Caroline
Childminder in Horsham District Council
Usually responds within 2 hours
Female Member since Nov 2010 Last Updated Mar 2025 Last Login 28 Mar 2025
My Summary
About Me
NEW VACANCY: Sept 2025, 1 space for a baby 3 days a week all year round, Mon/Tues/Thurs, 8am-5pm. Hello, I'm Caroline McCurrach, three-times OFSTED Outstanding, with many years of childminding experience. What will you find here? Creativity and imagination, learning through play, following the seasons, natural open-ended resources and an eco-friendly approach to life. We grow our own fruit and vegetables in our garden and on our allotment: the children learn to sow, grow and harvest there- finding out where our food comes from and discovering the creatures who live there too!
Our piano provides plenty of musical fun and we love snuggling up on our big sofa for stories and songs. My background is in art and design so we are always creating, making and being inspired by the world around us. We love putting on our wellies and waterproofs and spending time out in the natural environment: our garden, the woods, beach, allotment visits and countryside.
I provide healthy lunches and snacks included in my fees - as I know you are busy enough in the mornings! Our menu here is carefully chosen to include organic, wholegrain, low-sugar, local, seasonal, home-grown and high-quality ingredients.
I specialise in the 0-3 age group, with a lot of 1:1 attention, spontaneous adventures, flexibility and a small, calm family-feel to our setting, all year round.
I am an active member of Horsham's 'Octopus Childminding Group' for social get-togethers for the children, outings and also professional development and peer support.
I provide a secure on-line Learning Journal so you can see up-to-date photos, videos and information about your child's progress at any time which parents (and grandparents!) love.
Our home is in Swindon Road, Horsham, with easy access to the A24 and train station.
HRMC Tax-free Childcare and all EY Funded Entitlement accepted.
My Experience
I started out in my childminding career in 2011. I am married with 2 teenage sons. I have experience of being a full time working parent, so I understand the challenges and opportunities you face. I can provide stable and reliable care for your child so you can enjoy your day at work with peace of mind. Feedback I have had from my families has been very enthusiastic- see my reviews- and other references are available.
My Qualifications
I am Ofsted Registered. I am a Fellow-Ambassador member of the Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years (PACEY). I have my Level 3 Diploma in Early Learning and Childcare, Paediatric First Aid qualification and Level 2 in Foods Safety. I build on my knowledge and experience with regular training courses, self-development and network events. I have a full, clean driving license. I have been graded 'outstanding in all areas' at all three of my Ofsted inspections.
My Availability
NEW VACANCY: Sept 2025, 1 space for a baby 3 days a week all year round, Mon/Tues/Thurs, 8am-5pm. Open Mon-Thu, 8am-5pm, all-year-round only. Sorry, no school or pre-school drop-off/pick ups.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | yes | yes | no | yes | no | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | no | yes | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | no | yes | no | no | no |
| After School | yes | yes | no | yes | no | no | no |
| Evening | yes | yes | no | yes | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 25/03/2025 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £8.00 per hour
My fees include all food and outings. I offer all EYFE Government funding and accept Government Tax-Free Childcare.
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
- Ofsted Certificate (added 10/01/2019)
- DBS Check (added 10/01/2019)
Reviews
5 out of 5
Parents say
The childminder is highly praised for providing excellent care in a nurturing environment. Parents appreciate the small group size, outdoor activities, and regular communication about children's progress. The childminder is described as knowledgeable, supportive, and instrumental in developing children's skills. Families consistently report their children are happy and settled, with many recommending the childminder without hesitation.
Summary generated by AI from the text of recent member reviews
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Caroline. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk members 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.
