Child Care Provider and Nanny - ELLA M. (User #25775)

We hired Elaine (or Ella, as she has changed her name on her listing) because she had decent references when she was hired to watch our 5 month old son. In the beginning she seemed great, but after one week, she began taking advantage of our generosity. She tried to change her time on the time sheet so it looked like she had worked more hours than she had. In addition, she was constantly in front of the TV with the baby, after we had specifically asked her not to have him in front of the TV. On two separate occasions, my husband arrived home to the television on in our lower level, and our baby screaming in his bed on the upper level. Lastly, and the reason for her termination, Elaine left our son alone and awake in his bed as she left our house to move her car from the street into our driveway so that she could do her own laundry, without asking, before we had arrived home. Elaine would have been given permission to use our washer/dryer had she asked, but instead of asking, she tried to sneak this by, incidentally broke our brand new dryer, and did not inform us of any of this at the time it happened. Needless to say, this raised serious concerns for us about her trustworthiness, and level of honesty if our son were to have been injured under her watch. Elaine may be capable of caring for older children, as per her reference in Ohio for whom she worked one night a week, but I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND hiring her to watch children under 3 years old, unless a parent is at home with her. -- Miriam F.

Elaine has been watching our baby for 3 months now, and we are very pleased with her care. She plays with and sings to our son, feeds him, and puts him down to bed. We have not had any problems at all. Elaine arrives with a smile on her face and is genuinely interested in the well-being of our baby. (Originally posted Mar 31, 2003, by Kathy J.) -- Stacy R.

This person worked part-time with us for two weeks. Did not show up for the third week. Did not have the decency to call and give proper notice. She just didn't show up. Not reliable. Please avoid. If you want details, please contact me (330) 460-4384. Unfortunate. -- Giselle B.