Iara
Childminder in Royal: Kingston Upon Thames
Usually responds within 12 hours
Female Member since Sep 2018 Last Updated Sep 2024 Last Login 14 Nov 2024
My Summary
About Me
My name is Iara, I am married to Bruno, we have a beautiful daughter, our little Maria, and our 15-year-old pet, our dog Lord. Vegans by idealism, because we love animals and understand our responsibility with our planet. We believe our actions today will create a better tomorrow for us and for our neighbours, and our children are key parts in it. We are responsible, friendly, enthusiastic and ethical. We came from Brazil in 2018, where I worked as a Coordinator at the Ministry of Human Rights, and my husband as an English as a Second Language teacher at Cultura Inglesa Idiomas school. We planned our coming to London, the city we elected to make our family grow. Soon after our arrival, my husband was invited to work at a nursery, and my invite came soon afterwards. There, we fell in love with being part of the children's development, the discoveries and the simplicity of their universe. It is just magical! With the arrival of our little Maria, added to the desire to be with her with the structure for a sustainable development that is safe and fun, as well as with our new passion for the children's universe, we decided to open our house to other children and bring joy and lightness to it.
My husband and I are both Level 3 and Level 4 Early Years teachers, which brought us a deeper knowledge to develop our children following the EYFS standards, combined with a Montessori at Home course. We thoroughly believe that, besides capable professionals, our children need an environment that is conducive to their creativity, respecting them as unique, special individuals, so that they have the necessary freedom and safety to learn. We also believe that it is our duty to promote actions that guide our children towards respecting the environment, respecting each other, learning how to share and take turns and understanding that they are part of a social group. We have been rated Outstanding providers in June 2023, which brought us lots of joy for being recognised for all our efforts to care and educate our children.
Because of coming from abroad, we have within ourselves the need to respect and embrace other cultures, religions and origins, as well as ours are respected. We both speak Portuguese and English, I speak Spanish, and my husband speaks French, some Spanish, some Italian and some German. We believe this can be a safe ground to a child who speaks a language other than English at home, as well as to those who speak only English to have contact with a different language.
We have a fully balanced plant based menu designed by a nutritionist specialized in plant based diets for children, with meals that are complete in nutrients, vitamins and proteins. We offer breakfast, snack, lunch + fruit , snack and tea.
We are renovating our house and building a play area, where we hired a designer to help us put our dreams to practice: to offer a planned space with the goal of being a welcoming, stimulating environment for our children. Our space will be ready in August, therefore we are taking applications for children from 0 to 3 years old.
OUR STRENGHTS
Ø Our approach is extremely kind, loving and light, so that the child has an appropriate environment for a happy childhood;
Ø Punctuality and responsibility. We understand how important our work is to your family, and we are proud to say in these 3 years we have never closed for a sick day nor have we been late;
Ø Our full capacity is 9 children, which allows us a very close care, attending to the needs and particularities of the development of each child and family;
Ø We work with a planned, organised schedule so that the child has a varied, happy day, and for understanding the importance of routine to the children;
Ø Our activities follow the 7 areas of learning of the EYFS, the toys are stimulating and age appropriate, and we explore well our story time, by reading books with them on a daily basis.
