Mary has been childminding my 2 children, age 16 months and three years for four months now. I can't say enough good things about Mary, she is a brilliant childminder. My relatives live too far away to help with childcare much, having Mary in our family life feels like we have a helpful, caring relative just down the road. Mary feels like a member of the family and my kids love her. Sometimes my eldest daughter asks if she can go to Mary's house even if it's a day when I'm not working. My daughters are always happy to go to Mary's house, and I can tell from how they behave when they arrive home from Mary's that they have had a good day. Mary is very helpful and often goes out of her way to help us as a family, often going above and beyond the call of duty without me asking. She is very accommodating. Mary is very sensible. I trust her completely to look after my children well, and I trust her judgement, I don't feel that I have to spell anything out regarding how to look after the children, she is a natural. I have never seen Mary stressed, even when she's looking after a few children at a time, which would make many mothers stressed from time to time. I relax totally at work knowing my children are safe in good hands. Mary allowed me and the children to visit her in her home a few times before she started childminding them so they could settle in. This worked well, my children settled in quickly with no issues. Mary's husband is sometimes in the house when I drop the kids off, he is also good with the kids and I don't have any concerns with them being in his company. After this experience, even if I didn't need to work, I would still like my kids to go to Mary's house because it is clear they are gaining positive experiences from being at Mary's, them going there is benefiting them.