La Jolie Bulle tiney home nursery

Mélanie has run the French Club once a week after school. This was an extremely popular club for children 4-7 years old and was done on a purely voluntary basis… Mélanie planned each session carefully so the children were fully engaged and she was always keen to make sure the children had the best experiences. Activities in the club included; lots of practical activities as well as verbal explanations and repetition. Many of the children talked enthusiastically about the club and what they had done, including tasting French biscuits, listening to French pop music, as well as speaking French! At the end of each block sessions, Mélanie diligently wrote a brief summary for each child about how they had got on at the club and what they had enjoyed or excelled at. This gave the parents good feedback about what their child had achieved and the feedback from parents and children was very positive. I would not hesitate to recommend Mélanie to run a similar club or work with other children, her calm and gentle manner would encourage even the shyest child as well as engaging the more gregarious.

I have known Mélanie since September 2011 when our daughters commenced reception together at Ashmead Primary school. I had started a degree and asked Mélanie to look after my daughter. Afternoons with Mélanie included painting, baking and exploring the parks and much more. Mélanie provided a personal service and was respectful of our family’s cultural traditions whilst being attentive to my daughter’s needs and enhancing her personal development. I held confidence in Mélanie that she would safeguard my daughter and always provided a professional and thoughtful approach. I felt that Mélanie made my work life balance easier and felt fortunate to leave my daughter in her care. I always felt Mélanie promoted independence and empowered my daughter to be confident. Mélanie also used French language with my daughter which has proved useful as her father is French speaking. Home cooked fresh food was provided and Mélanie maintained an organised and clean home environment. Mélanie provided me with evidence of achievements and photos of my daughter’s day. Mélanie offered excellent child care and her kindness and care was exemplary. As my daughter grew we continued to maintain the relationship and now our daughters are friends and we enjoy meeting up. My daughter always came home happy having been well cared for. Mélanie is a kind, warm, loving and energetic woman. Mélanie has a gift with children and her organisation skills and resourcefulness are very effective.

I (nervously) visited a number of settings before deciding where to send my 14 month old daughter. I soon as I walked in to Melanie's home and was in her calming and kind presence, I knew this was the place to send my daughter. Over the course of those first few weeks, I went from working mum guilt at not being with my child, to realising that sending her to Melanie was one of the greatest acts of parenthood I have done for her. Melanie cares deeply about the children in her care, sees them as individuals, and provides an opportunity for them to thrive. Each of the children has developed deep friendships with each other, which is a result of the environment Melanie creates for them. She communicates excellently, and provides a loving, stimulating and nurturing environment in which my daughter has thrived. She is one in a million, and we don't know how we would work as a family without her.