Are you fretting about how to keep your kids entertained over the coming weeks? Ready for Ten childcare expert Catherine Cooper takes a look at holiday playschemes.
Whether you are a working parent or not, the summer holidays can sometimes seem very long. Liz Jarvis has already written about holiday clubs for while you are actually on holiday -- it is easy to forget your children can enjoy a kids' club while you are still at home! Local playschemes can be a brilliant place for your children to make new friends, have fun and learn new skills while you get on with your work, or simply enjoy a bit of peace and quiet.
Q: What kind of playschemes are available?
Playschemes are run by schools, councils, charities and private companies. Some will run sessions of a few hours at a time, others offer full daycare aimed at working parents. The best way to find out about playschemes local to you is to ask other mums - which ones have their kids been to and enjoyed? You can also try your local council and the library. The local sections of Netmums are also a good place to start and you can search by postcode at DirectGov's Childcare Finder.
Q: What sort of activities will my child be doing?
Activities vary widely but at a general playscheme you can expect a mix of arts and crafts, games, outdoor activities and sports. Many offer days out to local attractions once a week or so. There are also more specialised playschemes for children with particular interests such as football, tennis or drama -- try typing "Football holiday club" or similar into Google along with your local town.
Q: Sounds brilliant - is it expensive?
Some councils run play sessions for next to nothing while places on private playschemes can be upwards of £70 per day. Depending on where you live and the activities on offer, a typical daily cost is around £25 to £40. However most council and charity-run playschemes will offer subsidised places to low-earners and you can usually pay for playschemes with childcare vouchers and childcare tax credits. If you are based in London, charity Kids' City will offer free places on their playschemes if you volunteer as a play worker.
Q: What questions should I ask?
Ask about adult to child ratios -- the legal minimum for under-eights is 1:8 -- aged eight or more 1:10 is "recommended" rather than required. You may find some clubs offer less supervision than this!
Ask about activities, pick up and drop-off times and check these will fit in with your schedules -- some clubs are more flexible than others. Ask about emergency procedures and who will be looking after your child -- what kind of training have they had? Ask about lunch, snacks and drinks -- are they provided? What are they likely to be?
Q: My son has special needs. Can he attend a playscheme?
Many mainstream schemes can cater for children with special needs -- the best thing to do is ask. There are also playschemes especially for children with special needs all over the UK.
Do your children go to a holiday club? How does it work for you? Why not let us know.
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mum
14 July, 2010
This is really useful Catherine. My daughter's school runs an after school club that opens over the summer holidays, yet today we heard it would not be running this summer due to low demand. I'm going to look into play schemes just for a few days in total so your advice is useful. My daughter really enjoys holiday clubs. As an only child, if her friends aren't free, it's a great way of her spending time with other children which she really enjoys.
expert
15 July, 2010
Thanks Rosie. I have only really used play schemes since I came to France where it is much more of a way of life (and heavily subsidised!) but now I wonder why I didn't use them more in the UK! The kids love them and I definitely feel less frazzled - it also means that the days the kids are at home we can enjoy more as I can get all my work and other jobs done on the days they are out.
mum
15 July, 2010
The ranger service at my local council in Bury run a free summer playscheme for 8-12 year olds, held at various parks in th borough. You have to book and each child can go to 3 days over the 6 week period. It might be worth a call to your local council leisure department to see if they offer something similar.
mum
15 July, 2010
I wish my children would like playschemes. They seem to think it's some form of punishment if they get sent to one - I think they dislike being organised in their free-time. They've collectively decided no thanks. Would save my sanity sometimes!
admin
16 July, 2010
Thanks Catherine some very helpful information here. This is our first school holiday as our daugther is in her reception year, so we are a bit unsure of whether or not to send her. I'm thinking that maybe one or two days a week might be nice for both of us, and the rest of the time to spend quality time together that we don't normally get when she's at school, and her brothers are at nursery.
Leigh
Ready for Ten Team
expert
16 July, 2010
Sounds like a good idea Leigh - kids need some downtime too and as you say you can spend some quality time with as well. Personally I find it easier to enjoy quality time with the kids if I am not also trying to get my other jobs done - which is why for me play scheme a few days a week works well. But of course everyone is different.
Debs is it the idea of play scheme you children don't like or the play scheme itself? Mine sometimes complain a bit the first few days but once they are settled in have a whale of a time. If it's the actual playscheme they don't like it might be worth seeing if you can find another which they might like more - eg perhaps a football or drama one, depending on what your children are into?
Hope you all have a great summer!
expert
20 July, 2010
Our local playscheme is run at the school my children attend, so I don't use it because it seems a bit unfair to send them back to the school they're meant to be on holiday from. I might send them to a local craft shop that does two hour sessions for kids, and will just have to work super super fast during that time.