Parrice

Very unprofessional.

I entrusted Elle with the care of my six-week-old daughter, who started attending in September 2025. Unfortunately, my experience became increasingly concerning, and I ultimately decided to withdraw my daughter from the setting.

Initially, everything appeared fine, but over time I noticed several issues. My daughter’s belongings were frequently not returned with her, and on occasions, items belonging to other children were sent home instead. I repeatedly had to request that my daughter’s belongings be returned.

I also became concerned about Elle working alongside her mother. I later understood that, to my knowledge, her mother was not Ofsted registered or DBS checked to provide childcare. On one occasion, I left my daughter in her mother’s care believing that she was permitted to look after her, which I later discovered was not the case. Given that my daughter was only six weeks old when she started, this was particularly concerning to me.

Communication was another issue. Despite paying for full-day care, I was frequently asked at drop-off when I would be collecting my daughter, which made me feel pressured to collect her earlier than the hours I had paid for. I also experienced occasions where communication felt rude or unprofessional.

There were times when I arrived to drop off or collect my daughter and found Elle and her mother in disputes with each other. I found this uncomfortable and felt it was not an appropriate environment to be exposed to when entrusting someone with my child.

Finally, I was informed that childcare would no longer be available from July because Elle and her family were on holiday. I accepted this and made alternative arrangements. However, I later encountered Elle and her mother at Tesco caring for a group of children, which left me questioning the explanation I had been given and further damaged my trust.

Following these experiences, I raised my concerns in the WhatsApp group but did not receive a response. I subsequently decided to withdraw my daughter from the setting.

Overall, my experience was disappointing and left me with serious concerns regarding communication, professionalism, organisation and safeguarding. As a parent, I believe it is essential to have complete trust and confidence in anyone caring for your child, and unfortunately, I no longer felt that confidence was present.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Parrice about Ellie (Childminder) on 16/08/2026