Avoid!!
I'm sad to say that my experience of Ester has not been a happy one. My expectation was that she would be flexible, sympathetic and approachable. I do not believe this to be unreasonable. Unfortunately, her attitude throughout was characterised by discourtesy and unpofessionalism. Any request to vary the child caring arrangements, even on a one-off basis, was greeted with surly dismissiveness. She appeared to regard caring for my child beyond the bare minimum as an unwarranted intrusion on her time. Previous childminders have not only appreciated that working parents require a degree of sympathy and understanding, but they have also devised entertaining and educational activities for the children. Ester seemed unwilling to do any of this (certainly in relation to my chid), to the extent that I did not feel she was genuinely passionate about childminding.
Attempts to address and resolve my concerns in an amicable fashion were not welcomed by Ester. Instead, she either refused to communicate or sent insultingly terse messages.
I do not enjoy posting complaints of this nature, but the quality of service I have received from Ester falls well below the standard any parent has a right to expect.
Response from Ester
Responded
Dear HanHan87
I appreciate you sharing your personal opinion, and I am disappointed you have come away dissatisfied. I will have to respectfully disagree with the points you mentioned regarding me not providing entertaining and educational activities. I provided structured activities and outings with visual and written daily feedback, shared with you at the end of each session, so it saddens me that you have left this comment which does not represent the service you received. I strive to ensure my provision is centred around the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (EYFS) as outlined in my profile.
I totally agree that any childcare provider should have a degree of flexibility, and I consider myself to be sympathetic, approachable and flexible, working together with families as much as possible to meet their personal needs. I absolutely appreciate there will be occasions where families need to make changes to scheduled dates and times. In this particular instance, you requested several days to be changed at short notice, which I accommodated.
It’s important to note that as a childminder, I am restricted on the number of early years children I can care for at one time. This can impact my ability to accommodate frequent changes without sufficient notice.
I consider myself to be extremely passionate about childcare and have enjoyed good reviews on this site and other platforms.
Once again, I am sorry that you have come away dissatisfied. I wish you and your family all the best moving forward and hope you find the right childcare that meets your needs.
Kindest regards.
Ester.
