I first met Dawn when she babysat for us just over a year ago, and she came armed with a folder brimming with her qualifications, [outstanding] Ofsted report, and references galore, but very quickly I think I said to her ‘I don’t need to see all that!’. I could just tell that my little angels had shone down on me that day, and we’d very fortunately met someone who’d become a big part of our lives - particularly my 18 month daughter (who was 6-7 months at the time).

I am self-employed, so whilst my hours are somewhat flexible, I do end up working (ad-hoc) very different hours each week, and Dawn has been a true blessing in providing us with flexible childcare and babysitting, and in supporting myself and my husband in the day-to-day ups and downs of first-time parenthood!

First and foremost I guess (in my head anyway!), is that we don’t have any family nearby, and whilst I grew up spending lots of time with family/grandparents, Beatrice doesn’t have that luxury, so I was keen to find a childcare solution that’d give us as close to that kind of nurturing, loving environment as possible, especially as Bea was so young. Dawn provides SUCH a lovely environment, and more importantly, she’s such a lovely lady through and through - and a caring, loving, patient, good humoured and consistent ‘rock’ in Bea’s life.

Beatrice loves her time with Dawn and the other children that Dawn cares for. It’s such a calm environment there, with lots of encouragement to learn through constructive play, but also upon learning/developing important social skills which I am extremely keen that Bea has firmly instilled in her, not just at home, but by anyone who looks after her now/in the future....good manners/politeness, sharing, kindness and consideration, calmness, good humour, and good behaviour in a nutshell (excusing the odd tantrum of course!). Dawn is firm when she needs to be (which I appreciate and wholeheartedly support) but always fair and consistent. That in itself is important to me - that we are both singing from the same hymn sheet as it were.

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise when I say that Dawn (and her husband Michael) have become very good friends/surrogate members of our family - which I never imagined, but feel so blessed to have that relationship. I honestly never worry whether Bea will ‘be alright’ with Dawn, as she treats each child that she has under her wing as if he/she was her own family member. She’s a true asset and our own real-life angel.

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