Hi everyone

I live in the inner west area of Sydney and have a 2.5 year old DD. We have been going really well with FDC but now I find out my DD's carer won't be doing 5 days anymore. Came as a complete shock to me as this lady has been caring for many years. Needless to say I don't have DD on any waiting lists anywhere else. Does anyone know how much a nanny is for one day (talking Sydney prices here lol) and how many kids can they look after? I am a single mum so can't afford a nanny just for my DD but if not too bad might see if I can get a couple more people to share a nanny. Has anyone done anything like that?

Thanks

Have you contacted the FDC Scheme Office?

They would usually give first preference to families in your situation when a vacancy comes up with another Carer.

Even if there aren't any vacancies at the moment, there will be in Jan/Feb when some of the older children go off to school.

It often helps to keep in touch so they don't assume that you've arranged other care. I'd ring them every week or two to remind them that you still need care and explain that you're a single parent and desperately need care etc, etc.

We live in inner Sydney and shared a nanny with some friends for a few months. She was responsible for one 3 yr old and 2 babies under one so we paid her $24 per hour. She was their full time employee and they paid her super and tax so my share equated to around $10 phr.

Now I have 2 children - aged 2.5 and 14mths I currently have a casual nanny who I pay cash $15 phr.

A couple of points about nanny sharing:
- make sure that you are sharing with people who have similar child rearing philosphies as you have - our style was far more relaxed than our friends was so it created some issues with the care of our daugher - nothing that jeopardied the overall quality of care but still worth considering
- where will the nanny be based? Consider travel time for you if it is not at your house
- ensure that you have a firm committment from the other parents about payment method and time frame. Usually one parent needs to be responsbile for the payment to the nanny and if it is you and you are on a budget you need to ensure that everyone else pays up on time.

Good luck in your search.