Jo z's Reviews
Childminder
Below are the parent reviews for Jo z. Back to Jo z's profile
Average Rating:
(5 from 20 reviews)
Jo and her family have helped raise both my children since they were babies.
I found going back to work hard and especially hard finding the right person to do all the things I couldn't.
As soon as I met Jo her knowledge and experience put all my fears at ease.
Every day without fail, Jo has planned activities, experiences, visits and adventures for all the children in her care.
They are rarely inside and her curriculum is modeled on the early years foundation stages. This includes focussed tasks, achievement folders and term reviews.
Both my children are advanced beyond their years because of Jo's effort at nurturing their development and providing them with the experiences I couldn't.
Every day we receive details about their day, WhatsApp messages, photos and videos , so we can see what they are up to and not feel we are missing out. This was invaluable in the early days when I returned to work.
The environment is truly creative for the children and I am so sad that mine are moving away from her care. I feel we are losing a family member and I hope to keep in touch.
It is no surprise she is graded outstanding. Thank you Jo for everything. Xxxxxx
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by
Jessica
about
Jo z
on 18/07/2019
Response by
Jo z
on 18/07/2019:
Thankyou Jess that is a lovely review, we have loved every minute with the children. They will be greatly missed.xx
My daughter has been going to Jo since she was a year old and we will be very sad to say goodbye when she goes to school. Jo has provided Elizabeth with amazing care and support, and fun, and I would recommend her to anyone.
With support from her husband Paul and her children she has managed to create a home from home atmosphere for the children she looks after while providing all the benefits of a nursery too, including a wide range of toys, games and activities, other children to interact with and regular assessments and feedback.
I looked at nurseries and none of them felt right for my daughter (even though my son had loved going to one) so when I met Jo on a friend's recommendation, and liked her immediately and felt Elizabeth would be happy there, I was so relieved!
Elizabeth loved going to Jo's from the very beginning, the shorter sessions to begin with settled her in without any trauma (on her side!) and even if on odd days she would cry when I left, Jo would gently encourage me to go and send me a picture almost immediately of Elizabeth calm and playing.
She has got to know Elizabeth's personality quirks, while spotting and supporting her learning needs and they have so much fun together too.
Elizabeth has made some wonderful friends at Jo's and although they may all go on to different schools she has developed a kindness and a confidence to carry forward.
I have found Jo is very fair and calm about childrens behaviour, flexible and helpful where possible if days/hours need to be tweaked, very organised about future closures/deadlines/trips, very knowledgeable about children's medical needs, and aware of local events and school open days/deadlines.
Above all though, Jo is one of the kindest people I have ever met and her patience and calmness make her an amazing childminder.
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Jo has been incredibly supportive with our son Noah’s care who has been attending since summer 2016, when he was a year old. She encouraged all aspects of Noah’s development including his walking (which was a little bit late), his fine motor skills and language development.
The settling in period was well managed by Jo. Noah initially attended for two shortened days before he started his allocated hours. Jo always assured me, and still does, that Noah is happy and engaged in all his activities and she sends photographs by text message which are always nice to receive.
One of the main reasons I decided to send him to Jo’s is that it’s a home setting with all of the facilities required for early learning including great equipment and fantastic resources. This coupled with regular external trips where learning continues.
Jo always goes that extra mile, discusses progress and raises any concerns she might have. Her term end reports are second to none in their content and detail. All of this adds up to a great experience for the child and a reassuring one for parents.
I would wholeheartedly and without hesitation highly recommend Jo to any prospective parent. She is the most caring person and we will be very sad to leave her in August when Noah is due to start school. We fully intend to send our younger son Seb to Jo’s upon my return to work later in the year.
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by
Anna H
about
Jo z
on 13/01/2019
Response by
Jo z
on 15/01/2019:
Thankyou for such a lovely review, i am a true believer that children learn at their own pace, and in a way that is individual to them. We all get where we are going eventually.xx
My daughter, Kenia, has been looked after by Jo, after school, for over 5 years now. Jo continues to provide excellent care for my child, including a range of outings and activities that Kenia has thoroughly enjoyed. Jo has done a fantastic job of providing a safe, stimulating and educational environment, within which, my daughter has thrived. Jo....thank you so much...keep up the good work.
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by
Parent
about
Jo z
on 20/07/2017
Response by
Jo z
on 10/01/2019:
Kenia was an absolute pleasure to care for, she became great friends with my own daughter and are still in contact now. This is where life long friendships begin, and I am thankful to be apart of that,xx
I needed to return to work on a part time basis when my son was 11 months old. I contacted Jo as she was recommended to me by a friend who had arranged to send her son there. From the initial settling in days to my son now being there three days a week, I am so happy and grateful to have found Jo. She has been very supportive and understands how hard it can be returning to work after maternity leave. My son comes away smiling, happy and confident. His language has improved and is almost walking. I feel very confident leaving my son in the very safe and capable hands of Jo and Paul.
