I moved from the US to the UK and saved $700 a month on childcare. It can be life-changing when a government supports parents.

• I couldn't believe it when I learned that I could get 15 hours of free preschool in the UK.
• I'd spent thousands of dollars on childcare in the US that didn't compare in quality to the UK's.
• Saving $700 per month on childcare in the UK wasn't just one of the many benefits.

When my husband was stationed in England for his Air Force assignment in 2018, we lived on a single military income.

So, I was both shocked and delighted to learn that we could receive 15 hours of free preschool for our 3-year-old.

As a mom of five children, I'm no stranger to the costly preschool and day care situation.

I'm used to exorbitant day care costs in the US

When our twins were 2, they went to full-time day care during my last semester of graduate school in Virginia. My entire graduate assistant stipend went to childcare expenses and didn't even cover it all.

Later, when our twins were in elementary school, I started teaching online classes so I could be at home with our toddler and newborn sons. However, juggling motherhood and my career left me teetering between guilt at never being enough and burnout from trying to do it all.

I finally put my 2-year-old in a two-morning-a-week preschool, hoping I could frantically grade papers during those precious hours while my newborn napped. It never worked out as well as I'd hoped, and the several hundred dollars a month we were spending for childcare felt wasted.

Needless to say, when I found out we would get 15 hours of free preschool a week in England, I couldn't believe my ears.

I never could have afforded the quality of day care we got in England in the US

During our application interview at Busy Bees Nursery School, located mere minutes from our house in Mildenhall, England, I felt like it wasn't real. I double checked with the folks at the nursery: Free? Are you sure? We're Americans. It's still free?

Yes. In the United Kingdom, every child between 9 months to 2 years of age is eligible for 15 hours of free childcare each week.

As we walked back to the car after confirming our spot at Busy Bees, one thought would not leave my mind: I could never afford this preschool in the US.

The property was overflowing with flowers. There were birds, bunnies, and llamas for the children to interact with daily. Outside play was as integral as academics, and my son could take swimming lessons at their indoor pool for a mere £5 (About $6.20) per week.

I felt like I had won the preschool lottery. I also felt a deep sadness.

I remembered all the research I'd done in the US, scrolling through websites of beautiful Montessori, outdoor, and academically advanced schools that we could never afford.

We saved $500 to $700 a month in childcare

Looking back, I'm satisfied with the US childcare we found, and thankful that they were safe and happy while I was working.

However, when I saw all that the UK preschool offered to our 3-year-old, after having experienced American day care and preschool with our older three sons, I had a revelation: What if programs like this were available to all American children? What a difference it would make.

Compared to our day care and preschool expenses we paid for in the US, our family saved $500 to $700 a month during the year my son went to preschool in the UK.

However, more than saving money, the English preschool afforded our family a priceless experience. It gave my son the opportunity to make friends and have experiences that I couldn't give him while I was adjusting to a new country and culture.

The hours I spent child-free also allowed me to socialize and build friendships sans kids, as well as rest during a difficult pregnancy with my fifth child.

Back in the US, I miss UK childcare

My daughter, who was born in the UK, never got to experience the joy of going to Busy Bees Nursery as we were stationed back in the States when she was young.

When she turned 3, I researched and toured preschools for her and we once again paid several hundred dollars a month for her program.

Although we loved her preschool, I couldn't help miss her brother's preschool and all of the amazing educational and extracurricular opportunities it gifted him and our family.

The community and social support I received as a parent in the UK — that I didn't even have to pay for — lifted a burden I didn't realize was crushing me as a mom of young children.

I saw firsthand how the infrastructure the UK has built supports families and schools to build stronger communities, and it opened my eyes to the ways the US could do better in supporting families with young children.