I was very upset and distressed by my experience so I've tried to keep my review purely factual, there is obviously more context but wanted to keep it to the indisputable facts.

I first contacted Marcia in June/July requesting a childminder for a September start. She met me and my child and agreed to offer a place.
We did several settling in sessions over the summer and Marcia gave me a contract to add my details to and sign, which I did before my child started at the beginning of September.
In my child's third week with Marcia I raised some concerns about her sleep and the number of children as she didn't seem to be coping well.
I sat down with Marcia on the Tuesday and she advised me she hadn't signed my child's contract as she "didn't want to be obliged to meet her needs" (I had assumed she had signed the contract as the start date listed had passed and just forgotten to return it to me) and felt I should find alternative childcare (at 8am, the start of my working day). We discussed at some length and she agreed to keep my child on for different and shorter days and then "would look to draft a contract in 6 weeks". I picked my child up at the end of the day and was encouraged to take all her stuff home, which I thought was unusual.
I then received a message at 8pm Tuesday night to say Marcia was terminating her care with immediately effect though I was due to drop my daughter again in 12 hours time and she obviously had no chance to say goodbye. She stated in this message that she considered this to be a "settling in period" and "couldn't offer a contract", presumably as the contract stated a 4 week notice period.
I was then left with no childcare and therefore having to take emergency leave from work. I received no apology and the "refund" I was given for the rest of the month was £40 short.
Also during the 3 weeks:
- I received soiled clothing back a week after my daughter's nappy had leaked. These had just been sealed into a plastic bag for me to deal with.
- I was informed one day that Marcia had not been giving my daughter snacks even though she had stated she would and just didn't tell me she decided not to because my daughter has skin allergies.
-My child came home with a nappy rash including hives which she has not had before or since.

When I met Marcia she seemed lovely and incredibly experienced, she seemed empathetic to my child's needs and interests and my DD warmed to her immediately. I cannot explain the experience that followed but it has been one of the most stressful experiences of my life, Marcia knew that I'm a single mum with no family support and that I was due to be at important meetings in another office on the Wednesday. I wouldn't normally write a negative review but I am currently unable to work and scrabbling to find a new childcare setting and I would hate for anyone else to have the same experience.

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• Communication