Emma

Wouldn't have picked a better setting

Where do I even begin?
After spending nearly two years with my daughter, the time came for me to return to full-time work and for her to be cared for by others. The idea of handing her over to a total stranger was daunting, to say the least.

We visited many nurseries and childminders, but from the moment we found Emma, we knew we had made the right choice. We truly couldn't have picked a better place for our daughter.

Emma made the entire transition so much easier. She listened to every concern, every expectation we had, and—more importantly—she acted on them. It was like she sprinkled a little bit of fairy dust and made everything fall perfectly into place.

From then on, it was a breeze. Watching our daughter grow into herself—learning, exploring, having fun—has been such a joy. The daily notes and photos from Emma and her team always put the biggest smiles on our faces.

Nothing ever seems too much for Emma. The way the children interact, the friendships they’ve built—it’s all down to the nurturing and understanding environment she has created. Our daughter truly thinks of them all as her best friends, and that’s thanks to Emma’s ability to tune into her little group and know what’s best for each of them.

Now, as our daughter heads off to school this September, we know saying goodbye won’t be easy. But we’ll definitely be back during school breaks… whether Emma likes it or not! 🫣

Thank you for everything, Emma. You’ve made a lasting impact on our little girl and on us as a family.

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by Kinga on 11/08/2025

Absolute superhero!

We moved our son from one of the main local nurseries in 2023 and honestly haven’t looked back! At the nursery, we often felt like he was just another number, but with Emma, Tori & Lex at Little Badgers Childminding, it’s completely different. Emma has created such a warm, welcoming environment where every child feels included, valued, and cared for.

We’re also kept up updated every single day with lots of pictures and details about what they’ve been doing, so we feel truly connected to our son’s day. He has totally thrived here, made lovely friendships, and is excited to go each morning. We couldn’t ask for more – Little Badgers is everything we hoped for and more!

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by Alex on 11/08/2025

Best decision we’ve made

Our son started with Emma at 15 months old, after being in a nursery setting from just 8 months. Without doubt, moving him to Emma’s was the best decision my partner and I have made for his care and development.

From the moment he started, it was clear that Emma offers a genuine home-from-home setting. It’s warm, loving, and structured in the most thoughtful way. Her communication is simply incredible – some days it feels like our son is the only child she looks after, with the level of detail she provides in her daily notes, updates, handovers and photos. And yet, we know she does this for every child in her care. It’s honestly awe-inspiring. She gives all of herself to the children – emotionally, mentally, and physically – and it shows in every little thing she does.

Emma strikes the perfect balance between love and discipline. The children respect her, they listen to her and she always seems to be in gentle, calm control of the group. It’s no surprise that our son absolutely adores being there… to the point he sometimes asks to go to Emma’s on the weekends!

Whether they’re out on thoughtfully planned educational trips or enjoying endless creative and sensory activities at home, no day is wasted. My son has come home talking about the life cycle of a caterpillar, or naming the parts of farm vehicles –he’s only two! It blows my mind what he learns in such a nurturing environment.

Emma also supported us through potty training – something many wouldn’t take on – and she did so with patience, wisdom and reassurance (whilst also caring for a house full of children!). At every stage of our son’s growth, Emma has been an incredible support. Her knowledge and experience have made such a difference to us as first-time parents.

Returning to work after maternity leave was originally a daunting and emotional time, especially when he was in nursery. But with Emma, I felt an instant weight lift. People often say “it takes a village to raise a child” – Emma and her wonderful assistants, Tori and Lex, are that village. I trust them completely, and that peace of mind is priceless.

We’re due our second child very soon, and there is absolutely no hesitation in our minds that we’ll be sending them to Emma too. Knowing our baby will be in such safe, loving and capable hands makes the thought of returning to work the second time around feel totally different.

We’re so grateful for Emma.

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by Jas on 11/08/2025

Grateful beyond words

I honestly cannot believe how lucky we are to have found Emma. Since being in Emma’s care our son has became a happy, confident and adventurous little boy and we believe a lot of this comes from all the experiences Emma has provided him.

Returning to work and putting our son in childcare was one of the most daunting things we’ve had to do. However, upon meeting Emma and attending her setting we knew it was the perfect (and only) place for our son. The love Emma shows the children in her care is second to none. Not only do the children adore Emma but they also adore each other too, which speaks volumes about the atmosphere she has created for the children.

With ample toys, learning resources and activities my son is always learning something new and loves telling me about his day at pick up. The loveliest part about pick up is when not only our son runs to the door but all the children follow, showing what wonderful friendships they have all built.

