Mariedoo's Reviews
Childminder
5 out of 5
Parents say
The childminder receives glowing reviews for providing outstanding care in a nurturing home environment. Parents praise the engaging activities, nutritious meals, and focus on development. Children thrive socially and educationally under the childminder's experienced, loving guidance. Many families express sadness at leaving due to relocation, highlighting the strong bonds formed. The childminder is described as reliable, organized and highly recommended.
Summary generated by AI from the text of most recent member reviews
Parent reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Mariedoo. 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.
Marie was the first non-family member that we ever left our 1 year old daughter with, and we couldn’t be happier with not only the level of care, but the home-from-home environment she provided. Marie nurtured our baby in a way that made us feel relieved and reassured at first, then happy and fully content over time. We realised the confidence our little one had developed when only after a week or so, she marched into Marie’s self-assured and excited to spend time there. She was always happy to be left at Marie's. Marie engaged brilliantly with our daughter, embraced who she was (including her well-loved beaten-up teddy bear) and pushed her development, to the point she learnt so many new things (including feeding herself independently) under Marie’s care. She cooked lovely nutritious home-made food that our daughter loved (we were told on a weekly basis that she ‘ate well’), and took her to interactive play days every time she was with her, which our daughter benefited so much from. Marie kept a log of everything that took place while our daughter was in her care – it’s a lovely little book that we’ll treasure forever. We owe so much to Marie for socialising and increasing our daughter’s confidence, and we can’t recommend her highly enough. I’m only disappointed that my daughter couldn’t have spent more time with Marie, but sadly we had to move away from the area. An outstanding childminder in every sense. Thank you, Marie!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Fay
on 08/10/2023
The reviews are all true, Marie is the best person you could possibly wish for to look after your child. She looked after our little boy a couple of days a week from 3 months old and we had no concerns at all because we knew he would be as well looked after as if he were home. She has helped shape him into a happy, confident and sociable little boy and we couldn’t be more grateful. His face lights up when he sees Marie’s house and we know he has the best time with her. All of our friends and family know about Marie - we call her Marie Poppins because she is the dream childminder- really lovely and friendly but takes no nonsense- our boy always does what Marie tells him to do. When we decided we needed to move for more space, the only thing we both didn’t want to leave for was Marie! We wish Marie could look after Fox forever. We hope she will still be childminding in five years and we can move back to north London and reunite Fox with her!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Bee F
on 07/08/2023
Our little girl was with Marie from age 11 months until 2.5 and it was honestly the best start for her in a wonderful setting. Heading back to work and leaving her with Marie, I felt so reassured and happy that she was being so well looked after. We wanted her to have that bit more attention than a busy nursery but also the benefit of being with other children so this was a perfect combination of the two.
Not only did they do great activities at her house with lovely garden, they went out every morning on trips to farms, parks, groups with lots of other children and even places like the Transport Museum - she was seeing such fabulous and exciting places!
The food was homecooked and delicious and we often heard how our little girl would want more!
The best thing for us was the communication and updates we got each day, something my friends weren't always getting from their nurseries - we had a one to one chat with Marie at pick up to hear what had happened that day and also received a book at the end of the of the day with a brilliant update. Not only that Marie created a beautiful large book of photos documenting their activities and how it related to the early years skills. This is something we still treasure now!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
N19Mum
on 26/03/2022
Response by
Mariedoo
on 26/03/2022:
Thank you Lyndsey for the fantastic review and your kind words. I really appreciate it.
My daughter attended Maries 4 days between the age of 1 and 3.5 years. Marie’s became a second home for her where she absolutely loved going because it was a loving, homely, stimulating, fun, safe and supportive environment where the children flourished. Marie is a wonderful childminder who genuinely loves her work and it shows in everything she does.
Marie puts a lot of time into planning the week, from trips to activities at home to snacks and food (my daughter (now 5) still talks about Marie’s food and how she wishes I could cook more like her!) Marie also has an educational focus to her activities and encourages the children from an early age to think about letters and numbers, writing their names etc. (things I would never have thought to do at home!).This set my daughter in very good stead when she started school. There is lots of reading and LOTS of creative work - drawing, painting, stencils, collages, glueing etc. and lots of physical and messy play in the garden with water, play doh, clay, sand, dried pasta, you name it!
