Samantha
Childminder in Chingford
Usually responds within 24 hours
Female Member since Jun 2013 Last Updated Oct 2024 Last Login 21 Nov 2024
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 | no | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| After School | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 01/10/2024 | |||||||
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
Below are the latest reviews for Samantha. 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.
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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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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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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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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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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