Louise was & still is in my opinion the best out of all the childminders we met then and even now!

From day one she gave her full attention to my then 1 year old son & related really well to him & us as a family. As a new mum she really reassured me when ever I had any concerns & gave me lots of useful tips which was amazing as we lived so far away from family. My son was always so excited to go & spend time with Louise. Both myself & my husband found Louise to be very methodical, meticulous & thorough in all she did. The best part of it she did it effortlessly with a smile all whilst having a busy schedule/ timetable of what the week or day would look like. From playing in the playroom, the back garden which was privately enclosed with beautiful hedges & flowers. Taking him to the beach, the farm, local parks, play groups, leeds castle. We found her to be so much more than we could have ever expected & she exceeded our expectations on a daily basis. Louise also gave us feedback about his progress & tracked his developmental milestones. These came in picture books, daily updates in a then mini ring binder & we also had a newsletter for the term about what the activities would involved. My son also became really attached to Louise's children & felt very safe & cared for in his home. When he was younger on the way home he would initially cry & say he wanted to stay longer. Because we were about 400 miles away from immediate family in the North she naturally felt like an extension of our family. When it was my sons 2nd birthday party she came with her husband & my family were so keen to meet her as they had heard so many good news about her.

Our second child was born in 2020 2 weeks into Lockdown so it was quiet a hard time. I was also shielding & really concerned about what life would look like going forward. Louise was really understanding & catered to our needs & our new normal. She continued to keep in touch & my son loved the video calls. When my daughter was born & I was comfortable enough she came to our neighbourhood & we had a lovely walk & catchup. My daughter also became really attached to Louise & her family & would often shrug me off at the door & go to Louise. My daughter had not met many people in lockdown so that was a lovely suprise when she looked forward to being with her & spending time with "Weze" as she couldn't say her name, Louise.

Louise is so thoughtful when it comes to gifts for the children on their birthdays or christmas. She is very talented, skillful & creative when it comes to arts & crafts. Especially on days like mothers day, fathers day, valentines day, Easter or Christmas & the kids always had a card made for us on our birthdays.

We took the decision to move back up North after lockdown & be closer to family. One of the hardest decisions was having my children not be with Louise anymore. She sent us off with lovely, memorable gifts, picture frames which they still have in their bedrooms. Since moving back I have not had a childminder measure up to the standards of Louise & so my youngest is with her Grandma.

My son who started reception in September has the fondest of memories & still talks about her & told his teacher all about her in his first term in primary school especially when it came to storytime when he would tell her he has already read the books withbhis childminder. Also when they had playtime with toys he would tell the teaching assistant that his childminder has lots & lots of toys.

Louise is & will always be an extension of our family. Her knowledge of young children, their development & the EYS is absolutely outstanding. Even though we have moved up now for about 8 months I still have work colleagues and friends asking me for her contact number. My husband always said she is just naturally gifted with children.

I am and will always be so grateful for the time she spent with my children. The preparation she gave my son who was quiet shy at the time into a little confident boy to be ready for primary school. The love, nuturing & care she gave both my son and daughter is simply outstanding.

We look forward to seeing her when we next visit down south. Hopefully sometime in the summer. I wish every town had a childminder like Louise.

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