We loves that Marie expects respectful and kind behaviour from the children (towards the other children and adults) and she is fair, clear and compassionate in how she ‘works’ with them. She has a well-thought out routine that the children love and thrive off - there is always something going on and the children have busy, stimulating days (but it’s a calm and organised used kind of busyness).
As a parent, choosing who to leave your child with when you go to work is one of the biggest decisions you have to make…I lost count of the number of times I thought how lucky we were to have found Marie.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
emmalj
on 30/01/2022
Our son was with Marie and her assistant from around 12 months to 2.5 years old. He was so happy there and the care he received was brilliant. He was so cared for and developed a lot of confidence during his time there. We were very sad to have to leave when we moved out of London and, even now, he talks about Marie and his friends. Marie provides such a huge range of activities for the children and takes time to make a scrap book for each child, with photos and details of what they have been up to. Our son still loves it look through this with us to remember his time there. I would not hesitate to recommend Marie to anyone.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Neens
on 03/08/2020
We cannot speak more highly of Marie and her team. The care, support, guidance and love she gave to our daughter was second to none. Our daughter joined Marie when she was 9 months old and we've sadly just left because we relocated to Bristol. Our daughter came on leaps and bounds under Marie's doting care - she began eating with a spoon just weeks after starting and ate a wide variety of fruit and veg and home cooked meals, she learnt how to put her own shoes on and she has become such a confident little girl who loves socialising and is kind and caring to other children - I genuinely believe this is down to Marie's expertise and experience as a dedicated childminder.
The setting at Marie's house is perfect - so spacious and light and with a big garden which the children are out playing in all year round. In the summer we always arrived to pick our daughter up and found her playing in the garden, riding a bike, jumping on the trampoline. Our daughter came home every day with a piece of artwork she had completed, or a plant she had potted - she is now a glueing and sticking addict and just loves to paint!
The hardest part about leaving London was leaving Marie and her team and knowing what a hole it would leave in our daughter's life. We highly, highly recommend Marie - it was the best start we gave our daughter. Thank you Marie!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 21/11/2018
Our son started with Marie at 9 months and is now 3 years old. We can't recommend Marie highly enough. She provides a loving, safe and engaging environment for children which allows them to develop and flourish.
Marie was incredibly considerate during our son's induction period and really helped us to ease him into a nursery environment. Once he was settled he developed lots of new skills really quickly and was happy and content.
As he grew up he was able to make lots of new friends and developed a really strong bond with all of the children and Marie's assistants.
Marie provides nutritous, healthy food and snacks which our son absolutely loves. Each week she schedules groups and activities for the children including gymnastics and arts and crafts. She provides a daily report for each child and keeps a wonderful progress book that includes development milestones and pictures of personal events such as birthday parties.
Marie has provided a second home for our son and for that we are incredibly grateful. She is a wonderful childminder that we highly recommend.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 18/07/2018
Our daughter joined Marie when she was 9 months old, for 3 days a week, and she instantly fell in love with Marie, her assistant, Maureen, and Marie's home. As this was our first child, and we felt she was quite young to be going to a nursery/childminder, we were quite nervous but when meeting Marie at her home for the first time we felt instantly at ease and looked after.
Our daughter has totally flourished under Marie's care. She eats amazingly well, is learning so many new skills from the other children, participates in many different activities and is absolutely exhausted when she gets home! It's so wonderful to see all the artwork she does, the photos from the groups they attend and when it is a sunny day, and we go to collect her, she's outside playing in the big back garden.
Marie is super organised and it's really easy to communicate with her and discuss any concerns we might have about our daughter. Maureen, is so enthusiastic and a complete natural with the kids - our daughter adores them both. It feels like we are getting such a professional service but within a completely nurturing, natural and loving setting.
Our daughter is still with Marie and we can't wait to see how she continues to grow special bonds with Marie, Maureen and the other children and what adventures she'll get up to next at gymnastics!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Olivia
on 30/05/2018
My son started with Marie when he was around 17 months old and this was my first experience of leaving him in childcare. It was without a doubt the best decision we made to leave him in Marie's care, she is incredibly experienced as a childminder and has all the energy, love and support for each and every child. I recently changed his childcare arrangements as I'm now on maternity leave with my second child and the hardest part was saying (a temporary) goodbye to Marie - he still asks me now if we can go to 'Marie's house'.
