Our nursery was fantastic and while we just sort of stumbled into it (the only childcare setting in about a 15 minute radius that offered full days, not just like 9-12), it’s exactly what I would look for if I had to do it again.
Small family run nursery on a farm (they were in a rented house on a large property, completely separate from any machinery or the yard, but it was lovely and rural). Big emphasis on being outdoors. They were only inside at the start and end of the day and usually (but not always) for lunch, unless it was like 50mph winds and hail. Mud kitchen. Forest school.
It was max 25, all in one room. They didn’t split them into classes. The babies only left for nap times. Or if the bigger ones were doing something totally unsuitable. Communal lunches, they took turns serving each other and helping clear the tables. The bigger ones really looked after the little ones. It was really lovely. We spent 7 years there across 2 children.
I personally steered away from childminders because I didn’t want them taking my dc out during the day. So based on what you are describing, would you always be at home? Or would you go out to groups and soft play? I didn’t want my dc just dragged around on the school run and chucked into soft play for 3 hours a day. If it was purely a home setting rather than a typical childminder, that would be better.
Would you have sufficient outdoor space, room for a mud kitchen, messy play, shelters so they could still go outside on rainy days? That would be really attractive. We visited one nursery that had a huge soft play room and if it rained, they went in soft play instead of going outside. But it rains like most of the week about 6 months of the year. I found it really depressing to think they might not go outside at all for a whole week because they had this soft play structure!