Gquinan's 5 Star Reviews
Childminder
4.85 out of 5
Parents say
This childminder receives overwhelmingly positive reviews, with most rating her 5 stars. Parents describe her as warm, caring, and professional, providing a nurturing environment where children thrive. She is praised for her flexibility, reliability, and ability to create a home-like atmosphere. Many reviewers mention the childminder's experience, dedication, and skill in helping children settle and develop. One negative review cites an unprofessional experience during a taster session.
Summary generated by AI from the text of most recent member reviews
Showing only 5 star reviews
Below are the 5 star reviews for GQuinan. 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.
I cannot recommend Gayle highly enough. We came to the UK from France to work for the summer with my two daughters (4 and 2). From the moment I dropped off my daughters, I knew they were in great hands. Gayle is not only a professional but also warm and caring. She was extremely thoughtful and made them feel at ease from the beginning in this new environment and new language.
She also made sure we were all confortable during our stay in the UK and helped us with everything we could need. I am grateful for the support and care that Gayle provided; If you're looking for a childminder who is reliable, dedicated, and nurturing, look no further. Thank you for everything!
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Marie
on 01/11/2024
From the minute we met Gayle we knew that our son would be safe and happy in her care. She welcomed us into her life like we were family and we couldn’t have asked for more.
Gayle has a gorgeous dog, that is well trained and brilliant with the children.
When our son turned two, we went to a pre school provider, so that our little boy could be better prepared for school life, but Gayle was kind enough to look after him in the holidays.
During our final few months, whilst preparing to relocate, Gayle looked after our little boy a lot, and often with little notice. She empathised with our needs and did everything she could to help us.
Gayle is someone you can wholly rely upon to help in any way she can. She will treat your child as if they were her own.
I am hugely grateful for everything Gayle has done for us. I can’t recommend her warm and nurturing care enough!
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Sarah
on 17/10/2024
We are so lucky and grateful to Gayle for looking after our son over the last year. He went to Gayle at 18 months and being a sensitive boy, had a gradual settling period recommended by Gayle. It was initially daunting for us to have your first child stay with someone other than family, but Gayle really put our minds at ease the first time we met her. She is so friendly and approachable, she felt like an extension of our family. Our son really enjoyed going to Gayle, who is so loving to all the children under her care and looks after them like her own.
She encourages development of early skills and prepares the little ones for nursery and it is to her credit that our boy settled in nursery so quickly, following his time at Gayle's. Both doctors, we were also truly grateful how flexible she is with pick ups and drop offs, as well as planning emergency childcare that was sometimes needed. She always kept us updated via texts/phone if there were any concerns and that was really appreciated.
She lives centrally, in Redland with a friendly dog, Lola, who is well trained and is so well-behaved around little children, and is certainly loved by them like she is one of the kids! Our son still mentions his time at Gayle and really misses her and Lola and we consider her as a great friend now.
Gayle is a fantastic childminder and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone. We are so thankful for all the support she has given us.
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Indira
on 31/07/2024
We can't really express how amazing Gayle has been for us and our son - she has become like family to us now! She absolutely loves children and the environment she sets up for her kids is like a home away from home. Our son has come away confident, happy and sociable after his time with Gayle and it's really a testament to how she engages and plays with her kids. She has been a great support for us as a family and is immensely flexible, which has been a lifesaver. She is the first and only person I ever mention when friends ask for childcare recommendations!
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charris
on 21/07/2024
My little boy started at Gayle when he was one and she helped him settle in super quick.
She always got in touch to let me know how he was and flagged up if she was concerned about anything e.g a potential allergy.
He was always super happy going to Gayle and loved her doggie too.
When his place opened up at nursery he settled in immediately which is down to how Gayle helped him feel comfortable and happy in a care setting. Thank you Gayle he misses your snuggles and Lola .
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Eadaoin
on 06/10/2023
Short version: Gayle is totally amazing!
Long version: Gayle childminded our daughter from 10 months to 2 years. She was a complete find, recommended by a friend to whom I’m forever grateful!
