If you’re a parent, you know about the struggle to find childcare in those early years. Perhaps you’ve experienced it yourself, perhaps you’ve heard a friend’s struggles, perhaps you’ve even helped watch a friend’s kids when they needed help.
Ariel Wan, parent of two kids (7 and 4), knows all about this struggle. Her journey from founding the Mamas Network nonprofit a year ago, to its offshoot, the Little Break Cowork in March, gave her an intimate glimpse into the parenting struggles of childcare, loneliness, and accessibility of many families in Ann Arbor.
Little Break Cowork, 3909 Research Drive, Ann Arbor, is a coworking space with childcare on site.
The nonprofit Mamas Network started to ensure no mother felt alone in their journey through motherhood. “We’re parent-centric,” says Wan. “Everything out there is to help your baby or your kids, but no one is checking on the parents. Which means everyone’s mental health is suffering when you’re burning the candle at both ends.”
Wan’s been there. She said she has experienced burnout too, which inspired her to start this nonprofit.
“I burned out of my 9-5 job and didn’t want to work it,” she says. “I wanted to do something more meaningful. If I’m going to bust my butt all day, I want to do something worthwhile.”
Wan felt like mom and kid groups come and go in Washtenaw County because there’s not a specific organization that focuses on it in the same way. “It’s always part of a mental health space, or a postpartum wellness space, or so,” says Wan. “But I wanted to create a formal support community just for what mothers and parents go through.”
When Wan first started the Mamas Network, it was mainly third space gatherings—where mothers could get together and just exist, without all the worries of motherhood—letting go of the identity of “mom,” and just being themselves.
Very quickly, she realized that dads are hurting too. Many of the moms in her group would say, “My husband is suffering—what can we do for the dads?”
Supporting families
Wan reflected, “I can support dads and moms, at the same time.” She started dad and kid meetups. She found that dads were more comfortable if they met up with other dads and their kids, rather than just dads by themselves. And it was a win-win: the dads got socialization, the kids did too, and the moms got an empty house!
So the meetups were a success. But as Wan’s relationships with the local mothers developed, she realized how many of them were struggling with childcare–and so many were just piecing it together. “One day a grandma helps, another day it’s a babysitter, another day the mom is watching the kids while she’s working,” said Wan. “It’s very piecemeal and stressful.” And even stay-at-home moms need support. “Sometimes they just need someone for a few hours so they can do their taxes,” Wan said. “What if I created something that could help?”
Wan said, “When I started the Mamas Network, I was working out of coworking studios. The vibe for the studios was really cool. There’s free coffee. You’re not at home, but you’re not in an office. I thought, this is a space that parents would love to be in—why can’t there be childcare on site?”
Wan began researching to see if anyone else had already manifested this concept. “The only ones that did something like this, do it at a premium in major cities,” she said.
In Ann Arbor, daycare is already so expensive, and childcare spots are slim. Wan’s daycare director was the second person she told when she found she was pregnant with her second child, because she wanted to make sure she secured a spot for her baby.
“That’s how Little Break Cowork started,” Wan said. “I imagined something where parents work on site. They change their babies, and they have easy access to nurse or bottle feed them. And we supervise and play with them and watch them having fun.”
Wan piloted this idea at Upkeep Games, a business she had already partnered with for one of her dads and kids programs. She gave them an overview of what a coworking space would look like: they’d come in, 9-12pm, before Upkeep Games opened for the day. Wan would move all the furniture, bring in toys for the kids, and then reset at the end of every day.
It went wildly well. “Within a month, I was like, this is a thing,” Wan said.
Only a month in, and already parents were finding Little Break Cowork so helpful that they were relying on Wan. That’s when she realized she needs her own space.
A lot of people didn’t want to rent to her because she was a nonprofit, and also a new business. But the stars aligned and she took over a sublease from a friend and held her official opening first day the beginning of April.
“So it’s been six months,” Wan said. “We’ve seen over 150 parents. By month one I was able to afford rent. By month three I was able to pay staff to watch the kids, so I didn’t need to be in the room anymore, which frees me up to apply for grants and work on other things. Now, month six, we have full coverage.”
Local impact
Some parents are there everyday, 9-4. Some only come in once a week.
Little Break Cowork has been having an incredible impact in the lives of local moms. Their testimonials are so heartwarming to read.
