Elena 2011

Pleasant

My 15 month old has been going to Elena's childminding service since September and he is nicely settled in. It was the first time he has been with someone outside the immediate family and he is happy and have adjusted. I am happy for the support Elena and Mark has provided for us so far.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Communication

by Uju on 16/10/2024

A great start for our little man

Our little man has been with Elena and Mark since he was 1 year old and I can honestly say that Elena and Mark gave him a super start in life. He loved it there, he was engaged, he learned lots and he developed into a polite, caring, intelegent little boy.
It was clear to see their influence and whatever we started with him at home it was well reinforced in their setting.
Mark and Elena offer great flexibility too, which is perfect for us as schedules can change at relatively short notice.
If you are looking for a childminder I can not recommend Elena strongly enough.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Gibbzz on 14/09/2022

Excellent care

Our daughter Maria has been looked after by Elena and Mark since she was 7 months old and now Maria is ready to start school in September. I cannot thank enough four their hard work in the past 4 years.

Elena’s settings is calm and inviting, filled with carefully chosen toys that encourage open ended creative play.
Elena carefully plans activities around the interests and developmental milestones of each child helping them to learn through play.

Everything is taken care of: Lots of singing and reading, Regular photo updates so we get to see all the fun things that Maria has been up to each day together with her friends. The children spend a lot of time out-of-doors in her garden, which is very well equipped for all sorts of adventures.
Elena celebrates birthdays and other occasions with the kids, and they enjoy the party food, singing and dancing.

I am so proud of Maria’s development, especially with her English as she is bilingual and we do not speak English at home, so all her language skills she has from Mark And Elena.

I would highly recommend Elena’s settings, Maria spend 4 lovely years with Elena and Mark and will definitely miss them.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by anna on 20/08/2021

Highly recommend

My son has been going to Elena's child care since he was 9 months old. He is now 3, we are moving so sadly he will be leaving. He has loved his time with Elena and Mark, he comes out full of stories, and has made some lovely friendships and with Covid this has been essential for his developed when we haven't been able to mix outside.
He loves to play in the garden and join in the music sessions.
He can be very fussy with food and they have been very patient with this, also very flexible when I have to stay on at work or need to swap my days.

I can highly recommend, and thank them for looking after H so well.

Rachel

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by REM on 21/06/2021

A core piece to our family jigsaw

Since Verity started her childcare journey at Mark and Elena’s we’ve had nothing but support and understanding for our family needs and requirements.

As a naturally anxious mother, who had suffered with mental health issues including post-natal depression during my maternity leave, meeting such a down-to-earth family who have a strong knowledge of the importance of childhood development and the early years of education really put me at ease.

Since transitioning from being with my child all the time to returning to working two part-time jobs Elena and Mark have shown a great deal of flexibility and compassion especially with how clingy and emotional my daughter Verity was for the first year of being apart for a couple of hours, two days a week.

I’ve really noticed the difference in Verity’s ability to be more socially outgoing and share her interests more freely with us, relatives and companions since exploring the different outdoor, music-based and play-based learning activities that Mark and Elena provide for her. The moment we pick her up she always recalls her favourite parts of the day and has gradually begun to make positive relationships with other children of mixed ages thanks to Mark and Elena’s gentle and calm encouragement.

I can tell that Verity is secure in expressing her wants, interests, needs and desires and she communicates her emotions effectively. She always looks forward to her walk to Mark and Elena’s and happily waves us off at the door.

We’ve collaboratively managed to map-out, plan and scaffold many specific milestones such as potty training, stopping the use of pacifiers for comfort and becoming more adventurous with exploring a range and variety of food flavours and textures ensuring that her nutrition is balanced. We couldn’t have done this without confidently consulting Mark and Elena on our concerns based on what we were struggling with at home and getting positive feedback from them in what approaches worked effectively. I never feel judged or compared when having those conversations with them and they always make the time to listen to my worries and keep in regular contact to relieve me of that guilt.

The updates and use of social tools are so reliable. I get regular, weekly updates of videos, photographs and comments in regard to Verity’s general day and any significant leaps of progress or impressive moments. They also message me weekly just to check that I’m familiar and ok with the admin side and medical side of childcare which really helps me to feel organised and puts me at ease especially as a busy teacher and domestic carer as life and time can get very busy!

It’s amazing to think that Verity has already achieved and shared so much with them since being there from five and a half months. She’s since learnt to crawl, stand, walk, remain dry in pants etc.