Ø We explore well our local community, so in our outings we go to parks, playgrounds, libraries and activities offered by our community;
Ø Our setting has been thoroughly planned for our children, where we find good lighting, ventilation, comfort, safety, a support kitchen, reading/group time area, free-play area, focused activities area, equipment to develop the children's autonomy, such as toys and book at their reach, their water cups and a sink for washing hands before/after meals and after activities;
Ø Our setting is cleaned at the end of each day and our toys are sterilised every Friday. During viral periods, sterilisation happens daily;
Ø Our communication with you is very close, because we truly believe that together we can work so that your child's childhood be happy, safe and sustainable. As soon as your child starts, we create a Whatsapp group so that we can get in touch at any time;
Ø We have a software which helps us with our communication with the families, where at the end of each day you will receive a complete feedback of your child's day: nap duration and time, food, nappies and activites along with 5 pictures. Besides accident and medication forms;
Ø Every 3 months you will receive a report with your child's development, separated by the 7 areas of learning of the EYFS;
Ø Our newsletter, called "From parent to parent", will be sent every 1st of the month, and as the name says, we tackle everyday matters as parents, besides keeping you aware of the theme of every week and any news from the Big Family;
Ø Our sleep training for our children is extremely kind, respecting each child's time and way;
Ø We do not use screens at any time - TV, computer, tablets nor phones;
Ø Our menu was prepared alongside a plant-based dietitian, with nutritious options, and it is also inclusive, as we insert dishes from different cultures on a plant-based version, so that your family and your child feel welcomed and taste a bit of the home flavour while with us;
Ø On your child's birthday, we will make a plant-based, refined-sugar-free cake, so that we can all celebrate this moment;
Ø Should there be any special date/festivity from your cultural background, we will be happy to talk about it and share it with the children;
Ø We accept every benefit from the government and private companies. Our invoice, via Quickbooks, will be sent on the 20th of every month, due to the 1st of the following month;
My Experience
I worket at a Nursery in Clapham Junction with Children from 6 months to 5 years old; My Childminding setting has been open for nearly 3 years.
My Qualifications
Level 3 Award in EYFS and Teaching
Level 4 Award in
EYFS Teaching Advanced
Childminding course
Safeguarding course
Paediatric First Aid course
Food & Hygiene course
Montessori at Home course
My Availability
Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| After School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Evening | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Overnight | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Last Updated: 12/09/2024 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £10.00 per hour
£ 100.00 Full day
£ 20.00 Babysitting and overnight - only offered to children already in our care - In both cases, care will remain at my residence.
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 Ofsted Inspections
The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childminder has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childminder.
My Documents
- Ofsted Certificate (added 10/08/2024)
- Other (added 18/06/2024)
- Training Certificate: Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering (added 29/08/2023)
- Training Certificate: Safeguarding (Update 2023) (added 27/07/2023)
- Inspection Report: Outstanding Provider (added 14/07/2023)
- Training Certificate: Level 4 - EYFS Teaching Advanced (added 23/05/2022)
- Training Certificate: EYFS and Teaching (added 23/05/2022)
- First Aid Certificate: Paeditric Infant & Child First Aid Level 3 (added 31/10/2021)
- Training Certificate: Montessori at Home (added 29/03/2021)
- First Aid Certificate (added 15/02/2021)
- Childminding Agency Certificate (added 15/02/2021)
- Training Certificate: Child Safeguarfing (added 15/02/2021)
- Training Certificate: Childminding (added 15/02/2021)
- DBS Check (added 15/02/2021)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Iara. 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 stayed with Bruno and Iara from 11 months until he was nearly 4 years of age. Like many working parents we thought deeply about the best setting for him. It was important to us that he had the same care givers every day, who would know him well and give him a sense of security. His time with Big Family Daycare gave him all that and so much more - he has developed into a confident, curious and emotionally aware child.
There are endless activities, very high quality food, and time outside everyday. They have an ethos that empathises kindness, respect for others, healthy minds and bodies. Together with all these positives was the love they showed our son, and how they understood him. We felt our 'village' had expanded, and we knew everyday he would be educated, cared for and entertained. We will always be grateful for the commitment they show to their work, and the time we got to be a part of Big Family Daycare.
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My son attended the Big Family Daycare from 1 year to 2.5 years. I cannot recommend Iara and Bruno enough. They created such a fun and loving environment for my son to grow in. Everything was carefully planned, down to the activities they did, daily outings and their nutritious meals. It truly is a big family and we miss them dearly!
