Mychildm
Childminder in Leighton Buzzard
Usually responds within 4 hours
Female Member since Apr 2012 Last Updated Dec 2024 Last Login 19 Dec 2024
My Summary
About Me
I am a registered (2012) Childminder, Graded as outstanding by Ofsted in 2024, based in Leighton Buzzard. I live at home in Harrow Road LU74UQ with my husband John, and our youngest son, who will be moving out as soon as he has saved a deposit for a home of his own!
Currently I work on four days a week, from Monday to Thursday. I currently start my working day at 7.30am, and finish at 5pm, but I aim to be flexible on hours where possible. I currently have 2 vacancies on Wednesday and Thursday, as of January 2025. Thank you.
My Experience
I have thoroughly enjoyed raising my own four children. I have also enjoyed my roles as Chair Person of Southcott Toddler Group and as a supervisor at Southcott Playgroup. I have volunteered extensively at my children's schools and before becoming an ofsted registered childminder I worked as a Teaching Assistant at Southcott Lower School.
During my employment at school I was privileged to receive a lot of in house training in reading skills and literacy, using "Sounds Write" and "Letters and Sounds", Numeracy and Behaviour management. I was permitted to liaise with outside agencies in order to facilitate appropriate support to pupils who required it ,and I found providing this support hugely rewarding.
I continue to extend my expertise, by undertaking training courses on a regular basis.
My Qualifications
I hold quallifications in:
CACDP Sign Language.
Behaviour Management.
Paediatric First Aid.
CYPOP5 (with a view to obtaining the full "Children and Young People in the Workplace Diploma")
Plus an extensive array of cpd certificates covering many childcare related topics.
My Availability
As a registered childminder I have vacancies in the
0-1 age group x 1
Early Years age group x 2
Under Eights age group x 0
I prefer not to take school age children and do not go on a school run.
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Before School | no | no | yes | yes | no | no | no |
Morning | no | no | yes | yes | no | no | no |
Afternoon | no | no | yes | yes | no | no | no |
After School | no | no | yes | yes | no | no | no |
Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
Last Updated: 16/12/2024 |
My Fees
- Childminding from £7.00 per hour
In keeping with the local going rate.
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 26/04/2021)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Mychildm. 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.
Clare is an absolutely amazing childminder and treats all the children as her own. Our daughter has been with Clare for 18 months now and has flourished in her time with Clare.
Safety and risk management are extremely important to Clare, and we are 100% safe in the knowledge our daughter will receive the best care. Documents and policies are always kept up to date, and regular fire drills take place.
Clare is fantastically quick at responding at all times, whether its a simple exchange or a more depth conversation about behaviours or learning. Clare offers advice and solutions that we can both work on at home and in setting to ensure consistency and familiarity. Whenever we have needed to change a drop off or pickup time Clare has been extremely accommodating, going above and beyond our expectations.
Clare is regularly searching for new activities, and the themes picked are amazing. Some memorable ones being Chinese new year and fireworks night, where Clare matches a snack to a learning and to some crafts, brilliant! We especially love how creative Clare is, both with crafts and musically.
We receive regular updates and lots of great photos via Whatsapp and baby days. Baby days is fantastic as it lets us know what our daughter is up to in case we need to prepare extra warm clothes. Daily notes are always well written and we really enjoy reading them together in the evening.
We really cannot commend Clare enough, she is simply an outstanding childminder who does so much for us and our daughter.
by TiffanyE about Mychildm on 04/06/2024
Response by Mychildm on 16/06/2024:
Many thanks for such a lovely review. I always try to do my best for families in my care, and it is easy when families are so supportive of their children's care and education. We are a team! xxx
We were so adamant that we wanted our son to be under Clare's care, that we delayed his start in childcare for three months. It was so worth the wait! Clare is a phenomenal childminder and there is a reason she is Ofsted 'Outstanding'. We could not have wished for a more caring, nurturing and communicative environment for our son. He has truly thrived at Clare's and knowing he is with her gives us enormous peace of mind. In September, he'll be moving to preschool, but we are so keen to keep Clare in our lives that he'll still be with her one day a week. She really is that brilliant!
by Laura about Mychildm on 03/06/2024
Response by Mychildm on 16/06/2024:
Many thanks for such a lovely review. I always try to do my best for families in my care, and it is easy when families are so supportive of their children's care and education. We are a team! xxx
I’m not sure that any review I could write would do Clare justice - We could not imagine anyone better to look after our boys. Our eldest, Dylan, has been going to Clare’s since he was 5 months old & his younger brother, Henry, has just joined him there too. Clare is incredibly welcoming & helped us to adjust to leaving Dylan with her initially as well as helping him to settle in & then later the adjustment for Dylan & Henry for them both to attend together. She is always very responsive to messages & really helped to put my mind at ease that they are being well cared for.