Wan shares some of her favorites:
One mom’s daycare closed because of illness, and she was able to get her four-month-old into Little Break Cowork that week and not need to use any time off.
Another mom was supposed to get an aupair, but the aupair’s visa was denied. The mom heard of Little Break, tried it out, and her infant loved being there. The mom noted, “I get more work done here in 2 hours than I do all day at home!” She bought a membership immediately.
Little Break Cowork works so well because it’s not a childcare facility. Once you’re a childcare facility, the prices skyrocket—and being accessible for “most” families was one of Wan’s most important priorities.
“I’m a small nimble organization, so I can make adjustments,” Wan said. When they started, they only needed one child attendant in the room—but now that they’re caring for more babies, Wan was easily able to fill in until they got an additional staff member.
When Little Break started, Wan assumed people would use them because they had no other choices. Waitlists for daycare in Ann Arbor can be years long, and everything is so expensive. “But I see people seeking me out because they want to be close to their little one!” she said. “They want to be close, to comfort them, to nurse them, to eat lunch with them. I love that I’ve created a space where they feel comfortable doing that.”
During lunchtime at Little Break Cowork, there are babies in highchairs by parents, and food all over the floor, and everyone is happy and having a great time.
“No one feels uncomfortable,” said Wan. “You’re just among your people. You can spend time with your kid and with other people.”
Advice on starting a business
If you’re thinking of starting your own business in Ann Arbor, Wan has one simple piece of advice: “Do it! The hardest part is just taking that step to do it.”
It’s all about the little steps, Wan notes. “Figure out the steps you need to make. Don’t let failure or the fear of it prevent you from taking action. Even if you mess up, or do something that slows you down, or doesn’t work, you still learned so much more DOING than if you didn’t at all.”
She especially encourages moms to do this. “You’ve already done the hardest thing ever: becoming a mother,” said Wan. “Do you remember how difficult that was? How hard you were on yourself about it? How impossible it felt? But you did it. You’re doing it! You can do hard things. Starting a business or doing anything new is gonna feel hard, but you are proof that you can do hard things.”
One of the things Wan would most like us local parents to know is: we’re not alone. “On the days you feel you’re incapable, you’re still very capable. You have not changed. You have always been amazing. You’re amazing before you had kids and you’re amazing after you have kids.”
Wan sees a lot of mothers losing parts of their identity when they become parents. In those early stages of motherhood, in trying to grasp onto remnants of their old self, they try to be just like they were before—staying up too late to crank out work and then suffering for it the next day and feeling inferior to their old self.
“Society does not support you as a person with children,” said Wan. “It’s about finding your village.” And if anyone makes you feel less-than, Wan said you do not need those people in your life!
Wan’s ambitions have not stopped with the successful launch of Little Break Cowork. She also hosts a monthly mom boss lunch (for moms who own, run, or are starting their own business) and plans to open up more chapters of the Mamas Network.
“My goal is to turn it into a social franchise that any mom can open anywhere in the United States. So any neighborhood that needs a village can open up their own chapter, have Little Break Cowork as their main revenue source and meeting space—and everyone can get a little break.”
If you’re interested in checking Little Break Cowork out, do a free tour! Check out the space, hang in the kiddo play area with your little one, or even give the coworking room a try while your kiddo plays.
Membership information
If you already know you’d like a monthly membership, the below rates are for one adult with one kid; you get a 15% discount for 2+ kids–
- A day pass:
$50 all day; $30 after 1pm. - Flex: $129/month. You get 4 free day passes a month, 15% off rentals. Spots are reserved a month in advance and are perfect for stay-at-home caregivers, gig workers and backup-care.
- Part-time: $299/month. You get 12 free day passes and 15% off rentals. Spots are reserved a month in advance, and you also get a free monthly Parents’ Mornings out. This is perfect for 2-3 days a week, or part-time workers.
Full-time: $599/month. You get a guaranteed spot, no reservations needed, with a free monthly Parents’ Morning Out. This is perfect for parents who work 4-5 days a week, or just want peace of mind regarding childcare.
All passes include free coffee and tea; free and fast WIFI; and access to a fridge, freezer and microwave.
They also include open desks and couches, a spacious family bathroom and snacks for purchase. You also have access to free yoga classes and other events!
