Sandra Mckay

Simply the best!

Our daughter attended Sandra’s setting for almost two years. She has recently left due to a change in my work hours.
I was so sad for my daughter to leave. She absolutely adores Sandra and always was excited to see her. She would always ask for Sandra and was so excited when it was her days to see her!
Sandra goes above and beyond for the children in her care. The activities are fabulous and she takes time to document the children’s learning journey.
Sandra is very calm and kind and someone who my daughter warned to very quickly. She has a real caring nature and loves to see the children happy.
We will miss Sandra so much. My daughter has thrived in her setting and she will miss Sandra dearly.
I cannot recommend Sandra highly enough.
Thank you Sandra for everything and for helping our daughter to become the confident little girl that she is.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Kylie17 on 01/10/2024

An absolute 5 star childminder

My daughter has been going to Sandra for nearly 2 years, only due to house relocation did we have to find somewhere else. We are so glad we decided to go with a childminder during our daughters early years - the home from home environment was the right thing for her. She progressed so much in that time. Sandra is great with the children she looks after. Daily activities such as drawing, painting, baking, reading, park trips and many others. Her outstanding ofsted says it all. We will truly miss her and can not thank her enough for all she did for our daughter.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Rssully on 23/07/2024

Response by Sandra Mckay on 23/07/2024:

Thank you so much for the review, you're child was a delight to look after.
Sandra

An exceptional childminder

My children now 10 and 8 have been going to Sandra since 2018. We couldn’t have asked for a better person to look after our children when I returned to work. Her caring and nurturing environment is the perfect place for children to flourish and grow in their independence. Our children have loved their time with her and made long lasting friendships with other children in the setting. Sandra offers so many different activities for the children and tailors them to the particular interest of each child. I cannot recommend her services enough.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Mabel on 27/08/2023

The BEST Child minder

I began my journey with Sandra 4 years ago when my baby was 4 months old and in that time Sandra has been an incredible influence to our family. As a new mum at the time with no parenting experience, Sandras presence and caring nature gave the reassurance to help me balance work/mum life and during that time has been an invaluable help, which we are forever grateful for. Sandra’s vast experience with young children and wealth of knowledge has helped raise a kind, confident and caring child. 4 years on, I could not have asked for a more supportive childminder than Sandra, we feel so lucky to have found Sandra. Sandra shows love and support wherever needed and was aware of the milestones at every age to assist my daughters growth. Advice, help, love and support are the core values that Sandra holds in her household with the other children in her care, my daughter has cherished the friendships she has made along the way and adores being in Sandra’s care. Sandra is very proactive and keen to ensure that every child develops their key skills in life to help prepare them for their next steps and is able to pass on areas that can assist with improvement. Sandra has a strong and experienced support network in place with other childminders which has given my child the opportunity to socialise with other children outside of nursery, along with participating in days out organised by Sandra. This was also an opportunity for my daughter to build relationships with other trusted offsted registered childminders which sometimes assisted in situations where Sandra was on holiday and we needed last minute cover. Sandra’s home is well equipped with all of the toys and educational materials for all ages to encourage learning which my daughter has highly benefitted from. Sandra also has a large outside area filled with activities which has been thoroughly enjoyed every summer. I highly recommend Sandra to anyone looking for a safe and caring environment that you can trust. A place where your child can feel free to explore, and develop their abilities and skills to socialise and gain long lasting friendships.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Laura on 31/07/2023

Excellent childminder

Sandra has been looking after my daughter for 8 months since I returned to work after maternity leave. As a first-time mum I was nervous about returning to work and leaving my daughter with someone else, but Sandra made the process so easy and I felt very confident right away, which was fantastic. When I first visited, I was struck by how nicely the children were playing together and I really think Sandra's calm and respectful approach helps to facilitate that.

My daughter loves her time at Sandras, spending lots of time outdoors and at different groups so she has loads of opportunities to mix with other children, as well as the other children Sandra looks after. Luna is a very friendly dog and my daughter is very good when she meets unfamilar dogs now.
Sandra is very proactive and regularly checks that we are happy e.g. with the meals she is providing etc. She is great at tailoring what she does to the needs of the children she has each day and is very creative in her approach.

• Overall

by Kate on 05/04/2019

Response by Sandra Mckay on 05/04/2019:

Thank you for your lovely review, your child is a pleasure to look after.....
Sandra

Fantastic childminder

My boys absolutely love Sandra! We have used Sandra’s childminding service for a little over a year now. Sandra has regular activities planned with the children and often the boys bring home cakes and paintings they have made. Sandra takes lots of photos of the boys activities which she shares with us throughout the day. This always makes me smile whilst I’m at work and I’m reassured they are having fun and being well looked after. Sandra’s dog Luna is so sweet and the boys just love her. We don’t have pets at home so I am pleased they have learnt how to be respectful of Luna and confident with her. We have used Sandra to babysit as well as she knows the boys well. I would highly recommend Sandra.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by nslocomb on 02/04/2019

Fantastic childminder

Sandra has looked after my 2 children for over 18months and before that provided as hoc cover. She has been fantastic and is always working hard to ensure both children have plenty to do with her. She has been adaptable and happy to collect from after school clubs. She took my youngest to a local gardening club and since that has closed has along with another childminder started to do forest school activities with him and other children. For festivals, celebrations, birthdays the children always come home with lots of crafts she’s create with them for several weeks. I would not hesitate to recommend Sandra who treats the children like her own. We also use her as a babysitter knowing the children are safe and will be fine if they wake whilst we are out.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Mabel on 14/03/2019

Recommended Childcare provider

Sandra has looked after our girls 5 days a week since they were both 6 months old. One is now 6 and the other 4. To say we are happy with the care provided is an understatement and we could not have asked for a better carer or setting.

The girls have been in such a positive and welcoming environment that has helped them grow in confidence and given them valuable life skills even at such a young age. Sandra always keeps the girls busy through visits to local parks, arts and crafts, baking and playing with the other children that attend. They never have a bad word to say about the food provided and never come home hungry!!

Sandra is friendly, approachable, professional and above all else the exact person you would want looking after your children. She keeps regular contact through newsletters, diarys and face to face talks during pick up and collection and any issues are dealt with promptly and efficiently.

Our girls have always been happy with Sandra and relish attending every day, if we were not moving abroad we would still use Sandra and are hopeful that on our return we are able to use Sandra once again.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Parent on 07/07/2017

Home from home care

Sandra has been looking after my daughter for 5 months now and we are so happy with the care provided.

my daughter is so excited in the mornings and can't wait to have an action packed day with Sandra.

they do lots of fun and educational activities which has really helped develop my daughter in so many ways.

Sandra is such an amazing carer and I would recommend her to everyone.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Nimisha on 18/05/2017

Highly recommended

My daughter has been looked after by Sandra for the past two years. She absolutely loves going to Sandra’s and if she could, she would go on the weekends as well.
I am more than happy with the care Sandra provides. She keeps the children busy by taking them to parks, garden club and toddler groups. She does baking once a week and we have enjoyed many yummy treats over the years.
Sandra is very flexible and has helped us out many times when we were short of childcare, especially around the time when baby no. 2 had arrived.
I cannot praise Sandra enough and if it wasn’t for us moving away, I would definitely send my younger daughter to her as well.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Parent on 27/04/2017