I would highly recommend Marie to anyone looking for childcare for their child, particularly if this is the first time the child will be left in care. Marie has a warm and inviting home and keeps them all happy and entertained with the daily visits to playgroups, soft play, farms and much more.
She has also provided so much support when it comes to teaching good manners, learning how to eat with a fork/spoon, language development and even potty training. We all miss her very much!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
KatieLM
on 05/02/2018
Response by
Mariedoo
on 24/02/2018:
Thank you so much for your kind words I do appreciate them.
My daughter was with Marie for a year before we had to leave because due to a change in my work situation. I was so sad to take her away from what became her second home.
Marie combines many years of experience with a youthful spirit and a reliable routine with lots of new ideas and activities to keep things interesting. She has a warm welcoming home which is always full of fun. I love the fact that they get out of the house every morning to go to different groups and activities and have the afternoon to sleep, relax and play.
Marie loves creative activities and every event and season is celebrated through art, music and dressing up.
My daughter gained so much confidence in her care and I would highly recommend Marie to anyone looking for a more intimate alternative to nursery.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Dill
on 07/12/2017
Our daughter started at Marie's when she was 11 months old, now she is 3 and we have moved from the area. The hardest part of our move was saying goodbye to Marie and breaking the bonds our daughter had formed with Marie, her assistants and the other children.
Marie is incredibly organised. She takes the children out each morning to a group or activity, recently they have been going to baby gymnastics. They have a good routine and are always kept busy with lots of different activities. We have a huge collection of paintings and crafts that were brought home.
There is a good mix of ages in the setting, some older children come after school who have grown up with Marie as their carer. I think our daughter benefitted from this, her speech is advanced for her age and she would be encouraged to socialise with the older children to join in conversations. Marie paid special attention to different areas of our daughters development, and activities were organised around these.
A child friendly traditional menu is provided with no sugary snacks or drinks allowed. The exception is on special occasions such as bday parties which are held for each child, this is a really nice personal touch.
Marie provided a home from home for our daughter and we can't recommend her highly enough. We never thought twice about leaving our daughter with Marie and we wish we could have brought her with us!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 05/07/2017
We've had our 2 year old boy in Marie's care for the last 9 months and she's been amazing. We have only taken him out of her care as we have just moved out of London and he is still asking for 'Marie's House' every day...
He settled in very quickly there, liked the routine they had, made some good friendships, ate really well (which he doesn't always do at home), napped really well and was always happy when I dropped him off and picked him up.
It's great that the little ones get taken out every morning to a group or class (he now enjoys painting and arts and crafts which he was never interested in before) and also the older kids join them after school so there's a really mix of ages which has been good for his development and social skills.
Marie runs the place but the other staff are also lovely and my son bonded with them all too. I would highly recommend Marie and her team. We're going to miss you!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 28/06/2017
Marie and her colleagues provide safe, nurturing, structured and stimulating childcare in a very comfortable home environment. Our daughter was quick to settle and clearly very relaxed and happy there, well fed and well cared for. I particularly appreciated Marie's communication style; we had notes at the end of every session giving a quick overview of the day's activities/meals/nap times etc and Marie documented developmental progress in a personalized photo diary. We were very lucky to find such reliable and capable childcare on our doorstep and only left due to a family relocation.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 29/08/2016
We have known Marie for over five years. During that time she has provided exceptional care for both our sons, looking after them since they were babies. Our eldest son is collected from school by Marie and our youngest, now four years old, attends Marie's for four days a week and is always eager to get there every morning- often forgetting to say goodbye as he runs through the door!
Marie is extremely considerate of the children's needs, tailoring activities to suit their interests and always striving to move them on with their learning. They both learnt to write and spell their names with Marie and have been encouraged to learn their numbers and letters in preparation for their transition to school.
Marie ensures that the children enjoy a wide range of experiences. They regularly visit play groups, have had trips to the fire station and our youngest is particularly enjoying the weekly Zumba classes they are currently attending!
When our youngest begins school in September, Marie will collect him along with our eldest. We are really happy that they will both continue to enjoy being in Marie's exceptional care. They have made such special friendships there and Marie has become such an important person in their lives.
We highly recommend Marie.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 16/06/2016
Marie has provided excellent childcare for both of my children - she looked after my son from the age of one until he went to school, and will do the same for my daughter until she goes to school in September.
