Childcare

[Daisy]

Childcare is often one of the biggest expenses for a young family, so I was interested to see this item about a nursery where parents work unpaid under the direction of permanent staff to care for the children at the nursery.

https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/a-radical-solution-to-expensive-childcare/p04xlk2d?playlist=how-to-be-happier-at-work-yes-really

When my DS1 was little he attended the local playgroup which was run by a primary school teacher for a very modest salary and supported by parents, who took it in turn to help at the playgroup. This help was voluntary and some parents (always mothers in those days) didn't or couldn't help, but there was a regular group who formed a rota through the week. We didn't have any formal training, unlike the parents in the BBC video, but we had different talents and skills and the children always seemed happy there.

The playgroup was run by a committee of parents in conjunction with the teacher, and it all worked very well, and having only one paid member of staff kept the costs low. It's interesting to see a similar model of nursery care for the Twenty-first Century.

What do other grans think? Did you use childcare when your children were little?

[Gemini]

Daisy, as soon as I started to read your thread I thought of playgroups. They were the norm when my children were small, all my children went to playgroup 2 or 3 mornings a week from age 3 until they went to school.
I was a playgroup leader for many years, starting as DD2 went to school.
We were 2 paid staff and 2 parent helpers on a rota, each day, run by a committee. The staff did
training courses and were qualified in First Aid. Costs were low because of the parent helpers. Parents (mostly mums, but the occasional dad) grandmas, and in one family a nanny were the helpers. Most families were good and reliable and they understood the reason for the rota. A few families didn't, saw it as a favour they did for us, and sometimes turned up very late or not at all! It drove us mad, and was a bugbear. I actually got my job initially as I was so often standing in for No Shows on the rota, that I may as well work there! They had plenty of opportunity to watch me work with the children, so then offered me a job when one of the staff left!
My jobs have been more or less around school hours. I Never needed childcare for DDs 1 and 2. When DD 3 was born I cut my playgroup hours to one morning until she was older. Mum or my friend looked after DD. When she started school I began working in leisure centre creche. My work day fitted in with school hours, but I also worked during school holidays. Sometimes I took her with me, sometimes she went to Mums, and usually to a holiday playscheme down the road which she loved. I was also a classroom assistant during this time. As it was at DD3's school it worked fine, no childcare needed. if I was at work she was at school

[Plantaholic]

I don't think this idea would be as easy to set up today with the rules that apply to looking after children. Venue suitability, first aid trained helpers, police checks on all parents involved etc. I worked in a Nursery for a number of years which was run by a teacher and when I look back, we had no phone, no first aid training, no checks, the Health visitor called in about once a year.

[Gemini]

We had current first aid and had to have playgroup leader training and attend child protection courses etc. No checks for the helpers though
Not long after Ieft the playgroup Ofsted checks came in and I think that changed things a lot