Riri
Childminder in Dunstable
Usually responds within 3 hours
Female Member since May 2011 Last Updated Apr 2025 Last Login 07 May 2025
My Summary
Nuturing Passion In Children
About Me
Hoping I can assist you with your child care needs.
I am a registered Childminder and live in Dunstable close to Union Street.
My emphasis is on children’s comfort, safety and happiness in my care. There are other children in my care, that your child can socialise with, learn from and make friends too. I am honest, reliable and understanding.
A little about myself and the setting:
I am married and we have two children of our own. Our daughter aged 16 and our son aged 11.
Emphasis at the setting is on children's comfort, safety and happiness.
Honest and reliable, working to provide a high quality standard of service, with a caring and enjoyable home from home environment.
We want your children to be curious explorers, confident communicators, independent learners and inquisitive thinkers.
Motivate fun and creativity to develop young minds through play activities and a stimulating environment.
Giving them life skills they can carry over in their next steps into 'big school'.
We enjoy being outdoors when possible and promote good exercise, joining other children on slides and riding trikes while encouraging socializing.
Emphasis at home is to ensure a homey safe and loving environment, happy children where special friendships are formed. Enjoying activities like playing fun games, reading, painting and even some baking on the odd occasion too :)
We have lots of jolly giggles playing musical instruments and singing. We have a cheerful time dancing and exercising to music. We enjoy rhyme time, learning new songs and words, and quieter times reading stories, exploring books and drawing pictures to strength creativity.
I speak two alternate languages; Portuguese and Afrikaans
My Experience
Have worked in the industry for 13 years.
This is my vocation, it's not just a job; something I have always wanted to do, and 13 years ago the opportunity presented itself and I have loved everyday of it.
Good training and knowledge, with experience of expectant behaviour, developmental and milestone reaching, from age range of 10 months to older 9-16 year olds.
I am confident in managing newborns, toddlers and school aged children
My Qualifications
Registered Childminder
Paediatric First Aid Trained
Cache level 3 certificate in Homebased Childcare
Certified in Food Hygiene
NSPCC Safeguarding Certificate
Liability Insurance held
Full UK driving license
Disclosure and Barring Service verification
My Availability
Monday - Thursday (Friday limited space, can be considered)
07:30am to 17:30, aim to be flexible to accommodate your needs
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| After School | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 14/04/2025 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £6.50 per hour
My rate includes lunch, a mid morning and afternoon snack
I accept childcare vouchers as well as tax free childcare payments
I offer funded hours for qualifying 9 month old babies as well as children aged 2,3, and 4 years of age.
Thank you for taking the time to read my profile and look forward to hearing from you :)
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.
This member has chosen not to display their Ofsted inspection ratings on their profile. We recommend you check their current registration status and read their latest inspection report before using them.
My Documents
- UK Driving Licence [DELETED] (added 14/10/2022)
Reviews
5 out of 5
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Riri. 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.
Rita looked after my daughter from when she was 13 months until three years old and she was amazing from start to finish.
She has a very personal approach and put so much time and thought into getting to know my daughter, putting her at ease and helping her develop. Throughout her time at Rita’s, my daughter was always happy to be at Rita’s home. It was a perfect balance between a relaxed and happy home and somewhere for the children to learn and flourish.
As well as bonding with my daughter, Rita was also really great at getting to know me and working with me to make sure I was comfortable leaving Holly which I really appreciated as a new mum leaving her child for the first time.
In summary, I can’t recommend Rita enough!! I was so sad when it was time for my daughter to move on to new childcare but I am happy that more families will get to experience Rita’s home and care 😊
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by
CC00
on 27/10/2024
Rita has been childminding our two daughters for over three years in total. We feel totally blessed to have met her and her family. They are a warm, loving, caring and supportive family, and Rita is an outstanding childminder. Both our girls have adored going to her setting and enjoy all the activities Rita arranges for them. Rita is very approachable and supportive with any questions or discussions you may have. We see them as an extended part of our family and will be forever grateful for all they have done.
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by
Kerry
on 28/06/2024
Response by
Riri
on 29/06/2024:
Kerry and family, love you all so much and you will all be missed 😘
I can’t express how grateful we are for having Rita and her family in our life. Our daughter, Olivia, is attending Rita setting since she was 13 months. Olivia is always happy to be left with Rita and she is always happy when we pick her up. Rita provides us with daily updates of Olivia’s activities and progress in the setting alongside with regular plans and stages for Olivia’s development.
We are really pleased that we choose Rita as our daughter childminder.
Thank you so much for everything you have done for our Family!
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by
Adriana
on 06/06/2023
Response by
Riri
on 06/06/2023:
Thank you! Will miss your family, has been a pleasure looking after Olivia, she is going to be missed so much here! wishing you all happy adventures!!
When the time came to send Leelah to childcare I was very anxious especially as it came during the pandemic. Leelah was 1 when she started at Rita's, the first time I met Rita I knew that we were on to a winner. My first meeting with Rita was friendly, informative and organised and she immediately put me at ease. Rita's organisation from sending updates, photos and invoices is super effcient so we always knew where we were with her. No question was too silly and she really was empathetic to my many questions and needs in the beginning.
