Michelle
Childminder in Islington
Usually responds within 2 days
Female Member since Nov 2012 Last Updated Dec 2024 Last Login 30 Dec 2024
My Summary
About Me
My name is Michelle, married and a mother of 3 very friendly and outgoing children, ranging from 12 - 27yrs old.
I have been a registered childminder since May 2013 and have gone through all the relevant training, including Paediatric First Aid, EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) and Safeguarding and Child protection. I've successfully completed a Level 3 Diploma for Children and Young People's workforce - Early learning and childcare & Level 3 Early Years Senco.
In Nov 2022 I had my 3rd Ofsted inspection and am delighted to have retained my 'Good' grade, my report is available to view.
I am quality Assured through Islington Council since Jan 2014, my last inspection was Nov 2022.
We have a dog, she is a 8yr old Cockapoo girl called Elsa, , she is part of our family and setting and the children will be able to play with her for periods of time under strict supervision only. The children benefit hugely from spending time with Elsa, she equals their energy and they learn how to be kind to animals and how we look after them.
********************My History******************************
Prior to childminding, I spent 13yrs with the same logistics company, covering an extensive range of roles from customer service, Human Resources and in recent years as a sales account management.
How is this relevant?
Well, having been a working parent, I understand the stresses and strains of finding childcare that you feel is right for you and your most precious children. I understand you need flexibility that is affordable, I understand that you want to know how your children are doing, even if it's a text or a picture emailed over during the day to say hi. The key to a successful placement and happy child is a strong partnership between parent and childminder - this a paramount in my provision.
In my previous role I have been used to pressure, to being organised as well as having good communication skills - all qualities that are transferable to childcare and I hope that, that along with my flexability, will enable making a differcult decision easier for parents when returning to work.
*******************Interests**********************************
I am a very keen learner which means I will keep myself up to date and relevant, this will benefit as us all, it enables me to give the very best, fresh ideas and teachings and for your child.
Apart from my working life I am a devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister and Aunty. I love children and any child who is minded by me will join as a member of my extended family.
I love walking, trying new things and have recently started to enjoy baking (as do the children).
****************Location****************************************
We are located 2 mins walk to Canonbury Station and excellent bus links into the West End and City as well as a few mins bus rides to Highbury and Islington, 10mins to Angel (Northern Line), Manor House (Piccadilly Line) and Finsbury Park - Various and National Rail.
There is parking but it is pay and display or residential - typical of Islington.
************What I offer*****************************************
So many things, as I am bound to following the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework. I aim to have a stimulating and caring environment that is positive and condusive to effective learning.
We visit playgroups, go on outings to the park (there are lots within easy walking distance- Clissold Park, Highbury Fields and a train journey to Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill Fields), trips to farm, Museums, festivals and markets.
At home we will be doing an array of fun things, painting & drawing, making and playing with playdough, sand and water play, dressing up, reading stories and lots of play in the garden to name a few. In addition for the older children I also have games and books.
Food & Drink
The meals I cook are mostly homemade, nutrious and healthy with the occasional treat.
I will always take into consideration a childs individual needs and we can discuss this at our initial meeting.
I have experience catering for children with allergies.
I am also happy for your child to bring a packed lunch.
School pick up from
St Joan Of Arc Roman Catholic School, N5- only
In Summary
The most important thing to me is that the children in my care are happy, have fun, feel safe, secure and cared for and want to be here, home from home childcare.
My Experience
As above - childminding since May 2013
1 year spent volunteering in St Joan of Arc Nursery on a Friday in 2017/8
As well as 27yrs as a working parent.
My Qualifications
Ofsted Grading - 'Good' Nov 2013, Nov 2016 and Nov 2022
Quality Assured by Islington Council - since Jan 2014 - these are regular inspections, the last being Feb 2024
GCSEs
A Levels
Various IT courses
In-House training courses for HR and Sales
CYPOP5- childcare pre-registration compulsory course
EYFS Updates
Safeguarding and Child Protection training
Observations, Assessment & Planning
2yr Old Development Check
Basic Food Hygiene
Paediatric First Aid Training
Health & Safety level 2
DBS Checked
Hold Public Liability Insurance.