Our daughter has been with Caroline for 1.5 years now and has loved every minute. She will sadly be leaving to go to farm school in September but we think Caroline is so amazing, we’re sending our other daughter there to start as our older one leaves. Our daughter has learnt so much with Caroline, she always comes home having learnt something new and has so much fun with her little friends. It is even nicer that there is a smaller group of them, as I know some childminders can have more but Caroline tends to keep her little group small which I think is really beneficial for them all. Caroline accommodates naps accordingly after liaising with parents and offers advice and works with parents through transitions such as stopping naps and potty training. Caroline’s takes them out a lot so they get to explore, go on adventures and experience the world around them. Closer to home, they get to enjoy nature outside, with different animals and learning lots about how to grow things in the allotments. Sometimes I think my daughter comes home and teaches us a thing or two! Caroline is amazing at keeping in touch with parents, holding regular meetings for updates on our daughters progression, what she’s doing well at and where we can help her to excel further and develop new skills. She also posts daily updates on the app which is lovely and so nice to see some pictures of the fun they’ve had that day. In all honestly, prior to my daughter starting I was a bit dubious about sending her into any sort of day care, but I am so thankful we found Caroline, she has been absolutely amazing and also given us advice on the next steps and when to think about schools and which schools would be best for our daughter. Would absolutely recommend Caroline to everyone!
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Daniella
on 25/03/2025
We are very sad to be withdrawing our son from Caroline's care but we are moving out of area and so we are left with little choice but to do so.
Caroline has been brilliant. She engages with our son from the second he arrives and tailors activities around his interests and likes. Caroline has a good routine at her house and always has interesting activities and outings planned.
At the start we had some worries about how our son would settle after an awful experience at a nursery. Caroline listened to our worries and worked with us to ensure that he settled quickly, offering 1.1 settling in sessions and lots of reassurance. Caroline has always stayed in touch with us about what our son has been up to throughout the day and sends lots of photos. She has taken a keen interest in his development and has been instrumental in the development of his language and motor skills.
We couldn't recommend Caroline highly enough.
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Hannah
on 23/08/2023
Our 15 month old started with Caroline in October and settled in very quickly. He loves his time there and runs to the door when we say we are dropping him off at Caroline's. Caroline knows baby sign and uses this with them, which has been great because we have been doing it at home too. We really enjoy getting updates via the app and seeing what he has been up to during the day and we have a notebook we communicate with Caroline with about things such as his naps, food eaten etc and also from our end if he's had a bad night etc. I would highly recommend Caroline, our son is extremely happy there.
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Becca25
on 25/01/2023
We were apprehensive about childcare for our shy son and spent a lot of time considering and visiting different childcare providers, but from our first meeting with Caroline we were confident that we didn't need to search any further. Our son settled quickly and was with Caroline for 1.5 years, and Caroline is currently caring for our younger (more outgoing) daughter. We have been so happy with the care that she has provided for both our children, and especially with how she communicates with us, from the daily updates and regular photos from their little adventures to bigger discussions about their development. Both our children have always come home happy from their days with Caroline, and half a year since moving on to preschool our son still talks about how he enjoyed his time with Caroline, especially the visits to the allotment. We have been impressed by the seasonal nature-based activities that Caroline does with the children, such as partaking in the Big Garden Birdwatch and watching tadpoles hatch from frogspawn, as well as by the range of fun outings and home-based activities that they enjoy together. Knowing that each of my children were having such a nice and safe time with Caroline, in a lovely home environment, made going to work so much easier! We are so grateful to have found Caroline and highly recommend her.
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Kat
on 15/01/2023
Our youngest is currently with Caroline four days a week. He started at six months old and he is now over three. Some of this time was over covid, but despite the occasional enforced closures he was always excited to go to Carolines.
The environment at Caroline’s is fun, healthy, kind, educational and supportive. Our eldest also grew up spending time with Caroline and both children throughly enjoy spending time outdoors, have good understanding and vocabulary to express themselves and are both confident. Both children talk fondly about their experiences with Caroline and their friends.
Caroline is very knowledgeable and provides daily feedback as well as regular reviews to ensure and help on anything the child might be finding tricky.
We fully recommend Caroline. You won’t find better.
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Claire
on 10/04/2022
Our two year old daughter hadn’t been left with anyone other than family until she started at Caroline’s, naturally we were slightly apprehensive as to how our daughter would settle but we needn’t have worried.
Caroline provides a safe, fun and happy environment for children to grow in confidence and learn.
