My son attended this setting last year. I’ve taken time before writing this because I wanted to reflect calmly.

At first things seemed fine, however over time I started to feel uneasy about certain aspects of communication and documentation.

On one occasion my son came home in completely soaked clothes with a heavily wet nappy. As a parent, that was very upsetting to see. I raised it immediately. Although an apology was given, there was no written incident report.

There were also ongoing concerns around nappies and wipes. I provided a full pack of 32 nappies. My son was also in the early stages of potty training, so I would not have expected them to run out so quickly. The pack did not last a week, and the number of changes recorded in the diary did not align with how quickly the nappies were said to have finished.

On two days there were no written daily records provided, only verbal explanations.

During one activity, photos were sent which included another adult I had never previously been introduced to or informed about. When I asked who she was, the initial message was deleted. The following day I was told she was a volunteer. The photos that had been sent were later deleted from WhatsApp. That sequence added to my concerns around transparency.

When I raised my concerns, I was described as “nagging,” which I found unprofessional and hurtful. I was also informed that the provider’s husband wished to speak with me regarding my complaint, which made me uncomfortable as I expected communication to remain directly with the registered childminder.

Shortly after raising these concerns, the provider terminated the contract and refunded the remaining balance.

As a parent, I expect openness, accountability and professionalism. Unfortunately, this was not my experience.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication