I met Des when my son was only 12 weeks old. I instantly connected with her and her family! Des guided me through the process of childminding and made sure I was comfortable with my choices. My son flourished in Des' care. He loved going to her home on the days Des looked after him and he stayed with her for 2+ years until we moved, but even then Des kept a space for my son for months until we were able to secure a space closer to home. We would have been lost without her help.

Each day we received regular updates and pictures of how he was doing, what he ate and the activities he was participating in. He regularly went on outings and had interaction with other childminders and their children so he could build social relationships outside of Des and her setting. To this day, he still sees everyone! I knew where he was on the early years framework and Des worked with me (still to this day) on his development and how I could support this at home outside of her care.

Des is the mother you want for your child when you aren't able to be there. She is the warmest, kind - hearted person who genuinely loves all her kids and wants the best for them. She is just amazing and I miss chatting to her every day at pick up. I consider Des and her family our friends. Proof of this is we are still in touch months later, we see each other as families lunching together and my son will continue to see her when his current care is closed for holidays. Des is a one-in-a-million gem of a woman and I'm proud and blessed to call her my friend.

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