23 years old - uni or apprenticeship?

Just to give a little back story - I haven't been in education since 2019 due to severe mental health issues. I failed my a-levels and didn't pass GCSE maths either. I gave up and didn't see any hope in myself which is why I'm now (5 years later) in deep regret and feel like I wasted so much potential away.
I've always loved the idea of teaching and I've always had a passion for working with young children. Being a reception teacher has always been in the back of my mind but I don't want to make big decisions in such hurry. I didn't think I could achieve any of this during sixth form because I didn't know any better. After doing a lot of research recently, I've discovered that there are so many ways I could achieve being a reception teacher. However, it would just take me a little longer to get there since I have gaps in my education. I don't mind trying all over again, so long as I'm making the right decision and making progress.
My question is do I just go for it and start by doing a foundation course in uni? I don't know much about foundation years, what it involves, the entry requirements and what I'd achieve by the end of it so i'd love some insight on this. The only downfall of this is that there's no guarantee that I'd achieve the skills needed in just a year since it's been quite a few years since I've been out of education (feel like I need to rewire my brain again). OR do I do an apprenticeship (level 3) in early years and then work my way up from there instead of jumping straight into uni and debts lmao ;/ I'm sooo indecisive and don't know what route to take, keeping in mind that I also need to retake gcse maths just makes my brain spiral. Would an apprenticeship in early years help me get into uni to teach reception kids? This is all over the place and I have so many unanswered questions so please if you could give me some info and guidance i'd really appreciate it <33

From the job profiles for the job:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/early-years-teacher
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/early-years-teacher#qualifications
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/childcare/job-profile/early-years-teacher
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/childcare/job-profile/early-years-teacher
You would need a degree related to childhood studies that leads to EYTS (not all of them do), or an undergrad in any subject + accredited training.
do I just go for it and start by doing a foundation course in uni?
To do foundation year integrated undergrad degrees, you would typically need 3 A Levels. They are normally designed for people who either did the wrong subjects (not applicable for the types of degrees that you are looking for) or for people who didn't meet the grade requirements. If you have failed your A Levels, foundation years don't apply.
The foundation year would usually lead onto the main undergrad degree that you would have been doing should you have gotten the GCSEs and A Levels that you needed. Transferring from one uni to another post foundation year usually don't work very well since each uni structure their foundation years to suit their individual degree requirements. Plus, the foundation year costs a full year of uni tuition at £9k per year (which would be funded for through Student Finance). It's because of these reasons that foundation years aren't normally recommended.
In your case should you wish to take the academic route, I would recommend doing an Access course (in any subject, since I am pretty certain that the degrees you are looking for don't require your A Levels/Access to be in any specific subjects but do check the entry requirements of each degree you want to apply for to be sure).
Since you have already done A Levels before, you will likely need to fund the Access course via Student Loans or yourself. If you do get student loans, it's the Advanced Learner's Loan that you need. These loans would only be available if you attend an offline college approved by the Student Loan Company (typically any adult community college or vocational college in your local area, since these are funded by the government).
I also need to retake gcse maths just makes my brain spiral
Since you have a strong dislike for GCSE Maths, I would recommend double checking what the entry requirements are for the degrees that you want to do and whether you meet the GCSE Maths requirements. If they don't specify the requirements for GCSE Maths, it means there aren't any for the GCSE (you can check with the uni's undergrad admissions for the degree concerned to be sure).
However, should you need to resit your GCSE Maths (because it's grade 3 or lower), you should be able to do it for free at the same college that you intend to do your Access course from.
OR do I do an apprenticeship (level 3) in early years and then work my way up from there instead of jumping straight into uni and debts
You can also try to work your way up, but it might take slightly longer to get to where you want to be.
If you want to take this route, you would be a nursery worker or teaching assistant and doing a part-time degree in childhood studies or child development.
In other words, you would likely need to do a degree apprenticeship, or your Level 3 should allow you to progress onto a Level 6 in childhood studies/development.

Thanks so much for replying
1) Regarding the entry requirements for Early Childhood BA(Hons) they've just mentioned a C or above in English. Does that mean I wouldn't need to retake maths at all then? This sounds too good to be true but I'm hooked. I've always assumed maths was a requirement for every course in uni. Also, to teach a reception class you wouldn't need a QTS or PGCE right?
2) I'm not too familiar with what an access course is and why it only takes a year to complete? Does it make up for my failed a-levels without having to retake them? I've looked online at the entry requirements for access courses and many of them require Maths and English. Am I still eligible to apply without maths and would they make me retake it?
3) I was wondering if it's possible to teach reception kids without a degree? Alternatively, if I chose not to go to uni what other routes are there available to work my way up?