My 19 month old daughter has been with Kelly for nearly a year now and I cannot express strongly enough how grateful I am to have found her. I am forever telling friends and family how lucky we are to have such an amazing childminder. I came across Kelly on childcare.co.uk and was initially drawn to her ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating and glowing reviews. However like any new first-time mum, I felt sick to my stomach at the whole idea of placing my daughter in anyone’s care. When I met Kelly in person, she put me at such ease. She was so thorough and professional taking me through all aspects of her childminding, but equally as warm and caring. It was obvious that she had a lovely bond with the children she already looked after that I was able to meet during that visit. I was also really impressed by her setting which was (and still is) immaculate – really clean, spacious, well-resourced with all kinds of toys and a beautiful garden for outdoor play. It was also reassuring to see Kelly drove a car with 5* safety rating.

My daughter was 7 months old when she first went into Kelly’s care 3 days a week (which went up to 4 days shortly after). She’s always been happy going there but as she’s grown older, she gets so excited when we arrive in the morning and sometimes doesn’t want to leave when I pick her up. My daughter enjoys a varied week with Kelly including home play at Kelly’s house, doing crafts and baking, going out to toddler groups, going for nature walks and having play dates with neighbouring childminders and their children. In terms of her development, my daughter is coming on leaps and bounds and is absolutely thriving. Her communication is particularly advanced and I have no doubt that Kelly has contributed towards this. Kelly has nurtured my daughter beyond anything I could expect from a nursery. She shows her so much love, encourages her learning, understands all her little quirks, and treats her as if she is part of her own family. This one-to-one relationship was so important to me since she was only a baby when she started in childcare. My daughter also absolutely adores Kelly’s own daughter, who plays with her tirelessly after school. I am so grateful she is exposed to such a lovely family environment on the days I can't be with her myself.

Kelly has always been on board with any special requests I’ve had. I must admit that I have been particular neurotic about my daughter’s nap schedule and her diet, particularly when she was younger. Kelly has always made me feel so comfortable about expressing requests and has made it clear that she will follow any requests there may be about my daughters care. Kelly has also gone above and beyond for me on a number of occasions, even rushing to my rescue when I was involved in a minor car accident on the way to her house one morning. She has encouraged and supported me as a mother along the way and aside from being an exceptional childminder, Kelly is a wonderful person. She has a heart of gold and I trust her implicitly.

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• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication