Frances Keays Smith
Childminder in East Devon District
Female Member since Jul 2009 Last Updated Sep 2023 Last Login Mar 2024
My Summary
About Me
My name is Frances and I am the owner of Cheeky Monkeys Childminding. I have worked as a childinder since 2009 and in that time have been inspected by Ofsted three times and been awarded a Good and two Outstandings. I am a friendly, energetic 50 year old mother of two living in Exmouth. I live with my husband, who has just retired from the Royal Marines after a very long career and is now starting a new Civil Service job a the RM's Water Activity Centre, my daughter (aged 18) and son (aged 16) who both attend Exmouth Community College. We are all fully vaccinated against Covid.
We live in a semi detached house with a large securely enclosed garden. We enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle and have a positive and enthusiastic approach to life. We have two friendly Maine Coon cats and two gorgeous bunnies all of whom are child friendly and really enhance a child's experience here.
I pride myself in creating a stimulating, confidence building and fun-filled experience for children and babies. My aim is provide the minded children in my care with the kind of experience that I would expect my own children to receive in a childcare setting. Furthermore I liaise closely with parents to make sure their child's transition into setting life is smooth, positive and stress free.
I have an abundance of toys and resources for children of all ages which are regularly cleaned, rotated and restocked. I observe, assess and plan for each child's personal development as well as working in close partnership with their parents to ensure that their individual needs are met. My aim is to create a relaxed home from home environment in which children and babies learn and develop through play and social interaction.
Furthermore, we are mobile visiting local playgroups, attractions, Children's Centers, beach, local parks and many more in accordance with the ages and needs of the children in my care.
I am very approachable and always keen to provide a very warm and happy welcome to both the children and their parents. I am committed to making the transition from home to setting as relaxed as possible and will accommodate any induction process parents wish to use. I also provide a free taster session as near to the child's first day as is practically possible so that he/she is very familiar with both myself and the setting.
My Experience
I have been registered and working as a childminder since January 2009 which I thoroughly enjoy! Since then I have gained in experience and undertaken many CPD courses to further increase my knowledge and to enable me to improve the running of my setting and ultimately the experience of every child in my care.
My Qualifications
Introduction to Childcare Practice
Paediatric First Aid
Safeguarding Children level 3
My Availability
Places can be reserved by making a down-payment which equates to one week's fee. This amount will be deducted from the first month's invoice at the start of the contract.
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
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Before School | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
After School | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no |
Evening | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
Last Updated: 24/04/2024 |
My Fees
- Childminding from £7.00 per hour
My fee includes all meals, snacks and cow's milk. There are no hidden extras!
No late/early collection charges!
Fees are hourly and paid monthly (in advance).
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 28/04/2023)
- Inspection Report: February 2022 Report (added 26/07/2022)
- Inspection Report (added 30/01/2018)
- Inspection Report (added 30/01/2018)
- Reference: Review from parent January 2018 (added 01/02/2018)
Reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Frances Keays Smith. 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.
As a family we can’t praise Frances highly enough for her care in looking after both of our children. We started childcare with our eldest who is now 7, and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to anyone.
Both our children have thrived in Frances’s setting, and most importantly have always been very content and always happy, which as a parent is very comforting particularly when they are young. Frances offers a home from home style setting where we always felt our children had a 1:1 experience, and has always spent the time and effort in those early days settling them in as a priority, to the point both my girls were walking in with nothing more than a smile. We felt that was especially important in the younger years which has given our children the best start in life and the confidence to move on to nursery and subsequently school.
Thank you Frances for all you have done in supporting us as a family, and you will be missed by us all! x x x
by Katy about Frances Keays Smith on 19/01/2024
Response by Frances Keays Smith on 19/01/2024:
Thank you so much! You have been wonderful clients and I have enjoyed looking after your lovely girls enormously! Wishing you the very best of luck for the future. Xxx
Being new to the whole idea of sending a child to a childminder after being at home with our older 2, this was very frightening. The minute I spoke to Frances I was put at ease! Lu has always been settled with Frances, from day 1 he warmed to her and the rest has been history. I couldn’t have asked for someone more caring and loving to look after our baby whilst we were working. There was always good communication about things he had done during his day as well as a full handover at the end of the day. His progression with speech, knowledge of animals and numbers has been down to Frances hard work that she puts into the children in her care. The decision to send Lu to Frances everyday was hands down the best decision we have ever made! We can’t thank Frances enough for everything she has done for Lu and us as a busy working family!!
by Emily about Frances Keays Smith on 06/01/2024
Our little boy started with Frances' childcare provision at the beginning of 2022 and she has been brilliant with him. He's so happy to go everyday, Frances provides wonderful feedback each day, she's knowledgeable and has built a great relationship with him, he loves being around the rabbits and cats - a home from home for little ones. It's been a breath of fresh air compared to our previous childcare experience with our first child. We really couldn't recommend Frances enough, I'm just disappointed we didn't fine her sooner!
by Rebecca about Frances Keays Smith on 29/03/2022
Response by Frances Keays Smith on 29/03/2022:
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! Greatly appreciated!! He is an absolute pleasure to look after!! Xx
Chummy has been with Frances since he was 9 months old. When trying to decide on childcare as I returned back to work full-time, it was essential for us to have a childminder who favoured structure routine, but also focused on building him socially and developmentally as most of his week would be spent here. Chummy had suffered like all pandemic babies with a severe lack of interaction from outside our little family of three, since he was born. This had made him a little shyer than most babies. We were confident, that by going to a smaller setting (rather than a large nursery), and with Frances hands on approach, that his emotional needs would be met as he moved to interacting more and more with people. Over the last year, Chummy has absolutely excelled as a little human. Frances has done amazing work with him, and he surprises us everyday with new things that he has learnt in her settling. The one thing I notice most is how happy Chummy is, he loves being dropped off in the morning, and with most evenings its a struggle to get him back in the car! As a parent though, my needs are also being met. You always wonder what goes on in the day with your child, what they are doing, are they eating, have they pooped? Did they nap? You want to know as much as you can about their day so you don't miss a thing. Frances is amazing at sending reports, and has even structured the reports in a way I requested, so I can scan through and see the bits that I am most concerned about. There is loads of information in them and I feel that from these I can make confident decisions later in the day about Chummy's well-being. Also Frances is always helpful in discussing changes or trouble shooting problems Chummy might be facing (night waking, ages to go bed etc etc) but the best bit is when you are trying a solution, Frances walks hand in hand with you on those, and helps implement them. She really cares about the wellbeing of the children in her settling and that is a rarity. We are thrilled with Cheeky Monkeys and we are only sad that when he becomes older he will have to move on!
by Ruth_c about Frances Keays Smith on 12/02/2022
We can't recommend Frances enough. Our daughter loves her days with Frances and her other friends there. She gets so excited just pulling up outside and can't wait to knock on the door to start her day!
Frances expertly helps the children settle in and then to make the most of every day with age and developmentally appropriate activities, indoors and outdoors. We have seen enormous development in our daughter's skills and confidence over the last 8 months.
Meals provided are healthy and homemade and the children are also encouraged and supported with their hygiene. Daily updates on what the children have been doing is great too and Frances is always keen to work with any individual requirements to meet the needs of the children.
I'm so pleased that my daughter can continue to enjoy her days with Frances for quite some time to come.
by ELS3178 about Frances Keays Smith on 04/11/2020
Response by Frances Keays Smith on 04/11/2020:
Thanku so much for this wonderful review! Looking after your little girl is always such a pleasure! Do rewarding yo see her progress too.
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