Latest Reviews
Here are some of the latest reviews that we have received from parents who have used childcare providers and tutors listed on Childcare.co.uk.
Finding the right tutor for a young child can be challenging, but working with Caroline over the past two years has been a wonderful experience for our family. She started teaching my son when he was 5, and her warmth, patience, and creative teaching methods have built both his academic confidence and his love for learning. He always looks forward to his sessions with her. We are so grateful for her dedication and guidance. She knows exactly how to keep a 7-year-old focused and motivated. I couldn't ask for a better mentor for him—highly recommended !
We honestly cannot put into words how grateful we are to Tanya for everything she has done for our family over the past four and a half years.
She has been so much more than just a childminder- she has been loving, caring and offers a warm, homely environment for the children.
Tanya has watched our girls grow, supported them through so many milestones and given them lots of wonderful memories. We get lots of photographs sent at the end of each week of what the children have been up to. Including park visits, local groups, National trust, Slimbridge, museums, garden centres and the aquarium, just to name a few. Tanya has endless ideas for keeping the children busy when spending time at home and they have great fun with all of the seasonal activities!
We couldn’t have wished for anyone better to care for our girls and it’s clear how much Tanya genuinely cares about the children.
It was an emotional end to a very special chapter with both our girls and we are very lucky that our little boy will get to experience the same in due course. We have recommended to friends who have also gone on to use Smiling Monkeys!
Thank you Tanya, we couldn’t have wished for anyone better to care for our children ♥️
Georgia
We sent our son to Hornsey Day Nursery for three years, from when he turned one until he entered reception. The first year was at the baby site, the last two at the toddlers’ room in Arkansas House near the top of Hornsey Rise.
We loved it at Hornsey Day. Our son developed more into himself there, and he learned how to interact with other children and made friendships that we hope will last. We’ll always cherish our memories of his time there. We highly recommend it.
* Every staff member we talked to at both sites was lovely, without exception. Our son still talks about how much he appreciates them. They’re caring and thoughtful, taking both educational and safeguarding seriously. The combination of loving staff and thoughtful leadership made it a very positive experience.
* You’ll periodic updates on how your child is progressing that are quite detailed but don’t feel overbearing, letting you know what you can do more of at home
* There’s ample opportunity for parental participation by doing story time, or in the toddler room designing a unique and age-appropriate activity.
* The toddlers site has its own private outdoor space for the children to run around in, including a garden and a few trees that feel nicely shaded. At the baby room, they’re routinely taken to the nearby Grenville Road Gardens down some quiet side streets. Both feel very safe. (That being said, the toddlers’ site main gate opens downhill onto a busy estate car park, so make sure to watch your little ones!)
* We found it quite easy to form a community with other parents.
* Communication is good: while pickup-time discussion can sometimes be rushed, they will always inform you of everything important, and the site leads were always responsive during email.
* Staffing was consistent while we were there, which I gather is uncommon in the industry. (A few of my son’s favourite carers were moved to a related nursery, which was a personal disappointment, but that was more of a one-off thing)
* They give you amazing scrapbooks of everything your child has done: keepsakes to treasure forever, that say so much but don’t take up too much space.
* Our son has specific dietary and allergy needs. Staff were mindful of this while also making sure he received appropriate nutrition. They made it all extremely easy.
My son (18 months old) recently started with Nazeema, and I couldn’t be happier with the care she provides. She is very calm, kind, and professional, which made the transition so much easier for both of us. My son adapted quickly to the new environment and now genuinely enjoys going there every day. It’s such a relief to know he is in safe and caring hands. I would highly recommend her to any parent.
We have had such a wonderful experience with Chizzic. From the very beginning, they have been warm, caring and incredibly attentive to our child’s needs. It was lovely to see how quickly our child settled in and how happy and comfortable they were each time they went.
We would highly recommend Chizzic to any family looking for a kind, reliable and nurturing childminder. We feel very lucky to have found them!
J was absolutely wonderful with our three children, who are all different ages and naturally have very different needs and personalities. She managed to build a lovely individual relationship with each of them and understood how to adapt her approach to suit each child.
She is incredibly proactive, thoughtful and always full of little surprises — honestly, a real-life Mary Poppins! She would come up with activities and ideas without needing to be asked and always brought such positive energy into our home.
What we particularly loved about J was how caring and motherly she was with the children, while still being able to set clear boundaries when needed. She found that perfect balance between being affectionate, fun and nurturing, while also providing structure and consistency.
She became a very special part of our family, and the children absolutely adored her. We miss her dearly and will always be incredibly grateful for the care, love and happiness she brought into our home.
Any family would be very lucky to have J looking after their children, and we would recommend her wholeheartedly. ❤️
Maria
Katie was available last minute for support looking after my 4 month old while I was working in France - she was incredible. I learned so much from her, and I was able to focus on work during a demanding event period in the knowledge that my little one was in exceptional hands! Highly recommend! She went above and beyond :)
Funmi is brilliant with our little boy. She has created such a warm and caring setting where we know he is enjoying himself and is looked after. Funmi keeps us updated with all the learning she is providing and absolutely puts our minds at ease. Thank you so much again
Fernanda has cared for my daughter full-time since she was 9 months old (she's now 19 months), and I can't recommend her highly enough. She's kind, always knows exactly what to do, and looks after my daughter with genuine skill, warmth, and love. We feel so lucky to have found her, she's someone you can fully trust, and you'll know your child is in great hands.
Giovana
Lucia Oravcova served as our nanny from March 2024. During this time, Lucia provided dedicated full-time care for our child, who was 6 months old when the employment began. I can state without reservation that Lucia is an exceptional childcare professional who would be an invaluable asset to any household.
