Samantha
Childminder in Chingford
Usually responds within 3 days
Female Member since Jun 2013 Last Updated Nov 2024 Last Login 22 Jan 2025
My Summary
Mini Moon's Home Nursery
About Me
Hi I'm Samantha. I live with my husband, Billy and our four year old daughter, Penny.
Billy has been working with me for nearly two and a half years!
We started Mini Moon's to offer families a safe, secure and loving nursery, whilst providing the children with an individually planned education using a wide range of topics.
I have a newly decorated playroom and children will use the dining room and living room as part of our home from home experience. We also have a gorgeous garden with chickens and veggie patches.
We love heading out in our local area to the shops, restaurants, parks and the forest. We also enjoy going on big trips throughout the year to the zoo, seaside and the farm and we host African drumming and henna artists from our local area to extend our learning and experiences of different cultures throughout our topics.
Our home is home to two loving young cats, Flynn and Ryder and the chickens, we feel animals can give children such wonderful learning experiences. We love going on local outings and being in the garden!
My Experience
For nearly 15 years I've been providing a wide range of childcare and education opportunities to babies as young as 6 months up to 7 year olds in year 2.
I have worked in:
- A six form entry primary in the nursery and reception as a teaching assistant
- A private school in the early years department and after school club lead
- Private nurserys as a room leader 2 to 3
- Private nursery as unit lead of under 2 department and third in charge
- A single form entry primary school in reception and year 2 as ateaching assistant
I specialise in and love the early years! Here at Mini Moon's we follow the EYFS curriculum, using this to ensure each child is developing. We plan purposeful activities and play opportunities based on your child's individual abilities and stages using different topics and themes over the year.
My Qualifications
We have been awarded Outstanding in all areas following our recent Quality Assurance for 2 years!
I have a Level 3 in Childcare and Education and completed trained with a childminding agency and I am currently in my second year with the Open University working towards my degree in Childhood and Youth Studies.
I love furthering my own knowledge and understanding of Childcare and Education and enjoy learning new skills. I am currently completing The Curiosity Approach training!
Being registered with an agency, they provide myself and Billy with ongoing training, inset days and working within the community. We recently took part in an in-person training day which was fantastic, we both came away with so much inspiration and excitement to bring to our setting.
My Availability
Our home nursery is open from 7:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. Monday to Thursday
Currently have availability for funded places
| 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: 22/11/2024 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £7.00 per hour
My fees include all meals, drinks and snacks daily. Attending local outings and big trips with treats for the children and special activities for different celebrations and festivals throughout the year, all fully included.
7:30am - 5:30pm £78 daily
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 Documents
- Childminding Agency Certificate (added 01/12/2020)
- Utility Bill (added 27/10/2020)
- First Aid Certificate (added 27/10/2020)
- UK Passport (added 27/10/2020)
- Marriage Certificate (added 27/10/2020)
- DBS Check (added 21/10/2020)
Reviews
5 out of 5
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Samantha. 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.
Our son Will has had the most amazing time at Mini Moons over the last three years. He started with Sam & Billy when he was 18 months old, and right from the beginning it felt like he became part of the family. His relationship with their daughter Penny has also been so special, and he’s absolutely loved coming each week.
One of the things we really appreciated was how thorough and reassuring Sam was at the end of every day and in her updates through the tiney app. We always knew exactly what Will had been up to, how he was doing, what he’d eaten and any little milestones he’d hit. They also took him on some brilliant trips including London Zoo, Leeds Castle and Legoland.
Their home is fab for kids, including an amazing garden which Will loved especially during the summer months. The whole setup really gave him that ‘home from home’ feeling, which has been so important for him. He started out as a very shy little boy, but thanks to Sam & Billy, he’s grown into a confident, happy 4 year old ready for school!
We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and we’re so grateful for the care that Sam, Billy and Penny have given Will over the last few years. They’ve given him the best possible start, and we’d happily recommend them to anyone looking for a brilliant childminder.
