Responses to my latest tweets- usually from men- make me realise that people without young kids have no idea about the availability of childcare either pre Covid or in current Covid life. So let me tell you what it’s like #thread

Since March for anyone that isn’t a keyworker there has been no childcare. For those who are keyworkers like me there have been SOME places open (not all - the schools don’t have to open and most restricted places offered)

Currently unless your primarily school aged child is in years 1,6 or reception or you are a keyworker and booked a place there are no school places. Our school will not take any more children even in those years unless you signed up within the first few days

Up until very recently wraparound childcare could not open unless it was on school grounds. Now it can open but ours hasn’t. So I have my kids in school 9-3:15 (because I’m a keyworker- if I wasn’t it would be 9:3-2:30 and my 10 year old wouldn’t have a place)

Over the summer holidays our childcare is only opening 3 days a week on reduced hours. The local authority are desperately trying to find kids placements for a few hours a week to help parents who are expected to be back in work even though their usual childcare isn’t open

What about without Covid? Without Covid childcare settings are open until 6pm in almost all areas (I know london ones tend to be a bit later and there’s the odd ones in big cities plus some ‘in-house’ childcare for nhs etc). They open from 7:30 if lucky, 8 in many areas

There isn’t an option like ‘throwing more money’ at it. They close at 6. My kids have their coats on and are sat waiting at the window by 5:45pm. If you are late you are fined. If continually late they will cancel your contract

If your child is unwell they have to be kept out of childcare (48 hours of sick). You still pay for childcare. In most places you still pay on bank holidays, Christmas, Easter etc when it isn’t open and your own holidays or when you aren’t using them for any other reason

The vast majority of people I know rely on family to have their kids on some days or pick kids up from school or after school club or have them when they are ill or have them in the school holidays when some childcare shuts down. If u don’t have available family you are stuffed

Some people have nannies. This isn’t the norm in many places of the country like where I am. I interviewed nannies and spoke with companies who provide them.There was no one available any earlier than 8am and they are employees and entitled to all of the expected benefits as one

So I’ve had a few people say ‘we managed’ and you know that’s because they had partners who could do it or family who could help out. I can assume I hope they didn’t leave young children wandering the streets or home alone....

I’ve also had people say having kids is a choice I made. I accept that.I deliberately wouldn’t have taken a shift job for example as I knew I’d never have help (mum died before I had kids-husbands parents died too).

And let me add in the cost. At one stage I had two kids in nursery and one in school and we paid out around £2000 a month. Oh and that’s cheap because I don’t live in an area where childcare is expensive. Currently for wrap around care it’s £60 a day so much cheaper I accept

So I’ve been complaining at plans to change court hours. The responses I have had are that I’ll have to manage. No one has explained to me how. Childcare isn’t open. There isn’t any ‘managing’. The only option is for one parent (if there are 2 involved) to not work

Why is that a problem? Well for many reasons. On a personal level most people need to work for financial reasons. Many like me also work for their own happiness and well being. Quite apart from that the people that take the hit in these situations are often women

Are we saying that some jobs (including lawyers) should only be open to non- parents? Will that ensure diversity? Is that fair? Is it sensible? Might some people want a female lawyer? If we reduce the % of women in law even further what does that mean for the judiciary?

If anyone who has been replying to my other tweets has any actual advice about an option I haven’t thought about then can they pipe up? Instead of ‘lump it/you just have to manage/find a new job’

And I’ll add. It’s been my husband doing the picking up for the last 4 years as he deliberately went for a job that allowed it. When we had 3 kids we made life and career choices to enable it, that was one of them. But court hours changing means the impact is on him too

And let me also say - it’s been a learning curve.Did I think it would be this hard before kids -errr no?Did I expect to be doing things like working 10 days after a c-section-errr no. Did I realise childcare cost £1000s? Did I realise how often they organise school events? No

I’ve now realised why most of the mums I encounter at school work part time. Why there are soo many grandparents at pick up and school events. But please remember that many of us have no family support either locally or at all

I’ve genuinely had people at work say things like ‘just be late for pick up’.So thought I’d also add in why that’s simply not something you can do.If you are late imagine how your children will feel?They haven’t seen you since 7:30am and expected you there? They’d be worried sick

I have a child with brain damage. She works to routines. She gets anxious. If I say dad is collecting and it turns out it’s me then she thinks something awful happened to her dad. So imagine if I just didn’t show up for 30 minutes whilst she sits watching out of the window