The children do lots of varied activities - they go to different groups every day and also go on trips like the city farm, soft play centres and fruit picking which they love. When they are in the house, they are always occupied doing puzzles, reading, painting and other crafts.
Parents are given detailed notes at the end of each day, and Marie will discuss any concerns she may have. Over the year she also fills in lovely portfolio books for each child with photos and comments about their progress.
Marie ensures that the children are polite, well-behaved and kind to each other and also encourages them to be independent and ready for school. My children love Marie's food, which is balanced and there is lots of variety. Her house is spotless and she has a lovely big garden with lots of outdoor toys and a trampoline.
Marie is incredibly reliable and hasn't had a day off sick in over 5 years (in fact I'm not sure she has ever had one!)
I would highly recommend Marie to anyone looking for excellent quality, dependable childcare.
-
Overall
by
Fineline
on 16/06/2016
Marie has been looking after our two boys for two years now; our youngest from the age of 1 and our eldest from 4. She picks the eldest up from Ashmount Primary school and looks after the youngest all day.
The kids love Marie and are happy in her care. In all that time I have heard one complaint on drop off which was principally related to the absence of wellies. Marie can scarcely be held accountable for that. Happiness at the start and end of a busy workday is the most important thing.
Marie's approach is the main reason why they are happy. She is loving and nurturing, but all the kids (and parents) know the parameters, what works, what doesn't, so they know where they stand.
The other reason is the the effort she puts into the setting and activities. Her house and garden are spacious and immaculately kept, and activities are plentiful and well structured. The younger kids usually have an outing in the morning to one of a few local playgroups, which are also well chosen.
Marie's kids are happy and her parents are happy - we would heartily recommend!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
Food-
Communication
by
Martin
on 15/06/2016
Marie has been my childminder now for 8 years, she has cared for both my girls since they were 4 months old (now age 8 and age 4).
They both love going there since Marie provides such a varied range of activities for them to do each day (visiting clubs, parks, libraries, endless craft activities, trampolining etc) and Marie is always caring and welcoming.
She is very knowledgeable about child development and supports them to develop key skills, providing a useful daily report plus compiles a beautiful portfolio documenting their physical and educational development with photos and accompanying notes.
My youngest starts school this September and she's been well prepared for this by Marie e.g. her confidence, writing her own name. She won't be going to Marie's for the full day any more, however they will both still go to Marie's after school until I return from work. I'm delighted we found Marie - couldn't want for a better childminder.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 13/06/2016
Response by
Mariedoo
on 15/06/2016:
Thank you for the lovely review Karen it is very much appreciated.
Marie and Heather looked after our son from the age of 9 months to nearly 4 years old, and we couldn't have asked for better childcare. They organised different activities and trips every day - to parks, play groups, farms, puppet shows. The kids had proper home cooked meals, and always came home with loads of art work. One year on and our son still talks about Marie, Heather and all the kids they looked after. He had a brilliant time and formed fantastic bonds with all of them. Unfortunately we moved out of London, otherwise we would definitely have wanted our younger child to go to Marie's too.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 05/10/2014
We have known Marie for three years. She has been looking after our children, aged 2 and 4, for four days a week during this time, and will now be collecting our eldest son from school.
Marie provides an outstanding level of care for our boys. She is caring, kind and extremely considerate of the children's needs, personalising activities to suit their interests so they are engaged as soon as they walk through the door! They have enjoyed a large range of activities and many day trips such as going strawberry picking and visiting a fire station. Our boys have loved every minute and all these wonderful moments are recorded in the beautiful portfolio she creates for each of them.
Marie also goes to great lengths to teach the children important skills such as writing and counting. Our eldest son has learnt to write his full name and is really confident with his numbers all of which are down to Marie.
Marie is highly organised and provides a daily feedback sheet which gives an overview of the boys' day detailing what they have eaten (which is always very nutritious - we strive to replicate it at home!) and what they've been doing. Marie is also shows great creativity, showing the children's art work throughout the house in stunning displays and changing these in line with the seasons.
Marie takes great pride and care over her work and it's clear that she genuinely loves her time with the children. It's also very clear why she was awarded an outstanding from Ofsted.
Our boys have a very strong attachment to Marie and always look forward to seeing her. We are extremely grateful for the exceptional care she gives them and would highly recommend her.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 22/09/2014
Response by
Mariedoo
on 25/09/2014:
Hi Sam thank you so much for this wonderful review I really appreciate the time you have spent on it detailing all the things I do with the boys it was very definitely worth the wait.
