Nat Jack's Reviews
Childminder
Below are the parent reviews for Nat Jack. Back to Nat Jack's profile
Average Rating:
(5 from 14 reviews)
Nat looked after both of our little ones, especially one of our daughters who she had from age 18 months up to starting school at four years old! She is the absolute best childminder you can find - she plans the most wonderful activities that foster the children's interests and needs, she is kind and loving, and she has an open line of communication with parents that helps settle children and adjust to their individual requirements. Nat was so flexible and accommodating with the things that we were looking for as parents - she was willing to use our reusable nappies (and helped support potty training when the time came), she supported us with eczema care, and she gave our little ones fantastic care both in a group and one to one.
Nat has a purpose-built playroom which is full of engaging things for children to explore, such as small world play, natural materials, and the most amazing mud kitchen. She ensures the children have good indoor and outdoor experiences, and takes them around the local area regularly to classes, activities, and other things to explore, including a forest play day once a week at Milton Country Park. She partners with another childminder, Manda, who becomes another beloved person in the lives of the children in their care. This means that they both stay in ratio, but the group can be a bit bigger on outings or at play - we noticed how much this helped the children to socialise and expand their friendship groups. Nat and Manda are also very good at sharing relevant information for early years care, e.g. health information, theories of play, and other tips on their private Facebook page (along with a plethora of lovely photos from each day!).
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Nat cared for our daughter Eshaal from a very young age right until she started school. The level of care and attention Nat provided to Eshaal was beyond our expectations.
Eshaal was not only happy and well cared for but was also learning and growing in a nurturing environment that Nat provided. Eshaal took part in a range of creative and stimulating activities daily. Her regular visits to Jungle Boogie, Milton Country Park, Anglesey Abbey, cafes, toddler groups, Wimpole Estate Farm and much more has played an invaluable part in her social, personal and cognitive development.
Eshaal has always been very excited about going to Nat's and would come home full of stories about her daily activities. She loved being part of the group and made great friends at both Nat's setting and the wider groups they would attend.
We are extremely grateful for the exceptional care that our family received from Nat. Her kindness, warmth, patience, and dedication gave me the confidence to go back to work knowing that Eshaal was in safe hands. We appreciate the passion Nat brought to this role and thank her from the bottom of our hearts for not only being a fantastic childminder to our daughter but also being a part of our family. We can't recommend Nat enough to anyone who is looking for an excellent childminder around the area!
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Thank you so much Nat, for looking after Teddy! Teddy was cared for by Nat from Summer 2020- Summer 2023, he started with her when he was around 16 months old and was with her until just before school. To put it simply, Teddy absolutely loved going to Nat’s setting. Throughout his time there Teddy developed so much with his social skills, speech, creativity.. so many things! He loved all of the outdoor trips and activites and never got bored! He also had a lovely group of friends! He even asked to go on days he wasn’t there. Teddy loves Nat and I will be forever grateful to have had her support with bringing up Teddy in those early year, she has impacted him so positively in so many ways and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a childminder. Thank you so much!
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Our son, Jamie (4 yrs old) has been part of the Little Owls Group since October 2015. Over the last four years, Jamie has been cared for by Nat and Amanda for up to four days per week.
Jamie has experienced so much by being part of the group. Nat and Amanda have striven to provide countless opportunities for growth and development through Jamie’s early years. The activities and trips are always tailored to meet the children’s needs and development objectives whatever their age. For example, the first topic Jamie took part in, as a baby was ‘Autumn’. I remember him exploring leaves in a bottle, whilst the older children played and explored with their hands. Just a simple thing, but a well thought out, safe way of including a baby and allowing him the opportunity to start exploring sounds and objects.
Just some of the outings that Jamie has taken part in are:
• Forest School at Milton Country Park
• Weekly play at Home Meadow (Old people’s home)
• Guided Bus trip around Cambridge
• Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
• Anglesey Abbey
• Punting in Cambridge
• Wimpole Farm
• Little Bunnies toddler group
Jamie’s social skills have developed wonderfully as he has been given the opportunities, through Little Owls, to mix with children of his own age and adults in various settings. Some people might be worried that their children wouldn’t be as well prepared for Primary School, when placed in a childminder’s setting for the duration of their early years. This was never a concern for us – we always felt that Nat and Amanda struck the perfect balance of having a small, personal setting but providing excellent activities and outings, through outstanding planning and preparation. This is definitely something that sets Nat and Amanda apart from other childminders, in our opinion.
Jamie has always been excited to tell us about all the things he has done during the day. It is clear that he received a lot of encouragement and praise. He really enjoyed being part of the group. He felt very safe, loved and well cared for by Nat and Amanda.
Overall, we can say without a doubt that Nat is an outstanding childminder and we feel so lucky that Jamie has been in her care throughout his early years. Nat has aided his transition to primary school so much and we are so grateful for everything she has done for Jamie, and us, over the years.
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Due to my change in work schedule, my daughter has been cared for by Natalie on a Wednesday from April 2019. This will continue until September 2019. She attends two days weekly with Amanda Strong also.
Natalie communicates with us at drop off and pick up and through WhatsApp and the Little Owls Facebook group. We are kept fully up to date with the weekly plans and Natalie is great with giving detailed feedback on my daughter’s eating, toileting, behaviour and learning. We receive lovely photos via the Facebook group, showing what a wonderful time she has in Natalie’s care.
