Kate

The best childminders

We feel incredibly lucky to have found Flavio, Kate, and Natalia – they are an amazing trio of childminders. From the very start, our son has been so happy there, and we’ve seen so much progress. When he first started, he wasn’t walking, but within weeks of being with them, he took his first steps!

One of the things that makes this family so special is that there are three childminders, rather than just one. This means there’s always someone to give the children the individual care they need, while also providing a fun and nurturing environment. We also love the fact that they have a gentle, lovely dog named Bobbi, and it just adds to the warm, homely atmosphere.

We never feel anxious leaving our son with them, because it’s obvious that Flavio, Kate, and Natalia love what they do. They truly treat the children like family, offering so much care, kindness, and attention. From the healthy homemade meals to the creative activities, everything they do is with the children’s well-being in mind. They celebrate each child’s uniqueness and always make sure the kids feel valued and loved.

One thing we really appreciate is how flexible and understanding they are. It’s clear that they genuinely want what’s best for the children and the parents, and that goes a long way in making us feel at ease. If our son could give a review, I’m sure he would say he loves being there! He started at just 12 months old, and even as a tiny one, he was asking to go back on weekends. He’s never once cried when we drop him off, and he always has a huge smile on his face when we pick him up. It’s so reassuring to see how much he enjoys his time there.

We can also see the effort they put in behind the scenes. Last year, we received a beautiful album filled with memories of our son’s time with them, and it made us so happy to see the love and care they put into every little detail. Because of this amazing care, we decided to delay his move to nursery for another year, so he can continue to thrive with them. The atmosphere there is like a mini-nursery, with three caring adults, which makes all the difference compared to a single childminder trying to manage many children at once.

Flavio, Kate, and Natalia are truly a wonderful team, and we feel so lucky to have them in our son's life. They are more than just childminders – they are a second family to him.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by linamaca on 17/01/2025

All you could ask for and more!

A little backstory:
My daughter was 19 months when I signed her up to a private nursery. She was not happy at all, she used to cry and be unsettled at nursery, and at home too. She would scream in the car as soon as i turned down the road that the nursery was located on. Then we knew we had to change. And we found Kate and Flavio!

Everything changed, our daughter for the first time was happy to go into their house from the very first day when we went to view. They were so helpful in settling my daughter, and making her feel welcome. She absolutely loves Flavio and Kate, oh and Bobby🥰 She enjoys going in the morning, will happily walk on in and wave bye to me at the door, where before, i would have to weave her out of my arms and run out!

They prepare nourishing food, make very cute arts and crafts, go out on walks and visits to the local playgrounds, and have so many updates too!

We absolutely are so at ease with our daughter being in their care, we know that she is in good hands and is absolutely flooded with lots of love and care🥰 They are literally like a second family to us. The communication is incredible, any queries or questions are always answered, very flexible with hours and times too😇
I would 10000% recommend 🥰

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Virag on 15/01/2025

A nourishing and playful nest for small kids

It was wonderful to see how easily our baby girl, at 10 months old, truly bonded with Flavio, Kate, and Natalia, and integrated herself into that group of little, great humans. She is very content, smiles often, and seems fulfilled from all the playing every time I pick her up. Seeing her so comfortable there and watching her learn a lot makes us happy and grateful. Initially, we were looking to bridge a 2-month gap until she could go to the nursery, but we are so happy with having her at Kate's that we've postponed her entry to the nursery for at least another year, until preparing for preschool becomes her next step.

Another thing that we really appreciate about Kate is the nutritious food she provides for the kids, which has also inspired us to cook more probiotic meals at home! And Flavio shows just how involved and deeply caring he is when he brings her out at the end of the day and excitedly tells us what she learned and did that day.

Altogether, we can warmly recommend this family as a wonderful place for a baby to nourish their curiosity, play a lot, eat healthy food, and learn how to be part of a group with other children. We feel privileged to have her there.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Cleophea on 14/01/2025

Response by Kate on 14/01/2025:

Cléo thank you so much for this wonderful review ❤️🙏🏻we are grateful for having your baby with us and for having you as our clients .
We will carry on doing our best in ensuring that your little girl , while with us , develops to her full potential ,healthy , in a happy and stimulating environment .
Thank you for your constant help and support ❤️
With warmest wishes
Kate, Flavio and Natalia

Everything you could hope for and more!

We would very, very strongly recommend Kate as a Childminder! The setup with her husband and daughter is brilliant in a lovely house. We contacted her through this website, had clear communication and arranged a time to visit. They have made a lovely child friendly space with a covered back garden and a great range of toys and activities. We received a very clear set of paperwork and are confident everything is done very carefully and properly. Kate has been brilliant making sure the new childcare hours are available with what sounds like a complicated system!

There is such warmth and care in the setting, you really feel like it is an extended family. Our daughter joined at 18 months when we relocated to the area. The small size of up to 9 children has been absolutely perfect; she loves her time there. She has made some really good friends and is very close to Kate and her family. Kate kindly shares details so that the parents can get together; the parents we now know are always full of praise and talking about how much the children love their time there too.

A real highlight is the food. Kate is very knowledgeable and makes a brilliant range of foods which are exactly what the children need and also delicious (apparently!). Our daughter has definitely seen the benefits of the diet and eating as a group helps them all to try things even when at home our daughter can be picky.

Our daughter has learnt about tidying up through her time with Kate - they clearly do a great job of making sure they tidy away after an activity and taking off their shoes and putting them by the door. They ensure that the children get the sleep that they need through the day and our daughter always comes home having had a good long nap.

They celebrate everyone's birthdays with a party and lots of singing. We are always delighted with the gifts and crafts which our daughter brings home, such as Christmas and Easter decorations and a card for mothers day. We often see photos of the activities with lots of painting and exploring out to the park when the weather allows.

We have very much appreciated the flexibility on specific hours. Week to week we do have slightly different pickup times as I occasionally work away, and we are able to let Kate know on a weekly basis and she has managed to accommodate. We have also done some shorter days and our daughter leaves having been well-fed and had lots of fun.

Our daughter is very happy and chatty and this has definitely been down to Kate and all of the love, care and fun she has at the setting. We are so so grateful and would very much recommend, it makes such a difference when you find a great Childminder like this - they really feel like an extension of our little family who also want the very best for our daughter! Thank you again Kate.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by PeterR on 28/04/2024

The happiest children

My daughter has been with Kate since she was 10 months old and has hit so many important milestones with them. Testament to that is that she can now RUN into their house every morning (which she always does) and loves saying their names out loud! Especially Bobby the dog.
As well as providing an extremely engaging environment for the children (regular park trips, a range of outdoor activities in their garden, painting, drawing etc) they also offer some flexibility. Sometimes I have required emergency extra hours and it has been an enormous help to our family to know my daughter is happy and safe.
The food offered is extremely nutritious and the whole family takes enormous pride in what they feed the children. My daughter eats a variety of healthy foods and is very full and happy at the end of the day!
The Tot LOT Club allows parents to use tax free credit and funded hours.
We feel so happy and lucky to have found them!

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by Rachel on 01/11/2023