About Mary
Forty years of looking after Islington's little ones.
Mary Timurlenkoglu has been childminding for four decades, raised four children of her own, and runs the local Westbourne toddler group.
Mary's story
Mary started childminding in Islington in the mid-1980s, the same year her eldest child was born. Forty years later she's still doing what she loves — now with second-generation families bringing their own children to her door.
She raised four children of her own: a quiet kind of training that no certificate quite captures. The ability to spot a tired toddler before they melt down, to make a soup three children will all eat, to know when to gently push and when to simply sit alongside.
Qualifications & safeguarding
Mary holds current certifications in Food Safety, Safeguarding & Child Protection, and Paediatric First Aid, alongside an Enhanced DBS check. She's Ofsted-registered, with inspection reports available on request. Safeguarding is taken seriously and quietly — it shouldn't be something you notice, only something you can trust is there.
The Westbourne Toddler Group
Mary founded the toddler group at the Westbourne Community Centre, which still meets every Tuesdays & Thursdays. It's free, open to all local families, and many of the children Mary minds attend together — extending their friendships beyond the home setting.
Why families choose Mary
People come for the experience and stay for the warmth. Mary keeps her setting deliberately small so every child gets the attention they need, and parents always know who's looking after their little one — it's Mary, every day.