Samantha
Childminder in Catford (also available for babysitting)
5.0
My Summary
Home From Home Setting
About Me
Hello, my name is Samantha. I have been a registered childminder for 22 years for children from 4 months of age.
I am a mother of 3 grown children & have a 5.5 yr old grandson who I adore.
My aim is to nurture children to be resilient & independent by building social skills & confidence to be school ready.
I live off Perry Hill SE6 on the borders of Lower Sydenham, Forest Hill & Catford. I provide a safe, secure & loving home from home environment, taking care of childrens individual needs.
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We love to get out & about going for walks by my local river, collecting nature bits to use for activities & generally learning about our outdoor environment.
I follow the EYFS development progress for each child & keep parents updated on their progress via WhatsApp msgs & sending photos.
I incorporate child led & planned activities to prompt a curiosity approach by offering play opportunities & resources to keep the little ones stimulated & engaged.
We have a fun packed day incorporating outdoor experiences, tuff tray loose parts, arts & crafts, garden play, sand/water table, play kitchen, reading, musical instruments, counting, stretching, singing, dancing, reading & much more.
I use natural & recycled resources as much as possible.
I have an all weather south facing garden with decking, a canopy & gazebos to shade. The children enjoy slides, sit & ride toys, mud kitchen, sand tray, den, tents & lots more exciting resources.
I offer home cooked food & cater for different likes & dietary requirements. I provide breakfast, lunch & tea. Also healthy snacks & fresh fruit. I give water or full fat milk to drink.
I can provide excellent references from current or previous happy parents.
My Experience
I have been a childminder for 22 years after long careers for an airline & then banking & I’ve never looked back.
I have calm & patient nature & have an understanding of the different needs & abilities of babies, toddlers & older children. I love my job & find it very rewarding to see the little ones grow & progress.
I am always keen to expand my early years knowledge by doing training courses regularly.
My Qualifications
1st aid paediatric qualification
Safeguarding & child protection.
Member of Forestry Childcare Association
NVQ Level 3 in Childcare & Development
Developing positive behaviour
Understanding 2 year olds
Learning through play
Food hygiene
Understanding Autism
English as a 2nd language
& lots more training
My Availability
Opening hours from 8-5.30 Monday to Thursday
Other times can be discussed adhoc.
Spaces from 6 months to 3 years from Sept ‘26
Funded hours & Term time only welcome
My Fees
- Childminding from £12.00 per hour
- Babysitting from £15.00 per hour
Day rates to be discussed depending on hours/days needed.
My Local Schools
This childminder has not yet informed us whether or not they provide any drop off or pick up services at local schools.
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
- Ofsted Certificate (added 08/04/2023)
Reviews
5 out of 5
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Samantha. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk members 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.
I couldn't be more grateful that I found Sam on this site when I was gearing up to return to work as a first time mum. She made the transition back to work so smooth and easy and we have loved having her look after both our girls over the last 3 years. Her home is perfect for entertaining little ones, with a massive astroturf garden filled with toys, an outdoor deck with canopy, water table, trucks, slides and more. Indoors, Sam has a play kitchen, tepee, tonnes of toys and books, car seats and high chairs and she lives right next door to a playground and park too! But aside from the wonderful setting, Sam herself is wonderful. She is so calm, warm and reassuring if it is your first time, she devised a brilliant settling plan that put me and both my girls at ease and made the transition as smooth as possible. Although there were the inevitable tears the first 1-2 weeks, honestly after that my kids smiled and skipped in - they both formed such a strong bond with Sam, as it seems all the kids she looks after do as she is so kind, happy, smiling, patient, warm and loving towards them all. Her and her children become a home from home and a second family to both my little girls and we are just so grateful and lucky that we found her 3 years ago. Along the way she has helped us with milestones along the way like potty training, always been happy to work with our routine / nap times, and taking the girls on so many enriching day trips and learning experiences and communicated to us and documented their developments and been happy to provide delicious meals that have accommodated allergies. She really does do it all and is a real life Mary Poppins! Now that we are leaving as girls are going to school, I wanted to leave this review to help point other mums / dads looking for childcare to Sam - as she honestly is the best childminder you could ask for or hope to find! x
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by
Shereen
on 03/08/2022
Samantha is looking after my little girl, who is now 17 months young. From the very beginning Frankie felt comfortable in the house as well as around Samantha. It is honestly a home away from home for her. Samantha is very thorough with communication and I have all the trust in her taking care of my most precious baby. The activities offered by Samantha are exactly what I would like my toddler to be busy with on the daily basis.
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by
Parent
on 05/02/2016
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This profile was last updated on 15th January 2026 and has been produced from information provided to us by the user. We have not verified or confirmed the accuracy of any of the information and members should undertake their own vigorous checks and references. Please ensure you read our Safety Advice and information on how to Check Childcare Provider Documents.
