Lucas Choice Ltd's Reviews
Nursery
Below are the parent reviews for LucasCho. Back to LucasCho's profile
Average Rating:
(4.5 from 8 reviews)
Lucas Choice is a truly lovely childminding setting. Karina has a real passion for the work that she does and is kind, caring and committed in looking after the children in her care.
Karina and her team have been caring for our daughter Sofia since August 2015 when she was around 8 months old. We started on an ad-hoc basis moving to part time more regularly at the beginning of 2016. I have my own business with a varying workload and Karina has always been extremely helpful, flexible and reliable in accommodating my changing needs regarding childcare.
Sofia took to Karina’s warm and welcoming personality immediately. She has always seemed very happy and comfortable in the setting and has actually never cried at all when I have left her there even right at the beginning. Sofia clearly loves being with Karina, her great team [Ana and Edlene], and the other children there and it is a real joy for me to see that, making the return to work just so much easier. The place is very well set up with spacious rooms dedicated to the children, and a large outdoor area / garden with lots of fun things to do. The children go on regular outings as well as doing a range of group activities during the day. Karina is also dedicated to the development of each child and brings this approach to the activities that are done.
Karina is conscientious in giving the children healthy home cooked meals and is also willing and cooperative in accommodating any particular dietary requests.
It is a real privilege for us to have our daughter looked after in such a warm, nurturing, caring and fun environment. We can’t believe our luck in finding such a lovely place for her to spend time during her precious early years.
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Karina has been looking after my little girl for the past year and I've been very happy with the care she receives, usually when I pick her up she doesn't want to go home because Karina has so many toys and activities for her to play with, including a big garden with a marquee for when the sun is too strong (or the rain!) and a huge trampoline.
Karina started with my daughter as a baby who is now a toddler, and has adapted her care to meet her changing needs. I love the fact she gets to mix with older children, including Karina's son, and it has helped with her language and motor development being around older children.
Karina always makes time to have a chat with me about my daughter's day and I have found her to be polite, professional and very loving with the children she cares for.
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Karina runs Lucas Childcare from her large home in Blackheath. It is part way between a Nursery and a Childminder. Karina employs two assistants to ensure that each child can receive almost 1:1 attention and activities can be targeted at specific age groups. However, the setting is still a home environment rather than a nursery and numbers are kept low. Karina is brilliant at taking the children on lots of trips (Woodlands Farm, National Maritime Museum, Soft Play and many more) as well as regular outings to the local playground. Karina has two rooms in her house solely dedicated to the childcare business as well as a huge garden with many toys for the kids to play with. The food provided for the children is fantastic – Karina used to work in the hospitality industry and provides fresh, healthy meals and snacks for the children.
I have used Karina as a childminder for my daughter since she was 12 months old and I could not rate her higher! The quality of care she offers to each child is fantastic. My daughter had never been left with anyone who wasn’t either myself or my husband when we started using Karina and it is a testament to Karina’s great care for children that she settled so well and now at 3 and a half she loves going there.
As well as being a very caring person, Karina is also extremely professional. She is holds a master’s degree in her previous profession and she is currently studying towards a level 3 qualification in childcare and plans to start a BA in Early Years in September 2017. This is her vocation and she is extremely dedicated to her profession – the learning journal that she keeps for each child is meticulous and she has a high knowledge of the EYFS curriculum and how to assist each child’s development. I could go on, but I will just say that we are extremely glad that we’ve found such a wonderful childminder as Karina and we could not recommend her higher! Communication has been second to none and I would disagree with the previous reviewer regarding the state of cleanliness - the place is always spotless and both pick up and drop off - however the same cannot always be said for my daughter's clothes which is testament to the amount of messy learning through play which must take place during the day - which is of course exactly as I would want it!
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My daughter (nearly 3) has been in Karina’s care full time since she was 10mths. It’s hard going back to work after maternity leave and to trust that you have chosen the right carer for your child but Karina made it easy for me. She is a warm and very welcoming person and my daughter loves her and her staff (Ana and Edlene) like they are part of our family.
The setting is like a home from home. The food is varied and fresh and the children not only get to play indoors and outside in the garden but also get taken out on trips to the local farms, parks and museums.
My daughter has thrived in her care. Karina makes valuable observations on her development and always has a story about something funny that my daughter might have said/did during the week. When my little girl was learning to talk Karina would write down the new words that she had learned on her reports or let me know her favourite songs which meant that I didn’t feel I was missing out on these important milestones. And when my daughter was teething or if she was poorly I knew Karina or Ana would be there to give cuddles until I could.
