Do you pay for FDC during Kindy/preschool hours?

[AnyDream]

I don't know what to do! She's such a good carer but there have been a few issues over $ in the past - for eg, I asked for shorter hours during the school hols - because I wasn't working and so we didn't need our usual early drop off. She refused. Fair enough, it's her business so gets to decide how she's going to run it, but the $$ decisions always seem to run in her favour. The fact that I've got a very easy kid who's her DD's little bestie and we're a nice family who pay on time and do the right thing doesn't seem to come into it.

If it comes to it I might have to pull E out of care altogether on those days and send her to OSHC instead - which I am loathe to do because the school is feral (sent DD1 to vac care there one time, never again) - but I don't have a lot of alternatives, unless i can scope out another kindy in the area that has a nicer OHSC associated with it.

WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE SO FRICKKEN COMPLICATED (and EXPENSIVE)!!?!!

[Astrid]

Feel for you with this.

Last year I had a short stint working. I was using FDC for both girls, and DD1 also had kinder. Thankfully she did not charge me for the hours DD1 was at kinder and she could have technically charged me an extra fee per pickup/drop off. I assume she was fine with it as DD2 was in her care during that time. Technically she could have had another child during in her care during the kinder hours. I know there were a number of days where she was juggling a shift of kids during the day, then the after school care. She was a bit funny when I did cut back hours from 5:30 to 4:30.

I don't think it is fair for her to charge for the weekly sessions when your DD is at kinder, but it is probably fair for the session that is not every week. It would be rather hard for her to fill a day on alternating weeks.

Best of luck. I always hated discussing money with the FD carer, I find it much easier dealing with LDC.

[CeCe]

We've recently been looking into FDC and were told that we negotiated the contracted hours, so wouldn't that mean, next year you'd be able to drop the two days and therefore not pay? Or is that just the way our local one works?

[AnyDream]

CC, yeah if I wanted to pull her out altogether on those days that would be ok FDC wise but I still need someone to pick E up in the afternoons. We're hanging on the brink of financial disaster as it is so reducing my hours to somehow accommodate is not really an option.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

MD is looking at CC with incorporated pre-school an option instead? At $7.50 an hour a CC day would be not too dissimilar in cost.. (that said costs are due to rise)

[Astrid]

MD is looking at CC with incorporated pre-school an option instead? At $7.50 an hour a CC day would be not too dissimilar in cost.. (that said costs are due to rise)

I will be doing that next time around with DD2, rather than trying to juggle kinder and some form of childcare.

[AnyDream]

MD is looking at CC with incorporated pre-school an option instead? At $7.50 an hour a CC day would be not too dissimilar in cost.. (that said costs are due to rise)

I'm not convinced of the quality of the "education" delivered in long day child care. Plus our last attempt at CC was a total disaster.