“A huge weight off”: Why funded childcare is a lifeline for these mums

For Louisa, a 35-year-old single mum living in the South East of England, government-funded childcare has made all the difference. 

After welcoming her son into the world, she returned to work after maternity leave as the sole carer and breadwinner. With her son now one and settled into nursery, she’s clear about the impact the 30 hours of childcare will have when the full entitlement kicks in this September. 

“As a single parent living off one income, I’m not sure it would have been possible to send my son to nursery at all without these funded hours,” she says.

The relief is shared by Romy, a mum of twins who receives Universal Credit childcare support. She says: “If we weren't on Universal Credit and using the funded hours - and given we have no family support - I'd have had to remain out of work for five years until my children went to school.

“The price of childcare for twins is more than my monthly salary, so there would [have been] no financial benefit in my returning to work.” 

Like many parents navigating the childcare landscape, Louisa and Romy are resourceful, organised and realistic about the demands of work, parenting and everything in between. But access to government-funded hours has been key to making it all work. 

Louisa currently receives 15 funded childcare hours and uses the government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme. She is, however, eagerly awaiting the full 30 hours in September, which her nursery will stretch over the year. “It will go up to 22 hours per week in September. This will make a huge difference to my finances.” 

For Romy, her week is tightly coordinated across three childcare settings. “My two spend Wednesday at a forest school nursery (7.5hrs), then Thursday and Friday at a local, private nursery. 

“Thursday they do an 8.30am until 5pm day so my partner can do drop-off and pick-up, but that means we pay for two extra hours, per child, each week.” 

The reality of childcare costs is stark, as Romy shares: “£1,456 per month, for three days of childcare for my twins, excluding food and nappy costs.”

The benefits of early years childcare

Of course, using childcare settings before your child(ren) begins school isn’t just a logistical benefit, but an educational one, too. 

As Louisa shares: “My son’s speech and communication has definitely improved since going to nursery. They have taught him the makaton sign for more which he uses all the time now (particularly for more snacks and food). I’ve also noticed his imaginative play increase since nursery.

“At the park the other day he approached a young girl who was maybe six or seven playing with a tea set and joined in pretending to drink tea with her.

Both mums also emphasise how essential the support is emotionally: “Whilst I was pregnant, before my son was born, one of my major concerns and stress was how I would manage financially as a solo parent,” Louisa continues. “The funded childcare has taken a huge weight off and definitely eases my stress. It helps my wellbeing knowing that I have that covered.”

Romy agrees: “Infinitely. I love my children, but being with anyone 24/7, without a break, is draining. I appreciate the time to be by myself, to achieve things without distraction, to show up in the world and to have my own identity again. Plus, I get to see the identities that my children are growing into independently of me!”

Without government-funded childcare hours, parents like Louisa wouldn’t be able to manage

A day in the life

Louisa works from 9.30am to 6pm and uses her mornings wisely: “I usually drop my son off at 8.30am so he can have his breakfast at nursery and I take the dog for a walk before starting my work day.” 

The emotional side of parenting is always close: “The drop-offs are still very hard as he has only been going a couple of months and can still get teary when I leave him,” she says.

For Romy, Wednesdays are the toughest. “That’s because of the amount of things I have to prepare for them to go to forest school nursery: outdoor clothing, hot and cold food to eat, change of clothes etc. I often arrive late to forest school, just because it’s a lot for me to coordinate by myself (two lots of everything for twins) and get them dressed, teeth and hair brushed and out of the door on time. 

Pick-up comes with its own feelings too. “I often feel guilty picking my son up at 6pm because most of the children at his nursery are picked up earlier,” says Louisa. “But I usually get the biggest hug from him which almost makes it worthwhile.”

Related: How early education and childcare can help prepare your child for school

Advice from parents who’ve been there

If you’re unsure about using the support, both mums are clear - apply. Here are their top tips for parents navigating their childcare options at the moment:

1. Apply on time and set reminders 

Louisa says: “Though it can be a pain to have to keep reconfirming every three months, it is absolutely worth it. If you’re entitled to the free hours then definitely apply, any spare money you find you’re saving can be [spent on] your child in other ways.”

“There’s nothing to worry about really”, Romy adds. “Your only concern should be finding the right setting for your child. Applying for and using the funded hours was very easy, really.”

2. Spread the hours if you can

“My child's nursery is able to spread the 38 weeks of funded childcare across the whole year”, Louisa shares, “so currently it equates to 11 hours free per week and will go up to 22 hours free per week from September.” 

3. Use Tax-Free Childcare

“I currently also use the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare service to pay my nursery fees”, shares Louisa. 

And Romy advises: “Before you sign up to a nursery, familiarise yourself with any rules they have around when and how to use funded hours, as these differ from setting to setting.” 

4. Find your village

Both mums agree that emotional support is vital, too. “It does really take a village”, says Louisa. “Whether it’s your family, old friends or even new ones.”

Romy also points to Mumsnet as a helpful space to navigate tricky decisions: “It’s a good place to sense check any thoughts or worries I might have. It’s also a great place to go for information from other parents.”

What Mumsnet users say

We held focus groups in June 2025 with select Mumsnet users to delve into how both funded childcare hours and wraparound childcare helps them and their families. Here's what they had to say.

Enabling parents to work

"It enables me to work and provide for my family. It enables me to have a safe space for my children to be looked after where I don't need to worry that they are ok." - Hannah, 36-year-old mum of three

"The positive impact of childcare and childcare support for me and your family is that it allows me to be a working mum, allows my child some time away from me (and vice versa) whilst he is playing with other kids and childcare support allows parents like myself to feel seen and heard in terms of our childcare needs which equals progression!" - Yvonne, 43-year-old mum of one

Making childcare more accessible

"We would not have been able to afford my DS attending for three days without the funded hours support. He would have definitely still attended nursery but it would have been maybe just a day or two." - Naomi, 39-year-old mum of two

"From September onwards, my child will be eligible for 30 hours free childcare. I will be sending her to nursery because the nursery will offer six hours each day for five days per week which means that my mum will be able to drop her off to nursery and pick her up once nursery is finished and doing that does not affect my working time schedule." - Shama, 34-year-old mum of one

Find out more about your eligibility and how to apply

To find out more about what childcare offers are available, your eligibility and how to apply for these schemes, visit the Childcare Choices website and explore the options available to you. It's important to make an informed decision about the schemes that work best for your family's needs and budget.

Read next: How two mums use wraparound childcare (and what's available to you)