Helens Happy Home
Childminder in Shoreham By Sea
Female Member since Oct 2011 Last Updated Dec 2024 Last Login 24 Dec 2024
My Summary
Outstanding Term Time Care
About Me
Hello there!
I'm Helen and I'm a Term Time Only Ofsted registered childminder, with an Outstanding Inspection. I'm based in central Shoreham (Queens Place) and Helen's Happy Home is a two minute walk from Shoreham Train Station or a quick drive to jump on the A27. Our Victorian Terrace House has a wonderful large kitchen/ diner space used for childcare, with a lovely garden for children to play in and do various activities!
I provide a homelike environment so children have all the comforts and security of home, as well as other children to play and socialise with. I aim to motivate and enthuse children by offering a stimulating and challenging, yet safe environment.
Working with you to develop a good two way communication flow helps me to provide the appropriate care for your child, and ensure consistency. Children feel a sense of belonging when they see us working together, which helps to re-enforces your child's trust in me and to feel secure. I use an online system to share information with you such as activities, outings, WOW moments, observations etc and I share daily photos to support the days events. I love to hear parents feedback!
I offer each child a close and supportive relationship and pay attention to their needs to help them thrive. I do lots of talking and eye contact and I listen to what they are trying to say, whether its verbal or non-verbal and respond accordingly. I offer warm, responsive care to help them feel confident and valued in order to help them settle and become a secure member of our little team!
We play with a wide range of quality, multicultural and diverse toys, posters, educational games, puzzles & books, where children are encouraged to help themselves. A favourite activity tends to be when we dance and sing songs, and listen to music from all around the world whilst playing percussion. We also sing nursery rhymes with actions/ puppets/ percussion which children really enjoy, especially when they get to hold the puppet and lead the rhyme!
We do lots of walking, running, crawling, climbing, yoga, exploring and talk about exercise and its benefits. We also make time to relax on the sofa, or amongst cushions and blankets on the floor and read fictional stories together - we sometimes use story sacks and props to bring the stories to life, and sometimes we read stories from inside a den! We also read factual books with specific topics such as celebrations, seasons, "people who help us" or if a child has shown an interest (such as shadows or water) we will select a relevant book from the library to explore this interest further.
Every day I offer mark making opportunities with various tools and materials to develop physical skills - we mould, paint, stick, stamp, draw, write and cut. Our artwork is often part of a theme, however mostly we just love to create and see what happens! I encourage the older children to practice writing letters, numbers and eventually to write their name. We have an artwork display board for children to proudly display their works of art, and show their parents when they come to collect them.
To understand the importance of recycling we use recycled rubbish to create artwork that can be taken home to be admired by the rest of the family. We also enjoy participating in putting the recycling out in the relevant bins.
We talk about healthy eating when a relevant situation arises, and do cooking or food smell/tasting activities based around healthy eating (like making hummus) or with foods from different cultures to help develop their tastes.
Each week we attend various groups with other childminder friends and our little teams can mix with each other and form friendships. They will participate in seasonal and celebration themed activities and enjoy child-led play with all sorts of toys and activities. We also visit museums, libraries, farms, animal sanctuary's, paddling pools, soft play and much more!
We spend time outside every day whether its in the garden or at one of the numerous parks we go to, a walk in the woods or maybe along the seafront to find treasures or even rock pooling! We often take an activity with us such as a ball to practise kicking, throwing and catching, a parachute, or maybe small world animals or trucks to play in the sand. On our journeys we discuss keeping safe, and we try to learn as much about the world as we can and embrace the local community.
Most afternoons we look at the photos we have taken during the day and talk about what we are doing in the photos - I find it helps the children to feel part of a team, as well as the important individual that they are!
My Experience
I opened Helens Happy Home in 2011 when my daughter was 6 months old and have been childminding ever since.
My Qualifications
I have undergone the following training, and continue to attend new seminars and online courses to keep my knowledge and skills up-to-date:
Paediatric First Aid Certificate
Safeguarding Children
Promoting Positive Behaviour in the EYFS (0-3)
Exploring Outdoor Provision for Babies in their First Year (0-1)
Sustained Shared Thinking with children in the EYFS (0-3)
Child Development (0-5)
Creative Storytelling (0-3)
Makaton for Professionals
Its Cool to be Creative
Discovery Boxes, Treasure Baskets and Heuristic Play (0-3)
Babies’ Brains are Amazing! (0-3)
Observation, Assessment and Planning (0-5)
Running, Developing & Marketing a Childminding Business
Introduction to Childcare Practice – (Pass) part of CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Home-based Childcare
Next steps from observation (ages 0-5)
Deserving the best, meeting the needs of two and early three year olds (ages 0-3)
All training is approved by the local authority and follows guidelines set out in the Ofsted Early Years Foundation Stage.