I feel incredibly fortunate and blessed to have found a system that fits in to my life so easily and I couldn’t imagine how we’d sustain our family routine without Mark and Elena. Discovering that they were local and within walking distance was just an added bonus.

Verity missed Mark and Elena lots during lockdown and even with the unpredictable challenges of COVID-19 Mark and Elena made the effort to maintain reliable and clear contact via WhatsApp to ensure that we could share our day-to-day lives and experiences with them and other parents. They also informed us of any policy changes which proved that they put the safety of all families that they are involved with as their core priority. This has made returning to work smooth and stress-free for myself and my husband.

I can’t sing their praises enough and am already eager to see what the future brings in their setting. I know that Verity has a happy, bright, successful time ahead since beginning her learning journey there and I truly, genuinely mean it when I say that I highly recommend Mark and Elena as a decent choice when considering a child minder.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Kayleigh on 06/10/2020

Our little one loves it

Elena and Mark have been super with our little one and offer great flexibility to us.
He took a little time to settle in but they were calming and reassuring, so after a week or so he went from not wanting to say bye to toddling up to the door as quick as he can to get indoors to where all the fun happens.

The setting is well stocked with toy and thinks to keep the little ones entertained and educated. There is also a substantial garden with outdoor toys (mud kitchen, slides, ride-ons, see-saws etc.), which is great because our boy loves to be outdoors,

Our son has come on leaps and bounds since starting with Elena and Mark and under their careful guidance he has started to understand sharing and taking turns (he is still little).

He always gets a good healthy meal and snack and we love the updates and videos we are sent during the day.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Gibbzz on 02/10/2020

Caring & Professional Childminder

I have my both sons with Elena & Mark and its been a beautiful journey so far. The bigger one has been with Elena just before he was 1 and soon he will be 4. Can't believe how time flies. He absolutely love it in there. During the lockdown he missed and cried that he cannot see his friends and join his usual activities. She also organised video calls with all children which was an amazing idea. They loved to see each other.
Elena covers different types of indoor and outdoor activities, taking care of children meals,organising music and dance time, pretending games, painting and making cards etc As my biggest one is preparing to school now, she already started a development plan to help this transition to be smoother.
She has been flexible with our sons needs and keeps records about our children's development. Considering that I have my both children with her, definitely it's a piece of mind for me knowing that I have someone to trust 100%. Its never easy to let go to that "mummy routine" and I have always considered her as a "second" mum for my children.
Elena has been always caring and flexible with my sons and can't thank her enough for all her efforts to make my kids happy and make me happy also. We have lovely memories so far!

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Andreea on 01/10/2020

Excellent Childcare

Our family is lucky to have Elena as childminder. She is kind and loving. Together with her husband, Mark, they create a fantastic environment for kids to play and learn, every day a new adventure inside or in the garden. My son loves playing in the garden with cars and outdoors kitchen. The children have a diverse menu. She is keeping us informed about our sons evolution sharing videos and pictures. Elena is doing a fantastic job.
We highly recommend her.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Raluca on 01/10/2020

Highly recommend

My little one is with lovely Elena and Mark over a year ago and I have been always happy with their involvement during all this time. They organise a variaty of activies, indoor and outdoor and my son really loves the music activity. They offer a daily journal at home but also using Tapestry to add videos and reports regarding your child development. Elena provides daily nutritional meals for children but you are more than welcome to bring yours if you want so. Always been really flexible with timing and when I needed her to keep my little one a bit more. They have always been supportive and informative with our little one and I highly recommend her to anyone! She had my little one since he just turned one and I imagine it wasn’t easy for none of us but I was truly happy for my little one to be into her settlement. She help us a lot with my son food diversification and he did his first steps with them! I can say that my little Edward has definitely a “second home”😊

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Andreea on 08/01/2019

Brilliant Child Care

Our daughter has been going to Elena and Mark's for just over a year and a half now, since she was 18 months old. From day one Elena and Mark have been brilliant in ensuring she settled in, as well as updating us on her development through a daily diary, reports, photos and videos.

The setting is lovely, they make the children feel at home through creating a nice clean, friendly family environment; with a great variety of home-made food and educational activities.

We are delighted with our daughter's development and preparation ready for school whilst in Elena's care. We couldn't recommend them highly enough.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Parent on 19/07/2018