Donna Cartmell
Childminder in Preston Upon Tees
Usually responds within 24 hours
Female Member since May 2011 Last Updated Dec 2024 Last Login 18 Dec 2024
My Summary
About Me
We are a friendly, well established setting now celebrating 14 years of ‘outstanding childcare’. We have catered for many families over the past18years offering various childcare solutions. My husband and I work together to offer a wide range of learning opportunities giving children different experiences in our home based setting. Children can socialise with similar & different age groups, learning from each other, building confidence and awareness giving them a head start before starting nursery or school. We have have been graded 'Outstanding' in our 3 previous inspections - most recently in November 2019.
The day is organised around the children’s routines using everyday experiences & various age appropriate resources to facilitate learning and develop imagination without a rigid curriculum focusing on children’s interests and age and stage of development..
Children are given lots of opportunities for social interaction & learning about the world around them, meeting with other childminders at our children's allotment, local play groups, soft play, messy play, music groups, the parks, farms etc
Our aim is to provide a reliable, safe & secure setting where children can have fun whilst learning and developing through a carefully balanced combination of adult lead and child initated play. Parents can be confident their child will be in an enabling environment where they will have experiences that relate to their individual needs/interests.
We offer fulltime/partime/termtime only or all year round care; before and after school drop off and collection from Ingleby Mill Primary & Barleyfields school and nursery.
We hold enhanced CRB checks, paediatric first aid qualifications, 5* food hygiene certificate, promoting heath and wellbeing & regularly attend other professional development courses.
We offer an inclusive environment & endeavour to build positive relationships with parents.
We have high regard for safeguarding and the welfare requirements of every child with in our setting and cover all the steps that providers must take to keep children safe and promote their welfare.
We offer funded places from the term after a child turns 9 months old, 2 & 3/4year olds giving 15 hours care. 30 hours for 2 & 3/4 year olds (composed of the universal 15 hours and extended 15 hours for those eligible).
We use government guidelines delivering EYFS to all children in the aim that they are school ready by the age of 5 & encourage children to have great British Values as well as respecting diversity within other groups and challenge predjudice.
Open hours
Monday-Thursday 7:45-16:45
Donna & Graeme
My Experience
I have been childminding since 2005 and Graeme has been working with me since 2007. We have 3 grown up children of our own.
My Qualifications
Continuous professional development is on going and we have an extensive range of certifcates from various training courses including NVQ Level 3 Childcare Learning & Development
Paedriatric First aid
Anaphallatic shock treatment certificate
CRB checks
Dbs checks for all 3 of our children and all registered as assistants (for emergencies) all have obligatory training completed
Safe guarding
Food Hygiene & Safety registration and inspection (achieved top rating of 5 for health & hygiene standards)
NVQ level 3 Play, learning & Development
Introduction to home based childcare &
Diploma in home based childcare level 3
We also have a portfolio of various on going training & workshops include:
Early Years Professional Development programme Sept23-March 2024
Modules included Communication & language, mathematic & personal and social and emotional development in the Early years
I can… Speech and language in the early years 2023
Updated EYFS 2021
Cultural capital 2019
Latest safeguarding update 2022
Local authority updated policies, safeguarding, children language and regional concerns 2022
Prevent training 2019
Emphasis on the great British values 2019
Behaviour management
Vulnerable groups awareness training 2013
Change of Welfare requirements 2013
New Eyfs & 7 area's of learning 2012/2013/2014
Characteristics of Effective learning
Free entitlements to 2 yr olds
Play, learning and development for 2 year olds
Observation , planning & assessment
Communication, Language & literacy
Intimate care
Story telling with puppets
Inclusion development
Mark making
Wider context
Introduction to the Autistic spectrum
Ecat ( every child's a talker)
Oral health
Play, learning & development for under 2's
Basic senco
Early brain development
Schemas (patterns of learning)
Special educational needs
Risk assessments
Early years foundation stage Sept 2008
My Availability
Mon - Thursday 7:45- 16:45
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Morning | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| After School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 12/12/2024 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £6.00 per hour
£42 per day
£28 half day
£8.50 before school (Ingleby schools)
£14.00after school (Ingleby Schools)
£21 Before and After school (Ingleby Schools)
My Local Schools
- I provide drop offs and pick ups at Ingleby Mill Primary School
- I provide drop offs and pick ups at Barley Fields Primary
My Ofsted Inspections
The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childcare provider has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childcare provider.
My Documents
- Training Certificate (added 11/12/2024)
- Training Certificate: Safeguarding 2023 (added 17/10/2023)
- Training Certificate: Self Regulation (added 17/10/2023)
- Training Certificate: Early Talk (added 11/05/2023)
- Training Certificate: Supporting picky eaters (added 11/10/2022)
- Training Certificate: Understanding Autism (added 11/10/2022)
- Reference: 10 years of childminding (added 20/09/2022)
- Reference: Excellence (added 20/09/2022)
- First Aid Certificate: Paediatric First Aid (added 20/09/2022)
- Training Certificate: Cultural Capital (added 20/09/2022)
- Training Certificate: Safeguarding Refresher (added 20/09/2022)
- Training Certificate: EYFS 2021 Updates (added 20/09/2022)
- Ofsted Certificate (added 19/08/2019)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Donna Cartmell. 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.
