Helpful Information On Childcare

How to decided what childcare is best for you?

There are several different options that you have when you are looking for childcare.

If you are not sure what childcare you are going to need and would like some help, here is some helpful information on each childcare option.

Nanny
This is a qualified person who will look after your child/children in their home. They can live in or live out, they can work full time or part time. They will do all nursery duties, this is everything that the child/children require, for example the child/children washing and ironing keeping their bedrooms clean and tidy, preparing for meals, keeping the kitchen clean and tidy after they have used it and entertaining them and making sure the child/children are safe and happy. The cost of a nanny does vary, the amount does depend on their age and experience this can be anything from £125 to £400 net per week.

Au pair
An au pair will typically be a young woman and sometimes a young man from a foreign country who chooses to help look after the children of a host family and provide light housekeeping. The au pair is given room and board and is typically paid a weekly "pocket-money" salary. Au pairs generally stay with their host family for one year. An au pair is usually between the ages of 18 and 26 years old, yet some countries allow younger and older au pairs. Be sure to see all of the country-dependent program requirements in the Au Pair Visa section. Au pairs are typically in search of a new cultural experience while also desiring to serve as an integral part of a parenting team. This experience usually draws au pairs to a new country and often times involves improving on their foreign language skills. There are two different types of au pairs in Europe. An au pair and an au pair plus, an au pair works 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, baby sits 2-3 evenings per week, receives 2 free days and evenings off and the weekly salary ranges from £55 - £60 per week. An au pair plus works 6 hours per day, 5 days per week, baby sits 2-3 evenings per week, receives 2 free days and 3 evenings off and the weekly salary ranges from £65 - £80 per week

Childminder
A Childminder is a person who looks after children in her own home. A childminder will look after several children from different families, but can only have a certain amount of babies and toddler’s at one time. Some childminders provide food for the children but some do not. The hourly rate for a childminder is around £4/5 an hour per child.

Nursery
A Nursery school is a school for children between the ages of three and five, staffed by qualified teachers and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare. It is generally considered part of early childhood education. Nursey fee’s do vary and can range anything from £35 to £50 per day.

There are disadvantages and advantages to all of these childcare option here are some of them for you to consider.

Nanny Advantages
Nannies will fit around your day, so if you work erratic or long hours, it may be the solution for you. You will also have a big say on what you would like them to do with your child on a daily basis as you are their sole employer, and your baby will be in a familiar environment.
Disadvantages
You may find it invasive having someone living with you all the time and as you are the employee, you will have to negotiate contracts, hours, rules etc and pay for holiday and sick pay. Your baby may form a strong attachment from the one-to-one care and find it upsetting when your nanny leaves. Some Nannies are not inspected by ofsted but can be if you want them to be.

Au pair Advantages
The Au pair is flexible on what hours she works and is availble to do extra hours in the evenings and weekends. She will do all of the house work and the cost of an au pair is a lot less than a Nanny.
Disadvantages
They can only work a certain amount of hours a day as they are over here to learn English and have be seen to be studying. They are not qualified and have not got much experience with any age child.

Childminder Advantages
Childminders are more flexible about hours if you are running late from work and your baby is likely to get more one-on-one attention. Your baby will also be in a family home.
Disadvantages
Your Childminder may have limited space, and few facilities, to keep your baby entertained and your baby will spend a lot of time with a few people. You may find it difficult to approach your childminder if he or she is doing something you wouldn’t do yourself and if your childminder is sick, or on holiday, you will have to take time off work to look after your baby.

Nursery Advantages
Staff are qualified and each day is centred on structured activities with equipment and stimulation to help with your baby’s development. There will also be lots of other babies and children around to help your little one become more sociable and experience new things.
Disadvantages
Hours are very rigid – most nurseries charge more for out of hours, so you’ll need to make sure you will be able to leave work on time or have a back-up plan if you do have to work late. Your baby won’t get one-on-one attention – if your baby is three months to two years old the ratio is one member of staff to three babies. Also, your baby won’t be allowed to go to nursery if he’s sick, which means you will have to take time off work to look after him until he’s better.

What ever your choice of childcare is, this section will give you and idea of what each area of childcare can do for you.