Finding someone to look after your child is one of the most stressful times of your life - at least it was for us when I had to go back to work when our daughter was only 6 months old. I contacted Sue through Childcare.co.uk and we agreed to meet a few days later.

Walking into Sue's welcoming, clean home I knew that she was 'the one'. Sue had an immediate rapport with my daughter. More importantly, Sue was amazing in the way she was interacting with the other children in her care: kind, calm and patient - all the things I wanted a childminder to be. Her credentials speak for themselves (I checked everything) but her way with children is a skill that cannot be taught and comes with raising 6 of her own children: the children love and respect her unconditionally.

The environment which Sue has created for the children in her home is completely focused on what children want and need for their safe development. She has a fast collection of colourful and educational toys, pictures and posters everywhere, lots of books, photos of fun activities they have done together, arts and crafts, designated zones for playing, eating and resting as well as a fully functional kitchen where she prepares nutritious food up to three times a day (like in the case of my daughter). This is 'kid-heaven' in the true sense of the word.

Sue also has a varied routine of activities that she attends with the kids on a weekly/monthly basis, such as attending local toddler groups, going to the park for a picnic or a treasure hunt, visiting a local garden centre to choose seasonal plants for the garden etc. They are always out-and-about, learning about their environment, how to interact with others and socialising with other children - something which we felt very strongly about.

In addition Sue keeps track of every developmental milestone, documents her improvement with photos and keeps a personal file of my daughter and her progress as she learns and improves daily. Some of the 'above-and-beyond' things that Sue does includes her sweet, seasonal newsletters (featuring activities based on the month, special occasions or simply fun for example Fathers Day cards), sending our daughter's file home so we can see how far we have come (and how quickly she is growing) or texting a picture of her happily playing (which really helps when I'm having a tough day at work).

Since starting with Sue six months ago our daughter's progress has been noticable. She is a happy, independent child who is able to share, interact, communicate and socialise with people around her. When I drop her off in the morning she is excited as we walk up to the front door and practically jumps out of my arms to get to Sue and play with her friends. I also feel totally comfortable to chat for a few minutes regarding my daughter's needs or ask any questions I might have - after all, Sue and her amazing family have practically become our family.

Thank you Sue - we are so blessed to have found you.