Danielle was kind, supportive and patient with both my son Cole and I as his 1:1 caregiver when he attended YMCA Fairthorne Manor nursery.

As a single parent with no family in the local area and a 2/3 year old who would later be diagnosed on the autistic spectrum I had many questions and with most people I would feel rushed or judged but Danielle always had the patience, time and kindness to reassure me.

Saying that, Danielle never shirked from discussing the hard truths with me. She was always very honest about what had happened each day with my child but delivered this information with sensitivity, kindness, understanding and a palpable desire to help my child.
She searched for solutions with me; at one point implementing a quiet area (a small, transportable teepee she lugged about all day for him) where Cole could take himself away from the other children and reduce his sensory overload if he was becoming overwhelmed.
It turns out this is one of my son’s core needs.

She attended the visits when he transitioned to school and when he started to regress at school continued to offer help, support and advice even though it wasn’t her obligation anymore. They removed all of the support systems Danielle had put in place whilst Cole was at nursery to enable Cole to start fresh which I understood and agreed with but we swiftly re-implemented them when Cole began to experience sensory overwhelm and suffer violent meltdowns.

I never felt as though I was leaving Cole alone at the mercy of society when he was with Danielle – she was on his team, cared deeply for his emotional and physical welfare and it was clear to me she would provide better care than even I (who did not understand anything about autism at the time).
She educated herself without being asked to and could understand his needs without him having to communicate as typical children do and she has provided emotional support for the entire family as well as her ‘day to day 9/5’.

We have been blessed to have happened upon several genuine and heartfelt caregivers during Cole’s childhood and Danielle is without doubt the one who helps me develop and support my son the most with practical skillsets as well as constantly building his self-esteem and helping him embrace his uniqueness with ease.
When we have suffered with some less enlightened 1:1’s during Cole’s school journey I have always been able to centre my expectations around the standard of care Danielle provided to Cole in his early years (and has continued to do since) – this means my standards of others are high but knowing they’re achievable has empowered me as a parent and Cole as a child.

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