Munchkins

About Me

Hi, I'm Claire and I live in Shiremoor with my husband Darren, our two children Dylan (27) and Chloe (20), and our two cats Sprout and Cookie Monster.

My qualifications include a first class degree in Childhood and Youth Studies through the Open University, paediatric first aid, child protection certificate and a food hygiene certificate. I have also recently qualified as an Early Years Special Educational Needs Coordinator.

I work alongside my assistant Louise. She is level 3 qualified in childcare, holds paediatric first aid and is DBS checked. She has excellent EYFS experience and passionate about providing exciting learning experiences for our Munchkins.

Both Louise and I have a full, clean driving licences and enhanced DBS checks. We have references from current and past parents available for you to read.

We do school pick ups and drop offs to/from South Wellfield First School.

At Munchkins Childminding we enjoy a lot of outdoor play in our large back garden which is equipped with climbing frames, our brilliant mud kitchen and lots of ride on toys. We also have an allotment in West Allotment and we love to spend time digging, planting and growing our own fruit and vegetables and hunting for mini beasts!

At home, our large open plan kitchen allows lots of space for play. The children are able to self select their own activities... we have lots to choose from including arts and crafts, construction, small world play, role play and dressing up, books and jigsaws.

We keep tv and screen time to a minimum but we do use you tube and certain apps to help develop maths and phonics skills.

We have regular days out in our mini bus. We love to visit local beaches and parks such as the Rising Sun, the Sun Dial and Plessy Woods in all weathers.

We are very proud to hold an Ofsted Good rating, with our inspector saying -

'The childminder and her assistant are very caring. They clearly enjoy their role and children settle very quickly.'

'The childminder wants children to be the best they can possibly be and has ambitious plans for what she wants them to learn.'

'The childminder is keen to improve her practice. She is constantly looking for new ways of doing things and attends training that she thinks will improve her setting further.'

'The childminder and her assistant have recently attended training on supporting language development and they have made language and communication a priority in the setting. Children communicate clearly and confidently as a result of this.'

Please get in touch if you would like any more information or if you have any questions. We look forward to chatting with you.