I cannot recommend Donna and Graeme enough! My little girl has been with them since she had just turned one and they have provided her with lovely care and have given her some special experiences too. On childminder days, my little girl rushes into their home and talks affectionately about them all of the time at home too.
Their activities always follow the children’s interests and I love to see the photos of what my little girl has been up to each day. She is just about to turn three and over the last two years, Donna and Graeme have looked after her so well and I couldn’t have asked for a better start in life for her!
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Lucy
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Donna Cartmell
on 17/10/2023
Response by
Donna Cartmell
on 17/10/2023:
That’s lovely to hear 😍thank you ☺️
Our son loved his time in Donna and Graeme's care. He spent many happy years with them before moving onto secondary school and we were sad to leave our routine with them. It really does feel like they become extended family and I can't recommend them highly enough. They are highly organised, thoughtful, kind, caring and fun. The activities they offer are a great mix and the diary notes and photos were a highlight to share later at home. Food was carefully chosen and always enjoyed. Friendships are encouraged amongst the children and personal interests considered which reflects the care and thought they have for each child as an individual. We knew we were lucky to have our son in Donna and Graeme's care. We were sad to say goodbye!
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Caroline
about
Donna Cartmell
on 14/06/2022
Response by
Donna Cartmell
on 17/10/2023:
Thank you 😃
My daughter has sadly just finished her time with Donna and Graeme as she has started secondary school. She has been with them for childcare for being a baby up until 11.
I cannot recommend Donna and Graeme highly enough. I’m always very cautious about making recommendations to close friends and family as it’s huge responsibility. However, I didn’t hesitate to recommend Donna and Graeme to both my sister and close friend who still use their services now because I had no doubts they would be as happy as I have been to leave their children in their care.
My daughter always received the perfect balance of learning and discipline together with fun, laughter and friendship. I was so quickly at ease leaving my daughter with Donna and Graeme and I never expected that possible. I always felt she was safe and that her best interests were taken care of. She has enjoyed so many aspects of her time with them and they will always be a fond memory of her childhood for us both. Having confidence in the people taking care of your children is priceless and I have always had every confidence with Donna and Graeme
I would strongly recommend visiting the setting they provide because once you meet them and see the lovely home environment they offer I’m confident that your concerns about leaving your children would be eased as they were for me.
Thank you both for the care and support you have given us over the the years. It has been invaluable and made the chore of going to work a little less painful!
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Sarah
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Donna Cartmell
on 23/05/2022
Response by
Donna Cartmell
on 17/10/2023:
Ahh thank you 😊
My son attended Little Gigglers from 2019-2020. From the very beginning it was evident how amazing the care was going to be by Donna and Graeme as my son warmed to them both instantly . Their home accommodated all of his learning and care needs perfectly with lots of space and resources for his time there. Hugo always looked forward to his time there and especially enjoyed all of the days out that were planned on different occasions. I always felt at ease that my son was in the best hands whenever he was left in Donna and Graeme’s care . Hugo’s development come on leaps and bounds in the time he was cared for and this was always recorded and accessible for me to view through an app on my phone to view what actives / any additional information throughout the day.
Communication with Donna and Graeme was always easy and they were always very accommodating to work with my shift patterns at the time or even on occasion had Hugo for me if I had taken ill, this kind of support was always very appreciated.
I couldn’t recommend a better place for anyone looking for childcare and I think that their influences on Hugo have been invaluable . Hugo now sees both Donna and Graeme on his way to school and although he is not now in attendance of their care , he will always run to catch up / talk to them both and I think that shows how amazing they are to make such a lasting impression years later . They treat Hugo like he was one of their own and I will always be grateful for their amazing care and the start they gave him in his learning .
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Chloe
about
Donna Cartmell
on 23/05/2022
From the moment I stepped through the door to Donna & Graeme's welcoming home environment I knew my children would be safe and well looked after whilst I returned to work.
Both my children started when they were 9 months old and Donna and Graeme were pivotal in their Early Years development. They followed a fabulous Early Years Programme which help develop all the key core skills they need. There is lots of fun play, messy play, trips out, interaction with other children at toddler groups and events.
They always did topical arts and crafts, I have kept a keepsake box of all the wonderful drawings, cards, (mothers dad/fathers day), Easter and Christmas drawings and all the fantastic things they created at Little Gigglers, such happy memories.
I cannot recommend them highly enough, they certainly give my 2 children a great start to their Early Years and helped prepare them to be ready for school nursery in such a wonderful, nurturing, caring and warm environment.
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by
Parent
about
Donna Cartmell
on 30/09/2016
Response by
Donna Cartmell
on 01/10/2016:
Thank you Catherine, thats lovely! So glad they are settling into & back into school, everyone misses them xx
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