As this year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve achieved as a campaign and more importantly, ‘why’ we’re here in the first place.
Free Childcare UK was created out of necessity. Not as a political slogan or a headline-grabbing movement, but as a response to the lived reality of families, childcare providers, and professionals across the UK who were being told one thing and experiencing another.
This year, that shared frustration has grown into something powerful.
Why we started – and why we aren’t going anywhere!
The promise of ‘free childcare’ has been widely celebrated, but for many families and providers, the reality looks very different.
Behind the headlines are
- Parents struggling to afford hidden costs
- Providers forced to operate at a loss
- Staff leaving the sector due to unsustainable workloads
- Children missing out on consistent, high-quality care
We’re here because the system isn’t working as it should and because families deserve honesty, transparency, and real solutions.
This campaign exists to highlight the gap between policy and reality
- Give a voice to parents and childcare professionals
- Push for sustainable, fair funding
- Advocate for children’s wellbeing at the heart of every decision
- Explained the *true cost* of so-called ‘free’ childcare
- Highlighted the pressure placed on private nurseries and childminders
- Shared the real experiences of families navigating the system
- Opened conversations many felt unable to have before
- Break down complex issues in an accessible way
- Start honest conversations without blame or judgement
- Humanise the campaign and make it relatable
- Reach audiences who may never read policy documents or reports
- Short, impactful videos explaining key issues
- Honest discussions around funding, fairness, and childcare realities
- Sharing lived experiences from across the sector
- Encouraging engagement, conversation, and awareness
- Why childcare providers are struggling
- Why ‘free hours’ aren’t actually free
- How underfunding impacts quality and availability
- What this means for children, families, and staff
- A recognisable voice
- A growing community
- A clear message
- A platform that people trust
- Amplify real voices
- Challenge misleading narratives
- Support families and providers
- Push for meaningful, lasting change
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Underfunding childcare is not just a policy choice; it is a decision that directly harms the workforce delivering it.
I have been following someone called ‘The Nursery Survivor’ on Instagram. The account is run by an ex-nursery worker who clearly had some terrible experiences working in nurseries. The short videos are funny and sometimes excruciatingly accurate. She portrays life in...