Marie looked after our son from 7 months to when he went to school and I highly recommend her. Our son is quite wilful but she was able to provide such a wide range of stimulating, fun and energetic activities that he didn't have any time to kick up a fuss. He learned a great deal and started school able to read and write a few words, count to 20 and ready to learn in the school environment. Marie's knowledge of how to teach young children in a fun, interesting way was critical to this. Marie is also very affectionate and he felt very safe and loved with her. She has a lovely home, large garden lots of toys, and arts and crafts materials. She took the kids out every day to different fun activities. She was also a good source of advice and support about how to look after small children. The older children who come after school also provided the opportunity to mix with different children and to hear about school life. The meals were good and Marie could get him to eat things he'd never eat at home. The daily reports are still on our shelves to this day, a lovely reminder of how he changed over the four years he was with her.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 27/08/2014
Marie cared for our elder son after school from 4 years old until 11 years old and our younger from 4 years old until 9 years old; he is leaving simply because my job has changed so no longer need after school care.
We are all very fond of Marie and her family (her teenage children babysat for us at weekends). Marie is very caring and professional, dedicated to ensuring each child in her impeccable home has a challenging and enjoyable time there. My boys had healthy meals where each child shared news from the day. She offers a variety of activities and encouraged my boys in their interests with great enthusiasm.
We will be sorry not to have her as part of our lives on a regular basis and would wholeheartedly recommend her as a fantastic carer to anyone looking for a childminder.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 16/08/2014
Marie has been collecting one or both of my children from primary school, and providing after school childcare for them, for the last 9 years. I have never had to use another childminder. Marie is extremely reliable and has never let me down in all that time, and I have never had any concerns or worries about my children whilst they have been in her care.
Marie provides a variety of craft and educational activities in her house after school, and the children also get to spend lots of time outdoors, including eating their tea outside whenever possible. The younger and older children all mix well together, and my children have always enjoyed that aspect of being at Marie’s house.
Marie is always very encouraging of the children's talents, getting them to demonstrate their latest piano or guitar piece for example, and is always as proud of them when they do well at school, in sport etc. as if they were her own. I will be very sad when my younger child moves to secondary school and I no longer need to employ Marie.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 23/07/2014
We’ve known Marie for over 6 years now. She has cared for our daughters from the age of 4 months, one is now 2 yrs old and the other is now 6 yrs old although Marie still cares for her after school.
Marie’s home is really welcoming, clean and well organised. Both our girls settled in really quickly and love being there.
She takes the children out to different playgroups, music groups, parks, farms, etc all the time and so they’re really confident in unfamiliar surroundings and mix well with other children.
She has really helped with their development, their speech through reading books and singing songs, potty training, feeding themselves, personal hygiene etc.
They do some sort of creative arts and crafts activity pretty much every day which are varied and topical and they bring their work home with them.
She doesn’t let them watch television, but provides a wide range of entertainment so they don’t get bored using puzzles, water and sand play, trampoline, etc.
When they misbehave Marie is firm but kind and has helped ensure they have good manners.
We get a written report at the end of each day so you know how much they’ve eaten and slept etc and what activities they’ve done, however we also have a brief chat about their day. We also get a fabulous portfolio of their development with photos and comments.
She cooks fresh meals for them each day and encourages them to eat fruit and vegetables, although they do have party food when celebrating someone’s birthday.
Don't recall Marie having a single day off sick in the whole 6 years.
In summary, I have no hesitation in recommending her. No surprise that she's got an Outstanding rating.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 22/07/2014
I have been using Marie for nearly 4 years now to look after both my daughters, aged 4 and 2. She has been absolutely invaluable, providing a very high standard of care. Working with her assistant, they take the kids out to different playgroups every day, or to the park, and sometimes even on day trips to the local city farm or pick your own . The house is a good size, and the garden is large for inner London, and full of fun toys, including a huge trampoline! She provides a daily written report detailing the day's activities, what the kids ate for lunch and tea, and any observations on new milestones etc. She also compiles a beautiful portfolio book on each child filled with photos and drawings. She is clearly very fond of all the children she looks after - both my daughters have really flourished here, and I would recommend Marie unreservedly.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 20/07/2014
