We have to have childcare at all times. However the one nursery we can use also happens to be the only one that is open during half terms and holidays. The 15 hours free does not apply during these periods so the costs go up.
The nursery calculates cost over the year so price doesn’t increase in school holidays when funding isn’t applicable.
Husband and I take turns to cover holidays so never have time off together.
The local nursery on base has a waiting list of 8 months! We contacted over 15 childcare providers before finding a space further afield and at a higher cost.
Although my wife is a teacher and can provide childcare for our daughter during school holidays, the childcare system requires that we still pay despite the child not attending in order to ‘secure’ our place. I find this ridiculous.
We have to use our leave separately for childcare, which means we don’t ever actually get leave as a family. We have no family to help.
The nursery has a policy that we have to pay even for planned holidays.
Services families do not get a choice about where we are posted and therefore where we live. Posts in very affluent areas, ie Northwood, have a very high childcare cost. This is the reason why we only have one child. We are unable to afford another child due to childcare costs.
Previously full time childcare was costing up to £1300 per month. I have since stopped working to care for my children.
Child care cannot be arranged around shifts so this means that even when my husband is on days off we have to pay for child care or we would not retain a place for the days we do need childcare.
Fortunately as a RAF nursery, it only closes bank holidays and for two weeks at Christmas. It’s extremely reassuring that we don’t have to source childcare over the holidays.
The price of full time child care in our area is one of the highest in the UK. I know I’ve been given a 1% pay rise but when National Insurance has gone up along with the cost of SFA I’m still losing out.
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www.raf-ff.org.uk
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