ColSal's Reviews
Childminder
Below are the parent reviews for ColSal. Back to ColSal's profile
Average Rating:
(5 from 19 reviews)
We were absolutely over the moon to have found Sally, Colin and Amber. The setting was really important for us and it’s so wonderful to see pictures of the children having fun running around the allotments and learning about nature. We loved how much Sally gets the kids outside and how much effort she puts in to make the days varied. Our little boy has absolutely flourished under their care, from learning how to look after smaller babies to creating beautiful arts and crafts and having lots of fun along the way! We feel lucky to have found Sally, Colin and Amber and would have no hesitation recommending.
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Our son has got so much from being with Sally - I moved him from another setting as it had too many babies and that was limiting the amount of activities and fresh air outdoor time he was getting. I was so glad I looked again and Sally and from the off she was speedy, responsive and organised, getting back to my call on a Sunday and organising a visit.
I was very taken by the setting immediately, her home and garden and the cabin are ideal - it gives a range of places for the children to spend the day - not just cooped up in one room! I also loved the mix of ages and the size of her setting - there were 9 children, and most were toddlers of either 2, 3 or 4 and there were just one or two babies so the mix was perfect for Rowan and for their splitting the group into activities. Their house is cosy, quirky full of creativity and fun and a real family home. This was also very important having gone to visit so many soulless corporate looking 'nurseries'!
Then the allotments were a big part of. our decision to go with them, it was amazing to see how much green space they have on their doorstep, the river where the kids play poo-sticks, the chickens and all the learning about growing food. Our son Rowan is a keen gardener now and loves learning about how things grow, I am sure Sally has had a part in this!
I was very anxious that Rowan keep his nap routine and I was so worried about how he would get to sleep without me but Sally patiently listened to all my concerns, and was also good reminding me kindly that she had done this many times, which was a helpful reminder as it was a real wrench for me leaving him, even though I had lucked out with such a great setting. I especially loved that Rowan would sleep in his own cot in her spotless and calm bedroom, and that she would rock him to sleep in her arms, while her daughter Amber and husband Colin looked after the other children. This level of care and individual attention was a huge relief to me, as were her regular updates on text with lovely photos and videos of our son. I felt so reassured. Sally was patient with my many requests and understood our gentle/attachment parenting ethos and respected our ways entirely and Rowan had his regular nap throughout his time there (nearly 2 years). This was very important for us and allowed him to be the calm, happy, emotionally well regulated child he has always been.
Rowan settled very quickly and enjoyed the setting very much, the variety or art and craft, the allotment walks, the walk through a country park on the afternoon school run, the singing and dancing, the nursery rhymes and language learning - Rowan always had great language but it has developed a lot with their input.
They helped with toilet training and Amber especially helped with this and encouraged his love of building of Lego! All in all, we are so very glad we met them and want to stay in touch. For us it was a great first step in separating from our son for a day, I never worried all day at work, I loved getting the updates and news and Sally was super diligent at replying to any concerns and questions, all this while looking after 8 other children, hats off to Sally!
Thank you for all your support and the care and love you showed our son. We will always remember you so fondly x
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We've had our son and daughter with Sally, Colin and Amber for several years. It's been a really positive experience for our children and us. We've all enjoyed a genuine and personable relationship. It's been (and is) more like an extended family than anything else.
The setting is lovely, with a playhouse at the back of the garden and an allotment nearby. There are always fun activities on the go including lots of arts and crafts (Sally and Amber are rather passionate about it).
We feel really lucky to have found Sally back then. There are enough children to make it a suitable social environment for everyone but not too many for it to become impersonal.
Sally has always been very helpful and accommodating when things go left-field (we've been 'blessed' with a fair amount of that over the years, as most young parents are).
We happily and highly recommend Sally and gang to anyone who is looking for a wholesome setting for their children.
Thanks for the wonderful experiences you've helped provide to our children, Sally, Amber and Colin.
