Following the government guidance about getting back to school safely, there remains two big challenges for parents when navigating the school run.
Staggered start times
If you are a parent with children in different years at school, the introduction of staggered start and finish times could present a challenge. The advice to avoid public transport could make it tempting to jump in the car to make the multiple trips required - further exacerbating the congestion issues that many schools experience at their school gates.
By using the Fetching app, you can walk or cycle to collect one of your children (and perhaps some others from the same class), and request help from a friend with children in the same year group, to collect the child who is finishing at a different time. This avoids parents having to wait at the school gates between collection times - the exact thing the staggered-start-times initiative is trying to solve.
Staying within bubbles
Managing your after-school childcare this way, not only saves time for parents, but ensures that children are looked after in their bubbles. This is also true if you have to return to the office, and are unable to collect your children at all.
By connecting with fellow parents in your child's class and sharing childcare with them, you are ensuring that they stay in their allocated school groups whilst still being able to socialise and have fun after school.
This not only enables you to focus on your job, on the days that you are not collecting, but gives you peace of mind that these small groups are limiting your child's exposure to the virus.
Track and trace
By arranging your after-school childcare digitally, via the app, your school can see instantly which families have been in contact, should a case of the virus be diagnosed.
Working together
We have always believed that there is enough resource in every school to collect every child every day. Our vision is to create a world where childcare no longer presents a challenge to parents as the power of working together is realised.
The Fetching app is completely free to use provided you help your friends as much as they help you. We will never connect you with people you don't know - you control who you are connected with.
If you still have questions, you may find the answers in our FAQs.