Chloe Douglas, 27, is a single mum to twin toddlers and works 30 hours a week in a warehouse. Despite free childcare support, she still pays £300 a month in nursery fees and has barely anything left
Chloe says the financial burden ‘is just ridiculous'(Image: )
Chloe Douglas is attempting to do the right thing. She works full-time, supports her children, and refuses to depend entirely on the state.
But at the end of a draining week, she has scarcely anything to show for it.
A typical day begins with the 27 year old single mother rousing her three year old twins, Rosie and Riley, getting them dressed, preparing breakfast, and dashing out the door for nursery. Unable to afford a car and saving for driving lessons, Chloe walks the twins to Kindergarden Kids in Whitstable, Kent.
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She then returns home, collects her bike, and embarks on a 40-minute cycle to her warehouse job. She works from 9.30am until 3.30pm, before cycling back, walking the 15 minutes to nursery and home again, preparing dinner, and getting the children to bed “hopefully by 7pm”.
Chloe works 30 hours a week at £13 an hour but says the figures simply don’t stack up. To be able to work those hours, she must place both children in nursery full-time, Monday to Friday, reports Wales Online.
At the end of a punishing week, she is often left with just £30 once childcare costs are paid.
“I’m going to work for nothing,” she says. “Which, I don’t mind doing, because I enjoy the job – that’s absolutely fine, and hopefully there’s room to progress – but the financial burden of it is just ridiculous.”
Chloe Douglas works 30 hours a week at £13 an hour and says she is only left with £30 at the end of a working week(Image: )
When she became pregnant in 2022, the first-time mother wasn’t anticipating twins.
Whilst she says she “loves them to bits” and “would not change them for the world”, having two children of the same age has brought double the expenses, with minimal additional support. She was stunned to learn that there is no extra financial assistance with nursery fees for parents of twins.
Thanks to the 30 hours of free, government-funded childcare, most of the twins’ hours are covered, but Chloe still has to pay about £150 a month per child.
“I’m sacrificing these lovely years with my children just to pay for their nursery costs,” she said. “When it’s the double cost of everything, it’s a bit overwhelming.
“It makes it feel like what’s the point in it all? It’s no wonder so many people probably stay at home and stay on the benefits because it doesn’t work out that differently.”
At the moment, Chloe takes home about £1,510 a month. Meanwhile, non-working parents can claim up to £1,835 a month in benefits, including Universal Credit and housing allowance.
But Chloe said: “I’ve always said I want to be working – I don’t want to stay at home on benefits.
Chloe says she “loves them to bits” and “would not change them for the world”(Image: )
“As much as I love being with the kids, working makes me feel like I’m progressing to do something to make their lives better, make our lives better.”
Saving for driving lessons and eventually passing her test is an important goal for Chloe. However, she said: “I just try to sit there and work out where I’m going to get this extra money from, and it seems impossible. It’s kind of the realisation of just feeling a bit stuck at the moment financially and not being able to better our lives.”
Chloe receives some financial support from the twins’ father, who contributes £50 weekly. “I’m the sole provider of the house and money-wise, and it just seems like I’m in this massive loop,” she said.
“The financial burden of it is weighing quite heavily in the sense that I’m working literally to pay my nursery bill.”
She added: “I don’t know if something can be done to put some financial help in place or just some recognition of the matter. I’m not asking for special treatment, I’m asking for fair treatment that reflects the real cost of childcare.”
The benefits system is complex – but Chloe could receive additional support by claiming Universal Credit whilst continuing to work. This would be on top of the 30 hours of free childcare she already receives.
Whilst the system typically operates by refunding nursery costs after payment, new rules introduced in 2023 mean she could obtain government assistance to cover the initial upfront bill as well. The Department for Work and Pensions redirected enquiries about Chloe’s case to the Department for Education.
In response, a Government spokesperson highlighted the removal of the two-child childcare costs cap in the Autumn Budget. But as a mother of twins, this does not affect Chloe.
The spokesperson added: “We are committed to ensuring working families can access the childcare support they need.”
From September 2025, all eligible working parents of children aged under five in England can claim 30 hours of free childcare. Just a few years ago, this could not be claimed until children were three.
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