Our son has been with Judy since he was 13 months old and will soon be turning 3. Judy was the first childminder I viewed when choosing childcare and as a first-time parent I found searching for the right childcare provider quite a daunting task trying to make sure my child would be in a place where he would be safe and happy. From the moment we met Judy she made us feel very welcome, the atmosphere in her home was relaxed and I knew instantly she was a keeper. Judy regular takes the children out and about even when the weather isn’t that great to soft play, local parks, rhyme time (my sons favourite), toddler groups and occasionally the zoo so the children get lots of activity and chances to explore and extend their social behaviours outside of the children that she cares for.
When they aren’t out and about there is a wide range of activities Judy does in the house with the children from painting to baking, playdoh, drawing and everything else in between, the variety of toys Judy has stored away is a child’s dream. The children get lots of chances to play in the garden with the various outside equipment and water/sand play in the warmer months, the children are rarely inside in the summer.
Judy regularly sends me pictures of activities my son has done with her and these comfort me every time to see how happy he is in her care. She also provides me with a learning development book every 6 months to see where my son is progressing, if there are any areas of concern or area’s we both want to work towards and this also contains photos of activities my son has done throughout the year. I’ve always felt very comfortable asking questions if I needed to or relaying information about how my son has been when not in Judy’s care so this helps her understand if he’s extra tired or upset for any reason throughout the day.
The food always looks and smells amazing when I’ve visited and my son eats more at Judy’s house then he does at home so that must say a lot about Judy’s amazing meals she cooks up for the children. As Judy does the school run for older children it has been nice to see my son interact not only with kids his own age but some slightly older and I think this has really helped his development in his early years. All the children get on very well and there are some lovely friendships that have evolved over our 2-year period.
Unfortunately, due to a relocation of job we will shortly be ending our time with Judy and to say we’re all a little bit sad is an understatement. Judy has been amazing throughout our time with her, always patient and happy to help in any way she can, my son absolutely adores her, he asks me each day who are we going to see tomorrow and when I answer Judy his little face lights up and he gets super excited for his next adventure with her.
Judy has reassured me daily that I made the right decision when picking her as my son’s childminder and I’d highly recommend her to anyone who was looking for a safe, secure and happy environment for their child.
We are sorely going to miss visiting Judy’s house!

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