Since Verity started her childcare journey at Mark and Elena’s we’ve had nothing but support and understanding for our family needs and requirements.

As a naturally anxious mother, who had suffered with mental health issues including post-natal depression during my maternity leave, meeting such a down-to-earth family who have a strong knowledge of the importance of childhood development and the early years of education really put me at ease.

Since transitioning from being with my child all the time to returning to working two part-time jobs Elena and Mark have shown a great deal of flexibility and compassion especially with how clingy and emotional my daughter Verity was for the first year of being apart for a couple of hours, two days a week.

I’ve really noticed the difference in Verity’s ability to be more socially outgoing and share her interests more freely with us, relatives and companions since exploring the different outdoor, music-based and play-based learning activities that Mark and Elena provide for her. The moment we pick her up she always recalls her favourite parts of the day and has gradually begun to make positive relationships with other children of mixed ages thanks to Mark and Elena’s gentle and calm encouragement.

I can tell that Verity is secure in expressing her wants, interests, needs and desires and she communicates her emotions effectively. She always looks forward to her walk to Mark and Elena’s and happily waves us off at the door.

We’ve collaboratively managed to map-out, plan and scaffold many specific milestones such as potty training, stopping the use of pacifiers for comfort and becoming more adventurous with exploring a range and variety of food flavours and textures ensuring that her nutrition is balanced. We couldn’t have done this without confidently consulting Mark and Elena on our concerns based on what we were struggling with at home and getting positive feedback from them in what approaches worked effectively. I never feel judged or compared when having those conversations with them and they always make the time to listen to my worries and keep in regular contact to relieve me of that guilt.

The updates and use of social tools are so reliable. I get regular, weekly updates of videos, photographs and comments in regard to Verity’s general day and any significant leaps of progress or impressive moments. They also message me weekly just to check that I’m familiar and ok with the admin side and medical side of childcare which really helps me to feel organised and puts me at ease especially as a busy teacher and domestic carer as life and time can get very busy!

It’s amazing to think that Verity has already achieved and shared so much with them since being there from five and a half months. She’s since learnt to crawl, stand, walk, remain dry in pants etc.

I feel incredibly fortunate and blessed to have found a system that fits in to my life so easily and I couldn’t imagine how we’d sustain our family routine without Mark and Elena. Discovering that they were local and within walking distance was just an added bonus.

Verity missed Mark and Elena lots during lockdown and even with the unpredictable challenges of COVID-19 Mark and Elena made the effort to maintain reliable and clear contact via WhatsApp to ensure that we could share our day-to-day lives and experiences with them and other parents. They also informed us of any policy changes which proved that they put the safety of all families that they are involved with as their core priority. This has made returning to work smooth and stress-free for myself and my husband.

I can’t sing their praises enough and am already eager to see what the future brings in their setting. I know that Verity has a happy, bright, successful time ahead since beginning her learning journey there and I truly, genuinely mean it when I say that I highly recommend Mark and Elena as a decent choice when considering a child minder.

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• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication