Charlotte looked after our son Edryd from the age of 11 months until he was nearly 3 and I know I will struggle to find words to express just how wonderful she is. Edryd adored her!
If one were to list all the things that Charlotte should do as an excellent childminder, then she does all of those things perfectly: we never doubted that Edryd was safe and happy, she always communicated clearly with us how he was getting on, and she adhered to all the standards of care, safety, hygiene, early-years education, organisation etc with the utmost conscientious professionalism and atten- tion to detail. Under her watch, Edryd developed from a clingy 11-month old who cried quite a lot, into a happy, confident, caring and sociable little toddler, who loved to join in with the hundreds of varied tasks, activities and trips that Charlotte and the others organised.
What makes Charlotte so special in my mind, however, is all the things that she does and the attributes that she has that go even above and beyond the things that would be on the ideal list mentioned above. In a word, this can be summarised as "warmth". Whilst maintaining all the professionalism mentioned previously, she cared for Edryd with the same attentiveness, tenderness, empathy and joy that a close family member would have. On the few occasions when Edryd was unwell or upset, she clearly felt his pain; when (as was the case 99% of his time there!) he loved taking part in all the activities that they do, her enthusiasm matched his; when he learned a new skill she was evidently proud; when he did or said something funny she was truly tickled; over any holiday she genuinely missed him and the delight of being reunited was palpable and mutual! She is a truly lovely person with a huge heart and a natural, easy, perfect way with babies and children.
When we moved away from London last year, taking Edryd away from his "Char-Char" was without a doubt the hardest part. We feel so grateful that she was such a wonderful part of his life at such a crucial stage. Thank you, Charlotte!