Shirley Childminder

Simply the best

Our son has been going to Shirley’s for 2 years now and together with Gladstone and their assistant they have created such a safe and caring environment. They do lots of fun activities and the children look so happy whenever we drop and collect our son.

They spend the day doing a variety of activities including baking, cooking, learning and going to the local park or a museum - just to name a few.

We receive daily photos and updates on how his day is going which is a nice touch.

They truly have created a great space for the children to enjoy, including a garden in which they have built there own play area.

Over the years they have become like family. We are so grateful for the way they have taken care of our son and will truly miss them when he goes to nursery.

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by m1sbahm about SHIRLEY CHILDMINDER on 18/07/2020

Truly the best! Very lucky to have found them...

Our son Idris has been going to Shirley’s for one year and together with her husband Gladstone and their assistant Milene, they’ve been absolutely fantastic. I feel we had got very lucky as they are always going above and beyond and are genuinely caring, loving and friendly.

The downstairs of their home is for the children and kitted out with lots of toys, books and art work done by the kids and is very clean. They have a lovely garden which is much more than a playground, most of it created by Gladstone. It has swings, slide, wooden climbing ship etc and also a vegetable patch where the children learn about gardening. In the summer the kids can also enjoy the paddling pool outside. Our son was scared of the pool and bath times were a nightmare, but Shirley and Gladstone helped him to gain confidence and now he loves to be in water. The children are always doing different activities, messy play, art, baking, celebrating cultural events, reading, singing and prior to the Covid pandemic they were taken on outings to the park, Kew gardens and local libraries and children centres. Idris often comes home with cakes and biscuits the children had baked. Organic food is made fresh for the children daily with dietary requirements taken into account with lots of healthy snacks. They are very flexible and have a lot of facilities catered for the children which we felt made our life easier incase we forgot to pack something for Idris in the mornings...they have a huge car with children seats, double buggies, kids outer clothing and swimsuits, hand sanitisers etc, you name it, they have it or they will try their best to provide.

We look forward to the daily pictures and detailed updates Shirley provides on Whatsapp. Shirley and Gladstone are very knowledgeable about children development and we fully trust them and are certain our son is taken good care of. The children are very caring towards one another which reflects the kindness taught under Shirley’s care. He always looks happy to be there and often doesn’t want to come home. As working parents, the pick ups/drop off provided has been brilliant and has helped us a lot.

They have become like family and sadly as we are moving areas our son will soon stop attending. We would like to say a huge thank you to them for all their hard work and for truly loving Idris and all the kids as if they were their own. We wish we could take them with us and no-doubt we will miss them tremendously!

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by Iqra about SHIRLEY CHILDMINDER on 28/06/2020

Search no longer, she's the best!

Shirley's set up is the best thing one could ever dream of for their children. Mine have been with her for over 2.5 years and I cannot think of anything I would recommend she and her team do differently. It's just perfect!

First, there is the family spirit we are all after as a parent - to have a home away from home for our children. As a family-run business with the excellent level of support from Gladstone and Milene, Shirley truly nurtures all the wonderful children she looks after as if they were her own. And the simple fact that our kids don't want to leave their premises when we pick them up at the end of the day says it all.

The second aspect is educational. Shirley and Gladstone are ever investing in new toys, materials and training courses to make sure they offer our children a wonderful learning experience. Being myself a language and cross-cultural professional, I really appreciate the fact that they teach them new things about the world, international cultures and the planet in general on an ongoing basis. They have themed weeks and the kids learn while having fun, they absolutely love it. They also take them on outtings to the local library, farm etc.

Third, but not the least, they cook all of their food fresh and organic. They truly watch the children's diet and teach them to eat well and varied.

Outdoors and physical exercise is also a great thing that Shirley values for our children. Their custom-built play area in the back garden is all children could ever ask for (they even have a pirate ship!) and they make sure that (weather dependent) they take them outdoors as much as they can - whether it be in their own garden or local parks.

I cannot recommend her services enough and if a case could be made in terms of best practice for childminders, I truly believe they should come and see how things are done at Shirleys!

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by MelCheva about SHIRLEY CHILDMINDER on 09/03/2020

Best Childminder I could ever have wanted

Shirley is the most amazing childminder and we are lucky that our daughter has a place with her.
A good friend recommended Shirley and now I have no hesitation in recommending Shirley to anyone I meet. Margot has been with Shirley and Gladstone for 18 months, since just before she was one. She settled in seamlessly and is over joyed every day that she gets to go to Shirley's.
Shirley provides a loving, nurturing home from home packed with fun activities and educational opportunities. Every day the children play outside if possible, do singing and dancing, messy play, structured story time, mark making, craft activities, role play games and generally having fun.
Margot loves the delicious and nutritious food that Shirley makes and is always coming home with extra treats that they have made for us.
If Margot has ever struggled with naps then Shirley has spent time cuddling her and holding her until she slept and teaching her to self settle kindly and with love.
All the children are happy whenever I pick up or drop off and my daughter never wants to leave. She even asks to go to Shirley's at the weekend!
Shirley has also provided extra support by looking after my son on an ad hoc basis and has been flexible whenever she could be.
I completely recommend Shirley (and Papai) to anyone looking for a loving and safe place for their child.

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by HelenB about SHIRLEY CHILDMINDER on 09/03/2020

Loving, fun and nuturing environment

Our son Harry has now been with Shirley and Gladstone for 18 months, attending 4 days a week. In that time, they have become like family to us. Our son has thrived in their loving, fun and energetic home. Their days are filled with lots of fun activities such as going to the park, arts and crafts, baking, messy play to name a few. Harry really loves playing in their garden and has made lots of little friends. We get regular updates about Harry's day which we love receiving. The children also get three wholesome meals a day, as well as healthy snacks throughout. We find dinner especially helpful, as being working parents, it takes pressure of us to have dinner prepared for when he gets home.

Our son gets so excited when he knows he is going to Shirley and Gladstone, which is testament to the caring environment they provide. I hope if we are fortunate enough to have another child that they will also attend Shirley and Gladstone's.

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by Katrina about SHIRLEY CHILDMINDER on 30/09/2019