Gayle has a lovely setting in Bristol, close to parks and the Downs. The house is spotlessly clean and she has a huge range of toys and activities for the children. There is also a lovely little garden well equipped with toys, sandpit (sand changed very regularly), and mud kitchen.
Gayle is so warm-hearted and really prioritises her charges, that was something that really reassured me when I first sent my baby to her, and something that really benefitted my daughter settling in. She really opens her heart to the children and invests a great deal in them.
I’ve read other reviews and definitely agree that Gayle is great at creating a secure and orderly environment, my daughter like others probably behaves better for Gayle than for us haha!!
Gayle has a lovely dog who is very well-behaved and behaves perfectly around small children. Gayle is experienced with training dogs and I had no concerns that the dog was safe around children and kept firmly in line. In fact her dog has been a high point for my daughter who adores her!
Another massive plus about Gayle is that she is very flexible in a way that has made my friends green with envy compared to their childcare providers! My husband and I are both NHS surgeons and so our schedules are busy and sometimes chaotic or clashing! Gayle has really smoothed this over by having our daughter late, early, overnight, and even at weekends.
We will always consider Gayle a part of our family and we are so thankful for her. She has been so instrumental in helping our little family to juggle work and life commitments!
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Miranda
on 22/09/2023
Gayle really makes an effort to provide a safe, fun and engaging atmosphere for the children she cares for. Gayle has been a saving grace for me, providing care for my son during times when I needed to work extra shifts at the hospital. My son also has high functioning Autism and Gayle has been able to easily communicate with him, making him feel comfortable in her lovely and clean home. I feel safe and relaxed knowing my son is in good hands with Ms Gayle, and would recommend her to anyone looking for reliable, fun and safe childcare. Gayle truly is committed to providing a loving environment and we are so very thankful to her.
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KeelyF
on 06/06/2022
As first time parents we had no idea of what to expect with childcare for a 1 year old. But we did know we had found someone very special when we came across Gayle. Our little boy was immediately at ease when we first visited and has since become very attached to Gayle.
He spent 3 days a week with Gayle whilst I worked and settled well after just two short sessions. He is now 2 years and 3 months and at nursery but that 2nd year was spent so happily with her and she has become a granny to him and family to us. It was a tough year with the Covid pandemic and me being a key worker but not once did Gayle let us down. She looked after Louis like he was her own Grandson and he made a wonderful friend who he still has playdates with now.
Her home is wonderful and light and happy. And she is amazing at taking them out to the park etc although couldn’t do as much as she would have liked due to the pandemic restrictions.
We can’t thank her enough for making our little boy grow with love, confidence, awareness of others and above all a sense of fun and happiness.
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Hannah
on 12/05/2021
Gayle looked after our son from the age of 14 months to over 2 1/2 years.. She provides a nurturing home with strong boundaries and structure, Our son thrived there and loved going. He has the most wonderful manners which I fully attribute to Gayle. On his two days a week, he went to toddlers and had visits to the local park whenever the weather permitted. When he started nursery last month, he was fully ready with no transition issues at all. Gayle looked after our son, as one of her own. I can't recommend her enough.
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Caroline
on 07/03/2020
We found Gayle after trawling through what felt like dozens of different websites. We were looking for a childminder that was close to where my wife worked, and could have our little one for 4 days a week and didn't take the mickey with fees and clauses (others wanted us to pay for them whilst they were on holiday!).
From my first interactions with Gayle I knew that she was going to be great. She's so friendly and warm, and she was always prompt to reply to any questions I had.
You quickly learn that for Gayle the most important thing are her "little monkeys". The less time she can spend doing admin or faffing around the better! She's been very flexible with us on days where we've had to collect our daughter late, or drop her off a little early, and even when we dropped a day because my wife's working pattern changed she was very accomdating.
Gayle provides a fun and safe environment for little ones to thrive, and gets the children socialising with other kids through the other childminder friends that she has. We always know that she will keep them entertained, whether it is by going down the park, or having activities for them indoors.