Painting, visits to the allotment, muddy walks, baking, garden games and attending various groups are just a few of the activities. Caroline consistently puts the needs of the child first and is incredibly conscientious to do the best for your child. Our little girl talks on a daily basis about Caroline and her friends which shows us the happy memories she has with Caroline. We have been able to go to work with complete peace of mind which is a real blessing.
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LBuck
on 21/08/2020
We cannot rate Caroline highly enough. From the first time we met her we know we wanted her to be taking care of our little girl once I was back at work. I can honestly say we go to work knowing that our daughter will have a fun filled day with Caroline and her little friends, we don’t have any worries! Our little girl started at 9 months and she quite often carried her on a sling to make sure she felt comfortable and close. She’s almost 2 and she blossomed into the girl she is also thanks to Caroline’s amazing work.
Caroline truly knows children and she provides an amazing range of activities. The children get to spend lots of time outdoors, doing so many different activities from going to the allotment, going out to groups or the woods. This is just a small part, she has loads of ideas for educational activities.
She know the children very well, she is very caring and so is her family. Our little girl has the best time there and we get to know about her days and progress through a diary and through an app called Tapestry. The rest of our family can access the app too so they can see the progress and pictures of her fun filled days. Caroline is very focused on development, she ensures children get the best start.
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Roberta
on 23/07/2019
We can’t express enough just how lucky we are to have found Caroline; it really takes so much stress away from a busy working day knowing that our son is really well looked after.
After visiting many local nurseries, it was only after meeting with Caroline at her home did I feel completely sure about leaving Luca & returning to work. Not only do I know that he is having a great time but I know he is safe & comforted by Caroline.
Luca & his friends get up to lots of great activities - including those outdoors. I love the thought of Luca playing outside in the fresh air & looking around the allotment!
Caroline ticks all the boxes for a great childminder! Thank you for giving us a space!
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Parent
on 08/01/2018
We were looking for a childcare that provided a home from home environment for our little boy. He has been with Caroline since he was 15 months old and settled in very quickly as he feels safe and comfortable with her. It is nice that he can spend the day with a couple of other children of a similar age, and they can all play together and also get plenty of individual attention.
Caroline has a wide range of toys and activities for playing indoors, as well as space outdoors in the garden and allotment for playing outside and exploring nature.
I would highly recommend Caroline as an excellent childminder, particularly if you have a young baby or toddler and are looking for childcare which feels more like a family home than a nursery setting.
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Parent
on 08/01/2018
Our daughter has been with Caroline since she was nine months old and she is now nearly 15 months old.
At every drop off she is so happy to see Caroline and the other children (including Caroline's two sons), and at collection she has clearly had a wonderful day with everyone – all smiles and chatting away on our walk home. We've never had any issues with drop off at all, which is partly down to the steady build up of time over the first week or so that Caroline offers and also because Caroline is just so wonderfully kind and caring. When our daughter started, Caroline had two spaces but would not accept another child until she knew our daughter was settled. This meant a lot to us. In the first couple of weeks Caroline took her around in a sling for a few hours a day to allow our daughter to slowly connect and embrace her new surroundings when she needed to feel secure.
Life at Caroline's is similar to life at ours and that was so important to us. Our daughter enjoys plenty of outdoor activities in their wonderful garden as well as local woods, the beach, lakes etc. Caroline builds in a lot of time and provides wonderful resources for the little ones to be creative. They have mornings down at the allotment where they learn about where their nutritious lunch comes from. They have plenty of messy play and I have learnt some great 'not quite as messy' activities from Caroline that we now use at home, much to our daughters delight. There is a fabulous piano which the children are allowed to use, or sometimes they just enjoy a concert from one of Carolines lovely sons who plays brilliantly.
Caroline has great focus on your child's development. We are updated daily via the Tapestry app and also a written daily journal on anything new our daughter is doing and how we can help her develop in other ways. We also use this journal and app to keep Caroline updated – she really cares!
Our daughter has truly come on in leaps and bounds as I am sure a lot of this is down to Caroline and her structured fun-filled days.
My mum was a primary school teacher for her entire working life and is continually amazed by what Caroline does for the children she minds. She says we couldn't have picked better and we agree! If Caroline has a space you should definitely visit and see the magic for yourselves.
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Claire
on 31/05/2017
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