Registered with ICO. - Information Commissioner's Office
Level 3 diploma in Early Learning and Childcare
Level 2 ‘understanding Autism’ - completed Nov 2017
Level 3 Early Years SENCO - completed April 2023
Early Year Personal Development Program - Government programme for 2-4yr olds - completed March 2024
This will be updated periodically as and when I complete training.
My Availability
Currently I have 1 space available from Feb 2025 and a future vacancy- July 2025
My setting is open Monday to Thursday's from 07:45am to 5:45pm
***We are closed on Fridays***
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| After School | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 30/12/2024 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £10.00 per hour
List of fees are available on request
I am registered with the government payment scheme as well as already registered with Fidelity, Kidsunlimited, AllsaveUK, Computershare, Edenred and Care-4, to accept childcare vouchers and am willing to register with others if required.
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 20/04/2020)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Michelle. 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.
We feel so lucky to have found Michelle. As new parents looking for childcare options for our 7 month old, we were worried it would be difficult to find someone we trusted, who would both care for our son and help with his development. Michelle was much more than that. Michelle managed the settling-in period so well - we saw pictures and updates of our son every day and she adjusted to our routine and needs without us having to ask. She also adapted communication as time went on, and we were able to get the information we needed without being flooded. She taught me things about parenting I would never have discovered alone, and we really felt like we had a trusted advisor as well as a childminder. Our son would come back happy after his days with Michelle, often with new skills. It was incredibly reassuring to know that he was getting new experiences and learning in a safe, loving environment. We can't recommend Michelle enough, and only wish we could convince her to move to the other side of the world with us!
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Michelle has been a phenomenal childminder to our daughter Ava who has started when she just turned 1 year. From the offset Michelle has been very organised and professional, giving no doubt that Ava will be in the best hands. Her home is lovely, very clean and gives a real family feeling which is what we were looking for. Michelle and the whole family really created a loving home away from home which made the transition so much easier. We were very worried about how long it will take Ava to settle as she has been very attached to us because of lockdown etc, but Michelle has put extra effort and settling time in with her to make sure she is off to the best possible start. She has settled really quickly and we didn’t need to worry at all. We have received updates and pictures regularly especially in the first few days which was very reassuring and Michelle uses a special app to track the day to day activities and care points. Michelle has created a great routine for all the kids around school drop offs and pick ups with daily activities like circle and story time, Ava has even had a solid lunch nap every day which she would have never done with us which shows how comfortable and secure she must have felt. Ava developed a really loving bond with Michelle and her family in a very short time. We would definitely recommend Michelle to anyone who is in the process of making that really tough decision to find the best possible person to take care of their baby or child.
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I spoke with a lot of childminders before choosing one and Michelle is hands down the best childminder you can find. She looked after our daughter from when she was 1 year until she was 2.5 years old; and from day 1 our daughter has absolutely loved being there, and she has developed into a confident, well-spoken, kind toddler. Michelle combines the warmth of a home environment, with plenty of outside play in her garden and park visits, and is always educating the children. She gets to know and understands the children in her setting very well, and is always happy to offer helpful advice to parents.
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We worked with Michelle for the past 3 years for both our boys. They both started with Michelle from around 6 months and were in Michelle’s care until they turned 2. We have been consistently impressed with Michelle’s professionalism, patience and overwhelming kindness towards our little boys. Both boys adored her and thrived in her care. Michelle really cares about learning and development and was very proactive at getting the boys hitting the important milestones.And as a mum returning back to the daily grind I could relax knowing that our little ones were safe and happy. Michelle helped us get the boys in a routine and passed on plenty of helpful advice. I can not stress enough what a godsend her and her family have been. Thank you Michelle!
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Michelle looked after our daughter from the age of 9 months to 4 years. Our daughter loves going to her house and became very close to her family especially her children who are still her best buddies. We highly recommend Michelle as she is professional, organised, vigilant, friendly and very experienced. Throughout our daughters development Michelle has kept us closely informed, guided us and given us recommendations which has always been extremely valuable in making the right decisions. She always puts the children first and till this day our daughter runs into Michelle's arms whenever she sees her!
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