| The latest child care related news, views and reviews
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October 16, 2013 |
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child care
news for parents |
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| Single parents best child care solutions
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| …for those with little support |
 Single parents are on the increase, but that doesn't mean that being one is any easier now than it was 20 years ago.
Single parents generally do not have the choice to stay at home or to work. They are the family's only breadwinner.
The lack of another person at home to take up the slack, divide chores, parenting, school meetings and out of school activities, especially when there is more than one child is incredibly difficult.
And with more interstate or international migration and working grandparents, single parents often don't have family to help them out either, so and flexible child care is key.
Child care centres with set hours can often not provide enough flexibility for single parents, so here are a few options worth considering for more flexible child care.
- Family Day Care provides quality care that is slightly cheaper, smaller and more family/community focused child care. They can often be a little more flexible with start and finish times and many offer weekend and overnight care.
- Nannies or babysitters who can pick up from child care can also provide a more flexible arrangement, but they are often an additional expense that single parent families simply cannot afford, particularly if they're required on a daily basis or for full days. Nannies or babysitters are still not deemed formal care and therefore not eligible for benefits.
- Au Pairs are great if you have room at home to accommodate them. Because they live in, au pairs can be a huge help for out of working hours' activities. Mundane things like popping out to do shopping, dentist appointments as well as giving you an affordable social life and a better means of juggling more than one child's extra curricular activities.
- Nanny Share - a more affordable way to have a nanny is to join one of the many nanny share organizations sprouting up in all areas. But only choose the ones who vet their nannies for qualifications, references and police checks.
- In Home Care is another option that is specifically designed for parents who require more flexibility. However In Home Care is government funded/subsidised and therefore requires parents to be eligible for various reasons - either through the disability of a parent or child or those who work shifts or live in very rural areas. It's definitely worth finding out about though if you feel you fit into a category that justifies in home care.
- Parent sharing - Particularly good for after school/child care pick-ups. If you only work part time or can be more flexible on some days than others, it's worth investigating other parents in your child care centre, pre-school or school, who either work part time themselves or also have flexibility. If you can work out your days across the week, so that all kids are covered for early pick-ups between you, it can be a very sociable, cheap and rewarding way to make sure you have general and emergency child care covered.
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