Karen Horne's Reviews
Childminder
Below are the parent reviews for Karen Horne. Back to Karen Horne's profile
Average Rating:
(5 from 11 reviews)
My son started with Karen in early Autumn 2022 and will sadly move on to a daycare nursery in early January 2024 due to changes in my work.
Karen is one of a kind. So much so that even when we moved house, I continued to drive for miles so my son could attend her setting. She provides a home from home and my son just loves going to “Karen’s house”; he runs in and barely says goodbye!
Karen takes the children on lovely local outings, including local playgroups and woodland areas, and also has the most fabulous garden - and pets. Karen is always thinking about all the children’s development and the activities are just wonderful. My son has come on leaps and bounds. He is so secure in himself and Karen pays such a big part in that.
Karen also has a small team which means she can have a little group of children each day. I loved this as it meant my son has had a lovely chance to socialise within a home setting.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Karen. She is incredible!
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by
Jen
about
Karen Horne
on 02/12/2023
ending our daughter to Karen was the best decision we could have made. In the two years that my daughter was in Karen’s care, not once did we have any difficulties getting her in in the morning. We have loved the caring, nurturing environment that Karen has created and have felt at ease from day one. Karen and her team have felt like an extended part of our family. Communication has always been amazing, every day we received photos and updates and when it came to important milestones such as potty training, Karen worked with us, fully supporting the method we choose at home meaning the learning was seamless. It was our daughter’s second home! The children had a fantastic time, getting out and about to various play groups, going on adventures to the woods or playground, going to farm shops and the aquatic centre and even air hop in the summer! Karen made days spent at her house just as fun with summer days in the garden playing with water toys, paddling pools, slides etc etc. I was jealous of the fun my daughter had every day! Most importantly, my daughter never came home having had a bad day and she was always clean and well presented, demonstrating the care taken over the children. We will all miss Karen and the team but I can’t wait to send my son to her! Thank you for such a wonderful start to my daughter’s ventures away from home.
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by
Henry
about
Karen Horne
on 13/09/2023
Karen has been excellent with both of our girls. Anna attended from aged 1-3 and then Eloise attended for a few months (aged 1) before being diagnosed with brain cancer.
We can't thank Karen highly enough. Both girls loved her soft, kind nature, the wide variety of activities Karen did with them and the level of love and care she gives to each child. She really is exceptional and we felt very confident leaving our girls there. Both girls made huge developmental leaps under her care. She taught them a range of skills such as how to put their coat on, which they still use today. She provided a great range of food and taught the girls about the wider world e.g. festivals, seasons etc. The house was always calm, welcoming and the children were always happy when we arrived.
Karen was also exceptional with identifying Eloise's health needs and we will forever be indebted: In 2020 my husband and I had noticed that Eloise had some odd moments where she would suddenly run up to us looking scared and vacant - we thought she must have been scared by something (she was 15 months). But Karen phoned us one day and said she had just seen Eloise have one of these odd moments and wondered if they might be partial seizures - and strongly recommended we go and get Eloise checked out by a doctor. Karen was brave enough to phone us and tell us this - it must have been a very difficult phonecall for her to make and we are eternally grateful for identifying this and for her courage to make this call. This was the very beginning of Eloise being diagnosed with brain cancer. In fact, many doctors continued to dismiss these moments/seizures, but after a few months of pursuing, it was confirmed these moments were seizures, and then later confirmed that they were caused by a cancerous brain tumour. Karen's long experience with children, including previously with other special needs children, helped Eloise get a diagnosis and then treatment. We are eternally grateful and would recommend Karen to anyone!
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Melissa
about
Karen Horne
on 08/09/2023
Response by
Karen Horne
on 09/09/2023:
Thank you so much Mel and Pete for your breathtaking comments about care I provide! It really means a lot! Every child I care for is so special to me and stays forever in my heart!
I cannot recommend Karen and Tim enough! We all know how difficult of a moment it is for a child to separate from the parents, and how worrying it can be if your child will take this change well. We got extremely lucky that we found Karen.
Her warm welcoming to our daughter, keeping us up to date daily with pictures. The support she gave to our daughter as well as to us was immense. Over the 3 years that she was with Karen she was going there every morning with a big smile and so happy and in the evenings she couldn’t wait to tell us what she learned that day.
Karen provided our daughter with a second home and was with us during the small and big moments of her life. We always got so much great advice and support. We will really miss her however as children grow it’s time for her to start a new journey in her new school.
