For many parents reentering the workforce after having kids, casual work is a common way of getting a foot in the door. Casual work is very common in retail, hospitality and healthcare fields - but it can be tricky to co-ordinate child care if your shifts change week to week. Here are some of the options if you have a varying casual schedule.
Rely on informal childcare
One option is to rely on informal child care, through friends or family. This relies on your friends or family being available when you need child care help and can result in some stressful shuffling if your usual babysitters are ill or not available when you are called in for work. This can be a great option if you have a dedicated uncle, aunty or grandparents close by who are available for child care at short notice.
Choose dedicated days of child care at a child care centre
One option is to choose a few days of child care at a child care centre like One World Children’s Centre, and let your work know you are only available on these days. This can end up to be expensive as you end up paying for child care on these days whether or not you are working, but it does also leave you free to get some much needed time to run errands alone or socialise without your child in tow. As your days of childcare are guaranteed you don't need to worry about organising other options if a carer is ill or unavailable.
Find a child care centre with flexible hours
Some child care centres allow parents to drop children up on a casual basis, on full or half day basis. This depends on availability of spaces so can be hard for last minute call ins, but does offer more reliability than informal arrangements. This is cost effective as you don't need to pay for child care that you don't require.
Some children can adapt well to these kinds on agreements, while other children find it unsettling not to have a regular routine with dedicated child care days.
The best circumstance for your family will depend on your family circumstances, your budget and your child's temperament. If you are looking for a new child care solution, why not organise some tours of local child care centres to see which ones you feel comfortable with and might suit your child.
Share21 September 2015
Hi. My name is Susan. I have five children of my own, but over the years I have cared for more than thirty foster children. You could therefore say that I am somewhat of an expert in child care! I am also very astute at selecting child care providers that offer the types of experiences which reward and challenge children. Children's social, emotional and physical development is of tantamount importance. As you can imagine, many of my foster children are quite troubled, and I always seek the latest research in order to ensure I am giving the best possible care. I have started this blog in order to share my wealth of knowledge with others who strive to optimise the childhood experience. I hope you find ideas that you can apply. Happy reading!