Thousands of schools have been closed across the UK during the last week due to the snow and cold weather.  It is believed that one in six schools is thought to have been affected by the weather^* with heating problems and unsafe conditions on school grounds.

 Some parents have had prior warning of their child’s school being closed, others have been notified the morning of the closure and some have even chosen to close after school started.  This has caused childcare issues for parents all over the country.  What do you do when your child’s school is suddenly closed and you are just about to walk out of the door to work or you get a text message to say “the school is closing, please pick up your child”?

Some parents have family or friends they can rely on to help out in emergency situations, some have employers allowing them to work from home or take the day off as holiday or unpaid leave, however is this ideal?  The perfect answer is for parents to use Emergency Childcare to seek last minute childcare for their children when their usual childcare provider is unavailable or school is closed.

There are several different companies offering this service, some employers even offer Emergency Childcare as an employee benefit to help reduce absenteeism and untold stress for employees.  Busy Bees Benefits, an employee benefits provider offers an Emergency Childcare service to parents using their Childcare Voucher scheme.  As part of the Busy Bees Group, the largest childcare provider in the UK, operating over 200 nurseries, Busy Bees Benefits understands the importance of providing reliable childcare.  The Emergency Childcare service allows parents to seek childcare in one of the Busy Bees nurseries almost anywhere in the country.

Every Busy Bees nursery is specifically designed to suit the needs of each child, with large, bright playrooms and outdoor play areas.  Choosing to use Emergency Childcare over childcare provided by friends or family ensures children still get the educational stimulation they need.

How does it work?

When parents need to use the Emergency Childcare service, whether it is last minute or in advance, they can contact Busy Bees Benefits to book a place at the nursery setting closest to their home, place of work or wherever is most convenient to them^**.  Parents then simply take their child to the desired nursery and pay the fees upon receipt of invoice.  Fees can be paid using Busy Bees Benefits Childcare Vouchers and by doing this an additional 5% credit will be added on top of their voucher value.

Next time your child’s school is closed or your childcare provider is unavailable, use the Busy Bees Benefits Emergency Childcare service – the perfect back answer for your emergency situation.  For more information about Busy Bees Nurseries and Busy Bees Benefits Emergency Childcare please visit www.busybees.com.