Words are not enough to describe how wonderful Karen has been. You only need to spend a minute with her to understand the level of professionalism and her amazing approach with the children. I can only express my biggest gratitudes!
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by
Vera
about
Karen Horne
on 19/07/2023
Response by
Karen Horne
on 10/08/2023:
Thank you so much Vera for your amazing comments!
Knowing that, it really means a lot!
Karen and her lovely team are amazing. Both my daughters have been with her - my youngest since the age of 1 and still going now 2 1/2 years on.
Both absolutely love going to ‘Karen’s house’.
Karen provides a warm and welcoming environment. We felt at ease on our very first visit. Lots of toys, games and daily activities for the children and a huge garden to play in !
Karen and her team plan carefully activities to suit the age and ability of the child and lots of lovely art work comes home each week.
In addition, the children are often out and about at parks, outdoor spaces and playgroups each day.
Home cooked meals, daily photos and feedback at pick up all make leaving your child that bit easier.
We were fortunate to be recommended Karen when we moved to the area - and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a childcare option.
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by
heicks78
about
Karen Horne
on 26/06/2023
Response by
Karen Horne
on 04/07/2023:
Thank you so much for your amazing comments! 😊
Our son was with Karen for 2 years and when he first started, Karen and her team has helped put a nervous first time mother like me at ease especially when she tailored his nap time according to his needs, send us updates with lots of photos, take him outdoors to different playgrounds, the woods and even to a farm. My son thoroughly enjoyed his time there. Not to mention, she cooks delicious meals of which my son enjoys! On special occasions like his birthday or Christmas, Karen never fails to celebrate and gift him presents that she knows he will enjoy. This goes to show that she pays close attention to each child and treats them like her own. Her setting is clean, full of wonderful toys, books and she will also set up a paddling pool with sprinklers over the summer for the kids to enjoy. She is truly one of a kind. We cannot thank Karen and her team enough for their commitment and care towards our child.
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Jennifer
about
Karen Horne
on 26/06/2023
Response by
Karen Horne
on 04/07/2023:
This is so amazing to hear Jennifer!
I am so overwhelmed with your comments!
Thank you so much!
I cannot recommend Karen enough!
When we first made a visit to her setting we were put at ease instantly, you could see her main focus are the children (not something I had experienced much of on my search for childcare). We had daily updates and photos of what they had all been up to during the day and our daughter developed so quickly with the help of Karen and the team. So much thought and effort had been put into each day and our daughter loved it, especially with the benefit of having a larger group of children to interact with.
5* service would highly recommend to anyone!
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by
catb88
about
Karen Horne
on 22/06/2023
Response by
Karen Horne
on 23/06/2023:
Thank you Cat!
It means so much to me to hear this!
We love Karen so much. My little boy has been with Karen well over a year and after starting in the middle of a pandemic , has come on leaps and bounds. Not only is he loved so much and cared for like he is her own child, he is in the most incredible environment.
Freshly cooked meals each day, complete photos and messages of what he has been up to, artwork sent home. I’ve had endless support and advice when I have needed it. i couldn’t feel any more safer and grateful to send my son here and wish she could be in our lives forever!
My son has the best time when he is with Karen, loves all the activities , huge outdoor space and toys/ sand/water stations- you name it , Karen has thought of it. Her setting is almost like a nursery it’s amazing!
I will forever highly recommend Karen and couldn’t have been luckier to have you in our life xxx
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Leah
about
Karen Horne
on 15/09/2021
Our twin girls absolutely thrived under Karen's care. We left a previous setting which we weren't overly impressed by, and were anxious wondering whether our expectations had been too high. But they were met and more some by Karen and her wonderful assistants. The girls were with her for 2.5 years from 2 years old until recently when I decided to leave my job. Karen would send multiple pictures of what the girls were doing throughout the day which kept us feeling informed and happy as they were always doing such fun, lovely things with smiles on their faces. She is patient, kind, a natural with children, and very lovely to parents too. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Karen - in fact I already have to multiple friends and my brother! Thank you for all that you did Karen xx
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Charlott
about
Karen Horne
on 08/01/2020
Karen has been looking after our little boy since October last year and we are so happy with her. He is very happy and enjoys every day he spends in Karen's home. He is well looked after and he has advanced so much since he started going to Karen's. She is an amazing childminder, always kind and friendly and very helpful and flexible which makes such a positive difference to our life. Her house is very clean and bright and her garden is perfect for children. We couldn't have wished for more.
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Linda
about
Karen Horne
on 31/08/2019
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