Q&A

Hi Jo. Why Chorleywood and when did you come here?
I began my Early Years career in 2009 at Chipperfield Children’s Centre. That summer, we had moved out of London, and by October, I had secured a job at the centre, conveniently located on the grounds of my sons’ primary school. While renting in the village, we searched for a permanent home. My husband commuted to London via Chorleywood, and I soon realised that was where we wanted to settle. We moved to Chorleywood in 2012, and at the same time, my job relocated to the Children’s Centre in the village library.
Living and working in Chorleywood was one of the happiest times in my career. Every Tuesday, we welcomed 30–40 families for baby weighing, stay-and-play sessions, and new baby support groups—it was the highlight of many families’ weeks. However, in 2018, Children’s Centres were restructured into Family Centres, and many services were removed from villages like Chorleywood. My role changed, and I was relocated to Watford, working outside my area of expertise.
I had spent years specialising in supporting families with young babies—helping mothers breastfeed, delivering baby massage courses, and running music and singing sessions. In 2019, I decided to return to my passion and founded The Baby & Co as an Independent Early Years Practitioner. Despite a slow start due to the pandemic, my business has flourished. I feel privileged to have supported over 200 local families, many of whom return with their second, third, or even sixth child!

REDUCE THE TEX TO FIT THE PHOTO ?

Do you have a funny story?
When I deliver my baby massage courses I always start with a ‘question for the week’ which I ask each parent to answer as we go round the room. My favourite is when I ask them why they gave their baby the name they have. There have been some moving and fascinating stories over the years but the one that always sticks in my memory is when I asked this same question to a lady whose child’s name was named Jeremy. She told the group that when her little boy was born her husband wanted him to be called Jeremy, James, Richard because he was obsessed with Top Gear! She allowed him to choose his favourite out of the three!