Fiona S
Childminder in South Norwood
Usually responds within 12 hours
Female Member since Aug 2010 Last Updated Feb 2024 Last Login 21 Dec 2024
My Summary
About Me
I have been a Registered Network Childminder for 16 years, which I thoroughly enjoy and was awarded a 'Good' on my last Ofsted inspection (February 2019).
In addition to this I have 4 years experience working in a Pre-school Nursery and 1 year working in a Primary School with KS1.
I am a member of the Croydon Childminding Association and attend regular childcare workshops, which keep me up to date with best practice. I am Paediatric 1st Aid trained and fully insured (certificates available for you to see).
I live on Canham Road with my husband and three of our daughters. We have a 2 year old Cockapoo and a 1 year old old Birman cat.
My Experience
I have 16 years experience in caring for babies and pre-school children (not including raising my own children). Our day is planned around the children's normal routines as closely as possible taking into account feeding, nap times, nursery runs and play time, and encourage healthy eating and exercise.
Activities are planned for the children to enjoy and have fun but also to further their development in the 7 areas of learning as set out in the EYFS framework (Early Years Foundation Stage). We visit local playgroups, visit farms, the library and museums. We also make good use of our local parks and resources at home. Indoor activities include sing and sign, lots of reading, role play, arts & crafts, ICT, free play and more. Makaton/baby sign is something I have introduced to our day to day conversation which proves very popular with young fans of Mr Tumble and very helpful for even younger children especially those who are not yet speaking.
During the school holidays I plan a schedule of activities and trips out for us to enjoy.
Ofsted say...
"The childminder knows the children well. She uses observations and assessments of children's learning to help her plan resources and activities that support children's development. Children make good progress in their learning.
The childminder supports children's behaviour effectively. She is sensitive to the individual care needs and abilities of the children. She is very calm, reassuring and acknowledges what children do well or try to achieve. Children new to the setting settle very well. "
Ofsted February 2019.
My experience has shown children learn and develop better when they are having fun and enjoying the time spent in their care setting. It is important that they are given lots of different opportunities and the support needed to achieve their potential in a safe and caring environment, which is exactly what I provide.
I have references from parents I have previously child-minded for; available for you to read when you visit. Please also take a look at the references left on my profile by other Childcare.co.uk members I have child-minded for.
Thank you for looking at my profile.
My Qualifications
NVQ Level 3 in Childcare, Learning & Development.
Level 3 SENCo qualification
15 Years Professional experience of working with children.
My Availability
I am completely full at the moment with no vacancies expected until the end of 2024.
I will keep this advert up to date, so please keep checking.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Morning | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| After School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 16/01/2023 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £6.50 per hour
Day care fee: £65 per day
Payable monthly in advance.
2 & 3 year old Government funding accepted. Please note that places are not 'free' despite the wording used by GOV.UK. The funding only applies to term time and session fees apply. Please check https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ to see if you qualify for any support with your childcare costs.
My Local Schools
This childminder has not yet informed us whether or not they provide any drop off or pick up services at local schools.
My Ofsted Inspections
The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childminder has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childminder.
My Documents
- UK Driving Licence (added 16/01/2023)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Fiona S. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk users and not of Childcare.co.uk. Parents must carry out their own checks and references on childcare providers to ensure that they are completely happy before enaging in the use of their services.
Fiona came highly recommended to us by a friend. Our baby was 10 months when we first left him with Fiona's. We're very much attachment parenting and I was so worried about how he would nap or go without breastfeeding. Obviously Fiona has magical powers as he sleeps there by himself, the thought of which he would never entertain at home, haha! He's a pretty shy guy but he absolutely adores Fiona, her husband and daughters and after a few minutes of settling will tell them all about himself. He hasn't been for 2 weeks now due to holidays and every day he talked about them all. He always has a great time there and sometimes I feel bad for him not going more often because he really thrives there whereas at home it's just his boring old parents, haha!!! Fiona supported us using cloth nappies - in fact, she did them up better than myself! We're now potty training and there was never any pressure or questioning of what we're doing how, she just ran with it. I have no idea where she takes the energy from but it seems boundless. We will miss her and her family hugely and tears will be shed! If you think your child will benefit from a small family environment, you won't find any better! Wish we could take them all with us to Canada!
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My daughter started with fiona when she was two and didn't want to be left at all but she settled in straight away at Fiona's and has loved every second since. We are very sad to be leaving but we highly recommend Fiona and her lovely family!
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Fiona is a fantastic childminder and a real mentor for a profession that is often under valued. We would love to have had both our children at Fiona's setting however she simply didn't have the capacity. This is the only reason to leave, as our requirements have changed. We had our daugher at Fiona's one day per week to help me through my early maternity leave with a new baby. I deliberated for months over giving notice because we just love her so much! She has fabulous little tricks like a clever way for a toddler to put on a coat. Our daughter made diverse crafts and did gardening and went on lots of outings. They even went to see our daughter's 'bestie' performing in Cypress nursery nativity play together. There was a lovely family atmostphere and Fiona felt like a part of our parenting team. I was super impressed by her attention to detail in the development report we received upon leaving. Always very professional and kind.
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Our 3yo has been with Fiona for over a year. She has supported her development, seen her through toilet training, and cared for her with absolute dedication.
We particularly love C having had the chance to experience a home care setting, and Fiona's whole family are just as warm and welcoming as she is.
Fiona is extremely clear in her communication and we found this really helpful regarding her days off. She also has an excellent backup plan in place for emergencies so we never worried about gaps in care.
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We felt very lucky that we managed to find Fiona to care for our son when he's was 2yrs old. We moved him from a big busy nursery as we were not happy and he settled immediately with a Fiona.
We got such a warm vibe the instant we met her..She is kind, caring and extremely thoughtful. She would regularly update us and send photos showing how happy he was. He really thrived in all aspects and we were very sad when it was time to leave as starting school. We still stsy in touch and have used Fiona ad hoc for my son and older daughter and the children still talk about her and Mickey the cat!.
Friends have also signed up with Fiona thorough our recommendation and are extremely happy.
We highly recommend you meet her.
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This profile has been produced from information provided to us by the user. We have not verified or confirmed the accuracy of any of the information and members should undertake their own vigorous checks and references. Please ensure you read our Safety Advice and information on how to Check Childcare Provider Documents.
