I have known Karen since August 2012 as she is currently child-minding my daughter (17 months) three days a week between 8.30am and 4.30pm.

I cannot recommend Karen highly enough – she provides a superb `home from home`, reliable service. Leaving your child with someone other than family can be quite daunting; with Karen, I can go to work happy knowing that my daughter is in a safe, clean and welcoming environment.

Right from the start, there has been open communication routes for both of us – Karen provides a daily diary on the activities my daughter has took part in during that day as well as a record of sleep times and food that she has eaten. We also spend five minutes either side of picking up/dropping off to discuss any problems or any extra requirements she needs. For example, my daughter suffers from eczema so I inform Karen when she flares up for extra attention to this during the day. We also work as a team to provide continuity in her routine – she may not sleep well during the night so we try to plan the next day around this to prevent her routine slipping further.

The progress that my daughter has made during her time with Karen has been fantastic. Karen takes her to local children’s groups and play centres where I know my daughter engages in a wide range of different, fun activities. Her social skills have come on leaps and bounds and her confidence in new places has sky-rocketed!

Karen is always `thinking outside of the box` when it comes to new activities for the children. There are lots of toys for my daughter to play with inside and outside of Karen’s home – I know recently that my daughter has enjoyed playing with sand and water in the garden. They also take trips out to nearby parks and even the local library as my daughter loves books! A few weeks ago, my daughter came home with a decorated mug for Father’s Day that she had made during the day; such a thoughtful gift.

I know as a parent, ensuring that your child is safe and happy in their environment is paramount. Karen instinctively knows when something is not quite right well with my daughter, for example she may have a slight temperature when teething, and she will inform me that day. I know that Karen can comfort my child in this sort of situation and that my daughter feels happy for her to do this. On the other end of the scale, I am supportive of her kind discipline when boundaries are overstepped as this helps encourage good behaviour which is certainly important to us as parents.

I am extremely confident that Karen could administer first aid should the event arise and am well aware that she follows correct procedures, completes necessary paperwork and attends essential training. Karen is always striving to broaden her knowledge and is continuously attending new training courses during her spare time to better her service. The most recent was a course around language and speech within children which I know she has applied to the care she gives.

Karen is extremely trustworthy and flexible in her approach to the care she provides. This can be from short notice time changes to new working patterns; she is always willing to help as best as she can without impacting any of the children. The interests of the children are most defiantly at the core of the service and she will try to accommodate any requirement to the best of her ability at all times. Karen will often go above and beyond what my husband and I expect from her. She is also someone who I could turn to for advice regarding my daughter and I know anything discussed will be in confidence.

To conclude, I am completely happy with the care my daughter receives from Karen. I am positive that the environment Karen creates for her is helping her grow in confidence every single day. I would recommend Karen to any parent.

Should you have any further questions regarding the service, I would be more than willing to discuss further so please do not hesitate to contact me.