School days became a business opportunity for young mum Carla McLoughlin. She spoke to JENNY SCOTT. . .
ONE-year-old Jack McLoughlin doesn't normally sleep beyond 6am. And when he wakes up, his mum Carla has to wake up too.
As she gives Jack his breakfast and drives him to nursery, Carla's busy day is only just beginning.
For nine months ago 21-year-old Carla, a single mum, set up her own business and, as things have taken off, her life has got increasingly hectic.
"It's all a bit surreal," says Carla, as she rushes off to the out-of-school-club she runs at Peel Park Primary School, Accrington.
"It was hard for the first few months. I was a bit demented, although I got a lot of support from my parents and my boyfriend Neil. There are 588 children at Peel Park and I was just hoping I'd get enough of them along to be able to run my business and make a living."
Despite Carla's fears, her after-school group has proved so popular that parents are already demanding an early-morning breakfast club to run alongside it. She regularly gets about a dozen children along, aged between three and 11, and entertains them until about 5.30pm with a mix of games, painting and other activities. As a mum herself, Carla knows all too well the struggles parents face as they traverse the daily dilemmas thrown up by work and family life.
"Nobody finishes work at 3.10pm," she says. "And not all of the families at Peel Park come from Accrington. One mother travels all the way from Read, so she really appreciates the club."
Despite her hectic schedule Carla, a former pupil at Moorhead High School, believes anyone could follow the path she's taken.
"You wouldn't think it was all so easy!" she declares. "I got a £1,000 loan from the Prince's Trust, to pay for furniture and equipment, and loads of support from Peel Park School."
The Prince's Trust also gives Carla a mentor, to help oversee the business side of things, and her own website.
One of Carla's most gruelling experiences so far came during the club's Ofsted inspection.
"It was like a driving test -- really nerve-racking," she said. "The inspector was nice enough, but he didn't give anything away. But we passed it -- that's the main thing."
You'd think that now, with her Ofsted accreditation sorted out and her business booming, Carla might use the opportunity to put her feet up. But not a bit of it! "During the Easter holidays we held a special club," she said, "And we're looking at doing special events for Christmas. Plus, I'm about to start doing full days at the school as a classroom assistant."
It looks like Jack's early morning wake-up calls will be needed for a while yet.
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