Day care for emergency workers

Do you have any SAHM friends that could look after her ? If it were me I'd see if family or friends could watch her those days.

Hi. Thanks for the help. I have tried family and am getting no help there. My friends all work full time and the ladies in my coffee group are going back to work and the ones going part time want the time off with just their baby.

I had this problem too when returning to work and I worked a fixed four on four off pattern. I ended up paying for full time daycare and send DD only when I was working... and my first day off towards the end of my pregnancy...

Probably not the answer you were after. I too recommend looking at home based care more... I know there are some that accommodate that shift pattern as a workmates uses them!

Edited by sbeach - 25 October 2012 at 3:32pm

There is another home-based care company called Stems.

What area of the country are you in? Someone may be able to help if they know what area?

Have you called or gone to see the people face to face? It's a lot harder for them to say no in person :-D.

I am in Glenfield, North Shore, Auckland. I wanted to contact the carers in person but when I sent an email to Porse and Home Grown Kids, I got a reply from the area manager saying no and not providing contact details for the carers in my area. I was also told to wait until January to try again but maybe I'm too much of a planner but if we can't find anything in January it doesn't give me much time to sort it out and day cares have waiting lists. If anyone in my area can help I would sooooo apreciate it. We can give you the days that we will need for the whole year ahead in December so you will know well in advance when my daughter will be there and when she won't.

I agree, that is strange. My good friend is a relief teacher and so her work days are totally unpredictable and she has a Porse carer look after her daughter when she works. (East Auckland)

My step brother is a policeman and his wife works, so they have their son booked in either with daycare or nana every day. If he works nightshift he sleeps during the day.
When I first went back to work with my first son I was contracting so put him in fulltime and he went 3 days usually, sometimes 4, depending on when I was working (days changed each week).

I would just ask for homebased carers in your area like you say then discuss it with them. My daughter is in homebased care and that wouldn't work for her carer as she is fully booked, but you may find someone who is just wanting a little bit of pocket money who will do random hours, if they don't have other kids booked in. But its hard if they are claiming the "free ECE hours" (from 3 years) as they would need to re-do all the paperwork each week, so I can see why they would hesitate.

My sister is a nurse and she uses mum if she ends up on extra shifts, or has hubby home if its a night shift, so her kids are in 3 set days at daycare and she usually works those days only if possible.

Good luck!

My boy has been with Jemmas on the North Shore and I have found them fab, so so so much more flexible than the big name home based care providers and much more personable. Definitely try different services. I was also really impressed with Fairy Godmothers when I was looking.

That is not very helpful from PORSE, I am a home based carer through PORSE (Franklin) and our office will never turn anyone away. I look after twins who are 6 days on 4 days off and get the roster 3 months in advance. The parents and I came to an agreement that they would pay for 3 1/2 days because I cannot take on other full time children and in the long run it all "evens out". So far this has worked great as some weeks I am really busy and other weeks are really cruizy.

I think you should just ring and say you are looking for a carer and meet with them and then discuss what you need (dont tell the office, just say you need 3 days or something)

Good luck - home based is the best option for any baby!