Tinysteps

About Me

Hi parents! Born and raised in Mexico, married in London, I have many years of reliable, high-quality and safety-focused childminding experience, & a garden ground-floor setting! Studies have found that being outdoors enhances cognitive development in children aged 0 to 4 years of age. I always make sure the children are wearing warm clothes, before going into the garden and to the park.

Safety is the top priority of everything I do, and I'm a loving childminder who strongly focuses on the growth, educational play and development of children.

Please do not hesitate to click on the 'WEB' button, which takes you to my website for Tiny Steps.

I have my own setting in SW11, off Clapham Common North Side near Sisters Avenue (for years up until recently, I've been working in 2 childminding settings, in my last role as Head Childminder, in Kew/Richmond, full-time (Monday-Friday) until I started my own setting, and am still helping them 1 day a week -Fridays- until the end of November 2024. I have several children at my setting and they are very happy. The setting where I was the Head Childminder at are Montessori-ethos settings.

I am a mother of 1 (my daughter is now 19 years old already).

My setting is on the ground floor of a Victorian house; it therefore has plenty of fire exits, and I try to utilise the garden and park as much as possible even in colder times of the year, as I strongly believe in growth by being outdoors. Academic research has shown that outdoor play makes a significant positive impact on children's cognitive development. The garden cannot be accessed by any unauthorised people, as it is behind the house.

I take immense pride in my work, and diligently plan daily activities in advance, which are diverse and learning-, growth-, or fun-focused. The local park (Clapham Common) starts at the end of the street I'm on, and to cross the street (Clapham Common North Side) we have traffic lights – allowing for safe crossing for us to reach the park.

Daily online journals are completed and sent to the parents, with everything regarding daily activities and learnings recorded, to keep parents constantly in the loop. I have a very strong safety culture at Tiny Steps, which will be visible to you in all my daily journal entries.

I serve a nutritious and diverse menu, as I enjoy cooking very much, and keep the kitchen very safe, to ensure the children don't get injured. I use lots of fresh ingredients.

I adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) rules, aiming to support each child's growth by catering to their specific needs.

I'm happy to discuss your child's childcare requirements.

I commit to creating a very safe, nurturing, respectful, and affectionate atmosphere where your child can grow and thrive. I'm passionate about working with children, so joy is an inevitable side-products of the atmosphere in my setting.

I thrive on continuous learning and development, in the children and also in myself, so I take classes online every week to further improve my knowledge and skills, even though I have many years of hands-on experience already.

Research has also shown that spending time outdoors has an impact on mental health by reducing stress and anxiety, and improving mood, allowing the little ones to focus on their growth. This makes the garden and closeness to the park invaluable.

My husband is German and British, and works in strategy consulting. He helps me with a lot, such as, in addition to me, checking all installations, alarms and so on, every week; and with administration and management of Tiny Steps, and pre-cooks meals.

Last, but not least, my name: Silvana.

FAQs:

Could you explain the difference between a nursery and your setting?

I manage the setting similarly to that of a nursery but like to think I have a more homely environment, a closer relationship with the parents, more frequent updates, avoidance of using agency staff, and fresh home-cooked food.

In winter, larger nurseries sometimes struggle to provide consistent am-to-pm heating, which isn't the case in my setting as it's also our home (which needs heating also in evenings and early mornings).

What safety assurance do you have for when you walk to the park with the children?

There are traffic lights outside Gilmore House, which is where we cross the street (to reach the park), next to 'Grove Mansions' (near St Barnabas Church). The traffic lights allow us to cross safely. All children wear high-visibility jackets and hold on tightly to the stroller. Children go in groups: two children sit in the double stroller, and the third child (the oldest) holds the bar of the stroller and walks between the stroller and the wall side of the pavement.

Do you keep me, the parent, informed of my child's activities and how the day is going?

I constantly update parents via the app, so that they can rest assured that their child is doing well. Not only parents in the settings I have been a Head Childminder at, but also from friends who have children that I speak to regularly, and from my own experience as a parent, I know how crucial it is to keep parents in the loop, constantly.

Can I contact another parent for a reference?

Yes absolutely, parents of the children that have been under my care are often praising my work and would happily give references for me. Just ask and I will try to speak to them to get a reference.

It is likely to take several days or even weeks, because everyone is always so busy.

Where do the children nap and how are they monitored?

Each of the children have their own separate place to sleep; the sheets are changed for each child and washed regularly. They are monitored throughout.

Do you keep track of my child's development?

I do an assessment of the development of each child every 6 months (in the BabyDays app), to make sure that the areas of development are in order, according to the stages, and so that we could work together to improve areas that the child is potentially struggling with.