Maria
Childminder in Greenhithe
Usually responds within 3 hours
Female Member since Dec 2009 Last Updated Jun 2024 Last Login 21 Nov 2024
My Summary
Eligible Childminder In Greenhithe
About Me
My setting is a home-from-home experience, and whilst I follow the same rules and guidance as nurseries (and pre-schools) which is set by Ofsted (called the EYFS), it is more suited to children who are perhaps too young for a big nursery setting. I am a much smaller setting so it means that they get pretty much 1-2-1 attention and I can help and can help them develop their learning skills, but through play.
Younger children (aged under two) also have the love and protection from a carer, and they are able to grow and progress in a protected environment with children of their own age but also children who are older, giving them more confidence as they grow older.
Home-based means that they are treated just like my family. Although my own children are now grown-up, they experience the same loving care I brought my children up with. I love taking the childminded children to farms, woods, parks as well as soft play and playgroups to build up their confidence in larger social situations.
I often meet other local childminders at groups, soft play etc so the children are also introduced to larger groups which helps in their transition to school.
At home we play, we chill, we watch TV (Bluey is an absolute MUST lol) in the afternoons when the kids are tired (which weirdly lol does seem to perk them up a bit as they all love dancing to the opening credits). The children all eat together (parents are to provide lunch) and they all chat and eat and help each other eat, chat and learn to socialise.
From September, I have space for two children come aged under five. If your family is entitled to the 'working families 15 hours funding', I can provide 3 hours a day of fun, simulating and loving care from 9am to 12pm, or 12pm until 3pm). Other hours can be negotiated.
In my January 2022 Ofsted Inspection, the Inspector said about my setting:
* Children display a high level of emotional well-being. The childminder regularly reflects on her practice. She collects the views of parents about the service provided and meets with other local childminders to share good practice. Parents comment that they are happy with the service provided.
*The childminder develops positive relationship with parents. She shares information about children's learning intentions to support their learning at home.
*The childminder knows the children well and helps them to make good progress from their starting points.
* The childminder helps children to develop a healthy lifestyle. She takes children on daily trips to local parks for fresh air and exercise.
My Experience
I have a nurturing personality and truly enjoy spending time with children. We have lots of fun and we make the most of the toys that I have in my home, as well as ensuring the children experience other settings such as childminding groups and larger places such as soft-play.
As mentioned above, I have looked after numerous children over the years and parents have become friends and I still keep in contact with parents from when I first started. I do lots of training (CPD) at home to make sure I am as informed as I can possibly be with regards to child development.
I have many years' experience of childminding and raising children: having a boy and girl myself.
My Qualifications
I am Level 3 Qualified (QCF: Children and Young People's Workforce Diploma (April 2013))
I keep up with Continued Professional Development by taking courses:
* Female Genital Mutilation: Recognising and preventing
* CHANNEL General Awareness: protecting vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism
* Food Safety and Hygiene Level 2 (Catering)
* Paediatric First Aid
* Children's Safeguarding Training for Childminders
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In addition to the above courses, as an Ofsted Registered Childminder, I also have to have:
Relevant Business Car Insurance
Full Clean Driving License
Public Liability Insurance
Relevant Household Insurance (for childminders)
Enhanced DRB checks
My Availability
From September 2024, I will have spaces for two children aged 1+ (am unable to accommodate under 1s due to ratio). availability on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. please message me for more information. I accepted funding.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| After School | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 29/02/2024 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £5.50 per hour
from £5.50. I am currently unable to drop off or collect children from local primary schools. I look after children BEFORE they start RECEPTION.
My Local Schools
This childminder has not yet informed us whether or not they provide any drop off or pick up services at local schools.
My Ofsted Inspections
The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childminder has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childminder.
My Documents
- Ofsted Certificate (added 27/06/2023)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Maria. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk users 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.
Maria was amazing with our little girl, helped her build confidence away from us as well as doing things by herself.
Our little girl really grew at Maria's thanks to her support and guidance. Maria is a lovely woman who is very caring and nurturing to all the children she looks after. We highly recommend her services to anyone, cannot say enough good things about Maria!
Thank you for everything!
Jack and Jade
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I would 100% recommend Maria to anybody looking for a childminder above any other childcare setting in the area.
Maria is absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have managed to return to work after maternity leave had it have not been for her providing such outstanding care for our daughter. She thrived in her care - my husband and I cannot thank Maria enough.
