day we can afford to live a nice life at weekends and have lovely holidays so I believe that makes up for it for them.

[Tickled Pink]

Thanks for the reply Sustain. Actually what are the normal working hours in melbourne?

 

No one can give an answer for that! It usually depends on what you do, what your contract says... etc. A nurse, for example, may work 12 hour shifts - poss including nights, alternately, office workers may work 8:30-5 ish.

 

Melbourne as a whole does not have 'normal working hours'... any more than other states or country for that matter.

[Sustain]

Thanks for the reply Sustain. Actually what are the normal working hours in melbourne?

Start late finish late

Or

Start early finish normal

[Quoll]

Start late finish late

Or

Start early finish normal

Or start early and finish late! It all depends on the demands of your employer!

Working parents - pay for before and after school care, pay for a long day child care place for kids before school age

[Dan Williams]

Our school has a childcare programme which is fairly competitive, however were selfemployed now so thats very flexiable,

[Guest]

In Perth starting early, finishing early - 8am-4pm seems to be the norm in offices. I used to drop my son at school and arrive at 10am a couple of days a week and it felt like I'd missed half a day by the time I got in.

 

In the end it was too tough and we had an aupair, much cheaper (free in fact bar board and lodge) and more flexible.

[Alaska]

I find it odd that our OSH closes at 6pm and we are out in the outer suburbs of Brisbane. Must be a real rush for parents who work in the city to get back.

[Sammy1]

I find it odd that our OSH closes at 6pm and we are out in the outer suburbs of Brisbane. Must be a real rush for parents who work in the city to get back.

 

6pm is late enough for any child to still be in child care. It makes sense.

[ekf]

Our childcare hours are 7am to 6pm. I cant bear to drop them before 8. Alternate between drop off and pick up. So someone might get in to work a bit late but can stay a bit longer in the evening because the other one does pick up. Also sometimes you can negotiate 1 or 2 working from home days per week into your contract so that takes the pressure off with drop off and pick up as you don't have the commute.

[Alaska]

6pm is late enough for any child to still be in child care. It makes sense.

 

In an ideal world I agree but for a single parent especially, it may be difficult to get back from the city at that kind of time.

I am lucky and work in a school and am back by 3.30pm but not everyone is that fortunate.

[Guest littlesarah]

I can't tell you how we'll cope since we're not there yet (I'm still on mat leave), but our plan is to both work part-time (with me working most at 4 days a week) which means that our little one will be in day care 2 days a week. The daycare centre is on the campus at which I work, & the plan is that I'll do drop off & whoever finishes first will pick up. We don't have masses of choice - I need to work in order to keep us going & hubby doesn't want to give up his job because it's not easy to get back into the workforce after a few years out.

[Guest]

6pm is late enough for any child to still be in child care. It makes sense.

 

Why? Makes no sense to me at all.

 

There is extended hours childcare available in Australia, it was even trialled 24/7, I'm not sure of the outcome as we moved back to the UK, not everyone works 9-5pm - in fact the majority of our most important professions don't.

[Sammy1]

Why? Makes no sense to me at all.

 

There is extended hours childcare available in Australia, it was even trialled 24/7, I'm not sure of the outcome as we moved back to the UK, not everyone works 9-5pm - in fact the majority of our most important professions don't.

 

You miss the point. After school care facilities are attached to schools. Children that have been dropped off at 7am, spend the day at school and then stay until 6pm on school grounds are quite simply ready and need to go home...... It is too much to expect them to be there any longer.I am a single parent, a professional and someone who has seen a lot of research in this field.

 

As regards 'important professions' (not sure what you mean there....) or ones that operate outside of regular working hours, then of course different care is needed and is often provided in a more family type environment.Care more targeted to shift workers is needed, however, children should not be be left at long daycare//before school/after school care any longer than they currently are.

 

There do have to be strict limits on how much time a child spends in childcare, it is ultimately for their benefit , not the parents.

[Guest]

You miss the point. After school care facilities are attached to schools. Children that have been dropped off at 7am, spend the day at school and then stay until 6pm on school grounds are quite simply ready and need to go home...... It is too much to expect them to be there any longer.I am a single parent, a professional and someone who has seen a lot of research in this field.

