Latest Reviews
Here are some of the latest reviews that we have received from parents who have used childcare providers and tutors listed on Childcare.co.uk.
Laura has been part of our family for 5 wonderful years, caring for our children from when they were 6 and 3. From day one she has provided outstanding, loving and completely reliable care.
She is the perfect balance of professional, warm and fun. She has built such a beautiful, trusting relationship with both children - they absolutely adore her and light up when she arrives. She genuinely understands them as individuals, knows what makes them tick, and has supported them so thoughtfully through every stage, milestone and wobble.
She is incredibly organised, proactive, and uses her initiative without ever needing to be asked. Whether it's creative play, homework support, cooking healthy meals, or getting them out on adventures, everything is done with so much care and attention. Our house has always felt calm and safe in her hands.
Laura is kind, loyal, trustworthy and has become a truly valued friend to us all. Any family would benefit enormously from having her in their lives. We feel so lucky to have had her.
Honestly, I would NOT recommend this childminder to anyone, and I wish I’d stopped using her a lot sooner.
The level of unreliability was unbelievable. She would regularly turn up 20,30 or even 45 minutes late, and there were MULTIPLE occasions when she completely forgot she was supposed to come at all. One time I had to ring her to ask where she was meant to be collecting my son, only for her to tell me she’d forgotten and was in another town. On several occasions, by the time she eventually turned up, I’d already missed appointments or lost money because I could no longer do what I’d arranged. My time and commitments clearly meant very little.
She was also regularly late bringing my son home, which was a separate issue from her lateness in the mornings.
On one occasion, when she was supposed to be collecting my son in the morning, I had to chase her to find out where she was. She claimed she couldn’t find my house and said she was in my area, only for me to discover she was actually at a school pickup on the complete other side of town, around a 10 minute drive away. I was left having to meet her there, 30 mins AFTER the agreed time she was supposed to collect my son from my house.
She would agree to a time and then suddenly tell me at the last minute that I needed to come home because she had to take her own son shopping. Other times, she would forget to tell me she wasn’t available and cancel literally 10 minutes before I was due to leave. Imagine trying to organise appointments around someone who treats agreed arrangements as if they’re optional.
I was once overcharged by more than an hour. When I questioned it, she told me she “doesn’t have a fee” and charges what she thinks she’s worth, despite having a set fee. Apparently, the rules only mattered when it benefited her.
When my son was TWO, she actually laughed and suggested he could be autistic because he liked vehicles. I found that incredibly inappropriate and insensitive. That is not something you laugh about when discussing somebody’s toddler.
Even on the rare occasions I managed to have a night out as a mum, she would message me about minor inconveniences that could easily have waited until pickup, creating unnecessary stress when I was supposed to be enjoying a few hours to myself. I had so little confidence in her reliability that she became my backup for my backup. The only real positive was her supposed flexibility, but even that came with last minute cancellations and changes of plan.
Despite me always paying on the day, she then suddenly demanded payment upfront and made it clear I wouldn’t get my money back if my son was unwell.
The final straw was how she treated me when I was dealing with a pregnancy loss. For the first and only time, I communicated beforehand that I was running late because of what I was going through. Rather than showing even a little understanding, she tried to double-charge me, despite previously offering to stay an additional THREE HOURS beyond the agreed time. When I refused the extra charge, she accused me of not respecting her worth as a childcare provider and even outright stated I didn’t care about my own son and had no consideration for him.
I honestly couldn’t believe it. This was someone who had repeatedly wasted MY time, cost ME money, made ME miss appointments, forgotten to turn up and cancelled on me at the last minute, yet somehow I was expected to show her endless understanding while receiving none in return.
Her reaction during a pregnancy loss really summed up my experience. There was no compassion or consideration for what I was dealing with, only an argument about money and what she believed she was owed. It left me feeling that supporting mothers and understanding the realities of motherhood came a very distant second to getting every pound she felt entitled to.
Respect works both ways. You cannot repeatedly disregard another person’s time, commitments and financial losses, then act offended when they expect the same consideration in return. Flexibility means nothing without reliability and basic compassion.
Weronika
We honestly cannot recommend Jon & Lottie highly enough !!!
