Michelle looked after my son Ted from the age of eight months until earlier in 2018 when he was nearly three and a half (at which time we moved away from Surrey). I cannot recommend her highly enough to anyone considering a childminder. She was loving, supportive and nurturing with Ted while maintaining the same standards with regards to manners etc. that I expected at home. She provided an excellent standard of early years teaching too - which is why she's been rated outstanding by Ofsted for years!

She was always honest in her feedback and was an excellent support to me as a mum returning to work. She provided a very detailed diary entry every day to let me know what Ted had been doing, eating, etc. One of my pet peeves these days is that the nursery my second eight month old goes to always tells me he's had "a lovely day" no matter what - even when I later read in his diary that he hasn't eaten anything all day and only slept for 20 minutes. That never happened with Michelle - she always said if settling in was taking a while or if Ted had had a bad day so that we could work on it together. I really appreciated that.

Michelle's home was always immaculate (how does she do that with small children around?) and she upgraded and added to her collection of toys and learning resources on a regular basis. She took the children on interesting outings and to groups where they could socialise in larger settings. She was always going on courses to keep herself up to date and I never had any doubts about Ted's safety while he was with her. She really paid attention to the little things in the same way that I did as Ted's mum - he never came home caked in mud/snot/dried food (another nursery bugbear...) He adored her and still thinks of her (and her lovely husband and children) as extended family. He has also made friends with the other small group of children that Michelle cared for and I have done the same with their lovely mums.

I honestly can't thank Michelle enough for the care she gave to Ted, and the support she gave to me, during such an important time in our lives. As the title says, she's one in a million.

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