Sarah is very approachable. The way she works ensures that she communicates effectively with both me and my son. she adapts well to the needs of my son and respects my wishes and she uses this to improve her environment and care. She always strives to improve the service she gives.
My son's settling in period worked well for me and my son. She was flexible and kept me informed on how he was settling and she used to this to inform his increase in hours when he was ready.
My son experiences a range of activities with Sarah. She provides activities such as gardening, visiting the pet shop, attending groups, and meeting up with other childminders. She takes him to a variety of play areas such as the riverside hub or wacky warehouse, and her garden has lots of stimulating large play and pretend play equipment. She is knowledgable about my son's interests and will plan her activities accordingly. The effective communication between us enhances her knowledge of my son's interests and stage of development. For example, he started to be interested in puzzles and keys at home so she obtained a puzzle that had locks with it. This is just one small example. She communicates really well and I know everything my son has done that day because she tells me when I collect him. She also uses baby days which gives me further information on, not only what he has been playing with that day, but the times he sleeps, eats and has his nappy changed. She also sends me photos and videos of my son at play.
I love Sarah's approach to behaviour management and this was part of the reason I engaged her services initially. She is able to use a variety of techniques in order to maintain boundaries for my son. Her ability to use positive reinforcement is brilliant. She will use distraction mainly but will also praise him frequently for his good behaviour and his efforts when he is learning. I have seen this in the videos she has sent of my child engaging in an activity.
My son's needs are very effectively met. As stated previously, she communicates well with me and my son but is also able to pick up on what he needs when he is with her. Even though his speech is still developing, she has a really good understanding of his needs.
I know that my son is respected by Sarah and that is reflected in her communications with me and when I see the lovely relationship they have.
I know my son is very happy with Sarah. It has been very hard for me to trust someone to care for my son every day but when she recently moved out of my area, I knew I couldn't lose her for his sake. Now I drive further each day to drop him to her. I would be very upset to lose her. My son loves being in her care.