Nicola

Amazing!!

My daughter started with Nicky when she was 9 months Monday to Friday from 8am until 4.30pm when I returned to work. As most parents are I was apprehensive about leaving my baby for the whole day but Nicky quickly put my mind at ease and made me feel comfortable. From the beginning Nicky has been wonderful, she is such a lovely, caring and warm person and she provided such an amazing ‘home from home’ atmosphere for my daughter which was important to me. She is very flexible and understanding to your needs and really made sure that my daughter settled in with ease and at her own pace and was always on hand with cuddles when my daughter needed them! Nicky accommodated all my requests regarding nap times and feeding times etc and always had a fantastic line of communication so I always felt that we were on the same page. As well as being a lovely and kind, Nicky is so organised and on point with everything, her house is lovely, tidy and welcoming and she always goes above and beyond.
Nicky does so much with the children she cares for and ensures that the activities are age appropriate and engaging. My daughter had the time of her life and everyday was filled with trips to the park, museums, farms, playgroups and my daughter’s favourite- trips to the zoo!
My daughter never ever had a day when she did not want to go to Nicky’s and skipped into her day every morning with a huge smile on her face which made my day so much easier to know that she was happy and content. I loved hearing what she had been up to everyday at pickup, and loved her giving me things she had made and she always wanted to stay more! She has also made some wonderful little friends during her time with Nicky, the other children Nicky looks after have made great playmates and she was always meeting children at playgroups which has been great for her socially.
Nicky has taken care of my daughter from the little crawler she once was until now at 3 and ready for nursery and has helped her achieve so many milestones along the way. From potty training to learning shapes letters and sounds and even writing her name she has always been kept busy and largely thanks to Nicky she has grown into the most wonderful well rounded little girl ready for her new adventure at nursery. Needless to say Nicky is a very special woman and my daughter absolutely loves her to pieces! We are going to miss her so much and are sad to leave but we will certainly keep in touch and I’m just so glad that my daughter’s first years were spent having such a great time. I truly could not have asked for a better experience for my daughter and could not thank Nicky enough for being so wonderful! We love her dearly and she will always hold a special place in our hearts for being such a big and positive part of my daughter’s life , I can not recommend her highly enough!

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by emma8404 about Nicola on 02/09/2019

Excellent childminder

My daughter Ivy went to Nicky two days a week from the age of 1 to 3. I went to see 5 childminders in the local area before coming across her and was feeling despondent as none of them seemed right for Ivy. But as soon as I met Nicky, I knew my worries were over. She has an incredible breadth of experience and I just knew she would be a safe pair of hands. She is warm, kind, attentive and patient with the children. She takes them on fun little outings everyday - i can safely say that Ivy had a ball with her and grew in confidence during the time she spent with her. If ever I had any concerns regarding Ivy, Nicky would often talk through them with me and provide useful guidance and suggestions. Believe me when I say you could not do better than Nicky. We miss her to this day!

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by Sarah about Nicola on 31/08/2019

Outstanding childminder

I met Nicky as I was preparing to return to work after 12 months maternity leave. My planned nursery place had fallen through I was searching for childcare almost at the last minute whilst my partner was working abroad. It was an incredibly stressful time, but from the moment I met Nicky, her warmth and compassion stood out and I trusted her immediately. It was a very stressful time for our family, but Nicky supported us through and in less time than I thought possible my daughter was not just settled into childcare, but having the time of her life. The peace of mind I had leaving my daughter in Nicky's care was priceless, I never worried for a moment, even during the 'settling' period.

As time went on it became clear just how much Nicky is invested in the development of the children she takes care of. She is really focused on their milestones and is always engaging them and developing their skills. The kind of attention she gives the children can only come from someone who is passionate about their work. Her home is absolutely spotless and all the children's toys (and oh my word, there are a lot of toys!!) are cared for and constantly changing. Nicky takes the children out everyday, and it's always something different: the local park, music classes, library time, visits to Hampstead Heath, the city farm, the zoo - I lost count! It seemed like my daughter was constantly on a new adventure and she still talks about all the places they visited together. The highlight of mine and my partners day was a message from Nicky with a picture of my daughter getting involved in something new - this was really important to us while my partner was working abroad, and Nicky went out of her way to get some really special snapshots.

Eventually my partner was able to move back home and we moved again as a family to the north of England for work. Having to take my daughter out of Nicky's care and find a replacement was quite honestly the worst part of moving. You couldn't find better care for your children than Nicky, she's a really special person and I will be forever grateful she was part of our lives.

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by Parent about Nicola on 29/11/2017

Highly recommended

Nicky has looked after both my daughters and I can't recommend her highly enough.

My youngest was just five months old when I took on a fixed term contract and Nicky made what could have been a stressful time very easy. I loved her at our first meeting and trusted her completely. She also looked after my three-year-old one day a week (I hadn't actually planned it, but she fell in love with Nicky so instead of putting her in nursery an extra day I took her to Nicky's).

She always made sure they got to do age-appropriate activities at home and they were always going out to playgroups, music drop-ins, the zoo, city farm etc. Her home is immaculate and is a paradise for kids, packed full of toys and games to stimulate and educate.

She's the perfect combination of highly qualified, experienced and professional while still being really warm. You can tell how much she loves working with children.

We still keep in touch and the next time I need childcare she will be my first port of call.

I'm happy to talk to anyone who's considering using her services.

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by Abby about Nicola on 10/04/2016