Our daughter is always very well fed and rested (in fact I do think she eats and behaves better at Gayle than when she's at home with us!)
Our little one started with Gayle when she was 1, and will have been there for just shy of a year. We are only taking her out because our second child is due.
With Gayle it really feels like she is an extension of the family, and that she really does live for looking after the children in her care.
My wife and I will always be grateful for Gayle and the time she has invested in our little girl, and we know she loves spending time at Gayle's because of the smile on her face when she's dropped off. I hope we can still in touch even though we won't be using her as our childminder at the moment, and I hope that we have an emergency babysitter on hand!
Thanks again Gayle for all you've done, and I know you're little dancing Monkey Moo will miss you. X
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darrenjh
on 10/09/2019
Gayle looked after my daughter for just over 4 months full time. My daughter (11 months at the time) definitely tested her limits to start with but Gayle remained incredibly resilient. After 7 weeks of my very strong minded daughter protesting, they quickly came to absolutely love each other and I'm so pleased. Gayle feels like part of our family and is so kind, reliable and loving. It is so glaringly obvious that she does this job for the love of it and she treats the children as if they were her own. I'm so pleased we met Gayle and even though my daughter is now at nursery, we will still be seeing her frequently.
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Bek
on 23/08/2019
Gayle was my daughter’s childminder for a year and we were sad to say goodbye when it was time to go to nursery. But I firmly believe that my daughter’s transition to nursery has been so painless because of the wonderful care and nurturing Gayle gave her - teaching her manners and how to share, plus being mindful of others. Most of all, Gayle has a big laugh and a twinkle in her eye. She is an experienced pair of hands who I would definitely recommend as a childminder.
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Wigster
on 16/05/2019
Gayle looked after my daughter from age 16 months to 2.5 years. As soon as Gayle welcomed us into her home we felt completely at ease as she talked us through a typical day which includes getting out to parks, visiting other childminder friends, playing with a wide range of toys and dancing! Gayle's home is clean and comfortable and meals provided are healthy and varied. Even though Safiya has moved onto nursery she still talks happily about her time with Gayle and we feel very fortunate to have been able to place her in such a caring supportive setting.
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Emilie
on 26/04/2019
Gayle provides a loving, safe, nurturing environment for young ones to thrive. Gabriel (sensitive/prem) transitioned well @1 to f/t care. Especially loved that Gayle gets out and about most mornings (often meeting other childminders/ nanny friends, their children at a broad range of settings...local play groups, parks, educational centres etc.).
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cmtml
on 16/04/2019
My daughter was 10 months when she started being looked after by Gayle. It was a daunting time sending my first child to stay with someone other than family. I was reassured straight away. Gayle is someone who puts her heart and soul into caring for children. Ava has only ever done one day a week with her, but she absolutely dotes on her.
Always flexible and accommodating she is such a support to us as a family when trying to juggle family and work.
We are now introducing our second child Jacob and he adapted instantly which is testament to her wonderful approach to childminding. She is a natural and puts parents and children at ease. I wouldn’t have any hesitation in recommending her to other parents.
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on 23/08/2018
We instantly warmed to Gayle the minute we met her, and so did our little girl. She has such a huge heart and is so kind and loving with the children she looks after. You can tell that she is very family oriented and very experienced with children. We really feel, in a short space of time, that Gayle is like a member of our family and it’s so nice to feel like that about the person looking after your little one. Our little girl loves her and we’ve never had any tears at drop off time. Gayle’s home is so warm and welcoming with lots of toys and the children always seem so happy and content. She also makes sure she gets out and about every day to the parks, playgroups or other day trips so that they get fresh air and a chance to socialise. We really couldn’t recommend her more highly. A wonderful person. Thank you so much Gayle!
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Parent
on 19/08/2018
I cannot speak highly enough of Gayle.
She has looked after our daughter for a year and a half and we have left with the fondest memories and a new addition to our family.
Gayle has always been caring, generous, loving and patient with our daughter.
