We would very, very strongly recommend Kate as a Childminder! The setup with her husband and daughter is brilliant in a lovely house. We contacted her through this website, had clear communication and arranged a time to visit. They have made a lovely child friendly space with a covered back garden and a great range of toys and activities. We received a very clear set of paperwork and are confident everything is done very carefully and properly. Kate has been brilliant making sure the new childcare hours are available with what sounds like a complicated system!

There is such warmth and care in the setting, you really feel like it is an extended family. Our daughter joined at 18 months when we relocated to the area. The small size of up to 9 children has been absolutely perfect; she loves her time there. She has made some really good friends and is very close to Kate and her family. Kate kindly shares details so that the parents can get together; the parents we now know are always full of praise and talking about how much the children love their time there too.

A real highlight is the food. Kate is very knowledgeable and makes a brilliant range of foods which are exactly what the children need and also delicious (apparently!). Our daughter has definitely seen the benefits of the diet and eating as a group helps them all to try things even when at home our daughter can be picky.

Our daughter has learnt about tidying up through her time with Kate - they clearly do a great job of making sure they tidy away after an activity and taking off their shoes and putting them by the door. They ensure that the children get the sleep that they need through the day and our daughter always comes home having had a good long nap.

They celebrate everyone's birthdays with a party and lots of singing. We are always delighted with the gifts and crafts which our daughter brings home, such as Christmas and Easter decorations and a card for mothers day. We often see photos of the activities with lots of painting and exploring out to the park when the weather allows.

We have very much appreciated the flexibility on specific hours. Week to week we do have slightly different pickup times as I occasionally work away, and we are able to let Kate know on a weekly basis and she has managed to accommodate. We have also done some shorter days and our daughter leaves having been well-fed and had lots of fun.

Our daughter is very happy and chatty and this has definitely been down to Kate and all of the love, care and fun she has at the setting. We are so so grateful and would very much recommend, it makes such a difference when you find a great Childminder like this - they really feel like an extension of our little family who also want the very best for our daughter! Thank you again Kate.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication