Nutkins
Childminder in Lower Kingswood
Usually responds within 1 hour
Female Member since Jan 2013 Last Updated Jul 2024 Last Login Nov 2024
My Summary
About Me
Vacancies available from March 2025 for children 6 months up to 4 years old.
Ofsted registered childminder, rated Good at last inspection (2020), based in Lower Kingswood (top of Reigate Hill), providing easy access to the M25 at jct 8 and 2 minutes away from the Fidelity offices.
I provide a home from home environment that is warm, friendly and safe. My garden is securely enclosed and provides ample space for playing all year round. It's equipped with lots of outdoor toys, ride-ons and things to explore. I have an outdoor play cabin and an extra large mark making wall for creative drawings. Inside I have a fully equipped playroom with lots of toys to meet the needs of both boys and girls of all ages. The children have free access to the toys and are encouraged to make their own choices and follow their interests.
I take the children out every day to ensure they are socialised, but equally we have enough time at home to explore what is available. We regularly attend local play groups, soft play, Little Street, playgrounds, various National Trusts and the local woodland. I also meet up with other childminders so the children always make lots of friends outside of the setting. Everything I do is child-centred, always following up on the child’s interests. I only look after very young children (babies - 4yrs), so my focus is purely on their early years development.
I provide appropriate activities to develop the children's needs in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). I also track progress and provide daily updates, videos and photos to parents. You are always part of your child’s day.
I have a 2 year old cockapoo - she is adored by all the children and is very well behaved around them. I also have 2 family cats - again, they're very well behaved around the children. There is a lot to be gained from the interaction between animals and children. Some of the little ones have learnt to overcome fears and all have become more respectful around them. The children are taught to care for the animals and get involved with feeding and some have helped to train the puppy. Each day it is evident that the children and the animals are equally happy to see each other.
I have always enjoyed fantastic relationships with all my families (please see reviews), which bodes well for the child’s development. My priority is to ensure you have a happy & confident child who is physically able, emotionally stable & able to communicate their needs, even from a very young age. If you’re a first time parent, I can help you with suggestions and routines and I will do everything possible to ensure your transition back to work is as smooth as possible - sometimes it’s about settling the minds of the parents as much as it is settling the child.
If you would like more information please do get in contact - I'm more than happy to answer any questions or for you to visit my home. Jo
My Experience
Childminding experience, working with children aged 5 months - 9 years.
Newborn experience, my own (twins) and many nieces and nephews.
Qualified primary school teacher, working with children aged 5 years -11years, and previously working in an outstanding OFSTED registered school.
I have twins, so first hand experience of multiples and limitless patience.
My Qualifications
Surrey County Council's Child Minding Introduction Programme
Hold a recent DBS (so does my husband)
Paediatric first aid certificate, updated summer 2020
Qualified primary school teacher since 2005
Completed numerous Early Years Development courses and continue to do so.
My Availability
Monday to Wednesday.
Open 730am-5.30pm.
Happy to accommodate shorter days eg: 9-3
Please note, I provide care 'Term time' only following Surrey term dates.
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Before School | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | no |
Morning | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | no |
Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | no |
After School | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | no |
Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
Last Updated: 09/07/2024 |
My Fees
- Childminding from £8.50 per hour
I charge for sessions am / pm or a daily fee.
Ad hoc care can be provided at an hourly rate.
Happy to accept company childcare vouchers and the Government Tax-Free childcare payments.
Please call to discuss further.
Best wishes, Jo
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
- UK Passport (added 14/08/2023)
Reviews
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Nutkins. 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.
Jo is sensational. She provides a home from home for all her children. My son thrived with Jo and still absolutely adores her. Jo ensures that the children are engaged and well socialised.
She understood Frank and exactly what he was thinking. She not only took amazing care of him she also took care of us all. Providing advice and support for us. Frank loved his time with Jo. He has made friends for life and still talks about all the wonderful things he did with Jojo. Finding Jo was the best thing for our family. We still use techniques with Frank that Jo showed us. Even providing support to help us settle Frank into preschool. We all still miss Jo!
by Georgie on 15/11/2023
Jo and her family are wonderful!
From the moment we met Jo we knew our child would be in the safest of hands! Jo is reliable, patient, caring, kind, generous and knowledgeable! She creates a fun and loving environment for all the children she looks after. Jo ensures the activities are varied and tailored to the interests of the child. I’ve seen my son’s verbal, physical and social skills drastically improve in the time he has spent with Jo!
Jo takes the time to understand the children she cares for and takes into consideration their individual development needs. She provides knowledgable, useful guidance and advice to support the parents! For my son’s two year checks she took the time to write detailed notes to support the session. Following the review and the information Jo had provided the health visitor said ‘you’ve got a good one there guys!!!’ 🙂
Jo’s house is a fantastic place for the children to play! She has a toy room set up for the kids to explore and outdoor space for splashing around in the summer months! Jo also takes the kids to do loads of varied activities and we always receive updates throughout the day to know he is having a great time!
Jo was also amazingly supportive to my family when we welcomed our second child. She was incredibly flexible having my first born for additional days whilst we adapted to life with a new born again!
