Samantha
Childminder in Portchester
Usually responds within 3 hours
Female Member since Dec 2010 Last Updated Feb 2024 Last Login 17 Apr 2024
My Summary
About Me
Hello, my name is Samantha Ford (or Sam for short) and I have been a registered childminder in Portchester for over 20 years. I have 3 sons aged 26, 21 and 19. We are a happy and friendly family and welcome the company of others.
I really love my job and am very dedicated to it. I try to provide the highest qualty care possible and always make the children feel welcome.
I promote good manners and behaviour while in my care but still making sure they enjoy themselves and have fun.
I have a large play room with various toys and equipment for all ages and genders. I have a very big garden with an assortment of outdoor toys. I take children for trips out with other childminders and their children so they can interact and make new friends. We often go on outings to places such as local parks, activity centres and children's groups.
While in my care, I encourage children to take part in many activities. This could be baking, painting, drawing, building and creating.
All food provided is nutritious and homemade and children sit at the table when eating.
I do not have any pets and have a no smoking policy.
My Experience
I love my job and over the years I have put in a lot of work to make sure I can provide the highest qualty care possible; building a playroom, taking a variety of courses, etc.
I am Ofsted registered, DBS checked and fully insured. I have completed up-to-date courses in first aid and safeguarding as well as my Level 3 diploma in Home-Based Childcare. I am also available to offer the 30 hours government funded childcare.
Whilst in my care, I always promote good manners and behaviour but still making sure the children can enjoy themselves and have fun!
I have a large play room with various toys and equipment for all ages and genders. I have a very big garden with an assortment of outdoor toys. I regularly take children for trips out with other childminders and their children so they can interact and make new friends. We often go on outings to places such as local parks, activity centres and children's groups. We also go on trips to Marwell Zoo, Staunton Country Park and Manor Farm.
When not out and about I encourage children to take part in many indoor activities such baking, painting, drawing, building and creating.
All food provided is nutritious and homemade and children sit at the table when eating.
I do not have any pets and have a no smoking policy.
I have cared for children from under 1 through to 8 years of age and from a variety of different cultures.
My Qualifications
My qualifications are;
-Level 3 Diploma in Home-Based Childcare
-Advanced Childcare Protection Course
-Messy Play Course
-Sound and Letters Course
-First AID Course
-Early Years Foundation Stage Awareness Training
-Level 2 Certificate in Food Hygene
-NCMA Registered
My Availability
I offer care for children 0-8 years old on Monday to Friday. I am available from 6am to 6pm. I am able to pick up and drop off at wicor school school every day.
Availability varies throughout the year so please contact me if you are interested or if you would like any more info!
I have availability for school holidays as from now as most of my children are term time only.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| After School | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 05/02/2024 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £5.00 per hour
My normal fee is £5.00 per hour
However, charges may differ depending on the circumstances.
I am open to the childcare voucher scheme.
Parents are welcome to provide their own food which I am happy to prepare or I can provide food for a small charge.
Most day trips and outings are free however there may be a small cost for larger outings and trips.
My Local Schools
- I provide drop offs and pick ups at Wicor Primary School
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
- UK Driving Licence (added 07/09/2023)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Samantha. 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.
Our son has been with Sam for almost 3 years now and started with her from 6 months - he absolutely loves being looked after by her. Sam provides a very caring, supportive and fun home-from-home environment. He even asks to go to Sam’s each morning!
We have seen his learning noticeably progress each day thanks to Sam’s hard work and the variety of activities he does whilst with her. These activities include farm trips, craft activities, trips to the zoo, soft play, park trips, reading, counting, colouring, painting and puzzles.
Sam regularly keeps in contact and sends photographs and information about what he has learnt and experienced during the day. As parents we love receiving these.
We have noticed how much his independence has really developed in Sam’s care, he is now able to take his own coat and shoes off as well as tidy up toys. Skills we definitely appreciate at home!
Sam provides exceptional care and we would highly recommend her as a childminder.
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Sam has looked after my little boy for almost 18 months. Despite the challenges of the pandemic and the multiple lockdowns we had, Sam was always accommodating and flexible, and still ensured the children had a variety of activities to do both in her setting and trips outside. My son was shy and anxious when starting with Sam, but she was always welcoming and reassuring and he soon settled. Now he looks forward to going to see her and all of the friends he’s made. Sam encourages activities to aid development, and it’s clear to see the progress our son has made during his time with her. He enjoyed regular trips to a variety of places and had lots of social interaction with other childminders and their children. We are so sad to be leaving, but are unfortunately relocating out of the area. Highly recommend Sam!
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Our little girl absolutely loved the time she spent with Sam. She came home every day excited to tell us what she had done and show us what she had learned. Sams care is loving, thoughtful, varied and you can tell how experienced she is by how she can adapt to situations. Our little girl was nervous to start with but Sams affection and words soon helped her to relax and she was always looking forward to her days at Sams. We can't thank Sam enough for her help over the difficult covid period and the ease to adapt to changing situations. Our little girl is now ready for school and, thanks to Sam, we're confident she's going to get on just fine 🙂
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My two Sons have been with Sam since September 2019 and she is absolutely fantastic. They adore her and she looks after them with such calm and caring nature. I was very hesitant to use a child minder but decided it was much nicer than after school club as they made my children feel like they were at school 9am-6pm. Couldn’t recommend Sam enough and my boys are sad to leave her - only leaving as relocating. Thank you Sam for all of your hard work!
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We couldn't recommend Sam enough. From the first visit, we knew we had found a perfect match. We used Sam to look after our boy during holidays (Half Terms, Easter and through Summer leave). Our son was well looked after, played games and went on lots of visits. Sam was friendly, profressional and made us all feel very comfortable. Now our son is older we don't need the holiday care but would like to highly recommend Sam.
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