Choosing Jane as a childminder is one of the best decisions we’ve made as parents.

I found her on the Borough of Hounslow website 11 years ago when my first baby- a daughter- was a few months old. Jane was our first choice then because of her experience with babies and toddlers. Her son (then 5) was the clincher because he was kind and sweet with our baby at the first meeting, which we took as a good sign.

As soon as our daughter started - and our baby son followed a few years later- we realised there was much more to love: the activities and outings she arranges, the wider community she’s a part of and friends our kids made, the healthy food she cooks and manners she instills, her appreciation of nature, the adventures of boat life, the crafting projects she initiates, the guidance though every development stage and, most importantly, her own kindness and calm patience.

Jane, her family and the magical boat became such an important part of our kids’ (and our) lives that they continued with Jane for after school care. Now my daughter has started secondary school it’s finally time to stop the formal arrangement, but we’ll still visit as Jane is hard to leave. We couldn’t recommend her more highly.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication