Lucascho
Lucas Choice Ltd
Member since May 2012 Last Updated Feb 2023 Last Login 13 Apr 2024
Our Summary
About Us
Ofsted registered since 2013 currently rated Good /Outstanding in all areas.
I am Brazilian native, fluent in Portuguese and English, resident in the UK since Feb 2002.
What guides my practice and what are our goals ?
The Attachment Theory (John Bowlby underpins our approach to Early Years Education and supports the Development of Child Development throughout our daily routine.
• To offer a home-from-home Early Years’ experience for children having diverse cultural backgrounds, where they receive nurture from professionals who choose to work with children because we understand the impact we can have on their lives and who love what we do.
• To provide childcare services in a homely environment but which is dedicated to and adapted for childcare use.
• To serve homemade and nutritionally balanced meals, catering for the individual child’s dietary requirements, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the day.
• To offer a variety of activities which stimulate the children’s imagination and creativity and support freedom.
• To take the children on stimulating, varied, local outings every day throughout the year.
• Should ad hoc childcare sessions be needed at a later date, parents can be sure their children will know the setting, the practitioners and other children.
• To work in partnership with parents, carers and families to maximise benefits to children’s welfare and well-being.
…and above all…
To welcome children so that they become part of our family, and to have a positive impact on the life of every child who attends the setting.
How do we achieve them?
• The team: I work with individuals qualified in early years education or who have an interest to learn and develop their skills and knowledge in the field.
• The setting: it is a home environment with dedicated areas for childcare, hence the space feels safe and secure whilst relaxing, with plenty of resources to stimulate children’s curiosity and desire to explore. Various rooms in the house contain different resources and while the open-plan layout enables free flow including garden access, children are supervised at all times. Outdoor spaces are inviting for adult-led and child-led activities. The large and well equipped garden, having a partially covered decking area as well as a lawn, allows children to have free flow access to outdoor play and sensory activities, and invites child-led play, with various games spontaneously initiated by the children.
• Homemade meals are prepared daily from an open-plan kitchen in the setting. Snacks include fresh fruit and vegetables, and various home baked cakes, muffins or honey bread made with the children’s help.
• We take a consistent approach to activities so that children feel secure and happy to play, to explore their own interests and to learn at their own pace with their peers! We nurture the child’s confidence and love for learning from day one.
• Daily outings include trips to our local parks, libraries, playgrounds, farms, museums and soft play centres. This enables our children be familiar with and to interact with other children in the local community, and to have regular access to a variety of activities and environments with plenty of fresh air and physical exercise.
• There are various opportunities for parents and carers to join the children when they are in the setting and contribute towards setting activities, in addition to regular home visits. Parents’ advice and suggestions are always welcome and taken on board.
Our Availability
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| After School | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 17/02/2023 | |||||||
Our Fees
- Childcare from £35.00 per morning
- Childcare from £35.00 per afternoon
- Childcare from £70.00 per day
- Childcare from £350.00 per week
- Childcare from £1,400.00 per month
This may vary depending on the service required.
FROM SEPTEMBER 2015 ELIGIBLE TO ACCEPT FUNDING FOR 2 YEARS OLD, AS WELL AS 3 AND 4 YEARS OLD.
Due the setting location move I am offering pick ups and drop offs from Wingfield Primary school whom require childcare from 9 am till 15.30 Term Time.
Our Ofsted Inspections
The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childcare provider has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childcare provider.
Our Documents
- Ofsted Certificate (added 17/02/2023)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for LucasCho. 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.
Lucas Choice is a truly lovely childminding setting. Karina has a real passion for the work that she does and is kind, caring and committed in looking after the children in her care.
Karina and her team have been caring for our daughter Sofia since August 2015 when she was around 8 months old. We started on an ad-hoc basis moving to part time more regularly at the beginning of 2016. I have my own business with a varying workload and Karina has always been extremely helpful, flexible and reliable in accommodating my changing needs regarding childcare.
Sofia took to Karina’s warm and welcoming personality immediately. She has always seemed very happy and comfortable in the setting and has actually never cried at all when I have left her there even right at the beginning. Sofia clearly loves being with Karina, her great team [Ana and Edlene], and the other children there and it is a real joy for me to see that, making the return to work just so much easier. The place is very well set up with spacious rooms dedicated to the children, and a large outdoor area / garden with lots of fun things to do. The children go on regular outings as well as doing a range of group activities during the day. Karina is also dedicated to the development of each child and brings this approach to the activities that are done.
Karina is conscientious in giving the children healthy home cooked meals and is also willing and cooperative in accommodating any particular dietary requests.
It is a real privilege for us to have our daughter looked after in such a warm, nurturing, caring and fun environment. We can’t believe our luck in finding such a lovely place for her to spend time during her precious early years.
