It is with great pleasure that I write this recommendation for Simona. She was my son Shanley’s childminder from July 2016 until July 2018. Shanley was 8 months old when he started with Simona. My decision to choose Simona and remain with her for the 2-year period was due to the following reasons:
1. Simona is highly organized with her time with Shanley, therefore she enabled him to have different kinds of playing and learning that includes and does not restrict to associative play, parallel play (and several other forms of playing with various materials – organized by boxes and rotated every week), story and reading time, skill development (such as learning to put his shoes on by himself), singing, dancing, learning numbers and alphabets and recognizing them, etc. I have been to several childminders before that for interviews who left children in front of the television or were less engaged however Simona was actively involved in activities and kept Shanley engaged throughout his time with her.
2. Shanley also got to the best of both being with a childminder as well as learnings that he would get from a nursery with Simona. He had visited several parks, soft play areas, farms, libraries etc. that I believe was an integral part of his physical, cognitive and personality development. Simona would take him out for half a day for 3-4 days during the week and the rest half would be focused on other forms of playing, reading, craft, etc. He had a happy two years with her, kept him active and helped develop his vocabulary, skills and excellent behavior and manners. She also provided a schedule of where she took him and what she focused on.
3. Simona always kept me in the loop and understood Shanley as close as I did. She was hands-on, worked with his personality and helped me out with tips and tricks with her vast experience in childcare and development. As a new single mom, I found this particularly useful. She was also knowledgeable about behaviors, worked with my son’s allergies and other aspects of childcare in general.
4. Simona was flexible to work with. I initially didn’t have a car, she offered to pick him up in the morning. If there were times when I could not make it on time or had meetings later in the evening, Simona would support these needs.
5. Simona and her family were like family to Shanley. Had Simona not re-located, Shanley would continue to be with her. I believe that he was in a very healthy and safe environment at her home and I can see that reflects in Shanley’s behavior.

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