Our son has been with Jon & Lottie for the past two years and choosing them for his childcare has honestly been one of the best decisions we have made for him. From when our son started, we felt completely comfortable leaving him in their care and over the last two years, they have become such an important part of his life.
What makes Jon & Lottie so special is that they don't simply provide childcare, they create an environment where children can really thrive. They are incredibly creative and make every day fun, engaging and full of new experiences. They do so many outings and adventures and have given our son such a wonderful love of the outdoors, nature and exploring. They have also encouraged his love of music (Jon is very musical and would often pop out the guitar for a little music session).
They have supported him not just in having fun but in becoming a kind, confident and considerate little boy. He has developed such lovely manners, is great at sharing and is always saying please and thank you, which are things we know have been encouraged and modelled every day in their care.
Most importantly, Jon & Lottie genuinely care about the children they look after!!
Our son has always been so happy to go in and we have always felt that he was known, understood and loved as an individual. They have given him so many wonderful memories and experiences that we know he will carry with him as he starts his next chapter.
If you are considering Jon & Lottie for your child, we genuinely couldn't recommend them more highly. Your child will be in wonderful, caring and creative hands !!!
We had the pleasure of Helen looking after our daughter for over 3 years 3 days a week and we could not recommend Helen enough! She is a godsend and has become such a big part of our family!! Without Helen I honestly do not know how we could have coped juggling work, childcare and everyday life!
My daughter first started with Helen just before her 1st birthday and settled in Helen’s care instantly. It was like she had always been there and that was just so special to see! She was always so excited to get to Helen’s and even now she’s joined school she still wants to go back!!
Helen would always provide regular updates and photos throughout the day on eating, drinking and activities and these updates were so reassuring and I looked forward to seeing these messages. Her communication and knowledge on the childcare funding, EYFS requirements and invoicing is excellent and she’s extremely organised!
My daughter has always been a fussy eater but at Helen’s she would try things that we could never get her to eat at home. Helen would also get the children involved in baking and my daughter always loved to be included in the process and proud of what she had made!
Helen would always take the children out no matter the weather which I think is fantastic and my daughter really really loved this!! There’s lots of parks and places for them to go in the local area and meet up with other childminders and their children. The activities Helen would plan have honestly shaped my daughters learning in the most positive way and we are so grateful
When my daughter was diagnosed with speech disorder Helen was amazing in assisting with the tasks that the therapists recommended. I definitely noticed a big difference in her pronunciations and subsequently her confidence grew with talking.
I cannot thank Helen enough for everything she has done for our daughter and family. She really is the best childminder We could ever have asked for!
Ovuokio has been absolutely excellent, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for a better childminder, especially during such a significant transitional stage in our lives. She has been incredibly flexible and accommodating with our ever-changing schedules, while still maintaining a wonderful balance of routine, creativity and enriching experiences each week.
Every day is filled with opportunities for socialisation, learning and key developmental milestones, all delivered in such an encouraging, positive and nurturing environment. It is also clear that she is genuinely invested in and cares deeply about the children in her care - something that goes far beyond simply providing excellent childcare. She even came along to our daughter’s second birthday party, which I think really says something about how much she cares about the children and families she works with.
The photo updates are a lovely way to stay connected and see all the wonderful things happening throughout the day, and the food provided is excellent too!
We have nothing but wonderful things to say about Ovuokio. She has provided exactly the support, care and flexibility our family has needed, and we are so grateful for everything she does. I would wholeheartedly recommend her to any family looking for a caring, reliable and genuinely fantastic childminder.
Can’t thank Cherie enough for her services, our boy has come on leaps and bounds,Cherie provides education and practical fun for him taking him to groups and parks, she is also very flexible which is brilliant for our working life….. thanks Cherie 🙏
We are very happy with the care and support Sylvia has provided to our son Abhay. From the beginning, she has been kind, caring and patient with him and we have always felt that Abhay is safe, happy and well looked after in her care.
Abhay really enjoys his time with Sylvia and looks forward to going to the childminder. We have noticed a positive change in his confidence, learning and social skills since he started. Sylvia takes the time to understand his interests and encourages him to learn and explore through fun activities.
We really appreciate the regular communication and updates about Abhay’s day. It gives us great peace of mind knowing that he is in such a caring and supportive environment.