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by
Anna H
about
Jo z
on 14/09/2016
Response by
Jo z
on 20/07/2017:
Noah is developing into a great character, an absolute pleasure to care for, always has a smile on his face. Jo
Jo has been looking after my son, Milo, for the last two years. We have been absolutely thrilled with her services and the development of Milo over his time with Jo. Not only has she provided a safe and stimulating environment, completely catering for all children's needs, she has also provided him with fantastic access to the EYFS curriculum, standing him in great stead for school. Milo will be starting school above the level he needs to be thanks to Jo's hard work and dedication to providing an outstanding education to him as well as fantastic childcare. As a teacher myself, I was initially concerned about Milo perhaps not accessing the curriculum he needed with not being at a nursery but Jo has gone above and beyond to make sure children have access to what they need.
As well as having an excellent environment for children to flourish with a huge outdoor area, Jo has also taken Milo on many outings such as zoo trips, beach visits, parks and charity walks, which he has enjoyed thoroughly.
Jo always communicates with us her plans and the levels she thinks Milo is at and will confirm with us that we agree before setting anything in stone. She knows him inside out and is aware of his strengths and weaknesses and ensures she puts things into place that nurture these.
Jo is approachable and we feel that we can always talk to her if we have any concerns and she deals with everything professionally.
Milo is going to continue to go to Jo's for after school childcare now he is starting school as we are so happy with the care she provides and the relationships he has formed with other children in the setting.
Thank you for all your help and support over the last two years.
Would highly recommend to anyone looking for outstanding childcare to their children, particularly of pre-school age.
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by
tamarab0
about
Jo z
on 04/09/2016
Response by
Jo z
on 20/07/2017:
You are very welcome, Milo has been a pleasure to care for and look forward to caring for your new addition in the future.:0)
My daughter joined Jo when she was 12 months, when I returned to work after a year on Maternity leave, the care, attention, stimulation and fun she has in Jo's setting has made my return to work as guilt free and straight forward as it gets.
I am so pleased I decided to use a childminder this time around (my older daughter went to a very good day nursery). Jo’s maturity, experience of childcare, flexibility and parenting skills are outstanding.
We love that our daughter gets to get out and about to the Zoo, park or walk along the see front year round. The flexibility that Jo has to take advantage of the weather or events for example going to see ‘Princess Kate’ at the Turner Contemporary or running around the sunken garden on a sunny day with her play mates is wonderful and something that is just not possible in larger settings.
I work in education and regularly meet early year’s professionals and teachers in state and independent settings and believe that Jo measure up easily against the best that I get to see. After three years I am still regularly surprised at the range and breadth of formal and less formal activities my daughter gets to do while I am at work, best of all she doesn’t distinguish between the two, she just enjoys doing and learning, which I hope continues when she starts school full time.
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Jill
about
Jo z
on 11/07/2016
Response by
Jo z
on 20/07/2017:
Daisy is an amazing little girl, quiet and confident a sponge to all knowledge, she has taken to school as expected and we are still enjoying collecting her, continuing the close friendships she has developed over the years, Jo
Both my children have been with Jo since 12 weeks old (now 7 and 3). It was important to me that my children were in a stable and homely/family environment as they had to start nursery at such a young age. Jo has given the children a great start and has ensured that they are independent enough to be ready for school.
Both my children love being with Jo and my eldest son always looks forward to the school holidays so he gets to spend some time at Jo's.
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by
Parent
about
Jo z
on 14/06/2016
Response by
Jo z
on 20/07/2017:
I miss them lots when they leave for school, but enjoy the visits and holiday days when we can see how they have grown. :)
Met Jo yesterday for the first time, she is a lovely lady, and she has been very helpful to give me all information about childcare and my daughter is willing to go to her house again.
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by
Parent
about
Jo z
on 24/02/2015
Response by
Jo z
on 08/03/2015:
Many thanks for your feedback, glad your visit was a good experience and we were able to accomodate your needs, look forward to seeing you both again. please contact me if you need any more info before your start date. Thanks Jo.
We met Jo for the first time yesterday for a initial meet about herself and the service she offers. We were not sure about the prospect of placing our children with a child minder rather than in a nursery but left feeling confident and at ease with Jo's abilities. Her setting was very child friendly and certainly has plenty to keep the children entertained. There were still children that she cared for present when visiting and they appeared to be very happy. Jo was very informative and open for further questions.
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by
Parent
about
Jo z
on 22/02/2013
Response by
Jo z
on 22/02/2013:
Thank you very much it was lovely meeting you both.:)
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