If I were a bonneted Victorian peasant, my heart would gladden at the thought of a long summer break from school during which my children would gladly assist with the harvest. As a modern day working parent my shoulders slump at the thought of...
Returning to work after having a baby is tough for new parents, especially if there are money worries about the cost of childcare. In April 2015, shared parental leave was implemented, allowing both parents to share up to 52 weeks of leave, not ju...
Posted on 28 October 2015
In December 2015, as part of their on-going childcare strategy, the Government released draft guidance for consultation, outlining plans to allow parents the ‘right to request’ wraparound childcare at their child’s school for outside the school da...
Posted on 10 December 2015
Shared Parental Leave is celebrating its first birthday this month. The idea behind the initiative was to enable parents to share work and childcare responsibilities more equally than was possible under previous maternity leave rules. To what...
A new baby means big changes for the whole family. Second (or third) time around, you’ve got a pretty good idea what’s coming. But your toddler has no idea what’s about to hit them and there’s a good chance they won’t particularly like it when it...
Posted on 20 September 2017
Our ultimate goal as parents is to enable our children to live, think and function independently. Yet a recent survey found, a quarter of children today undertake absolutely no household chores . Working mums complete on average 26 morning tasks...
Getting children enjoying healthy food from an early age is the way to help them eat well for the rest of their lives. But how can you tell if your child is getting a healthy meal when you’re not there? Well the good news is that school meals hav...
Posted on 28 September 2016
When it comes to a big celebration, some parents thrive on planning, decorating and hosting. Others - myself included - want to make birthdays as fuss-free as possible. Whatever your preference, it's clear from talking with other parents that many...
With the school holidays in full swing the search is on for low cost, high impact childcare. We’ve done the legwork to provide you with a comprehensive guide to summer holiday childcare options to accommodate all budgets and age ranges from four t...
Update: Since this article was originally published the government has extended the deadline to join a Childcare Vouchers scheme to October 2018. The precise date in October is yet to be confirmed by HMRC. All other information provided in this...
Posted on 19 December 2017
Update: Since this article was originally published the government has extended the deadline to join a Childcare Vouchers scheme to October 2018. The precise date in October is yet to be confirmed by HMRC. All other information provided in this...
Posted on 13 February 2018
Update: Since this article was originally published the government has extended the deadline to join a Childcare Vouchers scheme to October 2018. The precise date in October is yet to be confirmed by HMRC. All other information provided in this...
Posted on 13 February 2018
Earlier this month the government announced that Childcare Vouchers will remain open to new entrants alongside Tax-Free Childcare for a further 6 months beyond the original April 2018 cut-off. This is all thanks to parents like you who signed the...