The endless places Emma takes the children is something we never expected. Barely a week passes by without a visit to a park, natural trail or any other fun place Emma has thought of. My son absolutely loves the days out and talks about them for weeks after.

We truly believe Emma is the best and are so very grateful our son has such an amazing, caring and fun person looking after him. Not a day passes that we don’t recognise how lucky we are to have found her.

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by Josh on 03/08/2025

Response by Emma on 07/08/2025:

Thank you for your kind words Josh. I love having your son, he is a joy to be around and we always enjoy fun days together. Thank you for always supporting us here and I will continue to care for your son like he is my own, especially as my boys love him like a brother!

Emma is the best

Emma has been my daughter’s childminder for 18 months. I felt very guilty about putting my daughter in childcare 5 days a week as I work full time. Emma was incredibly supportive for me and my daughter when she started and settled and very quickly created a special bond with her.
How lucky we are to have found Emma and that she had space.
Every day my daughter comes home saying Emma Tori and Lex are the best (Emma’s assistants).
She encourages the children’s imaginations and takes interest in what they are interested in. Her setting is very much child led, one child could mention a ship and an hour later the children have learnt about boats and the ocean, built a ship and sailed across the sea to a far away land.
Each child is treated as an individual and shown the same care, attention and love. Emma massively encourages friendships and bonds between the children which at this age is not an easy feet.
Emma loves to take the children out to explore the world. At least once a week they visit parks to climb and risk take or build dens in the woods. On special occasions or during the holidays with the bigger kids they visit the farm or castles or even Emma’s husband’s work. He takes them on tractor rides and they help him drive the diggers.
I sometimes struggle to know what to feed her in the evening as she has eaten so well during the day. Unless it is a very hot day or they have had a picnic in the park she will have a hot meal for lunch and then a filling yummy snack in the afternoon. The children are shown how food grows in Emma’s garden and they encouraged often to try new foods.
My daughter has been struggling with a leg problem for the past 6 months, Emma has been nothing short of amazing. Her support for us as a family has gone above and beyond what we expected from a childcare provider. She encourages her to do things she is scared of or says she can’t, she really is her biggest cheerleader. She helps with exercises and the rehab she needs to do to make her leg better. We get extra updates if we are worried or she is having a bad day which massively puts our minds at ease.
The amount of time Emma spends in the evenings and weekends when she doesn’t have the children planning activities, graduation parties or writing reports for the parents is another example of how she goes above and beyond.
Emma literally is the best and we would be lost without her and Tori and Lex.

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by Becky C on 02/08/2025

Response by Emma on 07/08/2025:

Thank you so much for this lovely review Becky. It is a pleasure looking after your daughter and as a childminder, I am very lucky to have you all as one of my families. Thank you for always supporting us here at Little Badgers and I will always ensure we provide the best care for your daughter and her friends.

Terrible experience

Never use this childminder services, we had terrible experience, her communication was everything just not human. It was very obvious even on our first visit that she doesn’t like our child in her settings, when I explained few things about our child she turn her head towards the other two children in the room and she was ignoring me. On the next day , again very unprofessional, she text me 15min before our visit that she is going out with the other children and that one of her team it will be there. How she expecting that one child it will settle if In three days in a row three different people looking after him, and she was stated as our child kew person. On the next day I left our child in the morning and he was happily run inside.After two hours I text her how my child is doing , and she text me back that he is not doing well , that he is biting, hurting over 10times , that he is going in the kitchen, I explain to her before that if he is going to the kitchen he is hungry. Firstly where she has been to call me before , why she was waiting for him (which is definitely not true ) to “bite and hurts “ over 10times. Also texting me humiliated words for my child that he has the complex need. First she is not the doctor to targeting our child , second she hasn’t spend more then 2h with him to targeting him and giving him a conditions. Without communication and finding an option, she text me to come ASAP to collect my child. In every setting in UK if you have to collect the child for some reason the parents got two hours.Be all careful when you choosing this childminder.

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by Vesna on 01/08/2025

Response by Emma on 02/08/2025:

Thank you for sharing your feedback.

As a childminder, the safety and well-being of the children in my care is my top priority. I make decisions based on what is best for all children and staff, ensuring that they are protected at all times. I am a qualified childcare practitioner with 18 years of experience in the field. Over the years, I have developed the skills and knowledge to observe and assess children's behavior, development, and well-being. I am trained to identify when a child may need additional support and I couldn't provide the 1-2-1 care that your son requires. I didn't give him "conditions", I simply stated his needs are too complex for my setting.

While I respect your perspective, I don't feel this forum is a place to discuss some of the issues you have mentioned.