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Edd
on 27/09/2024
Our little boy is 18 months and has been with Sam and Billy for 6 months now and we absolutely couldn't be happier! He started at 12 months and what could've been a difficult and scary time was made so easy by Sam's amazing reassurance and incredible care. He settled in so well and he absolutely loves it there. Drop offs are a breeze and he's always asking for them when he doesn't see them! Sam really goes so far beyond just childcare. The effort, attention and love she puts into creating engaging, stimulating, varied activities with weekly themes and more is just incredible. Since starting there his language skills have exploded and now he is always talking! Sam and Billy really do make it feel like a home away from home and it feels more like he's with family than in childcare. I can't recommend them enough!
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Roz
on 16/09/2024
Our child has been with Sam and Billy since 2022 and we have never felt anything other than complete trust and confidence in their setting. From the beginning it felt like such a nurturing environment where our needs and requirements were always listened to and acted on.
Sam is incredibly creative, always coming up with such fantastic ideas for the topics of focus. This includes age appropriate activities as our child has grown in their setting. We love the small setting and feel like our child gets as much attention as they would at home, while also having other children to learn from and play with.
I have been so impressed by how much Sam has wanted to grow and develop, despite having so much prior experience in childcare settings. She is progressive in her approaches and truly wants the best for the children in her care. We have felt that it is like sending our child to a second family - and with better resources than what we have at home!
I was very nervous at the prospect of putting my child in childcare, and I could not be happier that we found Sam and Bill.
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Char
on 16/09/2024
I can’t say enough good things about Samantha and Billy! They have been absolutely amazing with my son, from the very first day, when he was only 1, they made him feel so welcomed and comfortable. 🥹
I have done my helicopter parent research, visited few places before deciding on coming back to work after the maternity leave and sending my baby to nursery, and I must admit that once I met Sam and Billy, I knew- they are the ones!
Mini Moons truly provides a nurturing, caring, fun, and safe environment every day. From creative play to outdoor adventures, Samantha and Billy ensure that each day is filled with learning and laughter. They’re incredibly patient, attentive, and reliable, always going the extra mile to make sure my son feels loved and supported. He is an only child and has very shy personality, I’ve seen real development in my son’s confidence and social skills since being with them. They keep me well-informed about his day with regular updates and photos which is so reassuring 🥰
We are with Mini Moons for over a year now, my son genuinely loves Samantha and Billy, he talks about them, and his little friends every day and it’s honestly melting my heart to know that he is so loved and welcomed.
We are extremely grateful to have found such wonderful childminders and couldn’t recommend them enough!
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Natalia
on 13/09/2024
Samantha looked after our daughter Rebecca for two and a half years and we had zero hesitation in deciding to also chose Mini Moons for our second born. We feel truly blessed to have found the perfect balance of childcare for our young children; Mini Moons offers all of the educational and developmental aspects of a traditional nursery and at the same time provides a warm, nurturing and homely environment.
From our first conversation and Rebecca’s settling in sessions, Samantha helped us all feel at ease right from the beginning - not an easy task for parents of an incredibly shy and sensitive lockdown baby. Samantha and Billy made our daughter (and us) feel part of the Mini Moons family and have been an integral part of her growth into the amazing (& sassy!) little person she is today.
Rebecca absolutely thrived during her two and a half years at Mini Moons. From all the amazing day trips, the daily activities, local outings, the incredible food which Samantha provides, we honestly could not have asked for anything more.
Samantha and Billy make an incredible team and should be so proud of the environment they have created. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your hard work, patience, energy and kindness and for being such a huge part of Rebecca’s young life. We would 1000% recommend Mini Moons to anyone looking for childcare!
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Michelle
on 12/12/2023
Our daughter simply thrived with Samantha and Billy. We were devastated when it was time for Jemima to move on and still think often about what a wonderful setting Mini Moons is. Mini Moons is everything we hoped for from an early years setting: fun, engaging, educational and nurturing.
Sam and Billy go out of their way to get to know each child on an individual basis. They work in partnership with the child and the parents to ensure that the child's needs are met and that they settle into the Mini Moons family quickly and happily.