From the outset, Lucia demonstrated a deep understanding of childhood development and a genuine interest and care for our child. Lucia was the primary caregiver whilst my wife and I were at work, normally during the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Lucia established a connection and environment which supported the family unit as a whole and supported developmental stages in collaboration with us throughout. Sleep patterns and weaning in particular were all done collaboratively and supportively whilst daily activities, whether reading and playing with our child herself, or attending locally offered classes, supported growth and development.
Communications throughout were responsive and we received any updates should there be changes in plans or regular scheduled activity. We were always kept informed and felt connected at all times.
Lucia is proactive, safety-conscious, and possesses excellent judgment. We always felt completely secure knowing our child was in such safe, capable hands.
‘Lucy’ as we all call her, became part of the family unit and has cared for our child in a professional and exceptionally caring manner. She has also been flexible with start and end times as necessary for our work and kept excellent records on any holidays, absences or changes to regular working patterns.
Our family was incredibly fortunate to have Lucia in our home. She has mine and our highest possible recommendation.
Sammie has been our nanny on a Wednesday and Friday for a little over a year. In this role, she looks after our very energetic, now 5 year old boy, helping with school drop off and pick up, and providing full time care in the holidays. In addition, she helps us with some housekeeping roles.
She is, in short, wonderful. Our son loves her, they have so much fun together. She is reliable, and steady, and keeps the "show on the road". They have wonderful holiday adventures together.
She goes above and beyond in everything to help two, very busy, full time parents just about stay afloat!
Kat
Hi all,
I visited Brinda when my child's nursery shut down and when I say everything happens for a reason it's true. I couldn't have been happier, so welcoming, literally from home to home, but always keeping such a high professional standard. The children aren't just a number like what you see everywhere else. They are individuals and treated just like family. Brinda and all her staff are so so lovely. My child came on so well and with such support from them all. Fresh home cooked meals everyday. He started as part time and the hours soon increased because he loved going there. Being at brindas gave him so much confidence and he was amazing settling into reception when he left. Even though we miss everyone at woodway kids. He will be back during school holidays so we will still have contact.
Honestly, your be amazed, your child will be happy, learn through play, feel safe and won't want to leave.
The only negative....I wished I had found Brinda sooner.
Thank you for all your help, support and love not just to mine, but to all!
X
My youngest had Faicka as a childminder from 2.5-starting school. Faicka was patient and kind and warm, I feel so lucky to have had her in my Sons life.
Through her Early Years teaching, my Son is fully prepared for school and was the first in his class to be given a book home to read. He is confident, and loves to learn.
I would get messages every day from her showing me all the activities he was doing, which helped me to connect with him when I got home. I cannot thank you enough Faicka. The Outstanding rating from Ofsted was completely accurate.
Julie has looked after my son for two years from 15 months to 3 years old. Her service with us is ending only because my son has started pre school! My husband and I cannot recommend Julie enough - we have had the most incredible experience with her. During her time with us, Julie had gone above and beyond to be of support to us. Julie is kind, gentle, patient and extremely experienced - from handling full blown toddler tantrums to helping my son eat his meals to organising fun play sessions to trips around town - there is nothing Julie can’t do! In fact, my husband and I have both learned so much from Julie. I must also say, thanks to Julie - our son’s literacy & numeracy skills have been very advanced from young age compared to nursery going peers - he could read all the alphabet before he turned 2!
Most of all, you can tell how incredible someone is by the impact they leave on a child. Our son’s sees Julie as part of our family and often tells us that she is his favourite person :)
Deglys provided a place for my youngest from 2.5years to starting school. I was returning to work after 5 years off, so I was very anxious to find the right place. In my first meeting with her I spent 1.5 hours with her chatting, and through her warmth, humour and stories I knew she would be the Tia for my Son. He LOVED her food, which was home made every day. He picked up some Spanish, which always made me smile, and he loved the friends he made there. Deglys was reliable and flexible and I couldn’t have returned to work without her. My youngest is now thriving at school, he’s had the best preparation for his next chapter, and my family will never forget her. Muchas gracias Deglys. Besos.
Noelle has been looked after our son following my return to work after maternity leave in September 2023 when my son was just 6 months old and had him 5 days a week.
Before she began caring for him she was more than happy for me to visit her home as many times as I needed to even offering to meet us at local groups and parks so that not only our son but us as a family could get to know Noelle as-well.
Since the day my son began being cared for by Noelle she has supported us at every stage of his development, she’s been open and honest with us even supporting us with appointments for him at a time when we had some concerns about his health.
My son has always happily gone to Noelle’s home, and is excited just by the mention of her name, he even would shut the front door on me before I’d have a chance to say good bye. I believe children are the most fantastic judges of character and I can see by how my son is with Noelle he loves her very much.
I’m often asked about “ our childminder” and I always tell anyone who asks that Noelle is part of our family and my son adores her. We are still in contact now even though my son no longer attends and have made arrangements to meet.
I highly recommend Noelle!!!
Cassie is a wonderful childminder - caring, reliable, and highly professional. She communicates clearly and consistently, and her setting is always clean, safe, and welcoming. We are very happy with the loving care she provides for our son and would highly recommend her :)
We are so grateful we found Jess! She is such a positive, supportive and nurturing Childminder. Our son’s eyes light up when we tell him he’s going to Jess’s house and the range of activities she does with the kids is just amazing.
Our son is always creating things with her, learning new concepts and most importantly seems to be genuinely having so much fun!
Our son is 20 months now- he was 15 months when he started - and we couldn’t be happier we chose Jess.
Michelle
