Sarah C0

Sarah is the best!

We were recommended to Sarah by several people living in our area, and deciding to put our children with Sarah, Mark and Rachelle has, without a doubt, been one of the best decisions we have made.

Our son (who has been with Sarah for 2 years, since he was a toddler) has flourished under Sarah’s care. He enjoys a really good mix of outdoor and indoor activities organised by Sarah, ranging from visits to the zoo, children’s farms, parks, the nature reserve to museums, toddler groups and doing arts and crafts and other age-appropriate activities. These experiences have really broadened his understanding of the world around him, and has helped him become comfortable quickly in a variety of different settings. He also joins Sarah for her school runs, and we attribute his smooth transition to pre-school in part to Sarah familiarising the children with the concept of school from an early age.

Our son’s social development has improved tremendously since joining Sarah’s. Being part of a group of children of varying ages means that, whilst he has a core group of children his age to play with, he is also very comfortable interacting with children of other ages which is great to see and something which we would not have got if we had put him with a nursery or with a nanny.

Sarah’s extensive experience in childcare shines through in everything she does and she is so helpful and flexible with us as parents that we really don’t know what we would do without her. From snippets of practical advice when your child is going through a difficult phase, to being flexible and understanding if the trains are running late to even helping potty train our son, Sarah has gone over and above her role as childminder.

Sarah is also very happy to look after babies from a young age and, when we gave birth to our daughter we were delighted to find that our son, having been taught by Sarah on how to behave around young babies, was so helpful, gentle and caring when his sister arrived on the scene. Our wonderful experience with Sarah meant that we did not hesitate to put our daughter into Sarah’s very capable hands. The love, care and attention that the children receive from Sarah, Mark and Rachelle is second to none and our children absolutely love their time there. We would recommend Sarah to anyone!

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by TimHerts on 04/11/2018

We all love Sarah

Sarah has been caring for our daughters for 6 years now since they were both babies. The care, comfort and love she shows each and every child in her care is amazing. My daughters come home from a day with Sarah talking about all the fun they've had with friends. To my mind one of the best things about Sarah's set-up is that the children play outside in some form every day - a trip to the zoo, the park, a PYO farm, her amazing garden. Sarah is so experienced and immediately reassuring. I am confident that there is no childcare scenario that she has not encountered and similarly trouble-shooted. I can honestly think of no one better to leave my children with and I dread the day when they no longer go to Sarah's.

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by HELEN on 25/10/2018

Incredible

We've been using Sarah to care for our children for almost 6 years. The care, love, and fun that is given to the children in her care is amazing. Sarah, and her assistants work so hard to ensure that all children enjoy their time - the days are filled with trips to the zoo, farm, local parks as well as local toddler / childminding groups. Nothing is too much trouble, and the flexibility that Sarah offers is second to none.

Whilst our eldest son doesn't go to Sarah's as often during term time, he loves the holidays as he spends time playing with the friends he's made at Sarah's over the last 6 years - and is quite disappointed when it's not a "Sarah Day".

Our youngest has now been cared for by Sarah for just over a year. I love the fact that at drop off both children are quite happy to go to Sarah, or one of her assistants - there are no tears. I'm always quite jealous of the activities that they get involved in, when I'm having to go to work!

Sarah and her team communicate really well with parents, and you get to see a snapshot of what the kids have been up to with the daily instagram posts.

In addition Sarah is a great source of advice and guidance - as she's looked after so many children, she's seen everything at least once before, and is a great source of information. Nothing is too much trouble.

Being outdoors is an important part of Sarah's day, and the children take part in the daily school run, as well as being encouraged to spend time exploring the great outdoors. Whilst there's a time for chilling' out on the sofa in front of the TV, this isn't where the children spend much time - they're out at the park, or playing in Sarah's amazing garden.

We can't recommend Sarah and her team highly enough.

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by Parent on 26/06/2016

Excellent childcare

My daughter has been going to Sarah two days per week for the past 9 months and I have been very impressed. The children are all very happy and given a range of things to do. They make daily trips out to a variety of places including the zoo and wildlife park. When I drop my daughter off I feel sad that she gets to stay and I have to go to work, I wish we could swap!

