When I found Miriam on Childminder.co.uk it was a real Godsend. She had all references ready for me to contact and showed me around her home so I could see where Isaiah would be sleeping and playing. She always says how much she loves her job and that is plain to see the way the children relate to her. She is both fun and firm in equal measure which is definitely what my son needs. She is also very loving and welcoming everyday greeting my son as her “sweetie boy” and a different toy.

She has also helped my son in his social and educational development. She always has a plan to take him to different play groups and soft play areas and we have noticed the changes with how he engages with other children, going from very possessive and a little violent to becoming really gentle and sharing with other children, it’s really very impressive. Miriam also speaks her native language which is Spanish with our permission, with Isaiah. This is something I felt would be important in later life when he chooses his second language to learn in secondary school.

My Partner and I are very happy and grateful to Miriam for the continual growth we’ve seen in our son. And that’s definitely due to the love, care and attention she gives him. She’s like the grandmother he always needed which again is a relief to me given that I lost my mother in 2018 and I wondered if he would ever feel that love. His paternal grandparents live further afield so can’t be relied upon for childcare needs.

As first time parents we always worry about our son but with Miriam we are kept up to date with photos everyday, feedback about his day, messages about events. We're also told about anywhere that she is taking him for the day. She has been instrumental in key areas like potty training, Isaiah learning to feed himself, and so many other key areas.

In these areas we would decide as a team how to move forward, what's working, what's not and this stability has really propelled our son forwards. For example Isaiah is 3yrs old in September and is well on track to start reading by then, he can already count to 140, he knows his phonetic and normal alphabet and just the other day started spelling out words. As intelligent as our son might be we are under no illusion that without the work we have ALL put in he wouldn't be where he is today.

I kind of wish he’s stop growing as these moments he has in his very early education with Miriam are very short and I want him to hold onto them. But time is fleeting and grow he must. We do hope to keep the connection though as he grows up.

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