My Availability
Please contact me to discuss current availability.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Morning | no | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | no | yes | yes | yes | 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: 17/12/2024 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £7.00 per hour
Care Per Child is £7 per hour - your fees could mostly be covered by FE Funding.
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 24/02/2024)
- First Aid Certificate: Full Paediatric First Aid 12hr (added 13/03/2023)
- DBS Check (added 13/03/2023)
- UK Passport (added 13/03/2023)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Helens Happy Home. 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.
We’ve been working with Helen for over a year now and we are thrilled with the care our son has received (from 10ths old) and adventures he has been on.
Helen is thoroughly organised, communicative and thoughtful. Our son enjoys a wide variety of excursions (indoor and outdoor) in Shoreham and beyond. At home, Helen’s space is perfect for our boy and his pals to learn through play, dancing, singing, role play…
We know that we have struck gold with Helen’s Happy Home and we would not hesitate to recommend!
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by
Sally
about
Helens Happy Home
on 17/09/2024
Response by
Helens Happy Home
on 21/12/2024:
Ahh thanks Sally ❤️
Elwen started going to Helens Happy Home in January 2015 at the age of 12 months and it was definitely a big step for me, leaving her with someone other than immediate family. I didn't feel ready to put her in a nursery and HHH seemed closer to her home environment and seemed less daunting somehow. After meeting Helen, I knew straight away that Elwen would be happy there. She started going once a week, and quickly went up to 2 days in and she loves her time there. Elwen settled in very quickly and now runs in, often not looking back. She has made great progress and has learnt so many things with Helen and her development has been incredible. Helen provides a great variety of activities, including plenty of outdoor exercise as well as time in her lovely home. There are lots of fun outings to play parks, museums and play groups as well as downtime at her home. She has a great range of toys available and encourages messy play. There is also a lot of imaginative role play, from making dens to dressing up, which we always encourage at home too. Living in a city, its important for us that Elwen also explores the outdoors and wildlife around her and this is something Helen certainly introduces into their daily routine. They might go walking through leaves in the park, or talk about the weather outside or collect specimens like twigs and mint for their nature bag to examine back at Helens home. I really like Helens creative approach to learning. It may be counting through number pebbles or leaves for example. She encourages child led play and to be independent whilst always maintaining a happy and safe environment. I could not believe it when Elwen could put her coat on by herself. Helen had taught them how to do this along with counting to 10, repeating days of the week. It is brilliant. Helen encourages good behaviour, sharing and kindness to others which are important values to us at home as well. I love going onto the Baby Day site after Elwen has been there to see all the fun activities they have been up to and the photos that Helen has taken of their adventures. I get a complete picture, including how long she has slept and eaten. This helps me to feel involved with her care and something I can talk to Elwen about when she gets home and throughout the week. She gets so excited about her next visit and playing with her little friends there, including Helens daughter Ionie, who Elwen loves. She chats so much when I pick her up in the evening and I often have to sing all their names for her to fall asleep at night. Helen is kind, patient and conscientious, as well as being understanding of every childs needs and I love her fun and creative approach. I would highly recommend her to anyone as a great and reliable childminder. Sending Elwen to Helens Happy Home has been one of the best choices I have made.
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by
tonwen
about
Helens Happy Home
on 26/03/2023
Response by
Helens Happy Home
on 27/03/2023:
Thanks so much for your lovely review Ton x
My daughter Elektra, who is now four years old, has been looked after by Helen for almost two years. Helen has been simply amazing and a joy to work with. She is nurturing and caring whilst allowing kids to take (reasonable) risks. She is a natural teacher with a knack for communication. She is considerate and thoughtful, and able to work with each of her childrens' sensibilities. I have learned so much from her on how to deal with tantrums, fussy eating etc.
Many thanks, Helen.
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by
Evb
about
Helens Happy Home
on 20/03/2023
Response by
Helens Happy Home
on 21/03/2023:
Thank you so much Evangelia x
Everyone in our family looks forward to Thursdays, when Cleo spends a day at Helens Happy Home and us parents get some time to ourselves.. Cleo loves Helen and her daughter, and gets to do lots of activities that we probably don‘t do at home. She loves playing with Helen‘s daughter and the variety of children at different ages and selection of activities means that Cleo gets a really interesting day in a place where she feels very at home and secure. When your child talks about and looks forward to seeing their childminder you know you are on the right track.
Alix, Newtimber
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by
Alix
about
Helens Happy Home
on 20/03/2023
Response by
Helens Happy Home
on 20/03/2023:
Thanks Alix, lovely review x
Helen and her very Happy Home were absolutely brilliant in looking after our rather shy 2 year old.
We were very apprehensive as to how he would behave but we needn't have worried at all. Helen was brilliant at getting him settled in and interacting with the other children straight away. The activities and day trips Helen organises are fantastic.
Thank you for everything!
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by
Charlott
about
Helens Happy Home
on 19/03/2023
Response by
Helens Happy Home
on 20/03/2023:
Thanks for your lovely Review x
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