#PeopleTech
In a quiet London neighborhood, Emily, a young mother, struggled to find affordable, high-quality childcare for her two-year-old daughter. Soaring costs and long waiting lists left her with few options. Like many parents, Emily felt trapped—unable to return to work and fearing her child might miss out on crucial early development opportunities.
Enter Tiney, a platform that not only provides families like Emily’s with accessible childcare but also empowers individuals to become micro-entrepreneurs in the childcare industry. Founded in 2019 by Brett Wigdortz OBE, Tiney is transforming the landscape of early years education and care.
Tiney’s mission is to ensure every child, regardless of background, has access to affordable, high-quality early education, while also creating sustainable career opportunities for a diverse group of childcare entrepreneurs. By addressing the childcare crisis and empowering caregivers, Tiney creates lasting benefits for children, families, and communities.
The childcare crisis is one of the most pressing issues in Europe. In the UK alone, 50% of parents have borrowed money to cover childcare costs, while 1 in 10 mothers has left the workforce due to unaffordable childcare. Nursery closures surged by 50% in 2023, disproportionately affecting low-income areas. These challenges widen the education gap for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and limit economic opportunities for parents, particularly mothers.
Tiney has already provided 7,000 children with access to high-quality childcare, ensuring they receive the cognitive, social, and academic support crucial for early development. Currently, 600 childminders are active on the platform, 40% of whom are new to the industry, and 30% come from ethnic minority backgrounds. A full-time childminder can earn £28-32k per year, making the profession financially viable and an attractive alternative to traditional employment.
By expanding access to affordable, quality childcare, Tiney enables more parents—particularly mothers—to remain in or re-enter the workforce, reducing financial strain on families. At the same time, it empowers individuals to build independent businesses, offering them financial stability and professional growth.
Tiney’s primary beneficiaries are children who would otherwise struggle to access early education due to shortages in affordable childcare. Many of these children come from low-income families who face significant barriers to securing high-quality care. Research shows that early years education is critical for cognitive and social development, and by increasing availability, Tiney helps close the educational gap for underprivileged children.
Parents also benefit from more accessible and flexible childcare options, allowing them to remain in the workforce or return after parental leave. The burden of unaffordable childcare often falls disproportionately on mothers, many of whom are forced to reduce their working hours or leave their jobs altogether. By lowering this barrier, Tiney contributes to greater economic participation and gender equality.
Finally, Tiney transforms the prospects of childminders by offering a structured pathway into entrepreneurship. Many childminders on the platform had no prior experience in early years education or business management. Tiney provides them with the tools and knowledge to operate successful childcare businesses, giving them financial independence and the opportunity to make a lasting impact in their communities.
Without Tiney, the childcare shortage in the UK and beyond would continue to grow, exacerbating the financial strain on families and limiting opportunities for both children and parents. The lack of available, high-quality childcare disproportionately affects low-income households, widening social inequalities and restricting economic mobility.
Tiney’s unique combination of training, regulatory support, and technology ensures that more individuals can enter the childminding profession, increasing the supply of childcare places in a scalable and sustainable way. Unlike traditional nurseries, which require significant capital and infrastructure, Tiney’s model enables local, home-based care solutions that can be deployed rapidly. Additionally, by incorporating quality monitoring and compliance support, Tiney ensures higher standards than informal childcare providers, giving parents greater peace of mind.
Tiney has the potential to fundamentally reshape the childcare landscape by proving that high-quality, home-based childcare can be a scalable solution to the global shortage of early years education. By empowering individuals to build childcare businesses, Tiney decentralizes childcare, making it more resilient, accessible, and community-driven.
If widely adopted, this model could encourage policy changes supporting micro-entrepreneurs in the childcare sector, leading to more flexible, localized solutions beyond large-scale nurseries. Additionally, Tiney’s success may inspire other sectors to explore technology-enabled workforce solutions for social impact.
One of the key risks to Tiney’s impact is the potential for rising childminder rates, which could reduce affordability for lower-income families. Additionally, scaling the model across new markets while maintaining consistent quality standards poses operational challenges. Another consideration is the self-employed nature of childminding, which may not provide the same level of financial security or benefits as traditional employment.
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