Maria is calm, patient and extremely hardworking. She is very experienced and her love for her role is clearly evident upon the first meeting and is caring and dedicated to the children in her care.
Maria provides a safe and nurturing environment for children to grow and develop key skills as well as encouraging safe play, age-appropriate behaviour, good manners and how to interact with the others and to build positive relationships.
Maria is very organised, and our daughter’s days considered of fun and educational indoor and outdoor play whilst following and ensuring all milestones were met in line with the EYFS curriculum. We were kept regularly update on all of our daughter’s successes and when she met developmental and educational milestones. Maria has a wide range of toys and games and materials promoting fun and educational play. Maria took our daughter on planned excursions to local places of interest, to various local baby and toddler groups and many wonderful visits to local parks and nature walks. Maria shared news and photos of these outings too so we knew she was having a wonderful time.
Maria builds excellent relationships not only with the children in her care but with parents and families too. She kept in regular contact with us, keeping us informed of any successes and challenges and what our daughter was learning as well as alerting us to any health issues, behaviours and offering support when needed in order to help our daughter reach her full potential. Whilst being kind and caring, Maria encourages good behaviour from the children she minds and seeing how well behaved and content the children in her care are, is testiment to this.
Moving to the area from Bexley, we didn’t know what childcare provision to choose for our youngest daughter. Having visited various nurseries and childminders in the area, we were concerned we would never find the right one, however, we knew during our introductory visit with Maria, that this was the right place for our daughter to be. Her care was everything we hoped for, and much more.
Watching our daughter run down the path to Maria’s door with a huge smile on her face is something we will be eternally grateful for. Our daughter considered Maria’s house a home from home, often getting sad when it was time to leave! It gave us great comfort to know how happy she was there.
When the time came for our daughter to move on to school, leaving Maria was very sad and emotional for us, however we will stay in touch for many years to come.
Maria has had such a positive impact on our daughter and our family life and without her, we never could have managed. Our daughter adores Maria, as does the whole family.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Maria
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Leaving a review is an absolute pleasure. It was clear that Maria was more than a childminder, she was a dedicated and nurturing presence in our daughter’s life.
Her warmth and professionalism put our minds at ease straight away. Maria created a safe, stimulating environment where our daughter thrived both intellectually and emotionally. The thoughtful activities and educational experiences she provided were beyond our expectations.
Communication with Maria was always open and informative. Her updates allowed us to feel connected and involved in our daughter’s daily adventures.
As our daughter moves on to new horizon, we can’t thank you enough for the incredible impact. Thank you for your unwavering patience. We’re deeply grateful for the strong foundation she’s provided. Maria will always hold a special place in our hearts and our daughter’s fondest memories. Our daughter adores her.
With immense appreciation,
Stellar, Karla and Stormy 😊
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Maria Wilson was an amazing childminder to our little one. We couldn’t be more grateful for her for looking after our little one. She has been very patient and caring towards our daughter who has special needs. She is professional and well experienced and had she not reduced her working hours, we would definitely keep our daughter with her. The adjustment period of our daughter was quicker than what we imagined. She was excited everytime I drop her, very much different on how she was at the previous nursery. Clearly, she likes Maria and feels at home in Maria’s place. I would definitely recommend Maria as she is excellent at what she does.
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My daughter has been attending Maria’s since just after her first birthday, and she has been there for just over two years now. She absolutely loves attending and often asks to go in over the weekends. My husband and I are extremely grateful for everything she has done for us, making the commute to London to work very smooth. We couldn’t have asked for a better childcare provider.
The house is always very clean and my daughter is always happy when in Maria’s care. There are always fun and interactive activities for her and Maria takes a keen interest in helping with her development. she is always happy to advise us about any questions on children's health or social development. She is always genuinely interested to hear about my daughter's development and often chats with us before and after the care. Maria has pretty much raised my daughter, I have no idea how I would have done it on my own as I don't have family nearby. She has taught m daughter everything at the appropriate age, from self feeding to proper manners.
Maria has a really varied toy collection that the children can access themselves and she always encourages good behaviour in all the children in her care in a positive way. In the spring and summer they spend lots of time playing safely in the garden or out on walks and visiting lots of exciting places.
We are extremely sad to be moving on to preschool and will miss her a lot, as will my daughter.
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