 

As regards 'important professions' (not sure what you mean there....) or ones that operate outside of regular working hours, then of course different care is needed and is often provided in a more family type environment.Care more targeted to shift workers is needed, however, children should not be be left at long daycare//before school/after school care any longer than they currently are.

 

There do have to be strict limits on how much time a child spends in childcare, it is ultimately for their benefit , not the parents.

 

Apologies, it is a terminology difference, I was not referring to 'after school care'.

 

You do come across rather 'preachy', I don't see what relevance it is that you are a professional or have 'seen' a lot of research (whatever that means). You know nothing of my background or the research I may not have 'seen' but actually 'done'.

 

I think the OP made a very fair point, commuting times in Australia are typically quite long (on a par with London for the major cities) and finishing work at 5pm makes it very tough when centres close at 6pm.

 

Good for you if you have your life all sorted but you should not judge the tough decisions others have to make.

 

And before you think otherwise there is nothing personal here, my husband is a SAHD now so my life is wonderfully sorted too

[Sammy1]

Apologies, it is a terminology difference, I was not referring to 'after school care'.

 

You do come across rather 'preachy', I don't see what relevance it is that you are a professional or have 'seen' a lot of research (whatever that means). You know nothing of my background or the research I may not have 'seen' but actually 'done'.

 

I think the OP made a very fair point, commuting times in Australia are typically quite long (on a par with London for the major cities) and finishing work at 5pm makes it very tough when centres close at 6pm.

 

Good for you if you have your life all sorted but you should not judge the tough decisions others have to make.

 

And before you think otherwise there is nothing personal here, my husband is a SAHD now so my life is wonderfully sorted too

 

Preachy, now that's funny.

 

I am not judging anyone at all. I am sure we have all had to make tough life decisions, me included, especially as a single parent working in the field of education and training others to do so.

 

Oh dear. I was simply stating that there has to be a time limit on the hours a child spends at school and then in care.

 

Lucky you to have a partner who stays at home, yes, as you say you are 'wonderfully sorted'.

[Murta]

Had posted this else where but am wondering if childminders in their home or the family's home is popular in Australia/sydney? I have 9/5 yr old so both will be at school

i need to confirm but I believe I need to start at 830, hopefully living around Maroubra and working around Liverpool .

I relaie crèche are available but do they collect from school ?

We are pr so might get some rebate but really like the idea of childminders home etc

[Guest]

Had posted this else where but am wondering if childminders in their home or the family's home is popular in Australia/sydney? I have 9/5 yr old so both will be at school

i need to confirm but I believe I need to start at 830, hopefully living around Maroubra and working around Liverpool .

I relaie crèche are available but do they collect from school ?

We are pr so might get some rebate but really like the idea of childminders home etc

 

Yes, it's call 'Family day care' in Australia - my perception is it is more 'business-like' in organisation but it is fundamentally the same. We never used it and had au-pairs (a very flexible and cheap option) and then a nanny.

[Bound4Tassie]

Each to their own of course but I don't think I could cope with an au pair living in my house! I'd find it annoying and a bit intrusive after a while, no matter how nice they were!

[Petals]

This thread is quite old and relates to Victoria but there is a New South Wales section where the latest op can post

[DannyCoyles]

We do it and its not easy. My wife does the drop off at 8:30 and drives to work for 9, finishes at 5ish and picks up around 5:45 - 6:00. I work in the city so I don't get to do any of the drop offs or pickups, previously I worked 25 mins drive away and done both pickup and drop off's most days. Its not how we would like it to be but moving to a new country and buying a house etc. it was necessary, saying that I don't think my wife could stay at home 5 days a week, not having her family and friends (other than the new ones she has made here) to spend time with it would have made it more difficult to settle here. It is becoming more and more the case that both parents go to work from my experience, it is an expensive place to live and raise a family unless you are lucky enough to have one income that can cover everything.

[ali]

Used before/after school clubs in both Aus and UK