Importantly, Leelah has really flourished at Rita's setting. Her family are lovely, warm and well mannered and I saw these qualities shine in Leelah also. Not only did Rita look after Leelah she made such an effort to develop her skills by thinking of really fun and imaginative ways for Leelah to learn - so much so that I sometimes wished that I could stay after dropping Leelah off! Meals provided were healthy and Leelah always came home well-fed which is a big plus for me. Another huge plus is the fact that Rita teaches manners and addressed Leelah's 'cheeky' behaviour in a healthy way.
The signs of a great childcarer is when a child genuinely misses them and that is what Leelah felt when she was away from the setting. Rita's setting is warm, nurturing and really does feel like home away from home for the children.
Thank you so much for all that you have done for Leelah Rita - we really really appreciate it :)
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by
Akua
on 03/08/2022
Rita’s been looking after our 2 year old for the last 18 months and we couldn’t have found a better childcare provider!
She’s really looked after our son as if he was her own, given him healthy meals and keeps us updated with what he’s been getting up to- she does so many fun activities with the children 😊 I highly recommend Rita, she’s a lovely lady and the best childminder!
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by
Laura777
on 15/07/2021
One of the biggest challenges for me as a first time mum was leaving my little one with someone else other than his daddy. We don't have our parents or other family members near us to help out time to time and look after our son. So for this very reason alone, for me personally, this was a very difficult decision and step to take....thankfully, Rita did her absolute best to make me feel at ease and she has been outstanding in the care of our son (2 years old).
It’s as if he is part of her family and she part of ours! He is very fond of Rita - he says he loves her :) We can truly see the progress he is making and how content he is with her and those under her care. He comes back home and in his own way tells us what has been happening, the things he has done and the friends he has played with which we manage to work out as Rita does update us on the days events.
Rita complements and gives attention to aspects of care and upbringing that we value highly, she is also kind, caring and conscientious - honestly, I could go on with the praises.. ;) - but also very reliable, organised and under her care your little one will be happy, entertained and most of all - safe. Her heart is in it, she is truly awesome! I recommend her wholeheartedly without hesitation!
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by
SB1
on 16/08/2019
Rita has been childminding my son(near 3years old) since February 2018.She looks after him for 2 days each week(20h/week)
I have been extremely happy with the care William has received, and the great progress he has made whilst in Rita’s care. Rita’s home is always welcoming, clean and well organised and William has great fun playing with all the toys available and with the other children in her care. Beyond all this though, it is warm and friendly but no nonsense approach which sets her apart from other childminders we have experienced(meetings)
She provides a wide, fun range of activities including plenty of outdoor exercise. I know William has recently enjoyed sand and water play, Painting as well as outings to the park, trips to walks in the woods.
Rita is a great communicator and has no trouble in gaining William’s confidence and therefore encouraging good behaviour and kindness and compassion to others, both skills which are important to us at home. When my son steps outside his boundaries she responds with firm but kind discipline explaining what we would like to see in terms which he understands. When he is hurt or feeling under the weather I know that he feels happy to be comforted by her and I am confident that she can administer either first aid or medication following all the correct procedures and completing the necessary records to ensure his health and safety.
Rita completes a diary detailing what my son has done each day. From this I have a complete picture of his whole day including what he has eaten, how long he has slept and all his activities. This helps me to feel involved with his care and that I can talk to him about his day.
All in all I am thoroughly happy with the level of care William receives and I’m certain that being in such a positive and happy environment is helping him develop into a confident and self assured little boy.
I would absolutely recommend Rita as a great and reliable childminder.❤️❤️❤️❤️
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by
Adriana
on 04/06/2018
Rita started looking after our son when he was 12 months. For small children it is simply the perfect place to be - a home away from home. My son loves going there and spending time with his little buddies. Right from the start we felt that Rita was doing a marvellous job. We are so pleased with the way she creates a stimulating, safe & caring home from home for experience for all the children. She is firm but also very gentle and kind with them, and they follow her lead with each other. She also takes the children in her care on outings very often (weather permitting), including playgroups which my son really enjoys. I always feel well informed at the end of the day with what my little one has been up to, how & what he's eaten, his nap hours and what he's done during the course of the day.
Rita also gives us details of their day together and special things that my son would tell her or the other kids or something he did which made the whole experience very personal and made me feel involved with what they were doing. It is also a real treat when Rita sends us an email every month with photographs of all the things our son has been up to with her and his little buddies, something we really look forward to seeing:)
We feel really lucky to have found Rita as our son couldn't be in better hands. Thank you so much Rita :-)
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by
Parent
on 17/01/2016
As soon as I knew I’ve got a job, I had only one month to find a childminder for my 4 years old daughter. I was a bit worried and none of the childminders I contacted could fit my requirements. Rita was very open to try to accommodate all my needs and as soon as I met her I felt trust and relief of finding someone that would take good care of my daughter. I must say that Rita’s house is most definitely a very safe, reliable, educational and caring environment and my daughter showed that every day when returning from her afternoon’s at Rita’s. I can’t thank Rita enough for everything she did while my daughter was in her care. I would highly recommend her!
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by
Parent
on 23/02/2015
My son has been in Rita's care since October and I could not be happier with the this fortunate union.
Rita is genuinely involved with the children in her care and provides a fun, stimulating and most importantly, a loving environment for all the children.
Rita has been a source of amazing support and friendship that I could not live without.
My son LOVES Rita as well as the other children and enjoys a wide range of activities that she provides on a daily basis.
As a parent I am sure that my son is well taken care of, do not have any reservations regarding this amazing childminder and person!
Thank you Rita! :)
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by
Parent
on 09/02/2015
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