Chummy has been with Frances since he was 9 months old. When trying to decide on childcare as I returned back to work full-time, it was essential for us to have a childminder who favoured structure routine, but also focused on building him socially and developmentally as most of his week would be spent here. Chummy had suffered like all pandemic babies with a severe lack of interaction from outside our little family of three, since he was born. This had made him a little shyer than most babies. We were confident, that by going to a smaller setting (rather than a large nursery), and with Frances hands on approach, that his emotional needs would be met as he moved to interacting more and more with people. Over the last year, Chummy has absolutely excelled as a little human. Frances has done amazing work with him, and he surprises us everyday with new things that he has learnt in her settling. The one thing I notice most is how happy Chummy is, he loves being dropped off in the morning, and with most evenings its a struggle to get him back in the car! As a parent though, my needs are also being met. You always wonder what goes on in the day with your child, what they are doing, are they eating, have they pooped? Did they nap? You want to know as much as you can about their day so you don't miss a thing. Frances is amazing at sending reports, and has even structured the reports in a way I requested, so I can scan through and see the bits that I am most concerned about. There is loads of information in them and I feel that from these I can make confident decisions later in the day about Chummy's well-being. Also Frances is always helpful in discussing changes or trouble shooting problems Chummy might be facing (night waking, ages to go bed etc etc) but the best bit is when you are trying a solution, Frances walks hand in hand with you on those, and helps implement them. She really cares about the wellbeing of the children in her settling and that is a rarity. We are thrilled with Cheeky Monkeys and we are only sad that when he becomes older he will have to move on!

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