Greetings from P & L, F & L
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Our little boy stayed with Sally, Colin and Amber from age 2 to nearly 4 when he started preschool, and we were delighted to have found them. They had a lovely setting, with a great playroom, full of varied toys for free-play. They live alongside the allotments and regularly go on little adventures there, to pick fruits, visit the chickens, have little races and throw sticks in the river. They also do crafts in the house as well as reading stories, singing songs, dancing, learning numbers and plenty of garden play. Sally and family took great care of our little boy and he really grew in confidence during the time they looked after him. Highly recommended!
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I would highly recommend Amber, sally and Colin- there setting is safe and loving- lovely food and regular updates showing happy and engaged children! My son robin was so well looked after in setting- I didn’t worry about his well being at all while there- which is the most important thing I could ask for in my opinion!!
The nicest thing about the team as childminders is the lovely homely environment they create- on my first ever pick up of robin I ended up getting two flat tyres while driving to collect him! I was over 4 hours late!! They were so understanding and supportive of the delay- and sally even gave us jam sandwiches and a banana for the ride home in the tow truck (to robins delight!!)
Thanks for looking after our son so well sally, Colin and amber xx
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For the last year, our daughter has been with Sally, Colin and Amber and we have had such a positive experience.
The children are all incredibly happy there, I can genuinely say that I haven’t seen a child crying when I’ve been to collect my daughter and it’s lovely to see them all playing with each other with big smiles on their face.
The environment is great with the cabin having plenty of space, warmth and entertainment to keep the kids engaged and entertained throughout the cold months. When the sun starts shining the kids are often out in the garden and exploring the allotments at the back of the house. They provide a wonderful space for the kids to adventure around.
We’ve been so assured our daughter is in safe hands as Sally regularly sends us videos and updates. The team has also been very accommodating and understanding when something unexpected comes up and we need to make last minute changes.
We’re really pleased we found ColSal and would (and have) recommend them to anyone local looking for a safe, educational and fun childcare option!
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We have been using Sally, Colin and Amber to look after our children for the past 7+ years. Each of our children started with them when they were nine/ten months old and stayed until early primary school.
All three of our three children have been very happy and developing well in the setting. They love the arts and crafts that Sally and Amber make with them and the time spent playing in the garden and in the nearby the allotments. They also enjoy the male role model in Colin and his yummy cooking.
The environment at Sally’s and Colin’s is very homely, calm and safe. When our children were babies Sally was happy to walk them to sleep in the pram if needed. When older, our children always came home content and full of stories about adventures at the allotments.
As we don’t have any family nearby Sally and Amber have stepped in with babysitting whenever we needed. Sally, Colin and Amber have been like a second family to our kids.
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Our daughter was with Sally, Colin and Amber for around 6 months (the only reason she isn't still there is because we have moved back to Ireland). It was evident from our first visit at the setting just how homely it is. Sally, Colin and Amber are so caring and put so much effort into the activities they plan for the kids each day. We got lovely updates on Nora's day and I always felt like N loved going... There was never a cross word when I dropped her off in the morning. Proof how much she enjoyed herself! She also developed hugely in the time she was there. Her speech and physicality and they encouraged her to be more adventurous with textures when eating too! Couldn't recommend them more and am just gutted I no longer live down the road from them!
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Sally, Colin and Amber provide a fantastic environment for little ones at their home. Their setting is calm, yet engaging and there’s plenty of interesting things to do. They have a great, structured routine that helped our children settle quickly and they’re great at working with parents to share updates and support children to develop and thrive. If you’re looking for a setting where your little ones will feel safe and secure whilst also learning and developing, then we would definitely recommend Sally, Colin and Amber.
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We used Colin, Sally and Amber as childminders for all 3 of our children and cannot recommend them enough.
After looking around a few local childminders, I knew immediately that Colin & Sally’s setting was the right place for my first child and it enabled me to return to work without any worries. It really made all the difference to me knowing they were in such a lovely homely clean environment in such a peaceful setting (next to the allotments) with such lovely caring people.
The children had such lovely experiences - art activities a plenty, walks around the amazing allotments, lots of outside garden play and most importantly all of them absolutely loved going and thrived under Sally, Colin and Ambers care.
We have moved out the area & the hardest thing was to leave our amazing childminders who we trusted completely. I truly believe this is a unique one off setting that any child would be very lucky to attend.
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