We made the decision to move Emily from a day nursery to a childminder during the pandemic in October 2020, Emily was at a nursery and was so happy being there, however with the continued restrictions that were in place both myself and my husband could not sustain this whilst working full time and both being key workers. Without a doubt this was the best decision we both made.

Debbie ensured she did her normal settling in sessions given the restrictions that were in place to ensure Emily had a smooth transition period. Nothing was too much trouble for Debbie during this time and she even said that Emily could attend a week earlier for several hours a day to ensure she was settled fully and was familiar with the setting of her house and the surroundings.

Debbie is simply amazing, she is so accommodating, supportive and has ensured that she has made Emily feel welcome into her home and treated her like one of her own family. Debbie has shown on many occasions so much flexibility when we needed to swap days for Emily and instead of Emily just missing her scheduled days, she will work with you to accommodate as much as she can possibly can.

Debbie will always take the children out each day come rain or shine; she has shared endless pictures of Emily throughout her time with her. This gave me a massive reassurance at the start when Emily started with Debbie that she was happy and settled. Emily has made many friendships for life and even though Emily will not see these children on a regular basis I'm sure she will meet up with them once settled into school life.

Some of the places Debbie has taken to Emily are unbelievable, Ferry across the Mersey boat ride, Knowsley Safari Park, Crosby beach (of course Ice Creams too), Dunham Massey, Blakemere Village, Speke Hall to name but a few, all these I have never had to pay extra for which we have both been very grateful for.

Given how accommodating and the constant challenges which covid presented to us we both made the decision to keep Emily with Debbie when she reached the age of 3 and not to send her to a separate pre-school. Again, this was the best decision we made as Emily really progressed quickly in learning to write her name, counting to 20, other letter formation and other general tasks which were needed in the preparation for starting school in September 2022.

Emily has thoroughly enjoyed her time with Debbie and has made such happy memories which I am sure she will cherish forever and hopefully will remember some of these memories too.

Debbie works alongside ‘Nana Joan’ at times and I’m sure Emily has seen her as a third Nana during her time with Debbie! Joan has been great with Emily and has again made her feel very welcome. Considering Nana Joan is now 82 at the time of writing this, she still gets involved heavily in all activities.

Kev has also spent time with Emily during her time at Debbie’s and has certainly displayed the same values as Debbie and Nana Joan.

Thank you again to you all, Emily has thoroughly enjoyed her time with you all. Rob, Emily, and I will greatly miss you all too.

Liz McGrory

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