- I couldn’t believe it when I learned that I could get 15 hours of free preschool in the UK.
- I would have spent thousands of dollars on child care in the US that did not compare it with quality with the United Kingdom.
- Saving $ 700 a month in the care of children in the UK was not just one of the many benefits.
When my husband settled in England for his Air Force task in 2018, we lived with single military income.
So, I was shocked and pleased when I learned that we could get 15 hours of free preschool for our 3-year-old.
As a mother of five, I am not a foreigner for the costly preschool and day care situation.
I am used to excessive day care costs in the SH.BA
When our twins were 2, they went to full -time daily care during my last semester of the postgraduate school in Virginia. All my graduate assistant Stipend went to childcare expenses and didn’t even cover them all.
Later, when our twins were in elementary school, I started teaching classes online so that I could be home with our newborn boys and boys. However, the deception of my motherhood and career let me go between the fault to never be enough and the burning of trying to do it all.
I finally placed my 2-year-old in a two-by-one-week preschool, hoping I could classify crazy classes during those precious hours, while my newborn was sleepy. It never worked as I would hope, and a few hundred dollars a month we were spending on child care was felt.
Needless to say, when I realized we would take 15 hours of free preschool a week in England, I couldn’t trust my ears.
I could never have provided the quality of day care we received in England in the SH.BA
Busy bees were beautiful, with thousands of activities my son could do. Brittany Meng’s courtesy
During our interview in the application of the busy bee nursery school, just a few minutes from our home in Mildenhall, England, I felt like it was not true. I checked twice with people in the nursery: FREE? Are you sure? We are Americans. Is still free?
Yes. In the UK, every child between the ages of 9 months to 2 years is entitled to 15 hours of care for free children each week.
As we returned to the car after confirming our country in busy bees, a thought would not mind: I could never afford this preschool in the JBA
The property was overflowing with flowers. There were birds, rabbit and lamina for children to interact with every day. The outside game was as integral as the academics, and my son could take swimming lessons in their inner pool for only £ 5 (about $ 6.20) a week.
I felt like I had won the preschool lottery. I felt a deep sadness as well.
I remembered all the research I had done at the US, moving through the websites of beautiful Montessori, outdoor and advanced school websites we could never afford.
We have saved 500 to $ 700 per month in childcare
Looking back, I am pleased with the care of the children in the US we found, and thankful that they were safe and happy while I was working.
However, when I saw everything he offered to the preschool in the UK for our 3-year-old, having experienced daily American and preschool care with our three older sons, I had a discovery: What if programs like this were available for all American children? What a difference would it make.
Compared to our daily care and preschool expenses we paid in the US, our family saved $ 500 to $ 700 a month during the year, my son went to the United Kingdom.
However, more than saving money, the English preschool gave our family an invaluable experience. Gave my son The opportunity to make friends and to have experiences I could not give while I was adapting to a new place and culture.
The hours I spent with no children also allowed me to accompany and build friendships with no children, as well as rest during a difficult pregnancy with my fifth child.
Back to the US, I miss you child care in the UK
My daughter, who was born in the United Kingdom, never experienced the joy of going to the nurseries of the busy bee while we were located again in the states when she was young.
When she returned 3 years old, I researched and visited preschools for her and we once again paid a few hundred dollars a month for her program.
Although we loved her preschool, I could not help lose her brother’s preschool and all the amazing educational and extracurricular opportunities she gave him and our family.
The community and social support I received as a parent in the United Kingdom – for which I didn’t even have to pay – I removed a burden that I did not realize that he was suppressing me as a mother of young children.
I saw in the forefront how the infrastructure built by the United Kingdom supports families and schools to build stronger communities, and this opens my eyes on ways the US could do better in supporting families with young children .