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by Parent on 09/06/2016

Awesome

My children (ages 2 and 4) have been going to Sarah's for the last year and love it.
From my point of view I just don't know how I'd manage without her, Mark and Ali. I work shifts so need to be flexible around days and hours. Sarah could not be more flexible with this and if we are late due to delayed trains etc. this is never a problem and makes life just a little bit less stressful. I often drop my children off in their Pyjamas and she takes care of the rest. As a commuter, this flexibility either side of the day makes such a difference compared to strict nursery times as getting back on time is often not something you are always able to control.
Both my children attend the local preschool (also fantastic) and Sarah has an excellent relationship with the staff there so I know that any issues will be communicated back and she is happy to pick up and drop off (and there is no charge whilst they are there)
The children love it and both mine have grown in confidence whilst being with Sarah and have a really lovely group of little friends. Because there are quite a lot of children there there is pretty much always a child the same age to play with. The older ones are encouraged to look out for the younger ones and seeing them all play so nicely together is just lovely. There are loads of kids but it just seems to work and whilst busy, never seems chaotic.
Sarah and Mark have pretty much dedicated her house to the kids and the garden especially is great.
Most days there are outings to a toddler group/ Mead farm/ Zoo/ soft play and then they will go out to the park after school too. The children spend a great deal of time outdoors.
I was initially quite hesitant about trying a childminder but having used both a nursery and a nanny, there is no way I would consider anything else now. It's a pretty unique setup but it really does work and my children are so happy and settled there.

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by Rocheste on 22/05/2016

5 stars

The contents of this review are no longer available as the reviewer's account has been deleted.

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by Parent on 21/05/2016

Can't rate Sarah highly enough

Sarah has cared for my three children since my youngest was 16 months old and we hold her very dearly as part of our family. Sarah now has them before and after school/pre-school for us.

We love the flexibility and the fact that the children feel part of the family. We trust Sarah, Ali and Mark with our children because we know they'll always do their best for them and put their safety and wellbeing first. Sarah goes beyond her role and is always there to offer advice. They have a great variety of things to do with lots of adventures. Sarah shares our values of plenty of fresh air, fun and exercise, home cooked meals and no nonsense! Days out and picnics in the park on the long summer days are the best. It's even better when the children come home after managing to do a bit of reading or homework, so that we get to spend some quality time with them.

Sarah always make special events such as Christmas so magical for the children with elf on the shelf, trips to Santa and lots of craft.

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by Parent on 19/05/2016

Outstanding childminder

I took my son out of nursery a few months ago so that he could go to Sarah's when I went back to work full time. I used to leave my son balling his eyes out every time I dropped him off at nursery and since going to Sarah's he's a happier, more talkative child who hasn't once protested about me leaving him for the day. In turn that makes me a much happier Mum, I have total peace of mind when I'm at work.
Sarah has an amazing set up and have dedicated their house to the children. It's a kids wonderland with amazing toys and a great garden. Together with the lovely Ali and Mark they run a tight ship organising the children for the school drop offs. They're outside a lot, walking through the village and spend a lot of time at the zoo and farm. The children all seem to love Sarah, Ali and Mark and whenever I see the kids they are all happy and playing cheerfully.

I can't recommend Sarah and her team highly enough.

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by Parent on 19/05/2016

Couldn't Manage Without Her

Sarah has been an integral part of our support network for over 6 years now. She doesn't just help look after our children, she takes a keen interest in and makes an active contribution to their development. Sarah is a source of great advice and her knowledge is second to none. She goes out of her way to help when we need it and is 100% reliable.
Our children love going to Sarah's and always enjoy the activities and trips she lays on - especially summer picnics in the park!
All in all,we couldn't manage without Sarah, Ali & Mark.

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by Parent on 19/05/2016

Childminder versus Nursery

My daughter had been in a very good nursery since she was 10 months old and my son since 6 months. When Grace started half day nursery classes at her primary school I needed to find an alternative and more flexible childcare solution. Sarah had been recommended to me by several people so I decided to move both the children to her (my son was 18 months and Grace was 3 1/2). It was the best move I could have made and I wished wholeheartedly that I had found her sooner.

Whilst I was very happy with nursery, Sarah has so much more to offer. When I used to pick the children up from nursery they were invariably 'frazzled' and tearful after a full on day. Sarah's is home from home and both children were noticeably more relaxed and rested being in a home environment with peaceful places to sleep or relax. Sarah also makes a real effort to take the children out to get fresh air and stimulation. Every day they go to different parks or playgroups and get lots of time outdoors in Sarah's really well equipped garden. Very importantly she can offer so much more flexibility than a nursery. If I am delayed on the train I no longer stress - she is always happy to hold on to them and will even bath them if I am really late. They love being together and I only have one pick-up.

There has never been a moment when I have regretted changing both children to Sarah's welcoming and loving home - I just wish I had used her from the beginnning!

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by Parent on 20/04/2012