Frances Keays Smith's Reviews

Amazing

In addition to our little girl (now 2) Frances also looks after our son (10 months) and has done for some months now.

We have seamless drop off/ pick ups even with two children which is nothing short of amazing. Both children are always excited to see Frances in a morning and it’s really made our life easy as parents knowing our children are so happy in her care.

Both children are well catered for according to their age appropriate needs. This spans all areas from education and adventure to food and social interaction with both other children and animals. All of these aspects (and many more) have had such a positive impact on both and children and indeed their relationship with each other.

I was delighted and amazed at the in-depth work frances puts into her observations of the children and planning of their care. It comes as no surprise she has been awarded ofstead outstanding twice.

We are sad to be leaving the area soon and only wish we could convince Frances to move to wales!

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by Anne Mar about Frances Keays Smith on 21/01/2020

Response by Frances Keays Smith on 21/01/2020:

Oh Anne, thanku do much for this lovely review. I have enjoyed every minute of looking after your wonderful children. I wish you all the very best of luck for the future in Wales!! Xx

Excellent

Frances has looked after both our boys from when they were 6 months old until 3 years old for the older boy Ben (who is now at pre-school) and Nick who is now 2 and is still with Frances.

Frances is a great combination of being both very professional whilst clearly being very caring with our children, and they have loved spending time with her and we can relax knowing they are being well looked after. She also focuses a lot on their developmental needs, not onerously, but just nicely so it is fun for them to learn and grow.

I would highly recommend Frances to any parent looking for brilliant childcare in Exmouth.

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by how2157 about Frances Keays Smith on 07/06/2019

Fantastic

Our little girl has been with Frances for 8 months, since she was 8 months old and throughly loves her days there. She is excited at drop off and happy at pick up.
Frances provides a huge range of activities which support learning and development as well as fun and gives healthy balanced meals.

I would highly recommend Frances as a childminder based on our experience, which has been nothing short of excellent.

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by Anne Mar about Frances Keays Smith on 03/06/2019

Excellent!

Frances is currently looking after our 2 year old son and she is absolutely fantastic.

I was very nervous about leaving my little boy as I work full time but from the very start Frances made me feel relaxed and at ease. Our little boy cannot wait to go in the mornings and has so much fun!

Frances provides a wide range of activities which are tailored to our sons needs and interests, for example, our little boy is currently obsessed with dinosaurs and regularly comes home full of excitement about the dino related activities he has done in the day. She provides a range of activities which cover all areas of the EYFS curriculum and he regularly comes home with beautiful drawings, painting and even cookery creations! Being a little boy he has tons of energy, he regularly goes to local parks, soft play areas and galevanting in the community with Frances, which we love!

Along with all of the brilliant activities he gets up to, Frances also provides a detailed daily diary which is so lovely to read to find out what he has been up to, it also means I know what he has eaten and how long he has slept everyday.

Our son is so happy, he bounces in each morning and comes out brimming with enthusiasm and talk at the end of the day. It is evident that Frances takes real care to nurture his personality and look after his individual needs. I couldn't imagine him being looked after by anyone else!

Thank you so much!
Charlotte and Rich :)

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by Parent about Frances Keays Smith on 11/12/2016

Fantastic

Frances looked after my son from 10 months until we sadly left the area when he was 18 months. Being my first child I was nervous but could not have felt more reassured by Frances - not to mention how happy Harry was to go there every day. He couldn't get in quick enough! Frances has a lovely family and her 2 children play with the others in Frances' care and build up a family type rapport with them. Had we not moved to Bristol Harry would still be with Frances now and we miss her very much! I could not recommend Frances highly enough. You will not find a better childminder in Exmouth. Thank you Frances x

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by Parent about Frances Keays Smith on 24/11/2015

Absolutely Perfect… 10 Stars!!

We were dreading finding a childminder for our daughter and were let down a week before starting with another care provider in the area. This turned out to be the best thing ever as we then found Frances using this childcare site! Jamie is so very happy and excited to get dropped off with Frances each day and it has been that way from day one. Jamie has come on a lot since starting when she was 9 months old and we feel a lot of this has been down to Frances time with her. We love reading her daily reports and finding out what she has been up to with her little friends! Knowing how hard it was for us to find someone we were happy to leave Jamie with, we could not recommend Frances enough she offers an extremely high level of childcare in a fun, friendly and welcoming family setting.

