My children (ages 2 and 4) have been going to Sarah's for the last year and love it.
From my point of view I just don't know how I'd manage without her, Mark and Ali. I work shifts so need to be flexible around days and hours. Sarah could not be more flexible with this and if we are late due to delayed trains etc. this is never a problem and makes life just a little bit less stressful. I often drop my children off in their Pyjamas and she takes care of the rest. As a commuter, this flexibility either side of the day makes such a difference compared to strict nursery times as getting back on time is often not something you are always able to control.
Both my children attend the local preschool (also fantastic) and Sarah has an excellent relationship with the staff there so I know that any issues will be communicated back and she is happy to pick up and drop off (and there is no charge whilst they are there)
The children love it and both mine have grown in confidence whilst being with Sarah and have a really lovely group of little friends. Because there are quite a lot of children there there is pretty much always a child the same age to play with. The older ones are encouraged to look out for the younger ones and seeing them all play so nicely together is just lovely. There are loads of kids but it just seems to work and whilst busy, never seems chaotic.
Sarah and Mark have pretty much dedicated her house to the kids and the garden especially is great.
Most days there are outings to a toddler group/ Mead farm/ Zoo/ soft play and then they will go out to the park after school too. The children spend a great deal of time outdoors.
I was initially quite hesitant about trying a childminder but having used both a nursery and a nanny, there is no way I would consider anything else now. It's a pretty unique setup but it really does work and my children are so happy and settled there.

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