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by
Stephani
about
Iara
on 22/09/2024
Response by
Iara
on 23/09/2024:
Hi, Steph, thank you so much for your kind words! It was indeed a joy to have had Oscar with us and watch him in such a special development phase, which is the early childhood. We felt deeply honoured for that, and we cannot thank you enough for having had this opportunity, and for still be able to have updates about his growing up! Thank you so much.
Our daughter joined the Big Family coming from another childminder at 2 years and only stayed for about 6 months as we moved out of London and our experience of the childcare setting has been extraordinary. Our daughter settled in very well thanks to the established routine Iara and Bruno put in place. An array of arts, crafts and play outdoor is organised and activities are geared towards the child's interest. There is a lot of creativity and organisation happening in a loving and 'home from home' setting. Iara and Bruno were able to understand so much of our daughter in such a short time and were genuinely intersted in giving her the best of what they could offer. Our daughter was a fan of Iara and Bruno's food, even if we didn't follow a vegan diet at home. We loved that our daughter was able to pick up some words in Brazilian Portuguese and that Bruno could understand some French books we brought from home. Communication with us was easy (daily chat, updates through an app plus an electronic newsletter), expectations were always very clear. When our daughter moved to anoher setting in a different own, Iara and Bruno produced a full report for this new setting, showing age-appropriate skills our daughter had achieved. After a few year, we're still in touch with Iara and Bruno, have visited a few times and share news of our daughter growing up. I would highly recommend the Big Family setting, Iara and Bruno give their best, all the time!
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by
Manue
about
Iara
on 20/09/2024
Response by
Iara
on 06/10/2024:
Dear Emmanuelle,
Thank you so much for your kind words! You are very special to us, you were our first family, and we feel very honoured that you trusted us with your little precious one (who is no longer so little). We are still lucky to witness her growth, even from afar.
We shared special moments with your daughter; she helped our daughter take her first steps, and it was so wonderful to see her development while she filled us with joy. It all began with you, and it had to be that way – a beautiful and special beginning.
Our daughter has been part of the Big Family from 10 months to age 3 and this has been a truly wonderful experience.
As a mother, but also a psychotherapist by profession and aware of the importance of attachment during these first crucial years, I could not think of a more appropriate environment. This setting is truly unique for London.
What sets it apart is the genuine abundance of love and passion these professionals have for children. They work so hard and yet they manage to have fun each and every day. Our daughter truly benefited from the structures and routines they put in place, while in the same time having lots of laughter and developing a sense for music (Bruno’s high point), arts (I think this is Iara’s skill), reading, wonder for nature and all abilities who make her the wonderful person she became.
She absolutely loved the food, which took a lot of pressure away from us and home cooked meals, and with other parents we were joking that she came cleaner at the end of the day than she was originally dropped off :)
Finally, communication with us parents was excellent, we developed a sense of community and felt that we were part of the family as well. We miss them dearly and will be forever grateful.
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by
Diana
about
Iara
on 20/09/2024
Response by
Iara
on 06/10/2024:
Dear Diana,
Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to share how you saw our work. We feel truly honoured by that! Having your daughter with us was incredibly special. Being part of her childhood and offering support for her development brought us immense joy. Thank you for your trust, and for all the kindness and respect throughout our journey together.
Our daughter spent 1.5 years at Big Family, from the age of 1 to 2.5 years, and I can genuinely say that we couldn't have wished for better, more caring childminders during this important time in her life. Bruno and Iara provided a wonderfully stimulating environment for her – filled with books, music, excursions, and other activities – all with such personalised, attentive care. We all miss them and the friends our daughter made at Big Family!
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by
Itay
about
Iara
on 20/09/2024
Response by
Iara
on 06/10/2024:
Dear Itay,
Thank you for your kind words. It was a great joy for us to have you in our Big Family! It was very special to be part of such an important stage of your family’s life. It was also rewarding and special to witness your daughter’s growth. Thank you for such a respectful and affectionate relationship.
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