Why I Started Borrow A Village

"It takes a village to raise a child."

It's one of those phrases that almost every parent has heard. The problem is that for many of us, that village no longer exists.

When my husband and I moved back to Derbyshire from New Zealand during Covid with a three-month-old baby and a toddler, we found ourselves in exactly that position. We'd returned home to be closer to family, but like so many modern families, life was busy, relatives weren't always available and finding trusted childcare turned out to be much harder than we'd expected. It wasn't simply a question of finding someone who was free. It was about finding someone we felt completely comfortable leaving our children with. Someone experienced. Someone thoroughly vetted. Someone who felt like the right fit for our family. As any parent knows, that's not a decision you make lightly.

The more I looked into it, the more I realised our experience wasn't unusual. Many parents are left scrolling through hundreds of online profiles, trying to work out who might be suitable, comparing reviews, checking qualifications and hoping they've made the right decision. At the same time, experienced childcare professionals often find themselves competing with dozens of others for every booking, even when they have years of experience and excellent references. It felt like a process that created unnecessary work and uncertainty for everyone involved.

That's where the idea for Borrow A Village began.

Rather than asking parents to search through endless profiles, I wanted to create a service that does the hard work for them. Families simply tell us what they need, whether that's a babysitter for a date night, a nanny, school holiday childcare or regular support, and we carefully match them with a suitable childcare professional based on their family's needs and the provider's experience. It's a much more personal approach, designed to save time while giving parents greater confidence from the very beginning.

Trust sits at the heart of everything we're building. Every childcare professional who joins Borrow A Village will complete an enhanced DBS check, identity verification, reference checks and a video (or in-person) interview before becoming part of our community. Parents shouldn't have to wonder whether someone has the right experience or whether important checks have been carried out. We want families to know that everyone on Borrow A Village has already met a high standard before they're ever introduced.

Just as importantly, we want Borrow A Village to work well for childcare professionals too. Experienced nannies, nursery practitioners, teaching assistants, Montessori practitioners and early years professionals deserve opportunities that value their skills, not a race to be the quickest person to click 'apply'. By matching families thoughtfully, we hope to create better experiences for both sides and help build long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions.

Although Borrow A Village is still in its early days, the response so far has been incredibly encouraging. More than 50 childcare professionals from Sheffield and Chesterfield have already registered their interest, including nursery managers, nannies, early years practitioners, Montessori practitioners and teaching assistants. That level of support has reinforced my belief that families and childcare professionals are both looking for something a little different.

That's why we're beginning our journey in Sheffield and Chesterfield. We want to build a trusted local community first, learning from the families and childcare professionals who join us before expanding further afield. Every community deserves a village, and we're excited to start building ours here.

Borrow A Village isn't trying to reinvent childcare. It's trying to make finding it feel a little more human. Because every parent deserves to feel confident when they leave their children with someone else, and every experienced childcare professional deserves to feel valued for the important work they do.

We're only just getting started, and we'd love you to be part of the journey.