We will really miss Jo being a regular part of our lives and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for childcare in the local area!
by Julia G on 28/06/2022
Jo is an absolutely incredible childminder who my daughter has adored, since day one. Jo involves the children in such a variety of activities to stimulate their skills and interests. She also takes them to different playgroups, soft play and outdoor activities, getting them plenty of time to meet and play with other children and enjoy different settings. Jo is wonderful at understanding children's different needs and adapting her technique accordingly, to best communicate, encourage and help them.
I am devastated my daughter won't have the opportunity to stay with Jo after a year now, because I have been made redundant. My daughter's development and confidence has really come on in leaps and bounds in that time, and she will be losing out NOW stuck with Mum all the time!
Jo is kind, compassionate, understanding and just incredible. Any child would be lucky to be looked after her.
by Rachel on 15/06/2022
Jo is a brilliant childminder who I would recommend unreservedly to anyone and everyone. Her care for my daughter has been wonderful and she has learnt so much through play as well as more structured learning. Lots of activities and my daughter was always so excited to go in the morning!
by Bpotter on 22/06/2021
I cannot rate or recommend Jo highly enough. Her setting in her home is warm and welcoming and I felt completely at ease from the first visit, as did my son. She puts in so much effort with the children with varying activities day to day. She gives regular updates with photos and videos and communicates really well with parents from day one. She tracks and discusses progress and development wonderfully as well. My son had never been looked after by someone outside of the family until I took him to Jo and he settled in just a few sessions which I think is testament to how wonderful the environment is. All the other children seemed equally as happy and content that I saw. If you are local to the area and looking for a childminder I really wouldn't consider anyone else.
by Rebeca on 19/07/2020
Jo has been a huge part of our life and family for nearly 4 years and I can not recommend her enough. She has looked after our son Harry since he was 10 months old and he’s starting school this September and she started looking after our little girl Daisy last September when she was 8 months.
Her childcare is absolutely amazing, both of our children always have the best time at Jo’s and it’s often a struggle to get them into the car at the end of the day as they just don’t want to leave her lovely home! She does a wide variety of activities, has loads of great toys and games, and lots of arts and crafts always come home with them. She also takes them out and about a lot locally as well as day trips which they love too. Both of our children have developed, grown and learnt so much with Jo and we can’t thank her enough. Jo sends pictures and videos throughout the day so we can see what our little ones are up to which is lovely.
We trust Jo implicitly and she had given us so much support and advice over the years that we will miss hugely. James and Bella her children are also absolutely amazing with all the kids Jo childminds, Harry and Daisy see them as their big brother and sister and love their company.
I wish the time hadn’t come where our children have to leave Jo’s as we have been absolutely delighted with her care but as our eldest Harry is starting school in September we are now taking on a nanny.
If you want a fantastic, trustworthy, fun, caring and supportive childminder, look no further!
by Sophie O on 15/07/2020
My son has been attending Jo's since around 7/8 months old to him now almost 4 years old and adhoc childcare for my eldest during the holidays for me as well. My son loves spending time with Jo. The support given to his development is brilliant and recommendations on how I can support his development at home is really useful.
The updates via app/WhatsApp are good just so I can see how he is doing throughout the day/end of the day.
The range of activities and themes that Jo comes up with I find are really engaging and he seems to enjoy all the activities he gets to do. Lots of days out, groups, park visits and the woods which my son loves.
My daughter who started going adhoc at age 4 also loves spending the holidays with Jo. She helped her overcome some of her fears when she first started going like jumping/stepping off things and has so much more confidence when she is in her care and is much more willing to try new things.
Couldn't recommend highly enough, only leaving as son will be starting school nursery from September.
by Rachel54 on 02/07/2020
Our son spent 3 years with Jo and her lovely family, starting with 2 days a week and going up to 3 days a week once he had turned 2, to fit in with work commitments. We have only positive things to say about Sam’s time with Jo and we will all miss her so much. The amount of energy Jo has with the children is astounding and they learn so much and visit such fun places. Jo has the knack of being a true professional but also making our son feel like part of the family. We never had any issues during our time with Jo. She is always so cheerful and calm. The children formed really close friendships which will continue despite our recent house move. Jo was great at suggesting next steps and very flexible when Sam started at a local pre-school one morning a week, once he was 3 1/4.
Sam has benefitted hugely from his time in Jo’s care and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Nutkins Childcare.
by Kate on 24/09/2019
We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the way you have cared and looked after our little one over the last few months.
Our little girl has developed really well under your supervision and been fortunate enough to experience such a wide range of activities. She particularly likes spending time at Fun in the Foam, alongside all the other various painting and play time activities you have introduced to her.
The level of detailed feedback including videos, pictures and progress reports is very comprehensive and informative.
We would happily recommend your services to any other parent contemplating childcare with you.
Thank you for all your support over the last few months.
She will really miss you and the experiences you create for the kids.
Tom and Nefi
by esther44 on 23/04/2019
I use Jo for ad hoc childminding for my 6 year old and 4 year old. They adore spending time with her, and tell me all about the amazing activities they’ve done and the things they’ve learnt with such enthusiasm, you can see how children thrive under her care. She is very knowledgeable about everything regarding little ones, and is lovely to be able to ask advice from. Knowing my children are in loving, safe hands means everything.
by Parent on 26/11/2018
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