Thank you, Sylvia, for everything you do for Abhay. We would happily recommend Sylvia to other parents looking for a caring, trustworthy and dedicated childminder.
To Whom It May Concern,
I am delighted to provide a reference for Martina Demjanova, who worked as a childminder for our family from June 2017 to September 2021.
Martina cared for our two children, who were aged two and four when she started working with us. She was an incredibly important and valued part of our family for the four years she was with us, and we would highly recommend her to any prospective employer.
Martina is a kind, loving, creative and fun childminder who genuinely cares about the children in her care. Our children always looked forward to spending time with her and were happy, engaged and well cared for when they were with her. She brought a wonderful sense of fun and creativity to their days, while also providing a safe, structured and nurturing environment.
Her responsibilities were varied and included taking sole responsibility for the children when my husband and I were working all day, as well as during school holidays. During term time, she took our eldest child to and from school and managed the children's busy schedules, including swimming and dance lessons. She organised playdates and outings to parks, galleries, museums and other activities, always making sure the children had interesting and enjoyable experiences.
Martina was also responsible for many aspects of their day-to-day care, including cooking meals, helping with homework and reading, and taking the children to various appointments when I needed to work extended hours. We trusted her completely to manage these responsibilities independently, and she always did so with care, good judgement and a calm and positive attitude.
One of the things we particularly valued was Martina's willingness to go above and beyond when our family needed her. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she stepped up and provided invaluable additional support, helping us to keep everything running so that my husband and I could continue with our work and responsibilities. Her flexibility, reliability and positive attitude during such an unprecedented and challenging period meant a great deal to us.
Martina was also extremely tidy and respectful of our home. She took pride in keeping things organised and left the children's areas and our home neat and well looked after. She was conscientious and responsible in all aspects of her work.
Throughout her four years with us, Martina proved herself to be loyal, reliable, trustworthy and hardworking. She communicated well with us as parents, and we always felt confident that our children were safe and in excellent hands. Most importantly, she developed a lovely bond with both children, and we knew they were genuinely happy and cared for when they were with her.
We would highly recommend Martina without hesitation to any family or prospective employer. She was a wonderful childminder and a valued member of our family, and we are very grateful for all the care, support and happiness she brought to our children's lives. We feel very fortunate to have had Martina looking after our children during such an important part of their early years.
Please feel free to contact me should you require any further information.
Yours faithfully,
Jean
JC77
As parents we are always worried about our children, but Zafreen has always assured me that my baby is in good hands and my little one’s reaction whenever she’s dropped off is proof! The environment is safe and filled with educational and fun activities for all babies. I’m always kept up to date on how my little one is doing through videos and interactions with Zafreen. That’s my babies second home!
Safiya
Shaz has been absolutely wonderful with my 3-year-old daughter. She was very caring, attentive and interacted with her really well. She spent time playing with her and made her feel comfortable and happy. My other children also really like Shaz and enjoy having her around. I’m very pleased with her and would definitely recommend her to other families.
katie
My daughter started with Carmen and Marta just after her first birthday, and stayed with them until she left for "big school" at three and a half.
Carmen and Marta gave her such incredible loving care and really helped her to grow and develop. She has left Carmen and Marta's a confident, curious child who skips into school every morning and is independent and capable in a school setting.
The small scale of the setting allows the children to develop close bonds, like an extended family, which was important to us as our daughter was our first child and didn't have siblings at home. It also allowed her to receive lots of one-to-one care and attention, with Carmen and Marta helping her to learn to eat, play and clean up after herself independently- toilet training, in particular, was easy with Carmen and Marta helping so much during the daytimes and she learned quickly and painlessly under their care and attention.
They also build in so much fun and joy to the day, with stories, dancing and play, as well as opportunities for learning in and out of the setting; trips were planned and undertaken successfully to the zoo, to post letters to Santa, and even on the cable car at Greenwich! I don't know how they did it with a string of little ones, but they were all safe and happy throughout, and our daughter came home bubbling over with stories and excitement.
Thank you so much, Carmen and Marta, for everything you've done for our daughter. We can't wait for newborn son to start with you next year when he is one!
Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing. We hired her for regular part-time childcare and, after only two days of working with our family, she informed us that she had decided she could no longer continue because she could not balance the role with university and her other commitments.