Natalie communicates with Amanda about my daughter and the care is very consistent. I know this makes her feel secure and happy. We had some issues with crying at drop off for a few weeks, to both Amanda and Natalie. Natalie and Amanda discussed and made some great recommendations, which both put into place. This really helped my daughter feel happy at drop off. No more tears!
Natalie offers children the most wonderful and rich experiences. They have been punting, to the museums, to Wimpole (National Trust) and have regularly been doing their own forest school at Milton Country Park. At every opportunity they are learning; colours, numbers, animals. Social skills are being learnt also, how to behave in museums and houses etc. My daughter’s confidence is soaring as she pond dips and enjoys the water and strokes the animals. Natalie’s own facilities are wonderful and they use her garden for teaching and playing and growing seeds etc.
Natalie is caring and engaging and has a great sense of adventure with the children. Lots of fun is had!
Thank you for the wonderful experiences that you give the children and the care and learning opportunities. I don’t know many children who have the adventures like the Little Owls do!
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My little boy has been going to Nat since he was one year old and has always enjoyed going to his Nat Nat's house. He always gets a cuddle at the start of the day and he has made loads of friends with the other children in her care. Whenever I have any questions on child development, I know I can always ask for Nat for her professional advice. We have been going to Nat for over 2.5 years now and ever since going, my child has flourished into a wonderful little boy. Her contribution to his development milestones include walking with confidence, building strong social skills, counting up to 20, drawing shapes, writing his name, developing his artistic side, growing in his imagination in playing and maturing into a cheeky little boy. As a bilingual child, Nat supports and promotes his ethnic background and even asks for a list of words he enjoys using in his second language so she can learn and use at the setting. Nat always takes the time to give me updates on my child's day and general development. There is a childminders and parents partnership relationship with respect and I believe we are one big happy family where we support each other (and once in a while get together for a good laugh.) I'm so glad to have Nat as part of our wider family and my little boy loves his Aunty Nat.
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Both of our children, Chloe aged 4 and Sam aged 7, went to Nat from the age of 12 months up until school age (with Chloe due to start school in a few months' time!) We cannot praise her highly enough - for the last 6.5 years she has provided a loving, safe, stimulating and happy home-from-home for our children, and they have enjoyed every second of it.
Nat's play room is spacious and bright, full of fun and educational toys, with the children's artwork decorating the walls. The outside space is also fantastic, with a mud kitchen, plants, and regular visits from Harvey the dog! As well as playing and crafting at Nat's, they spend a lot of time out and about with Nat's childminding friend and her children - visiting parks, pet shops and soft play, to name a few! They have also spent time at a local care home for the elderly - a wonderful initiative which both the children and residents have loved.
Nat is incredibly approachable and welcoming, making you and you and your children feel part of the setting as soon as you step in. She sends home a folder full of observations and steps for learning twice a year, and encourages parent feedback. She also shares this information with other childcare providers who you may use alongside her, e.g. Sam and Chloe both attended pre-school leading up to starting big school. On a day-to-day basis Nat shares photos of what the children have been up to on a private Facebook group (which only parents/relatives are invited to join), and this is lovely to see! She achieved 'outstanding' in her latest Ofsted report, which is a testament to her hard work and dedication.
I can barely believe that the day has come when both of my babies will be at school instead of with Nat! She has been a huge part of their early years, and we feel so fortunate to have found her. To any prospective parents, we cannot recommend her highly enough!
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Our son Billy has been in the care of Nat for 4 days a week for nearly 2 years, having started at the age of 10 months. We have been extremely happy with the care and kindness shown by Nat, she has a wonderful manner with all the children in her care. We are all made to feel like family, just what we were after from the person who cared for our little one. Nat has a wealth of experience both as a childminder and a mother- she is often the first person we will go to for toddler advice!
Nat has a wonderful playroom at the bottom of her garden, which is bright, colourful and welcoming. As soon as Billy is dropped off in the morning, he races off to explore the wide range of toys, books and activities on offer. And on pick up in the Spring/Summer/warm days, he is often playing outdoors, in the outdoor kitchen area or with the outdoor activities which our son adores.
Nat is also great with crafts and activities and we love the pictures and bits and bobs that come home. Our fridge is covered with all the ‘art and crafts’ and it’s really nice that she uses such a wide range of materials and stimuli.
Nat has a private facebook group with her friend (who is also a childminder) and we get to see regular photos of all the activities that our son and his friends get up to- it is invitation only and we feel it is a wonderful way to see what goes on in the day whist we are at work.
We cannot recommend Nat enough as she is an absolute gem and we look forward to her caring for our children for years to come!
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Nat was looking after may son Daniel for nearly a year, before he started going to preschool. I would definitely recommended her service. As a person she is very likeable, Daniel fell in love with her strait away. She has cute little dog and lots of great toys. When Daniel was with Nat I liked the fact that they where going to lots of interesting places and meeting other children on regular basics.
She lives in the centre of the village so it is easy for children to have regular walks if the whether is nice.
I will use her again hopefully for my second child.
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I have used Nat as emergency childcare when my usual childminder had to close due to a sickness bu and also during my childminders summer holidays.. Nat is within my childminders group of childminding friends and was recommended by my childminder.
I cannot fault her - she provides a warm cosy home environment and she is very friendly. Her dog Harvey is also so lovely and my daughter loves spending time with Nat, her daughters and Harvey the dog.
All in all - fantastic childcare - Recommended!
My daughter has been to Nat 4 times now and I will definitely use her again if neccesary.
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