I met Nicky as I was preparing to return to work after 12 months maternity leave. My planned nursery place had fallen through I was searching for childcare almost at the last minute whilst my partner was working abroad. It was an incredibly stressful time, but from the moment I met Nicky, her warmth and compassion stood out and I trusted her immediately. It was a very stressful time for our family, but Nicky supported us through and in less time than I thought possible my daughter was not just settled into childcare, but having the time of her life. The peace of mind I had leaving my daughter in Nicky's care was priceless, I never worried for a moment, even during the 'settling' period.

As time went on it became clear just how much Nicky is invested in the development of the children she takes care of. She is really focused on their milestones and is always engaging them and developing their skills. The kind of attention she gives the children can only come from someone who is passionate about their work. Her home is absolutely spotless and all the children's toys (and oh my word, there are a lot of toys!!) are cared for and constantly changing. Nicky takes the children out everyday, and it's always something different: the local park, music classes, library time, visits to Hampstead Heath, the city farm, the zoo - I lost count! It seemed like my daughter was constantly on a new adventure and she still talks about all the places they visited together. The highlight of mine and my partners day was a message from Nicky with a picture of my daughter getting involved in something new - this was really important to us while my partner was working abroad, and Nicky went out of her way to get some really special snapshots.

Eventually my partner was able to move back home and we moved again as a family to the north of England for work. Having to take my daughter out of Nicky's care and find a replacement was quite honestly the worst part of moving. You couldn't find better care for your children than Nicky, she's a really special person and I will be forever grateful she was part of our lives.

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