Schedule Help

[186momx]

DD moves to pre-team at gymnastics starting April 1st.  Time is 3:15-5:15 M, Tu, Th

• My mom has already agreed to pick DD up from school and take her to gym the 3 days a week.  She will also pick DD up from practice until tax season is over and I go back to off season hours.

This is the tricky part:
Starting April 16th I will only need care until 4pm (cheaper rate) and won't need Fridays.

Do I ask my mom to pick DD up by 4 on Wednesday for the first 2 weeks of April? 
Do I pay the whole month of late pick up and have DH pick DD up Wednesday?  He doesn't have the ability to pick up before 4pm.  
Do I drop Fridays starting in April?  She already has a no school day on the 12th so it will be 1 Friday I need to find care for.  
Do I ask aftercare to pro-rate the month since I'm already having them adjust her schedule.  They have been amazing at being flexible in what parents need.  

WPs what would you do?

May aftercare schedule will be Mon-Thurs AMs, Wed 1 hour afterschool.  

[2chatter]

I tend to spend for whatever is easiest and ignore cost. This week I am paying for three rides. I could shift my schedule but it’s too hard. I almost always choose to pay more for flexibility.

A good example is camp aftercare - I budgeted $150/week for aftercare. It can be elected day to day and is $25/kid/day. I’d rather pay for them to stay than kill myself to pick up if work is crazy.

[waverly]

I typically ask everyone and then make a decision. So I would tell aftercare the proposed schedule and ask them how they would handle the billing.

You could ask your mom, but she is doing so much I would be hesitant. I would make my DH do the later pick up on Wed, but I am not sure how capable your DH is of doing that given your prior posts about him? Is he reliable in this sense?

On the Fridays I would ask the aftercare. Our schedules are weekly not monthly, so I don't see a reason why you couldn't drop a Friday in a particular week. But maybe your aftercare does it differently or monthly?

And I agree with 2chatter that I typically spend more so that I don't have to stress.  Occasionally I have grand ideas of flexing my schedule to pay less, but reality hits, and I never end up going that option.  

[ilovelucyvv]

I think it doesn't hurt to ask aftercare about their flexibility given your schedule but for whatever they aren't willing to adjust/reduce price, I'd probably suck it up and pay it vice potentially over-asking a parent to help out. But my answer would be different if there was financial stress.

[186momx]

waverly, DH can do the later pick up and he has been doing that once a week since February.

Gymnastics price goes up less than $20. Aftercare will probably drop close to $75. So I will be saving $$$.

I emailed aftercare and told them what I needed so will see how it goes from there.

I agree I don't really want to ask my mom anymore than necessary and am kind of glad we just have 2 weeks of busy season to deal with and it isn't the whole tax season I'm trying to adjust. I am going to miss aftercare helping DD with her homework.

[sdlaura]

Mar 20, 2019 10:48:54 GMT -5 2chatter said:

I tend to spend for whatever is easiest and ignore cost. This week I am paying for three rides. I could shift my schedule but it’s too hard. I almost always choose to pay more for flexibility.

A good example is camp aftercare - I budgeted $150/week for aftercare. It can be elected day to day and is $25/kid/day. I’d rather pay for them to stay than kill myself to pick up if work is crazy.

This exactly.  It's so nice to have some extra flexibility.  You could do something for yourself in an extra hour if you are off earlier but don't have to pick her up till 5!

[librarychica]

Mar 20, 2019 10:48:54 GMT -5 2chatter said:

I tend to spend for whatever is easiest and ignore cost. This week I am paying for three rides. I could shift my schedule but it’s too hard. I almost always choose to pay more for flexibility.

A good example is camp aftercare - I budgeted $150/week for aftercare. It can be elected day to day and is $25/kid/day. I’d rather pay for them to stay than kill myself to pick up if work is crazy.

This is my stance on childcare. I joke that my only expensive hobby is paying people to watch my kids.

[waverly]

Ditto librarychica. If I had help it might be different, but since DH doesn't know his schedule ahead of time, I must assume that I am doing all drop offs and pick ups Mon-Fri.

So if I try to play the save money game by having the kids in aftercare only 2-3 days a week depending if it is school or camp aftercare, I have a big feeling that I will lose that game. Even though I left early a couple of days a week one summer to pick the kids up by 4, and my boss was understanding and even inquiring, but to do it more than 2 days a summer would be asking a lot of work.