Ella

Sudden termination & concerns raised

Our son was with Dawn for nearly a year, and during that time he always seemed happy, settled, and content in her care. Dawn also helped us with pick-ups and drop-offs, which was really useful, and something we checked with her multiple times to ensure she was happy to continue doing.

We really thought a lot of Dawn. Dawn then took three weeks off for personal reasons.. no issues there at all but on the weekend before she was due to return, she very suddenly terminated our contract, citing a breakdown in the relationship. This came as a complete shock to us, especially as our communication had always been friendly and positive—she would message about non-work-related things, and was even invited to our son’s christening.

The sudden termination left us without childcare at very short notice, which was extremely stressful and upsetting for our family. Dawn asked for £600 to cover the 4 weeks notice or we send Ezra to her for the 4 weeks & she will claim funding (we didn’t send him, see the next paragraph.) There was also a dispute over payment following this, as we did not agree with being asked to pay after the contract had been ended so abruptly. This has now been settled, but added further stress at an already difficult time.

Since leaving, I was approached by another parent who occasionally saw Dawn with the children at playgroups. She shared concerns, from one parent to another, that Dawn had previously terminated other contracts suddenly and mentioned instances where a child in her care was not comforted when upset and spoken to in a way that raised concern. While I cannot personally verify this, hearing this has been very upsetting and has made me question things further.

Overall, while our son appeared happy during his time there, the way the contract was suddenly terminated, the lack of prior communication, and the stress caused afterwards has left us feeling that the situation was handled unfairly. I would advise other parents to ensure they have clear agreements in place and to be aware that arrangements may change very quickly.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Ella about DAWNB123 (Childminder) on 20/04/2026

Response by DAWNB123 on 20/04/2026:

Wow Ella. This is not something I’d like to have posted in public but you have given me no option. I gave notice to you because once again you were not happy in having to pay your childcare and this had been a common reoccurrence for the last 5/6 months. You would change your days at last minute and I accept that but there comes a time when enough is enough, I didn’t feel 100% valued from you. You had signed a contract which you obviously didn’t read. You are the first family in 12 years that I’ve had to give notice to and find that you are very petty in doing this as it has not gone your way. Most settings would have charged you the full week whether you used the space or not. I bent over backwards to accommodate your requirements. I now know that I made the correct decision and I wish the new setting good luck.