Dylan has flourished over his time with Clare. Clare is fantastic at identifying what each child enjoys & then activities or trips are tailors to engage those interests – which for Dylan has meant lots of things about trains. They complete lots of engaging educational activities where the children are learning without realising. As well as them learning essential skills like sitting still for stories, how to put on their coats, turn taking etc etc. Dylan is always excited to go to Clare’s in the morning & runs up to the door – he really feels part of the family & valued in his time there, he calls her 'My Clare'. There is always something fun planned, whether they are staying in setting, going to a toddler group or going out on an adventure somewhere. Clare is very conscious of adequate risk assessments & nothing is left to chance – so we know our children are well protected & looked after when they are with her.
Clare sends plenty of photos at lunchtime & the end of the day so we can see what the children have been up to - alongside their online diary entry – which we love. It really feels more like we have been a part of their day & can actively talk to them about what they have done as they are too young to remember all by themselves. They are a lovely pick me up in the middle of a busy work day too.
Clare has always been receptive to our thoughts & how we want events to be explained to the Children for example Easter or Christmas, as well as working with us to find the best strategy for coping with any unwanted behaviours or the best way for our children of deescalating a tantrum.
Clare is very well deserving of her Ofsted Outstanding. I could go on & on about what we appreciate about Clare & her setting - we love you Clare!
by Sian about Mychildm on 12/08/2021
Response by Mychildm on 12/08/2021:
Thank you for such a wonderful review.
I do my best to support families in my care, because I want childcare to be the least of your worries.
It has been a pleasure to work alongside you. We have the very similar values and this makes working together towards shared goals for the children achievable. Your support is invaluable.
I love taking care of the children. They are stimulating, and rewarding. We have a lot of fun together.
I really do have the best job in the world!
No matter what I write here I don't think I will be able to do Clare the justice she deserves. I can tell you that Outstandings at Ofsted are now so rarely given out, it really means something that she deservedly was awarded this status last year. She is the legend that keeps our family glued together.
Clare is not only the best childminder in the world (or at the very least the South of England), she is also the best Mum which you can tell from her fantastic grown up children. Her experience and knowledge of children seems endless. If you want your child to have the best start in life, and to be the best versions of themselves - here it is. She looked after my gorgeous, mischievous, incredibly active, determined little girl and brought out the very awesome best in her. Orla was made to feel truly valued and loved, and she was prepared so well for school - teaching manners, fairness, kindness and educating her, pushing her inquisitive side and acquisition of knowledge. So many trips to exciting places (I now have had to buy annual passes to the zoo because we have to see the butterflies still), every day is so much fun for the kids. Clare also speaks to the children so well, the clarity of Orla's speech is not down to us!!
We have three children, are both teachers and a wealth of experience of childcare/providers. Clare is the best.
by Sanchia about Mychildm on 09/08/2019
Response by Mychildm on 25/10/2021:
Yikes! I cannot believe that I failed to respond to your review you guys! I konw that I have thanked you in person, so I won't gush on here. It has been my pleasure to care for and nurture your children, they have been nothing but charming from start ot finsih and you should know that I have missed them. Thank you for this glowing review . Very much love as always Clare XXX
If looking for a childminder in the leighton buzzard area, the search is over ...
Our daughter Sofia was with Clare on a full time basis from when she was 9 months until she began school in September this year.
We chose Clare due to her warm and caring nature snd strong family values and never looked back.
Clare regularly took her mindees on exciting outings to the local area such as Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable Downs and Rushmere Country Park to name a few. Regular play dates and weekly toddler groups also ensured that Sofia made friends outside of the family too.
There were always lots of fun activities at Clare's home too like cooking and crafts. Special occasions and celebrations were noted to often contribution to the themes.
Clare's meals were always healthy and delicious with a few occasional treats too.
Clare background in education and further studying has helped prepare Sofia for school. She has helped mould a happy confident, well mannered child who knows through Clare's guidance that she can achieve her dreams.
As a family Clare has always been there in times of need and we have worked together when issues such as behaviour, fussy eating etc has arisen to secure a solution.
As happy as we are to see Sofia growing and off to school, it was with real sadness that we had to say goodbye to Clare but we know she will be in our lives for many years to come.
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