It is quickly apparent that Sam has a wealth of experience in EYFS, a keen eye of making the most of learning opportunities, and a natural affinity with the children that brings out their best. Sam puts lots of time and effort into implementing fun and engaging weekly topics for the children, which she brings to life with trips out and about, special guests, sensory tables, crafting, baking - you name it. Nothing is too much trouble and no two days are the same.
Samantha is also an excellent home cook who creates delicious and nourishing meals from scratch for the children. She really loves to cook and this comes across in the quality and variety of the food. My daughter developed a love of baking during her time at Mini Moons which we can thank Samantha for :-)
Whilst the opportunity to explore and develop is in abundance, they also provide proper cots in a separate space upstairs for naps which means that the children can get a proper, restorative nap every day. Rather than a few snatched moments on a mat on the floor as is typical of many nurseries.
These are just a few of the many reasons as to why we opted for Mini Moons home nursery, and we are so very glad that we did.
I have two children and have been through the mill with childminders and nurseries etc and can honestly say that Mini Moons is without doubt the best early years setting I've experienced. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Thank you Mini Moons!
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Alex
on 17/10/2022
As soon as I met Samantha I knew she was the childminder for us! My daughter hadn’t been to childcare before coming to Samantha but Samantha made us all feel totally relaxed and confident. She made sure we had multiple settling in sessions so that our daughter felt at home with her and each time Samantha had set up a little game for her to make her feel at ease.
Samantha is clearly passionate about children and childcare and is everything you would want in a childminder- she has a lovely home, a delightful daughter of her own, makes the children delicious food, has a playroom full of toys and sets up daily stimulating activities for the children, she was great at communication and it was clear she loved having our daughter. We were just sad to say goodbye when we moved away from the area! I can’t speak highly enough of her. She also made a huge effort to work around our daughters routine and made a nervous mummy feel very secure knowing my daughter was being looked after so well.
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MummyAsk
on 03/05/2021
My son has been in Samantha’s setting for less than a month and has settled so well. Samantha has been great from the get go. She has been more than accommodating for us.
It is tough finding a suitable childminder/childcare setting, I am extremely happy and at ease knowing my son is in Samantha’s care. Samantha has made my son feel as if he is at home in a caring and safe family setting.
There is a dedicated room for the children which has everything educational as well as playful for a child. We can not forget the added bonus of chickens in her lovely garden.
My son is happy and enjoys his time, he his developed a lot in such a short period and know he will continue to do so from Samantha’s expertise and care.
Another opportunity to thank Samantha for her care and would highly recommend her.
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Natasha
on 02/02/2021
Samantha has been looking after our three year old daughter this month and I jumped at the chance to write her a review, as honestly she is a one in a million childminder!
As soon as we arrived Sam put us at ease, and straight away had a great rapport with our daughter, getting down to her level and showing her just some of the hundreds of toys she has in her incredible playroom, which is set out like a nursery with sensory tuff trays, a reading corner and small world play items set up ready to go. The kids have the whole room dedicated just to them, as well as a lovely seating area in the kitchen and chill out sofa in the back. Sam is an EYFS specialist with lots of experience in phonics, so the kids really do learn through play, it’s a great approach and my daughter has been happily striding in to the house every morning with a cheery wave (no mean feat as she can be shy). Just this week they’ve been decorating gingerbread men, doing sensory play to learn about letters, and learning number sequences using some very festive looking Thanksgiving turkeys and a lot of sparkly bits! Sam even has chickens in her lovely garden which my daughter has been enjoying feeding!
Sam has proved herself to be a great communicator, punctual and helpful in messages and also updating us on everything that’s been going on through her childcare app, with loads of lovely photos and information. She also has a great security system and is very careful with the children in her care, which means I can leave my daughter there knowing she is in very safe hands, and having a great time. I couldn’t ask for more. Thanks Sam!
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SarahF
on 27/11/2020
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This profile has been produced from information provided to us by the user. We have not verified or confirmed the accuracy of any of the information and members should undertake their own vigorous checks and references. Please ensure you read our Safety Advice and information on how to Check Childcare Provider Documents.
