Helensta

Amazing childminder - part of our family

We met Helen in 2012 when we lost our childcare suddenly and luckily for us, Helen had space available. She immediately took on our one year old and he settled immediately. Not only was Helen fantastic for James' social and physical development - she taught him to put on his coat/shoes, identify his letters, sound out his phonics, write his name etc - she also was fantastic catering for his needs as James was diagnosed with multiple allergies in the first few months he was there. Helen managed his diet for us, knew exactly what to do if he had an allergic reaction and always made every effort to make sure he was included in all activities. We loved Helen so much, we timed our 2nd child around our first child heading to school so he could take up his older brothers place.

Helen is more than just someone who watches children; she loves them. Her house is a home from home and she squeezes in all the activities that I wish I had time for. I rarely felt guilty about heading to work because the kids were always involved in something fun and educational, whether that be heading to the library, going to visit horses, playing at the park, toddler group visits, soft play, picnics, water play.... the list really is endless.

Sadly, our youngest is now heading for full-time preschool and our 7 years with Helen is over, but we will be forever grateful for the role she has played in our lives. If you are looking for an amazing childcare provider, don't look any further - she truly is fantastic.

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by DMurray about helensta on 23/08/2020

Highly recommended childminder

Out daughter has attended Helen's since she was 8 months old. We did a staggered start at the beginning and Helen allowed us to leave our daughter for different amounts of time to help her settle in.

She took detailed information about our daughter and her routine. She made my daughter and us feel at home and comfortable. Our daughter settled really well and has enjoyed attending her setting for almost 3 years.

Helen has completed a number of different crafts with our daughter for Christmas, father's day etc and these have all shown that our daughter has helped to create them alongside support. She has worked on recognising numbers and letters.

There have been lots of different activities for our daughter to take part in such as play groups, trampolining, baking etc and we have felt very comfortable with Helen doing these with our daughter. Our daughter has absolutely loved her time at Helen's and will really miss her. I would highly recommend Helen for your child's care. She is organised, friendly, reliable and caring.

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by Michelle about helensta on 13/07/2020

Excellent childminder

Our little girl has been with Helen since she was 8 months old, she has always enjoyed going and Helen has always provided an excellent level of care. She mets all of Aebha's needs effectively and promotes all areas of her development.

Aebha has had lots of experiences that we certainly would not have had with a nursery or possibly another childminder. She loves to go to the stables, she grew in confidence going swimming and she loved going sledging when it snowed.

Helen keeps us informed every day both verbally and through a weekly written diary.

It will be a very sad day for us when Aebha goes to primary school, Helen is an excellent childminder.

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by Parent about helensta on 22/10/2012

Excellent Childminder

Helen is a very professional childminder and would recommend her to anyone. The only reason we did not use Helen was the distance we would of had to travel from home,work and Helen's . Wish this was not a problem as i would of been very happy to leave my son with Helen.

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by Parent about helensta on 16/09/2012

Highly Recommended Childminder

From October 2009 we required the services of a childminder for our daughter Intan who was coming up one year old. Like all parents, we were apprehensive about leaving our daughter with someone else and we thoroughly researched our options. We drew up a shortlist of recommended childcare providers in Preston including Nurseries, Registered Childminders or a Nanny, that we were to visit. This was not going to be easy because not only did we have the general wellbeing of Intan in mind but she also had a good few allergy problems, including a Cows milk allergy and a nut allergy.

After visiting all of the childcare service providers on our list it was obvious to us that Helen was going to be the correct choice. Helen was based in Preston just round the corner from us, the childcare setting was clean, the other children under her care were happy, progressing well and were also kept clean. We would highly recommend that you visit any childcare service provider at the setting before you commit yourself.

Intan will be starting at Nursery in September 2012 in readiness for starting Junior school. She is a confident little girl with a wise head who is more than ready for any challenges ahead. This, in part at least, is down to the three years that she has spent with Helen and the individual attention all the children in her care get.

The trips out, groups they frequent and activities they get involved in have all added to the value that Helen provides as a childminder. A special note should be made of how Helen has dealt with Intan’s allergies. Always vigilant and taking the correct actions as necessary.

Both Anih and myself would like to take this opportunity to thank Helen for all her help. Intan has enjoyed herself whilst she has been with her and we are pleased with the way she has progressed and the values that Helen has imparted to her.

We are recommending Helen without any reservations to anyone who is looking for a Childminder in Preston

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by Parent about helensta on 08/08/2012