I highly recommend Karina’s services.
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by
Parent
about
LucasCho
on 20/05/2016
Response by
LucasCho
on 27/05/2016:
Thank you do much for your kind words and appreciation Ashes. Thank you for the trust you have given myself and my team consistently for the past 2 years. Having B attending the setting its a joy!
My son has been in Karina's care for the past 9 months, gradually increasing from part time to full time. What attracted me to Karina over others is her passion about child development, her structured approach (e.g. activities are planned out for the week ahead) and the daily reports for each child.
Settling in was difficult and took a long time but Karina worked patiently and sensitively on getting my boy settled in and now he absolutely loves it there. Others may have given up at this stage but Karina and her team (equally terrific Ana and Edlene) didn't.
Karina has accommodated a special schedule for us to make sure my mum gets to spend time with her granson every two weeks. Again, not everyone will have agreed to this whereas Karina offered the flexibility.
The food is home cooked daily and I take comfort in the fact that my son has a varied and balanced diet all week.
The children get to spend lots of time outdoors as well as playing inside. The setting is safe and homely.
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by
Katya
about
LucasCho
on 20/05/2016
Response by
LucasCho
on 20/05/2016:
Katya thank you very much for your kind words and review. For me the recognition for the work I do talks a million!!!
The responsibility this job involves are huge, There is no fees that justify the risk if wasn't for the love we have for this job. There is absolutely no rooms for mistakes. What makes me enjoy what I do and continuo doing is my day to day with the children. I find fascinating , how quickly they can develop, learn how loyal and sincere they are no matter what.
I am glad we persisted with a different settling approach which was best suitable for L. He is an addition to the setting and I hope to continuo to work for you for years to come.
Thank you ,
Karina
In overall the the service was okish. But when I expressed constructive criticism, the childminder enter a denial state arguing her service was perfect, and took my observations badly.
My daughter was bitten in her arm by a toddler and when I complained about it, the childminder suggested my daughter (almost 3 years old) and I were laying,
In addition, couple of times I arranged for my daughter to be with her, and when I arrived to leave her, the childminder had forgotten, Twice, She was not at home, and then She simply said not recalled what we previously had agreed.
Then, She immediately terminated the contract verbally, without any notice, leaving my daughter and I without any option but staying at home.
If you provide a childcare, you need to be aware of parent need as well and suggestions.
Place looks messy and not very clean
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by
Parent
about
LucasCho
on 16/05/2016
Response by
LucasCho
on 19/05/2016:
I was disappointed to read these comments from the above flexible childcare customer.
Regarding the incident involving her daughter's injury, I did not dispute the child's word but stated that as neither I nor any of my team had seen the incident nor heard her crying I felt it unlikely to have occured at the setting. I was only notified by the customer nine days after the alleged incident. It is an enforced policy that we inform parents/carers in the event of such incidents.
The only occasion when I was unable to offer childcare to the customer was on a date when the setting was closed and all customers had been notified in writing of this more than three months in advance. Over fifteen months I had been able to accommodate this customer's frequently changing childcare requirements but this date was a scheduled closure.
Following the customer's approach to raising the above complaints, including prolonged verbal dispute in front of other children in the setting, which breached my complaints procedure, I had no choice but to terminate my childcare services for this customer.
The setting is cleaned and tidied on a daily and intra-day basis by all three team members. Children have access to considerable resources indoors and outdoors, and during play this inevitably leads to untidiness but this is addressed during tidy-up times (before lunch (11am) and before home-time (5om)); a flexible childcare customer collecting their child earlier in the day may not see the results of these tidy-up sessions, and continually striving for tidiness can impact learning through play.
Although I currently have no availability until September 2017, I would welcome prospective parents who wish to meet me and my team, view the setting and read policies and procedures so that they may derive their own impression of my childcare about which I am passionate and committed and which I have been able to provide to a number of happy long-term customers.
Karina was looking after our daughter Roselle since November 2013. Luckily for us Karina has a son same age so Roselle has a new friend. When I met Karina I could feel that She is a kind and caring lady. Children love being around her. They always do so many different activities!! Flexibility from myself and my partner is considered and she always understand our circumstances. Me and my partner have been very happy and would recommend her for any family as our daughter is happy and always loves going to Karina. Highly recommend! !
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Karina is thoughtful and calm. She works carefully with children to build their confidence and trust. My boys are very happy to be with her.
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