Overall
Karina has been looking after my little girl for the past year and I've been very happy with the care she receives, usually when I pick her up she doesn't want to go home because Karina has so many toys and activities for her to play with, including a big garden with a marquee for when the sun is too strong (or the rain!) and a huge trampoline.
Karina started with my daughter as a baby who is now a toddler, and has adapted her care to meet her changing needs. I love the fact she gets to mix with older children, including Karina's son, and it has helped with her language and motor development being around older children.
Karina always makes time to have a chat with me about my daughter's day and I have found her to be polite, professional and very loving with the children she cares for.
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Overall
Karina runs Lucas Childcare from her large home in Blackheath. It is part way between a Nursery and a Childminder. Karina employs two assistants to ensure that each child can receive almost 1:1 attention and activities can be targeted at specific age groups. However, the setting is still a home environment rather than a nursery and numbers are kept low. Karina is brilliant at taking the children on lots of trips (Woodlands Farm, National Maritime Museum, Soft Play and many more) as well as regular outings to the local playground. Karina has two rooms in her house solely dedicated to the childcare business as well as a huge garden with many toys for the kids to play with. The food provided for the children is fantastic – Karina used to work in the hospitality industry and provides fresh, healthy meals and snacks for the children.
I have used Karina as a childminder for my daughter since she was 12 months old and I could not rate her higher! The quality of care she offers to each child is fantastic. My daughter had never been left with anyone who wasn’t either myself or my husband when we started using Karina and it is a testament to Karina’s great care for children that she settled so well and now at 3 and a half she loves going there.
As well as being a very caring person, Karina is also extremely professional. She is holds a master’s degree in her previous profession and she is currently studying towards a level 3 qualification in childcare and plans to start a BA in Early Years in September 2017. This is her vocation and she is extremely dedicated to her profession – the learning journal that she keeps for each child is meticulous and she has a high knowledge of the EYFS curriculum and how to assist each child’s development. I could go on, but I will just say that we are extremely glad that we’ve found such a wonderful childminder as Karina and we could not recommend her higher! Communication has been second to none and I would disagree with the previous reviewer regarding the state of cleanliness - the place is always spotless and both pick up and drop off - however the same cannot always be said for my daughter's clothes which is testament to the amount of messy learning through play which must take place during the day - which is of course exactly as I would want it!
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My daughter (nearly 3) has been in Karina’s care full time since she was 10mths. It’s hard going back to work after maternity leave and to trust that you have chosen the right carer for your child but Karina made it easy for me. She is a warm and very welcoming person and my daughter loves her and her staff (Ana and Edlene) like they are part of our family.
The setting is like a home from home. The food is varied and fresh and the children not only get to play indoors and outside in the garden but also get taken out on trips to the local farms, parks and museums.
My daughter has thrived in her care. Karina makes valuable observations on her development and always has a story about something funny that my daughter might have said/did during the week. When my little girl was learning to talk Karina would write down the new words that she had learned on her reports or let me know her favourite songs which meant that I didn’t feel I was missing out on these important milestones. And when my daughter was teething or if she was poorly I knew Karina or Ana would be there to give cuddles until I could.
I highly recommend Karina’s services.
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by
Parent
about
LucasCho
on 20/05/2016
Response by
LucasCho
on 27/05/2016:
Thank you do much for your kind words and appreciation Ashes. Thank you for the trust you have given myself and my team consistently for the past 2 years. Having B attending the setting its a joy!
My son has been in Karina's care for the past 9 months, gradually increasing from part time to full time. What attracted me to Karina over others is her passion about child development, her structured approach (e.g. activities are planned out for the week ahead) and the daily reports for each child.
Settling in was difficult and took a long time but Karina worked patiently and sensitively on getting my boy settled in and now he absolutely loves it there. Others may have given up at this stage but Karina and her team (equally terrific Ana and Edlene) didn't.
Karina has accommodated a special schedule for us to make sure my mum gets to spend time with her granson every two weeks. Again, not everyone will have agreed to this whereas Karina offered the flexibility.
The food is home cooked daily and I take comfort in the fact that my son has a varied and balanced diet all week.
The children get to spend lots of time outdoors as well as playing inside. The setting is safe and homely.
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by
Katya
about
LucasCho
on 20/05/2016
Response by
LucasCho
on 20/05/2016:
Katya thank you very much for your kind words and review. For me the recognition for the work I do talks a million!!!
The responsibility this job involves are huge, There is no fees that justify the risk if wasn't for the love we have for this job. There is absolutely no rooms for mistakes. What makes me enjoy what I do and continuo doing is my day to day with the children. I find fascinating , how quickly they can develop, learn how loyal and sincere they are no matter what.
I am glad we persisted with a different settling approach which was best suitable for L. He is an addition to the setting and I hope to continuo to work for you for years to come.
Thank you ,
Karina
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