This Founder's Letter is sponsored by Best Start In Life

And the truth is, when my children were younger I genuinely couldn’t afford to send them both to nursery five days a week. With my kids being 18 months apart, having two children in a nursery meant working three days a week (which isn’t ideal as an entrepreneur), and it wasn’t making me happy. When my daughter went to school, I was able to work four days a week, but the truth is, that still wasn’t enough for me. If I’m honest, going back to work full time made me happy, and I know that made me a happier mother — and I didn’t work full time, five days a week, until 2025.

For me to return to working full time, five days a week, we needed help. And that help came through a combination of 30 hours funded childcare for my little ones when they were in nursery (one still is), and making full use of wraparound care (breakfast club and after-school club) for my eldest in school. These spaces are about so much more than somewhere for children to eat or wait — they are places where confidence grows, friendships form, and interests begin to take shape.

Through after-school clubs, my daughter discovered football and handball at just five years old and it’s something she absolutely adores. Watching her develop a love for sport has been one of the quiet joys of motherhood, as she is developing a competitive spirit that, in the past, we’ve discouraged girls — black girls in particular — from having. So I hope it’s something that stays with her. Not because she has to excel, but because at five, not in the classroom but through an after-school sports club, she’s creating a desire to be the best and I love that for her.

For my youngest, nursery has offered something just as important. Through the 30 hours funded childcare, my son has learned to be more social. As a child who is introverted and used to play by himself at parties, he’s become so much more confident playing with other kids and on the morning nursery run, it genuinely fills me with joy (and a little relief) as he says morning to his friends while riding on his scooter.

The truth is, as parents we all deserve systems that support fuller, more balanced lives. Making use of funded childcare hours and wraparound care can be essential for keeping careers going, but it can also create space for balance, breathing room, and a little more ease in everyday life.

We should make use of the government support available so we can have the time to be whole human beings, which, as a consequence, allows us to be the mothers we want to be, not the version that has been prescribed to us.

If you’re a parent thinking about childcare, visit the Best Start in Life website. You can check your eligibility using the childcare support checker, and find out more about the different childcare offers and how to apply.