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by Parent about Frances Keays Smith on 25/09/2015

Recommendation

We first contacted Frances through recommendations of friends whilst looking for suitable childminders as I was due back to work from maternity. When we first met Frances she was very friendly, we brought our son to meet her at her house where she invited us in and got lots of toys our for Felix to keep him entertained. She was very informative about what she does and also showed us plenty of examples of previous children's development folders. We were very impressed with her organisation and clear interest of each of the child's growth and personal development.

Felix started childcare with Frances when he was just 9 months old in July 2013. He is now 29 months old and has really developed into a fantastic little man; we can thank Frances for many of his milestones such as speech which she has helped by encouraging him through play and interaction with other children, songs and games. Frances even made sure that all the children made something for their mummies on mother's day. Felix was very proud to give me his special gift.

We are also pleased that Frances takes all the children out and about as much as possible to enjoy the fresh air as well as trips to places such as Bicton Park, Sams Funhouse and Budleigh beach which we know our boy loves!

All the children get on really well in Frances care and we find Felix is always eager to get to Frances house as soon as the weekend is over!

Frances keeps a journal for each day Felix attends which lets us know what and how he has eaten, if he's been tired or had naps, how he's been with his toilet training and also generally his mood and what he has got up to in the day which provides a great read at the end of the day, to really feel like you know what your little ones been up to.

Overall we cannot fault Frances; she is informative, organised and committed and provides all reassurance that all parents need when leaving their children in the care of others, Thank you for everything you have done!

Felix's Mum and Dad x

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by Parent about Frances Keays Smith on 26/03/2015

Amazing...not enough stars!!

I left a review regarding our eldest daughters experience of being with Frances and since that review, we have gone on to have two more little girls who have also attended the setting. We are so pleased with ow comfortable all our girls have been with Frances and more recently, Isabella our eldest, has been diagnosed with Autism. The reports that Frances compiles for each child have played a key part in obtaining that diagnosis and we have all worked well to ensure that life for Isabella is made as easy as possible given her sensory issues. Our girls adore Frances and seeing how confident they all are have made life so much easier for me and my husband who is also a Royal Marine. Sadly (but also good for us!!) we are relocating back to Suffolk so our time with Frances will be coming to an end and we can only wish that we could take Frances with us!! Me and the girls will miss her very much :(

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by Parent about Frances Keays Smith on 05/12/2014

Excellent childcare provider

Our daughter Belle started being cared for by Frances at 8 months old. As you can imagine this was an
extremely stressful time, not only was I leaving my baby for the first
time but I was also starting a new job. Frances made the transition
for Belle and myself extremely easy and made a huge effort to make sure
she was happy and content. Our daughter thrived with Frances and
enjoyed the wide range of activities and day trips provided for her and
the other children. Frances followed our routine that we loosely had at
home and also managed Belles dietary requirements of a dairy free diet.
I could not praise Frances highly enough for the care she provided
Belle and we are very grateful to her.

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by HannahEd about Frances Keays Smith on 27/10/2014

Fantastic!!!

Our daughter has been looked after by Frances since she was 12 months old (now 19 months old) and we could not be happier with the care she receives. All the children in Frances' care are always happy and having fun, doing activities such as creating, cooking, playing in the garden, singing, taking trips to Bicton or playing with all the lovely toys in the playroom.

Jasmine comes home each day with a daily diary which tells us everything she has done in the day, how much she has slept, ate etc.

After visiting numerous different nurseries and childcare providers, the reason we chose a childminder over a nursery was so that it provided a home from home feeling for Jasmine and Frances' home provides just that. It is such a relief to go to work knowing Jasmine is somewhere she is happy, extremely well looked after and loves going (so much so she doesn't always want to leave!!!).

Frances provides outstanding childcare....I would (and have) recommend Frances to anyone x

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by Parent about Frances Keays Smith on 24/03/2013