Every morning we knew we were leaving her in the safest hands, Gayle has so much experience with children that she instinctively knows how to approach any difficulties, whether it be the initial attachment issues, to fussy eating to naughty behaviour.
She teaches her children fantastic skills in speech and day to day activities, she encourages them to be active and independent and makes sure they spend plenty of time outdoors in parks and the zoo.
Gayle has also been wonderful with us, she keeps us updated with progress and has always been flexible with times she can have the little one.
Her home is a great environment for the kids, I'm always amazed how impeccable it is despite all the kids running around, yet it is so homely, welcoming and full of all the things children love.
The kids are so affectionate with her and to this day my daughter associates so many things with experiences she has had with Gayle. We have stayed firmly in touch with FaceTime and text and hope to do so long into the future.
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HJasim
on 31/08/2017
I couldn't recommend Gayle more highly... She has cared for my son since he was around 12 months, and he is 2 years and 3 months now, and due to move on to pre-school shortly. Gayle has been fabulous with him, patient when handling any of my concerns, and has given him a safe, happy and secure environment to grow in. He talks animatedly about the things they do, park, toddler groups, dancing in Gayle's living room, etc, and the friends he has made while in care there. Thanks, Gayle, for everything over the last year!
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Becdem
on 29/11/2016
Our little girl has been going to Aunty Gayle's house for almost 2 years and loves going there. Choosing a childminder was a gut decision for us, and we knew within 5-10 minutes of meeting Gayle that she was the right person to look after our little girl when I returned to work. Gayle is confident and outgoing and has good life experience, which we thought beneficial in handling situations that life throws at you looking after young children! During settling in, Gayle sent me pictures of my little girl after I had left (sometimes with my little one in tears) showing me that she was happy and playing. I really appreciated this and it help set my mind at ease. Gayle is out and about with the children at every opportunity; playgroups, the zoo, playgrounds and parks and has an amazing selection of toys, games and books. Something else that is really nice about Gayle is that she has bought Christmas and birthday presents for my little girl, a lovely touch. Gayle is flexible where she can be and communicates directly and effectively, which is important in the relationship between parents and childminder. As a working Mum I have appreciated Gayle's pragmatic view on sickness and illness - I know that if Gayle thinks my little girl needs to come home she will call me, but I have never felt like I was called when not really needed. A difficult balance that Gayle manages to strike very well. Most recently Gayle looked after our little girl overnight when our second daughter was born. Needless to say that when our newest arrival needs a childminder we won't be looking any further. Thank-you Gayle!
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Parent
on 14/10/2016
I cannot recommend Gayle enough to any parent in the area.
She provided the most loving and caring environment for my daughter for over a year. When I had to return to work (anxious about leaving my then 1.5 yr old) Gayle was really reassuring and understanding.
My daughter absolutely loved her and even though we have had to move on she still talks about Gayle and misses her terribly (pre - school have a hard act to follow ).
This lady is a wonderful childminder and a complete professional. She has gone above and beyond on many ocassions for us as a family and that is a rare thing to find.
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Rachael
on 03/01/2016
My son has been looked after by Gayle for a year now and he absolutely enjoys being with her. She is excellent with kids and provides for a warm, stimulating environment in her lovely flat.
She is very flexible and understands the needs and pressures of parenthood. She is a very kind hearted person and I would highly recommend her.
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on 11/05/2015
Gayle is fantastic! She is so warm and accommodating and our little Neddy seems to be very well in her care. Gayle’s experience and easy going nature has been brilliant for us. Gayle is very relaxed and caring which is essential with children, she has a lovely home and happily shares it with the children when they are in her care.
We are so thrilled to have found Gayle and highly recommend her. Gayle is so accommodating and helpful and completely understands the pressure that having a young baby and working can cause.
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kmitchel
on 22/09/2014
Gayle is amazing! Such a lovely childminder to my son who loves her but also am amazing support to working parents. I can't recommend her highly enough!
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on 09/09/2014