Even if she seemed to be very kind and friendly with our son, what was particularly frustrating is that the hours and the part-time nature of the position were clearly discussed and known before she agreed to take the role, so there had been no change to what was expected of her.
In addition, only after she had started working with us did she mention that she would be unavailable for around 10 days shortly before half term. This had not been communicated when we discussed the position and agreed for her to start.
Of course, we completely understand that someone may reconsider a role or realise that it doesn’t work with their other commitments. However, given that this was a childcare position and a family is relying on that person, we would have expected some consideration of the impact on us — for example, offering a short notice period or some temporary flexibility while we found a replacement, rather than simply informing us that she would not be coming back.
Reliability, transparency about availability and reasonable communication are extremely important when arranging childcare. Unfortunately, after only two working days, we were left having to restart our search at very short notice.
Based on our experience, I would not recommend her for a family looking for consistent and dependable ongoing childcare.
Artemis
Hayley is truly one in a million! she genuinely cares about Leyland and has played such a huge role in his development, confidence and happiness over the years. He absolutely adores her, and knowing how safe, loved and happy he is in her care means the world to me as his mum. I couldn’t recommend Hayley highly enough; she has gone above and beyond and we feel incredibly lucky to have her. ❤️
Chelsea
We booked a wedding sitting session - 8 hours was there through the ceremony to take my daughters 8 month olds who was hangry, give bottle and popped to sleep. Through the meal/speeches We also booked a cosy corner with toys, books, crafts and a tent, which children loved as they wandered about and relaxed away from the noise. Fab
Diana has been helping me look after my one-year-old son, Kyrie, and she has been brilliant. She is reliable, caring and patient, and most importantly I feel completely comfortable leaving Kyrie in her care.
She has built a really good relationship with him and has been great with his evening routine, including dinner, bath time and getting him settled for bed. She is also very helpful around the house once he is asleep and always communicates well with me.
I would happily recommend Diana to any family looking for someone trustworthy, experienced and genuinely caring to look after their child.
My son has been with Muna since he was one year old, and we have had such a positive experience with her.
Before moving to her setting, my son briefly attended a nursery, but since being in her care I have seen a significant improvement in his development, particularly in his fine and gross motor skills. Muna has supported and encouraged him incredibly well, and it has been lovely to see how much he has progressed and grown in confidence.
Most importantly, my son has developed such a strong and loving bond with her. He has become very attached to her and genuinely loves being in her care, which gives me so much reassurance as a parent.
Muna is caring, attentive and genuinely invested in the children she looks after. I am extremely happy with the care and support she has given my son and would highly recommend her to any parent looking for a nurturing and supportive childminder.
Our child was cared for by Nina and her team for 3.5 years, and they quickly came to feel like extended family.
Nina’s wealth of experience means that she is calm and reassuring in any situation, and our child flourished under her care, growing into a chatty, confident toddler. He would run into Nina’s each day with delight and regale us with his adventures at the end of the day (everything from tree planting to street art).
Nina was also incredibly flexible and supported our family through a difficult time. Her setting truly is a special place – a warm, nurturing home away from home where children are genuinely loved and cared for.
After meeting the nanny, agreed on the terms, schedule the days and showed her the school and nursery, on the agreed day, she simply did not show up to collect our child from school. She only contacted us 15 minutes after the scheduled pick-up time with a brief WhatsApp message, leaving us to urgently call the school to make sure our child was safe.
I tried contacting her afterwards to understand what had happened, but she did not respond to any of my calls and only got back to me two days later via whats up.
Lucia
I honestly cannot recommend Mama Mia Bilingual Childminding Services enough. My three children have been going there, and they have been absolutely fantastic with them each and every time.
They are so caring, kind and patient, and I always feel confident knowing my children are safe, happy and well looked after. My children genuinely enjoy going there which gives me such peace of mind.
Communication has always been excellent, and they are very supportive and reliable. I also really value the bilingual environment as it's a wonderful opportunity for the children to naturally learn and develop another language while they play and have fun.
Mama Mia's dedication, kindness and professionalism are genuinely appreciated.
I am so happy with the care our children receive and feel very lucky to have found your exceptional services, my kids found a second home 😁 Highly recommend.